Posts tagged bouldering
I'm planning to go deep water soloing in Majorca as soon as weather conditions will allow it, I don't mind cold water as long as it's reasonably warm outside (~20°C). Since I'll probably be travel...
I am always interested in the history of rock climbing. Lately, I tried to collect data about male and female first ascents to visualize progression in rock climbing over time (I have a small blog ...
I've had now a couple of days when going rock climbing while the temperatures are below the general comfort zone (meaning below 6 °C/ 43 °F). When starting to climb, my fingers got cold rather fas...
Having just completed my Boulding induction at a local rock climbing gym, what requirements should I look for in a pair of my own climbing shoes? Assume here cost is not a primary factor.
I've been going climbing (indoor bouldering) for about six months, using shoes I rented at the gym, and wearing socks (and everything was fine). I've recently got a pair of climbing shoes, and want...
I've only just started bouldering, and we have been using the easiest to grades VB-V1. I find V1 are moderately challenging but the next step up, V2, I just entirely struggle with. What can I do to...
I've noticed when climbing and bouldering I have a tendency to get occasional flappers on my palm. A flapper being a callus or blister that has peeled back and hangs on like a flap of skin. I trim ...
When I'm rock climbing, I feel like I've got hand holds down as far as where to grab on and understand that the hands are mainly for balance. However, I can't seem to figure out my feet. There are ...
I was reading: “The larger the foot-holds, the more beginners tend to put as much of their shoes onto them. Instead, also when the foot-hold offers more space, we must still use only the forefo...
I recently went bouldering for the first time and liked it a lot. One thing I wondered about are the climbing shoes. The mostly form your feet to a very firm, compact package. So the following ques...
I'm relatively new to the world of rock climbing, having been bouldering at a gym for a few months. I'm planning on checking out a natural bouldering area (that is, one made of real naturally occur...
Having only used pure chalk without added substances so far, I wondered how the other types perform. Most of the information I could find online is either somebody ranting against a certain type, o...
I love rock climbing and I try to go to my local gym and boulder as often as possible (usually 2-3 times a week). But it's really hard for me to climb for any extended period of time because my arm...
When I first started (indoor) bouldering, I wasn't quite sure if I was ready to commit to it, so I went and bought a pair of shoes in the sale that were relatively cheap (or at least cheaper than c...
My girlfriend often complains that a route or boulder was created for tall climbers. In my experience that sometimes is true: I easily get a hold, she has to jump. However, Lynn Hill proved that a ...
I am wondering what is the best way to progress from being a consistent V4 and on-sight/redpoint 5.11 climber? I seem to have hit a plateau in my progression and it is super frustrating. Indoors, ...
After I've been climbing for a while, my finger joints are very sore. Is there anything I can do to relieve that pain?
I mostly climb at a rock climbing gym, and I can climb for hours until my forearms run out of gas. However, when I climb outdoors, usually the reason I have to stop is because the skin of my palm...
I have got this annoying issue when bouldering: a sheared callus on the small finger: I would like to tape this and continue climbing (with extra caution). I am not an expert in taping, and any ...
What are common climbing techniques for strongly overhanging walls and roofs? In order to avoid a strength oriented climbing style and focus on technique.
I was recently watching the IFSC world cup held in Meiringen. One of the interesting observations that came across (made by the commentators) in the semis was that the routes were much easier for a...
When learning how to set climbing routes on artificial walls, setters are often told to set route difficulties according to a "bell curve". An example of this is mentioned on this page. What is...
(This is related to "What hand and finger exercises help with climbing?" but asking for what can be done when not climbing/training.) Like most climbers, I don't get to do as much as I'd like, and...
What re the differences between these 4 styles of rock climbing? Bouldering Aid Climbing Free Climbing Free solo climbing
I mostly boulder and I don't like to jump down from the top of the route, because my ankles/knees/back feels weird when landing. However, when I climb down sometimes my arms feel even more tired th...
Last night I was walking the dog near area where I climb a lot. Above the quarry where most of the climbing happens there is a really nice natural short crag. Looking at this crag I thought there w...
A recent question made me wonder: A while ago, there was a nice route in the local bouldering gym with a rather high crux. The repeated jumping-off lead to minor knee pain for a few days. Now, ther...
My main problem when bouldering and sometimes while climbing is, that after some time the skin/flesh of my middle and lower phalanges start to hurt and the skin comes off so further climbing become...
I'm fairly new to climbing, I've been climbing just over a year. This is my first pair of shoes. I've worn the soles down, and wondering whether this kind of wear can be repaired or not, or if I s...
I've been bouldering in rock climbing gyms for a while and am able to send V2~V3s. I've never bouldered outdoors before and I wonder what are the differences, and are there any outdoor specific tec...
How can I choose the right climbing shoes especially for toe and heel hooking? More specifically: I have been using very comfortable beginner shoes for the last two years. When I started to advanc...
I've been using the same Evolv shoes for bouldering that I bought for top-roping. It seems like they're worn enough to start considering a new pair of shoes. Since I'm doing bouldering almost exclu...
I seem to often catch myself holding my breath during a difficult crux, which seems quite bad really. On the other hand, sometimes I actively breathe fast and deep repeatedly before starting a dif...
Some I've noticed: V0 – hanging by one's arms; shifting weight for balance; pushing with one's legs V1 – pinching, edging V2 – laybacking, pockets, backstepping, flagging V3 – 'more strength'? ...
I have been climbing (lead-climbing/top-roping/bouldering) for less than a year now but after quickly improving for the first couple of months I have now reached a "plateau" as they say and I don't...
What height should a climber consider safe on a boulder such that in case of a fall her/his spotter can guide her/him fall to safely land on feet? Here, safety is for both of them, and not just th...
I've been climbing 1-2 times / week (usually once) for about a month. After each time I climb, I feel joint pain in my elbows. From my understanding, this is likely Tennis Elbow. Slowly but surely...
I'm working on a problem in bouldering where the swinging of my feet take the grip away from my fingers and throw me off. Specifically, I am in a bat-hang, and need to reach an edge hold about 3.5...
I have experience in climbing limestone and sandstone. These rocks feel rough - you get much traction (especially with sandstone) and can use it to your advantage when climbing. I think the feelin...
I started setting routes in the small bouldering gym of our climbing club. I'm basically learning by doing this, so my approach is basically to try to think of some interesting moves, put up the ho...
I am in the process of building a Moonboard or basically a home climbing wall which is used for bouldering training. However, because I am not a fan of overhangs, I have built it vertically (the bu...
What are the measures to take to ensure the safety of the person who is spotting a climber?
Usually when I climb I take plenty of rest between attempts however, yesterday I decided that I wanted to test myself and climb 25 problems at my local gym. I chose problems that were below my leve...
Not only, but mainly while bouldering you are likely to push hard moves and strain your body onesided. As a consequence you can pain your muscles, ribbons or tendons. But... How do I know if the ...
Hello I have a question that I ask myself every morning when I commute to work. I live New England and I take the I-95 south from New Hampshire to Massachusetts every weekday. During my commute I d...
We have discussed a lot and at length about how to climb and other climbing techniques. I haven't come across a single post that talks about Spotting techniques. What are the duties of a Spotter?...
I had never been a gifted kind of a climber being more fascinated by Backpacking than Rock Climbing. Its been almost 2 years that I did some genuine climbing. And, I am planning to resume it very s...
How would someone grade a bouldering problem they've created? What would one have to look out for when grading? When bouldering, does a highball mean a more difficult grading?
Being in control of your body and making controlled movements is a skill I can't seem to get down. Are there any good ways to practice this or any workouts that can contribute to helping me build u...
My friend and I often boulder around my home instead of driving to the local area, and when attempting some more challenging features, such as overhangs and slightly taller cliffs, we would feel be...
