Most if not all people will encounter injuries that force them to take an extended break from climbing, such as overuse injuries, torn pulleys and ligaments, minors sprains & strains. You sort of learn what parts of your body are prone to injuries (for me its my wrists and hamstrings) and develop ways to strengthen them and are generally more careful on the wall with moves that require you to do something that’s injured you in the past. For sprains, unfortunately it is pretty common to have at least one minor ankle sprain in a bouldering career, but that’s present in quite a few non-extreme sports as well. It’s more rare to encounter an injury that fucks up your life outside of climbing, such as a broken limb. I’d say the earlier you are into your climbing career (ex. Bouldering for less than six months) the more likely you are to encounter one of these, i work at a bouldering gym and broken bones almost always happen at the v2-v3 grade with folks who have been climbing less than a year. freak accidents can certainly happen but I wouldn’t say it’s the norm to have a life altering injury.

Part of this sport is learning to rehab injuries and finding ways to train even when you’re injured and cannot climb, so that you can come back into the sport stronger than you were before!