Bouldering

Bouldering is a type of rock climbing undertaken without a rope and normally limited to very short climbs so that a fall will not result in significant injury. This variation of climbing can be practiced on large boulders, at the base of larger rock faces/climbing routes, in indoor climbing centres, or even on man-made structures (see buildering).

Bouldering Basics

A climber with chalked-up hands and a crash pad on the ground. (Black Mountain, Idyllwild, California, US)

Bouldering is a form of climbing emphasizing power, strength, and dynamics. Its focus is on individual moves or short sequences of moves requiring such attributes - in contrast with traditional climbing or sport climbing, which generally demand more endurance over longer stretches of rock where the difficulty of individual moves is not as great. Boulder routes are commonly referred to as problems (a British appellation) because the nature of the climb is often short, curious, and much like problem solving. Sometimes these problems are eliminates, meaning certain artificial restrictions are imposed.

To reduce the risk of injury from a fall, climbers rarely go higher than a few meters above the ground (anything over 7 meters is generally considered to be free-soloing, although such climbs might also be termed high-ball bouldering problems). For further protection, climbers typically put a crash pad/bouldering mat on the ground to break their fall. Lastly, climbers often have one or multiple spotters, who work to direct the climber's body toward the crashpad during a fall while protecting the climber's head from hazards.

Bouldering is continually gaining in popularity, partly as evidenced by the growth of bouldering areas in indoor climbing gyms and even entire climbing gyms dedicated to bouldering. Children are joining the sport now as well as adults. In fact, studies have found that young climbers develop better skills as adults from their experience with youthful disadvantages such as height and strength.

Equipment

One of the major appeals of bouldering is its relatively scant equipment requirements. Common equipment used when bouldering includes:

• Loose, powdered chalk as a hand drying agent while climbing.
• A mattress-like object called a crash pad. These are generally thick, square foam pads with a heavy-duty fabric shell. They are opened and placed at the base of a boulder to cover irregularities in the landing and provide some cushion if the climber falls.
• Climbing shoes, for better traction and edging capabilities.
• A toothbrush is often carried while bouldering to scrub off any grime that is on hand or foot holds.
• Sports tape is useful for covering cuts or blisters, as well as providing support for joints that may have been strained.

It is not uncommon to see people bouldering with shoes, a chalkbag, and a small mat to wipe their feet on.

Ratings

Main article: Grade (bouldering)

As in other types of climbing, bouldering has developed its own grading systems for comparing the difficulty of problems. The most commonly used grading systems are the John Sherman V-grade system, beginning at V0 and increasing by integers to a current achievement of V16 (The Wheel of Life by Dai Koyamada in the Grampians, Australia), and the Fontainebleau system which ranges from 1 to 8c+. Both scales are open-ended at the top, and thus the upper grade of these systems is always increasing as boulderers ascend more difficult problems.

History

Bouldering's documented origins may be found in the United Kingdom, France, and Italy in the last quarter of the 19th century . The British coined the word bouldering at that time. For many years, bouldering was usually viewed as training for climbers, although, in the 1930s and late 1940s, Pierre Allain and his companions enjoyed bouldering for its own sake in Fontainebleau, considered by many to be the Mecca of bouldering. The first climber to actually make bouldering his primary specialty (in the mid 1950s) and to advocate its acceptance as a legitimate sport not restricted to a particular area was John Gill, an amateur gymnast who found the challenge and movement of bouldering enjoyable.

Terminology

Beta

Any helpful tips, solutions to problems, guides, tricks, etc. that one climber passes on to another.

Boulderer

Any person participating in bouldering.

Crimp

A type of hold where the climber can fit only their fingertips on the hold. A crimp may be 'closed,' in which the thumb is pressed over the index finger to strengthen one's grip, or the crimp may be 'open,' where the thumb does not contact the fingers. Closed crimps, while stronger, put more stress on the hand and are generally regarded to pose a higher injury risk.

Dyno

Shortened form of dynamic movement. Essentially any movement that requires you to jump or swing from one hold to another. Technically, a dyno is a move that, if not completed successfully (by catching the next hold), will result in a fall.

Flag

Dangling of a leg in such a way that you can obtain a better balance.

Flash

Completing a problem on the first try with no falls, but with beta.

Highball

A term for a boulder that is so high, falling when close to the top could cause serious injury. Some highballs have anchor bolts at the top, to allow for protected top-rope climbing.

Hold

Any piece of rock that you can grab or place your foot onto, and pull/push yourself up.

Jug

A hold that is large enough that you can reach your entire hand around, making it a good hold to pull yourself up with.

Matching

Matching implies that the feet or hands are at the same point on a hold.

Offwidth

An awkward crack or split in the rock, that is too wide to jam a hand in, yet not wide enough to back and foot. These typically require a combination of several different methods to achieve a good hold.

Onsight

To ascend a problem on the first try with no falls and no beta.

Problem

A generic term describing a short rock climbing challenge, normally on a boulder or small outcrop. Originally used by the British to describe as well a short severe pitch on a longer climb.

Sit Start

A start to a problem beginning with the boulderer sitting on either the ground or a crash pad, at the lowest point of a route. Typically, starting from a sit start increases the difficulty of a route.

Sloper

A hold that tends to slope, or is round. Sometimes very difficult to grasp.

Spotter

A person who tends to the safety of the climber. This may include duties such as moving the crashpad, removing dangerous objects in the fall zone, and physically cushioning or modifying the trajectory of the climber in the event of a fall.

Traverse

Generally a horizontal climb that involves traversing across a face or overhang, or sometimes around a boulder, occasionally finishing off at an arête in order to top out.

To send

Slang for ascend.

Top out

Most problems top out, meaning that you must reach the top of the boulder in order to have successfully completed the problem.

Bouldering Areas

The region around Fontainebleau near Paris is particularly famous for its beautiful and concentrated bouldering sites. Well-known areas include Stanage (UK), Hueco Tanks (Texas), Castle Hill (New Zealand), Bishop (California), Rocktown (Georgia), and Horse Pens 40 (Alabama) amongst others.

See also

• Buildering
• Glossary of climbing terms
• Ice Climbing
• List of New York bouldering sites
• List of Utah bouldering sites
• Le Parkour
• Rock Climbing
• Tree climbing