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No 186, June 15, 1999
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Rock Craft | Bouldering | Destinations | Training
Recommended Reading | Gear | Higher Education | Ratings

What it all comes down to

The simple and adaptable art of bouldering

By John Sherman

The other day I was amused to see Better Bouldering stacked on a friend's bookshelf right next to The Art of Sensual Massage and The Tao of Love and Sex. The more I thought about it, the more this placement made sense. Bouldering is the most sensual discipline of climbing. More than any other form, it depends on being in tune with your body and how it responds and relates to the body of stone. The distractions of rope and lead protection are absent, allowing a tremendous sense of freedom. Not to diss other forms of climbing: they also have their rewards. I just reckon How to Climb Big Walls should be shelved next to The Joy of Bondage and Discipline.

On boulders, you can try hard moves repeatedly with little risk of injury and without boring a belayer to tears. Because you can so conveniently push your limits, bouldering is one of the quickest paths to gymnastic climbing excellence. Indeed, bouldering is the crucible where virtually all gymnastic climbing technique has been forged.

Bouldering, however, is more than just busting a gut every time you go out to the rock. Each session can be tailored to suit your mood — if you don't care for the climb you're on, simply move to a different one.

Bouldering can be the most social of all climbing pursuits. Sessions with friends can be relaxed or intensely competitive, with ample opportunity to push, encourage, and heckle each other, contrive new sequences, and generally fool around. More than once I've pitched due to a well-timed joke from one of my companions.

On the other hand, if you prefer solitude, bouldering can be practiced alone. Some climbers find motivation, relaxation, or concentration comes easier when bouldering free of peer pressure. Still others find the solitary approach instills a spiritual reverence for the stone and an undistracted sense of freedom and commitment.

In the last decade, bouldering has become safer through the use of crash pads. These foam-cushioned mats, usually about three to four feet square, are used to reduce the impact of a bouldering fall. Whereas bouldering once required a commitment to pain and/or risk, crash pads have made the sport downright friendly to those without a masochistic streak.

Because there are more boulders than major crags around, bouldering is often the most convenient option for climbers. An endless variety of rock types, geographic settings, moves, lines, levels of difficulty, and amounts of risk provide something for all tastes. One can experience the instant gratification of flashing a three-star line or the sublime satisfaction of working the same set of moves for years. Deeper still is the bliss attained during moments of pure kinesthetic awareness. Some climbers approach bouldering merely as training for longer climbs, but most embrace it as an end in itself — the purest of climbing games.

Safety
Whether you use a crash pad or not, every bouldering fall is a ground fall. Common injuries include bruised heels and twisted ankles. Check the base of the problem for obstacles like tree roots, embedded stones, or even boom boxes. Make a mental note of the location of obstacles you can't clear away. Be especially cognizant of anything you might crack your melon on.
To further reduce the risk of injury, use a spotter. Spotting is the technique used to break a boulderer's fall and steer him or her to a safe landing. Before starting up a problem, discuss with your spotter(s) which moves you feel most likely to fall from, and in what direction you might fall. If using multiple spotters, be sure each one knows which scenarios/fall angles he is responsible for; otherwise you might splat on your back while all your spotters look on, thinking somebody else was going to do something.

Spotting is not a chore; it is a sacred trust. Your partners count on you, as a spotter, for their safety. Below is a list of your spotting priorities.

  1. Your highest priority is to protect the boulderer's head and spine.
  2. The next priority is to steer the boulderer toward a good landing.
  3. Last, if possible, reduce the force of the boulderer's fall.

To spot well, know the problem and anticipate the moves. Focus on the boulderer's center of gravity. With most men this is a few inches above the belt line. With most women, it is at the belt line. Don't make the mistake of watching hands, arms, feet, or legs. These tend to fly about giving the appearance that the climber is falling, even though he may still be hanging on.

If a climber is falling feet first, grab the boulderer by the hips and steer him to a good landing. Absorb some of the fall with your arms and legs. The boulderer absorbs the rest of the impact with his or her legs (figure 1 image).

When falling off overhangs the body often falls at an angle to the ground, instead of feet first. In these hazardous cases grab further up the body (above the center of gravity), along the upper lats or underarm. This will cause the body to rotate feet downward. Steer the climber to a good landing and absorb the impact as above (figure 2 image).

In some situations, the best a spotter can offer is a quick shove away from a hazard and toward a safer landing zone (figure 3 image).

Though over-zealous spotting is preferable to sheer negligence, a climber who is supported while on a problem obviously hasn't really climbed it.
When your partner is determined to make a clean ascent, you must be careful, as a spotter, to interfere only with a fall and avoid touching the climber while he climbs.

When combining a spot with a crash pad, place the pad where it will best reduce the risk of injury. This might not be under the crux moves. If you have an extra buddy along, he or she can move the pad beneath you as you climb. Take great care using crash pads on uneven landings. The pad may look flat but when you land it could collapse or twist around that hidden rock or tree root, causing your ankle to do the same. One trick is to draw a chalk outline on top of the pad above hidden edges, rocks, or roots you should avoid when jumping. Occasionally, you might do well to forgo using the pad so you have a clear view of what's down there.

Starting and finishing
Boulderers often play by a contrived set of rules. This is done to milk more challenge out of a given quantity of stone. One of the common methods of adding difficulty and/or length to a problem is to start by sitting down. This works best on overhangs. At first the method may seem strange, but you can create some of the best problems this way.

On the other hand, some problems can only be started by leaping for the first holds. There is no rule against this. Sometimes you can employ a swing start, dynoing from the ground with one hand already on the rock to help steer or aid the lunge — a fun technique that is mastered by few.

Some people place rocks at the base of a climb to enable them to reach the holds they want to start from. Such rocks are called "cheater stones." If you use them, try to place them close enough in that you won't fall on them. Also move them aside after you're done.

Quite often, boulder problems finish with mantels. Pure manteling requires a combination of pressing power and shoulder and leg flexibility. By working out the pressing muscles, mantels help keep one's arm muscles balanced, thus minimizing joint injuries.

Footwork
One way to look absurdly powerful is to employ good footwork. More weight on your feet means less on your arms. To keep this section as simple and clear as possible, I'll make just two points.

  1. Friction is a product of rock texture and force. Feet stick better, no matter what the surface, the more you weight them.
  2. Avoid the common mistake of looking away from your foothold an instant before stepping on it. Fix your eyes on that hold until you've placed your foot exactly where you want it.

Cleanliness is next to rock-godliness
On popular problems the holds are often caked with chalk, making them harder to grasp. To clean holds, use a nylon-bristled brush. Never use wire brushes to remove chalk — they can polish the holds and may remove the vital patina that protects the rock from erosion. A firm toothbrush works well for small holds. Use a bigger kitchen or utility brush for large holds. For hard-to-reach holds attach the brush to a stick.

Don't forget to clean the footholds. Also, be sure your boots are clean. Carry a small patch of carpet with you. You can place it at the base of each problem for wiping your feet. Don't leave your patch of carpet, and if you see rugs that have been left behind, remove them.

Some climbers draw chalk lines — or tick marks — next to holds to make them easier to see or catch. Use of tick marks shows a lack of style and disrespect for other climbers who may want to try the same problem without them. They are an eyesore and, yes, they are a threat to access. Brush them off when you see them or after you use them. Ideally, if you have trouble seeing a hold, make a mental note of natural features next to, or leading to it — a patch of lichen, a water streak, a hairline seam, etc. — then target the hold in relation to that natural marker.

At the heart and soul of bouldering is the concept of rising to meet a challenge posed by nature. This is done by developing one's strength, technique, and mental skills. Failure is part of the game. Yet, when learned from, each failure is a step toward success. Remember, when out bouldering you are not in the gym. It's up to you to tweak your technique, not the holds. Deliberate alteration of holds is a selfish and abhorrent practice — a bouldering sin bar none.

The boulders are your friends, treat them as such. Don't leave a mess.

John Sherman is a senior contributing editor to Climbing.

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