Bouldering
Wikipedia says, "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 injury. This variation of climbing can be practiced on large boulders, at the base of larger rock faces/climbing routes, in indoor climbing centres…"
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Here at the Summit indoor climbing & actvity Centre, we have not one, but two large areas assigned solely to the exciting and challenging sport of bouldering. In our climbing wing, we have a large bouldering wall with number-set routes to test your endurance and allow you to progress continually through a single course. |
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Starting Out- What’s In It For Me?
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Bouldering stands alone as a sport worthy of respect and recognition due to its intense nature. As an indoor activity, it does not usually occur on surfaces above 12 feet high. This may seem strange to newbies as bouldering is regarded as a form of climbing; what’s the point of never climbing over 12 feet? Well, as the Wikipedia definition says, when bouldering, no ropes or safety equipment is ever attached to the climber. |
In this sense, bouldering is all about developing the perfect technique of strength and balance. Bouldering ‘problems’ are very different to climbing ‘routes’, and are graded differently. The most commonly used grading system is the John Sherman V-grade system, beginning at V0 and increasing by integers to a current achievement of V16 (The Wheel of Life in the Grampian Mountains, Australia). The best feature of this grading system is that there is no upper limit; the grading will always increase over time as boulderers attempt more difficult problems.
Bouldering shares many of the health and fitness benefits of climbing. Most problems do not require the strength and endurance of lengthy climbing routes, but do reward good balance, footwork and technique over sheer strength, meaning that women, with their naturally lower centre of balance and better flexibility, can progress very quickly indeed. Did you know that bouldering produces a massive balanced improvement in muscle tone and vastly improved balance and flexibility? A single half hour session of bouldering burns 300 calories and works pretty much every muscle group in the body! Bouldering also greatly improves focus and discipline. One of the best things (unless you’re entered into one of our bouldering competitions) is that you're not competing against anyone except yourself; you set your own targets and try your best.
