Is Hiking Considered a Sport?

Hiking is a popular outdoor activity that is often done for leisure. It is also a great way to get in shape and explore the outdoors. Hiking can be done on any terrain, but it is most often done on mountains or hills. But is it actually considered a sport?

Hiking is not a sport, because it lacks a competitive element. While it does require a lot of physical effort, it’s a leisure activity, whereas a sport is required to be competitive in nature.

Read on to learn more about hiking and what it isn’t a sport, sports that are similar to hiking, and more.

Is hiking a sport?

Hiking is a great outdoor physical activity, but many people wonder whether it is considered a sport. Hiking requires a level of physical exertion and some skill, especially on more difficult trails.

But is hiking considered a sport? Let’s consider what a sport is, and whether hiking fits the criteria.

What is a sport and what makes a sport?

Sports are physical activities that people do to compete with each other. They can be played individually or in teams. Sports are also a form of entertainment and a way to keep fit.

According to Wikipedia((Wikipedia contributors. Sport. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.)), “Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game”.

The main criteria an activity has to fulfill to be considered a sport is to be physical. It has to be a physical challenge to be considered a sport, and many people get into sports for the health benefits associated with physical activity.

Sports have to be competitive, meaning they must have some element of comparing one person’s performance with others. The competitive element is what makes sports interesting, and why many people gather to watch sports.

A sport also has to involve some skill. There are many different types of sports which include team sports such as football, individual sports such as swimming and running, water-based sports such as surfing and sailing, winter-based sports such as skiing and snowboarding, combat-based sports like boxing or wrestling, etc. Each sport requires a set of very different skills and aptitudes.

Can hiking be considered a sport?

Hiking is not a sport because it does not have any competitive aspect to it. While physically demanding, it doesn’t involve any kind of competition, with other hikers or with yourself, which is why hiking is more of an outdoor activity than anything else.

Hiking is often mistaken as a sport because it requires physical exertion, skill, and mental toughness. Hikers need to have endurance and strength to make it up the mountain or hill without stopping too much.

Hikers also need to have map reading and navigation skills to know where they are going on the trail. Finally, hikers need mental toughness because hiking can be very challenging at times with steep climbs and rugged terrain.

So while hiking does have physical and skill based aspects, it isn’t competitive, and so it isn’t considered a sport.

Are there hiking competitions?

While some competitive hiking events do exist, they are quite rare, and are more similar to hiking groups instead of serious competitions. Most of these events simply require the hikers to go on the trail on a specific time, without any real competition.

Some do consider geocaching to be competitive, since people who are into geocaching try to find as many caches as possible. Most people consider geocaching as an activity or a game, though, and do it to enjoy the game.

Sports like hiking

While hiking is an outdoor activity and not a sport, there are some sports that resemble hiking. Some of the most popular are:

• Mountaineering: Mountaineering is a sport that involves climbing mountains. It is a very challenging sport because it requires the climber to be in a good physical condition and have a lot of endurance.
  Mountaineering can be done competitively or recreationally. Some do it to explore new territory, or to reach the summit of a mountain.
• Trail running: Trail running is a sport that has been around for decades but it has only recently become popular. It’s a great way to get in shape, explore the outdoors and enjoy nature. It’s often done on hiking trails, where, unlike paved roads, the terrain and the ascents and descents are more difficult.
  Many trail runners do the sport recreationally, to enjoy nature while running, but trail running races do attract popularity as well. Trail running competitions vary in distances and types of terrain.
• Mountain biking: If you’re tired of exploring nature on your feet, but still want good exercise, mountain biking is a decent alternative. It’s more technical than hiking and trail running, and involves using a bicycle on dedicated trails.
  Mountain biking can be quite a difficult activity and requires a lot of physical endurance. Since it’s done in nature, it involves more difficult ascents than road biking and harder-to-navigate trails which require more skill to cycle through.
  The sport is done both for leisure and competitively, and there are a lot of different mountain biking categories that have different rules and guidelines.
• Snowshoeing: People who love winter hiking can also enjoy snowshoe-running (snowshoeing). It’s a winter sport that is very similar to hiking and involves walking or running with special snow shoes that are designed to disperse your body weight across the snow to reduce sinking.
  Most people do snowshoeing recreationally, to enjoy exploring winter nature, but it is also done competitively and is even a part of the Special Olympics and Arctic Winter Games((Wikipedia contributors. Snowshoe running. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.)).

Final Thoughts

In this post, we discussed and detailed why hiking is not considered a sport. While it does require significant skill and physical effort, hiking is not competitive in nature, and thus isn’t a sport.

There are some different outdoor activities that are very similar to hiking and are considered sports, because they’re physically challenging and competitive.

At the end, if you’re into hiking, you shouldn’t care too much about the terminology. It’s a great outdoor physical activity, and you can improve your fitness while hiking and exploring nature. Wether it’s considered a sport or not is irrelevant.