5 Reasons to Start Bouldering
You may have stumbled across bouldering on your social feed… videos of people traversing, jumping or pulling their way up colourful holds. But what is this unique and eye-catching sport?
Think gymnastics meets problem-solving, essentially it involves climbers attempting short ‘boulder problems’ on colourful handholds above soft, squishy mats. This form of climbing doesn’t require you to haul ropes or brave dizzy-ing heights, it’s a pure and simple sport that you can do by yourself. From it’s beginning the simplistic, and rewarding, sport of bouldering has been pushing people to get stronger, gain confidence and build lifelong friendships.
So whether you’re over the repetitive gym routine or simply wanting to impress your date, here are 5 reasons you should chalk up and start bouldering
1. Shake Up The Fitness Routine
Bouldering will have you using muscles you’ve never used before. From your core to your fingertips, the sport offers a full body workout that will help you build strength, coordination and flexibility. It eliminates the boredom associated with lifting weights or running endless miles, instead offering challenging ‘boulder problems’ that will leave you determined and in great shape.
2. Find Your Challenge
Maybe it’s a big move, maybe it’s a balancy crux – we guarantee you’ll be able to find both a physical and mental challenge in bouldering. The wall’s of our gym are covered with an array of colourful holds, each colour being its own graded climb (A1 to A7) and an opportunity to challenge yourself. We add ‘boulder problems’ weekly, so as you progress and gain confidence you can try new climbs. Our friendly team know the gym better than anyone, so let them show you their favourites!
3. Easy To Start
Forget the ropes, harnesses and carabiners! All you need to start bouldering is a pair of climbing shoes, chalk (for your hands) and the aspiration to try something new. We rent and sell most of these items, except the ‘can-do’ attitude, in the gym – so you can start sending on your very first session. After your bouldering induction, where we teach you gym etiquette and safety, it’s time to discover your climbing style and limit.
4. Get Creative – It’s Not All About Muscle!
From the outside looking in, it may seem like all you need to climb hard is bulging biceps and fingers of steel – but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Yes, strength may help you but rock climbing is essentially a skill-based sport, requiring you to use technique and movement to get to the top. Regardless of your height or build, there is a climbing style that will suit you and styles that you may find challenging – forcing you to get creative!
5. Get Social Or Gain Some “Me Time”
Whether you’re looking to get social or gain some much needed alone time, you can do both at a bouldering gym. For those looking to gain friends and hang out, there is no better sport than bouldering. Climber’s frequently collaborate on climbs, sharing tips and “beta” to help each other get to the top. On the other hand, if you’ve just spent the day at work or wrangling the kids and need a place to ‘switch off’ – then you’ve found it. Simply walk in, chalk up and let the day fall away as you attempt new problems or work long-term goals.
Alpine Indoor Climbing frequently holds learn to climb courses, workshops, events and competitions that let you push your climbing and meet new people – check out our events page for more details.
Looking to begin your bouldering journey? or still have questions about the sport? Contact our motivated team or come into the gym for a coffee – we’d love to help get you started.
GLOSSARY (let’s break down some ‘Climbing Lingo’):
- Boulder Problem – ‘The path that a climber takes in order to complete a climb; usually only 3-5m in height’
- Crimp – ‘Also known as a ‘crimper’. A hold which is only just big enough to be grasped with the tips of the fingers.’
- Heel-Hook – ‘Using the back of the heel to apply pressure to a hold for balance or leverage’
- Crux – ‘The most difficult portion of a climb.’
- Climbing Grade – ‘A classification intended to measure the technical difficulty of a particular route or bouldering problem.’