Is backpacking a sport?

[sekihiker]

To be a sport, you have to be able to place bets on the event, and spectators must be able to drink beer.

Best reply in thread so far

My favorite, too.

[SSSdave]

Never a sport for the vast majority of enthusiasts.

Backpacking is a modern era challenging mind body Earth adventure.

A science and technical gear age adventure in essence similar to those of ancestral humans over hundreds of millennia that set out into the beyond requiring preparation, clothing, food, gear, and intelligent strategies.

[wildhiker]

To me, a sport is an athletic activity with defined rules for the goal of the activity and the behaviors used to reach that goal.

As is clear to any casual reader of this forum, backpackers neither agree on their goals nor on their methods.

So, backpacking is not a sport to me.

-Phil

[brianA]

I've been thinking about this more, and have come up with a different perspective.

Football-You play for 7 seconds then stand around for 30 seconds.
Baseball-You stand around most of the time. Every so often you get to run short distances.
Hockey-You play 1 minute, then sit for two minutes.
Tennis-Short bursts, but mostly standing around or sitting.
Golf-A leisurely walk in the park. And someone else carries your backpack for 5 hours.

More difficult would be having to constantly move with minimal resting like water polo, fútbol, lacrosse, basketball, marathon, etc. However, those activities end in two hours.

With backpacking you're constantly moving, carrying a heavy load, and climbing 3,000 feet or more to clear an 11,000 foot pass. That's all day long, and then the next day, and the next pass. Not only is backpacking a sport, it's the only sport. All the others are mere activities.

[rlown]

To be a sport, you have to be able to place bets on the event, and spectators must be able to drink beer.

Best reply in thread so far

My favorite, too.

Guess we could start betting on who makes a trip as we age..

There are many sports that we don't bet on.. Bird hunting for example. It is hit or miss and the expletive if you miss.
I've been missing trips for a couple years as life progresses.

It is a sport.

[Mtncaddis]

First, one must define what a sport is. Beer, betting, cheerleading.... seems I have seen all of these the parties, as well as when watching adults play with toy balls in a “professional” manner.
Before reading this question here I never considered backpacking a sport though I have observed and pondered the peculiarity of merchants and individuals inspired bye self promotion, usually for notoriety and/or money, use common print and screen based media to portray backpacking as a sport. Is it sport or past-time? When does a past time cross the line between a simple activity as opposed to a spiritual endeavor or art? And who other than you is to answer these questions? Rather than sport, I simply view it as my current favorite way to interact with the natural world. At times that favorite way to interact has been canoeing, skateboarding, flyfishing, biking, hunting, climbing trees or watching sunsets and shooting stars. Much of these can be considered a sport in certain situations, yet all connect us with something far greater than sport.

[Jimr]

Never considered it a sport. I suppose you could consider it an endurance sport for some. Sort of like my marriage.

[gregw822]

If you know who holds the record for and the time of the fastest trip down the JMT, it's a sport. If you couldn't care less (me) it's an adventure. Sport is a competition.

And....NO.

[TehipiteTom]

I showed my wife a Youtube video on using a backpacking bidet and she said the sport is evolving.
I replied, "It's a sport?"
She said, "Well, Yeah! [translation based on her tone of voice = Duh!]."

Link to "Detailed explanation on how to use a Backpacking Bidet": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MV-fJbJm8HY

What do YOU think?

Is backpacking a sport?

Would you use a backpacking bidet?

I don't do sports. If backpacking were a sport, I wouldn't do it. Ergo, no.

[rashoop]

For my last backpacking trip, the Russian judge gave me an 8. I think my routine was near perfect, but he took points off for my tent pitch. I’m gunning for competitive backpacking to be in an upcoming Summer Olympics. My tent pitching will be perfect by then.

Seriously, as others have said, sport or not really doesn’t matter to me. For me, it’s an amazing activity that I’ve enjoyed since my parents took me on my first Sierra backpacking trip when I was five years old. That was 53 years ago. Still loving it.