Bouldering requires very little instruction and anyone can have a go straight away. It’s a great way to build strength in short bursts of activity and can be done indoors or outdoors.
Any gym can run a competition by setting up a series of progressively more difficult boulder problems. These are then climbed as many times as possible in a set time limit to determine the winner. Consult with Alta Boulders for expert guidance.
Climbing gyms offer a safe environment to learn the basics of the sport and to practice techniques. They may have a range of route difficulties marked by color and ratings and padded floors around bouldering walls to cushion falls. Most also provide day passes, monthly memberships, family and student rates and other discounts to make the sport more accessible. They are often run by climbing professionals who offer classes and private coaching for climbers of all abilities.
Most gyms offer a combination of bouldering and top rope (the more traditional climbing that most folks envision when they imagine climbers on those prominent, colorfully speckled walls). The majority of the routes in a gym are for top rope climbing; it requires both a climber and a belayer, who takes in slack as the climber ascends. The climber wears a harness and is secured to the belay device with a safety rope that feeds from an anchor at the top of the wall. Typically, new climbers start with top rope sessions and move into bouldering when they’re more comfortable.
Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned climber, the best way to improve is by training with others. Climbing with friends provides external motivation, social interaction, and crowdsources critical observations of your performance. It’s also generally more enjoyable to most and can lead to better outcomes. Most climbing gyms have groups based on age and ability, some even have children’s climbing groups.
Many novices make the mistake of going after the most difficult routes at the gym. While the challenge is an important part of the experience, pursuing too-challenging routes can endanger a climber and other gym members. It’s better to look at a problem from a reasonable distance, consider its moves and difficulty, and give it a shot. If you fall, or even send the problem, come down and leave the wall so that others can have a turn on it.
Bouldering is a great full-body workout, and it’s particularly good for core strength and flexibility. Unlike some other sports, it’s not easy to get good at quickly; it’s more about consistent effort over time.
Climbing Outside
Before indoor climbing gyms became popular, climbers used to climb outdoors on natural rock routes. Outdoor climbing involves a more complex set of variables, including changing weather conditions and the use of safety equipment to support climbers as they ascend. For these reasons, climbing outdoors requires a higher level of experience and knowledge of systems that are not readily available in indoor settings.
When climbing outside, it’s important to have an experienced climbing partner who can help you acclimate to the physical demands of real rock. Additionally, you’ll want to practice climbing with your partner in the same setting you will be using when climbing outdoors (again, this is where a mentor comes in handy).
Climbing outdoors is more dangerous than indoors, and the physics of falling are different: Instead of bouncing against a soft, plywood-like surface that has some give to it, you’ll be landing on rugged, unflinching, rocky rock that doesn’t care whether you hurt yourself or not. This additional risk can be intimidating for first-time outdoor climbers, but it’s critical to manage fear and learn to fall safely by practicing, and by taking calculated risks.
To make the transition to outdoor climbing more streamlined, you can join a local outdoor club or a Meetup group that meets at the crag to climb together. You can also look for workshops and classes that teach outdoor climbing skills, such as the Gym to Rock workshop that teaches participants how to build top-rope anchors and transition to climbing on real rock.
In the city, Harlem River Park, Morningside Park, Saint Nicholas Park, Loony Bin, and Van Cortlandt Park all have climbing areas and offer a variety of low- to mid-grade boulder problems. While it is technically illegal to climb at some of these locations without a permit, there are so many options that “no climbing” signs tend to be ignored and forgotten about. Additionally, you can visit one of the many outdoor climbing gyms that are popping up all over the city. Some of these gyms are even the creations of world-renowned outdoor rock climbers.
Climbing Equipment
The gear that a climber uses is critical to their safety and success on the rock. Understanding the basic pieces of climbing equipment and how they differ depending on style, environment and type of climb is important to mitigating risks, optimizing performance, and ensuring a safe, enjoyable experience.
Beginners should start with climbing shoes (you can rent if you aren’t sure that this is something they will enjoy), a chalk bag and chalk – this helps increase the friction between your hands and the rock. Some climbing walls require a crash pad to protect the climber in case of falls. If they want to move on from bouldering to top-rope climbing, a harness and locking biner will be required. Then a rope – sport climbers typically use a dynamic rope in the 9mm to 10mm range for a good balance of durability and weight. A helmet is also a good idea for anyone attempting to climb outdoors, though it’s not mandatory in indoor gyms since the wall itself acts as a cushion in the event of a fall.
Eventually, as the climbing community developed and grew more confident in their skills, many climbers began to try trad routes on wild mountains. These often involved traverses across ledges or gullies, and the need to properly place the gear used to support the climber was key to success.
This led to the development of a variety of new tools for supporting the climber, such as the hammer, offset-eye piton and carabiners. These were largely adapted from tools already used by mountaineers, but the ability to clip a carabiner into a piton and use it as a temporary anchor point on a traverse or a belay station greatly enhanced the climber’s freedom of movement and allowed them to tackle much more challenging routes.
Despite the many advances in climbing gear, it is still possible to get lost on a mountain. The use of a map and compass is essential, as is the ability to navigate using landmarks, such as trees or cairns. Some climbers also use wands, which are a kind of trail of breadcrumbs that climbers stick into the snow at regular intervals to help them find their way back down a mountain should they become disoriented.
Safety
The key to safety when climbing is preparation. Knowing the gear you need, how to use it properly, and what the conditions are like for a given route will help ensure your enjoyment of the sport. Climbing guides and online resources can provide this information, as well as tips on approach and other important details for a given climb.
For example, you should be familiar with the grading system used for bouldering problems (also called “problems”). These ratings are used to describe how difficult a problem is and allow climbers of different abilities to compare. For example, a V5 boulder might be one grade harder than a V4. The shape of a problem can also influence its rating, with flat boulders typically being considered easier than steep ones.
Having the right equipment is also critical for indoor bouldering. You’ll want to make sure you have a bouldering mat, a spotter, and the right shoes for your feet. It’s also important to practice technique and build confidence on the wall, which can help you be more successful when you’re out climbing.
Although it’s often easier to get started with outdoor rock climbing, it can be more dangerous than bouldering. This is because there’s a much greater risk of falling off the rock, which can be very painful or even dangerous.
You’ll also need to understand the risks associated with a particular area before heading out, such as the presence of wildlife or whether or not there are trees nearby. It’s important to have the proper gear when out hiking, too, and to be aware of the weather.
Finally, it’s important to remember that bouldering is still a high-impact activity and that there’s always a risk of injury. There are many things that can go wrong, from a bad landing to a fall off of the problem. It’s important to be mindful of this fact, especially when climbing with children.
