IFSC Climbing World Cup: What does it mean to dream about climbing?

by Lucy Moore | 11 May 2022

Ahead of the IFSC Climbing World Cup at the end of May, we thought we would take a look at what it means to dream about the sport.

Image courtesy of Unsplash

Consider the phrase ‘climbing the walls’- if you were climbing a wall in your dream you may be feeling trapped, helpless or frustrated right now. What is the cause of this and how can you address these emotions?

Do you need to leave your partner? Apply for a new job? Move to a new location? Ditch a toxic friendship group? Only you will know the answer.

If you were in an indoor climbing centre, the dream could be telling you to make more time for the outdoors. Perhaps you have cooped up for too long and you need the power of nature to help you to heal.

Furthermore, a climbing wall is an artificial setup meant to mimic the real thing, so it’s possible you are yearning for some authenticity in your waking life. You are fed up of someone pretending to be something they’re not. Are you the person who’s not being genuine? While they or you might be trying hard, it’s obvious to everyone around that this isn’t the real deal despite how much effort is being invested in trying to hide the reality.

On the other hand, if you were climbing a mountain or some rocks there are a few things to think about. If you were struggling to climb, you may be facing some difficulties in your life right now. While these are inconvenient, simply take your time and tackle each one at a time. You will get there eventually but don’t expect quick results.

To see rocks crumbling beneath your feet implies that the foundations you have laid down are not strong enough to sustain you. In the simplest terms- find another rock to climb because the one you currently are is about to slip out from under you. Best to move while you can rather than having no option but to fall.

If you were climbing a ladder, you are making slow and steady progress in some area of your life but be mindful- it's only headed in one direction. There is no room for deviation so if you are happy with this linear approach- carry on.

With that said if you want to do something differently or try a new angle you may need a new ladder. A climbing frame on the other hand implies that you like to explore alternative methods and are being afforded the opportunity to do so.

Climbing anything has an element of resistance so to dream of this sport indicates an acknowledgement of work required in whatever you do. If you refuse to climb, then you expect everything to be handed to you on a plate. The dream is telling you that life doesn’t work that way and to snap out of this mindset or you will go nowhere.

If you were climbing a set of stairs in your dream, you have had some success in your life up until now and you should be proud of your personal achievements- especially if you got all the way to the top.

However, if the stairs were in a bad way- focus on your personal relationships. When the carpet is threadbare, or coming up at the corners, the wood was damaged on the stair or the spindles in a dream, you have some work to do in your home life as it’s suffering right now.