Towards New Heights - An Interview Study on Psychological Characteristics in Danish Elite Climbing

Psychological characteristics have an important influence on the developmental process of turning young talent into successful elite athletes, alongside the characteristic of the environment. The purpose of this study was to explore the psychological characteristics and skills of Danish elite senior climbers that are important for achieving success in a niche sport in a small country such as Denmark. Additionally, it was examined which environmental factors (e.g., relations and facilities) influence the development of these psychological characteristics in climbers.
Data collection included four semi-structured interviews with elite senior climbers. The empirical material was analyzed with an explorative approach following the six stages of thematic analysis which was later discussed against former research on psychological and environmental factors. The study identified five factors that the athletes used or possessed during their career to achieve success: (a) focus on progress, (b) self-reflexivity and regulation, (c) coping and resilience, (d) adaptability, and (e) autonomy. In addition, the athletes emphasized opportunities and barriers in their environment which either facilitated or limited their psychological and personal development. Opportunities included the community and relations as well as the learning culture. Barriers were a shortage of (sport-specific) challenges and a general reluctance to change. The findings indicate that adaptability and autonomy are domain-specific psychological characteristics for climbing in a Danish context, supporting earlier findings that psychological factors are domain and context-specific. Practical suggestions are discussed how to facilitate athletes in a sport having limited structural support and a lack of competition within the country.