So, I got the idea to do this little poll because...well, although apparently I am two inches taller than the U.S. female adult average (the average being 5'4") but still consider myself average in height, I often find myself feeling quite tall around other female climbers.
Many of my female climber friends seem small in stature in comparison to myself (and some male climber partners have remarked that I am "tall"), so I was wondering if I am just in a skewed group of girl height, or what?
If you are so inclined, please vote the mark that serves to be your closest average height calculation and maybe we can at least see how tall rc.com females tend to stand!
**Please, NO MEN VOTING. I am only interested in women's heights.** (Plus, we already know a lot of you are shorter than average, anyway!)
(This post was edited by aerili on Nov 18, 2008, 5:11 AM)
I've learned that you lose an inch running and hiking with a heavy pack (spine compresses temporarily) so I'm guessing that I'm only 5'6" by the time I hit the rock.
I'm ~5'8" (actually, it might be closer to 5'7.75", but that's a pain in the ass to tell people).
I wish I was shorter. Shorter would mean lighter. 5'8" is that height where you're heavy (at least I'm heavy) but still not quite tall enough to be really useful.
I think the next step in this comparison would be how hard people climb vs their heights. Also take into consideration different styles of climbing (ie- bouldering vs sport vs ice).
I think the next step in this comparison would be how hard people climb vs their heights. Also take into consideration different styles of climbing (ie- bouldering vs sport vs ice).
with that, also gather their ape index...that makes somewhat a difference....
I'm the person who voted 5'0". My armspan is about 1/2-1 inch longer than that.
I am the shortest female climber in my gym, as far as I know. But on the positive side, another female climber who is taller than me by almost two inches somehow has a shorter armspan than I do-- she has -4 ape index. That sucks more, i think.
I've learned that you lose an inch running and hiking with a heavy pack (spine compresses temporarily) so I'm guessing that I'm only 5'6" by the time I hit the rock.
What! You mean I am only 5'2 when I hit the rock?!
Holy crapola, are you really only 5, Lena? I thought you were my height.
I voted 5' 4" but I'm technically 5' 4" 3/4 as of 3 years ago. I'd guess I'm compressed by the time I get to the crag too though ;)
On the other hand folks do usually think I'm taller than I am, might be proportions (I have longer legs because my torso is slightly shorter due to mild scoliosis).
So, I got the idea to do this little poll because...well, although apparently I am two inches taller than the U.S. female adult average (the average being 5'4") but still consider myself average in height, I often find myself feeling quite tall around other female climbers.
I'm completely average, as a U.S. female adult.
WORSE - I'm BELOW average on your poll so far!(I'm 5"4").
My height works okay for me though. I can pretty much wear clothes off the rack without suffering some of the indignities I have heard other women have to deal with.
I voted 5.7 but I am 5.6 and a half. When I climb with my other female friends, I am generally taller than most, though no one including myself considers me tall, I feel pretty average. I know I don't have a positive ape index, so I kinda suffer together with my shorter friends :)
Look at that bell curve! I am apparently the second tallest girl so far at 5'9" with a +1/2" ape index. Being tall has it's perks, but they are few and far between. I can use beta given by most of my male climber friends, but it's hard to find guys that are tall enough to go on a date with when I'm wearing heels.
You got it, mare! Right now, it really is falling right in line as a picture perfect sample of normal data in a standard distribution.
Does this mean climber girls' heights are 2" taller than the national average?!
*The national average height of 5'4" for women comes from the CDC circa 2002, btw.
So, although ape index (mentioned by some) is interesting too, my thoughts were just about general height in climbing women. Also, I have no reason to believe height has any statistically significant effect on climbing ability. Even if somehow research could find a correlation between the two still would not prove a direct link between ability and height.
I just wondered if more women were shorter than me on average. Yeah, it's all about me.
I'm 5'51/2 but voted 5.5. I always thought I was average height, but feel so much shorter now that my 14 year old daughter is already 5'7. I think its all the steriods they put in the meat that makes these kids giants now a days!
Hi, smallclimber, sorry about that! I did think about putting at least one option under 5' on the poll, but I decided not to for whatever lame reason I had (can't remember). I guess I should have put an option like the last one I have for being tall, i.e. label it as "shorter even than that!" to catch multiple but less-common heights under 5'.
3 /
5%
Or maybe because I was wearing a hat? 
