Bouldering
What is 'bouldering' in rock climbing?
Bouldering is your most basic form of rock climbing, it is mostly used by climbers as a way to train for other types of climbing. It usually involves short sequences of very tough moves, we call those problems. It's all about maybe five or six moves at the most, but it's how to sequence those together.
What kind of equipment do I need for bouldering?
Generally bouldering you're not going to be using a rope. So, you really just need a pair of shoes, comfortable clothes, perhaps some chalk, and what we call a crash pad, which is a thick density foam pad that you can carry on your back. You put it down at the bottom of a climb. So, instead of weighting the rope when you fall, you're probably not going to be more than 10 or 15 feet off the ground, so you can just hop off onto this pad.
What kind of rock is best for bouldering?
The best rock for bouldering is probably steep, but rock-type-wise it doesn't really matter. I've climbed on granite, sandstone, it depends on what your local rock is.
How does the rating system work for bouldering?
Bouldering is rated on a V Scale. VB is usally about 5.9. V0 is like 5.10. And it goes up from there, supposedly to V13which is suppossed to be about 5.15 rock climbing is. So, if you look at something and it's a V3 it's probably a 5.12. That's about the way to look at it. VB would be very basic. Then from V0 to V13 is just an increasing level of difficulty. If you know that V0 is not easy but an easier type of bouldering, then you can put it on a scale and you can look at the rating of the climb and determine whether or not it's in your ability range or not.
Where is the best bouldering in the world?
There is world-class bouldering in a lot of places in the world, just as there is rock climbing. We here in Los Angeles, are blessed with having a lot of great bouldering. Stony Point, for example, is where many of the older climbers, who put up a lot of the classic routes in places like in Yosemite, and South America, and all over the world, got their start. So we are lucky here. It's everywhere though: Joshua Tree, California, Yosemite, pretty much anywhere there are boulder fields, there's probably been some established climbing there.
What are bouldering 'problems'?
Bouldering problems are essentially the same thing as a climbing route. It's just on a much smaller scale. So instead of working your way from the bottom of a climb up to the top of the climb and looking at it more as a route or it's going to be trying to solve a problem or a sequence that will only include a few moves but the moves are generally pretty difficult and there aren't usually a lot of choices. So it's figuring out how to take the little parts of the equation that you have and putting them together. Many guys spend a lot of time on solitary boulder problems.
What should I look for in solving a bouldering problem?
Most established bouldering problems at bouldering spots that get a lot of traffic. You'll probably see chalk on the holds depending on if they've been brushed or not. And mostly you'll be looking at a fairly blank face that usually has a couple obvious notches or crimps or small footholds. And you're just going to have to find your way up a, what would be I guess the natural line. Guidebooks are a great place to find bouldering problems.
