While hiking requires physical exertion and, on more technical terrain, a degree of skill is definitely helpful, it is not 🛡 typically done as part of a competition
It's one of our favourite outdoor activities here at Advnture and it certainly gets 🛡 your heart and legs pumping, requiring some pretty hefty physical output, but is hiking a sport? It's a common question 🛡 amongst devotees and curious thinkers alike, so we set out to answer it.
Is hiking a sport?
Hiking is the common term 🛡 used to describe going for an invigorating walk in the countryside (Image credit: The North Face)
In short, no, hiking is 🛡 not a sport.
By definition, a sport is an activity that involves physical exertion and skill during which an individual or 🛡 a team competes against others, for the entertainment of spectators.
While hiking requires physical exertion and, on more technical terrain, a 🛡 degree of skill is definitely helpful, it is not typically done as part of a competition nor is it usually 🛡 performed for the enjoyment of onlookers.
No, hiking is the common term used to describe going for an invigorating walk in 🛡 the countryside.
It usually involves a bit of an adventure, involves wearing hiking boots and carrying your provisions in a backpack 🛡 and while it doesn't have a designated minimum length, it's more than a short amble.
You can learn more about what 🛡 hiking is, and isn't, in our article what is hiking ?
Is there such a thing as competitive hiking?
Power hiking, which 🛡 is a technique used by ultra trail runners on mountainous terrain where they hike quickly instead of running on the 🛡 uphills (Image credit: Ascent Xmedia)
There is one exception to the definition of hiking as non-competitive, and that is power hiking, 🛡 which is a technique used by ultra trail runners on mountainous terrain where they hike quickly instead of running on 🛡 the uphills to conserve energy without losing ground.That is a sport.
But hiking in and of itself is not competitive or 🛡 done for the enjoyment of others.
Rather, it can be done alone or in the company of others, and is entirely 🛡 for the benefit of the person doing the hiking.
So what is the point of hiking?
In a time where every activity 🛡 seems to have become "ultra" or "extreme", from trail running to frisbee throwing, is there any point to hiking if 🛡 it's not even a real sport? (Image credit: Mint Images)
In a time where every activity seems to have become "ultra" 🛡 or "extreme," from trail running to frisbee throwing, is there any point to hiking if it's not even a real 🛡 sport? Absolutely there is.
Contrary to what our social media driven world would have us believe, not everything you do has 🛡 to be death-defying to be worthwhile.
Hiking delivers an enormous array of benefits, from the cardiovascular impact of walking uphill to 🛡 the positive mental health aspects of spending time in nature , never mind the fact that this low impact activity 🛡 can find you tackling some pretty challenging terrain, whether that's thru-hiking all 2,650 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail or 🛡 climbing into the sky on one of Colorado's 14ers .
In fact, while it may not involve the adrenaline rush of 🛡 free-soloing cliff faces or cyclo-cross, hiking can carry plenty of risks .
The point of hiking is to get out of 🛡 urban environments and into the outdoors on your own two feet instead of on four wheels and have an adventure 🛡 where you solve problems that don't take place on a screen (Image credit: The North Face)
But risk is not necessarily 🛡 the point of hiking, where it is in sports like ski racing.
The point of hiking is to get out of 🛡 urban environments and into the outdoors on your own two feet instead of on four wheels and have an adventure 🛡 where you solve problems that don't take place on a screen.
Sports are certainly fun and a great way to bring 🛡 people together, but we already live in an adrenaline-fuelled world and there's a lot of value to getting away from 🛡 the stress of competition and removing some of the pressure around constantly achieving goals.
Ultimately, while you could make hiking a 🛡 sport if you wanted to, doing it on your own time and at your own pace is highly recommended.
It can 🛡 serve as your primary form of exercise, or if you do a lot of high impact, competitive activity, go for 🛡 a gentle hike on rest days to unplug and recover.
