| Rock climbing is commonly referred to as an "extreme" sport in popular media discourse for its higher degree of risk and individualist nature, compared to traditional sports. However, most climbers describe it as a "lifestyle" sport, and for a small subculture of the rock climbing community it becomes a way of life. These most dedicated climbers give up permanent residence, sacrifice other opportunities, and maintain a minimalist lifestyle in order to travel and climb full-time, for years on end. This research examines the travel behavior, subcultural dynamics, and motivations and experiences of lifestyle climbers by employing a series of ethnographic methods that interrogate rock climbing media, online forums, and the popular climbing destination of the Red River Gorge, Kentucky.;The rock climbing community is riddled with issues that divide it, including climbing style, ethics, and regionality. Lifestyle climbers are a particularly performative subculture of this community as they engage a number of exclusionary actions, avoidance tactics, territorialization practices, and travel behaviors. Moreover, lifestyle climbers also exhibit their own hierarchies, shared values, and rituals, as well as identify a distinct historical lineage. Yet, despite the hypermobility and spatial diffusion of individuals, lifestyle climbers emphasized the importance of community. While these dedicated climbers indicated the desire for more frequent engagement with rock climbing as a primary motivation, they also expressed existential motivations, particularly a desire to (re)discover a sense of self. Yet, existential authenticity came more from the lifestyle experiences than the rock climbing. Thus, a minimalist, mobile lifestyle driven by a passion for rock climbing results in more frequent encounters with situations of challenge---on the rock face, in nature, at campsites, and on the road.;More broadly, this research aims to interrogate the limitations and utility of discursive and performative approaches in travel research. Because this study is concerned with travel behavior, social and cultural community dynamics, and subjective motivations and experiences, these approaches were found to be most useful when paired. While individually limiting, together they presented complementary frameworks for analysis, from structural networks to encounters with place. |
