It’s a new year, the advent of resolutions and getting the kick to finally do that thing you’ve always wanted to try. This year, it’s climbing. Welcome!
Starting something new can be incredibly daunting, so I’ve tried to outline some of the basics, to help you feel more prepared going in.
There are two main types of indoor climbing that I will break down for you - Bouldering and Rope Climbing. This post will be all about Bouldering, check out this one for Ropes.
Bouldering tends to be the easier one to get started with, as you can go on your own and there’s less admin required when it comes to equipment and training, so let's start there.
A few definitions:
- Route - The set of holds you use to reach the top
- Grade - The level of difficulty of the route
- Hold - The colourful plastic shape on the wall you’re holding onto or standing on
Bouldering Basics:
A typical bouldering centre will have a range of around 5 metre high walls, covered in colourful climbing holds and features, with matting underneath. You’ll climb up a set of those holds to get to the top and if you fall while climbing, the mats are there to cushion it.
Routes are usually colour coordinated - so a route will be made up of all the same colour holds to make it easier to see where you’re going. The grade will either be marked on the route or grouped by colour - i.e all white routes are one grade, all blue routes are another etc. but there should be some indicator either way for you, have a gander in reception or ask one of the staff if you're not sure.
A lot of walls will use the V grade system. It starts at VB, V0, V1, V2... where the higher the number, the harder the route. Some walls like to invent their own grading system, so there might be a little bit of figuring out to do, but it should be signposted for you. The routes in each section of wall will be a range of difficulties, so you can try out lots of different terrains.
When you start a route, there will be holds they intend for you to start the route from. Some centres will mark these with a ‘start’ tag, a piece of tape, or they may put their grade marker between two holds. If you’re ever not sure, feel free to ask someone around you, or feel free to just have a guess, you’re just starting out so don’t take it too seriously!
The top of the route will be the final hold available - to finish a route you ‘match’ the final hold. A match is where both hands touch the final hold, in control.
When you’re done, you should try to climb down as far as you can and only jump from a height that you can control safely. The mats do cushion a fall but they don't remove risk of injury, so you should always keep that in mind.
General safety points:
- Before you start climbing, check where your route goes. You want to make sure it doesn't cross over anyone already climbing
- Be mindful not to walk under people on the wall - they could fall and land on you
- Keep phones and hard objects off the mats - people can and will fall on them!
- Oh, and don't forget to take a rest between climbs!
Equipment:
- Climbing shoes - these are available for rent at the climbing wall. Wear thin socks so you can get a snug fit without having to raw dog in rentals. I would recommend climbing for a few months before buying your own pair, as you need time to figure out the style of climbing you enjoy which often affects the pair you choose.
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Chalk - This is to help keep your hands dry and improve grip on the climbs. When you’re first starting out it might not seem a necessity, but will likely be as you progress. There are 3 main forms - chalk ball, loose chalk, liquid chalk.
- Chalk ball is the easiest and cheapest when starting out. It's essentially like a sock full of chalk, you give it a bit of a squeeze and it’ll lightly coat your hands. You can get refillable chalk balls as well which is a great option!
- Loose chalk is what it sounds like. A big bag of white powder you can openly dunk your hands into. Some centres don’t allow loose chalk as it’s really easy to spill everywhere, so just double check before you commit to a bag.
- Liquid chalk. This is a more modern invention and is a chalk paste, lotion thing. You squeeze it onto your hands, rub it in and let the moisture evaporate - the chalk dries down onto your skin. This is a real personal preference thing - none of these is better than the other, it's just what works for you!
- Brush - kind of looks like a big toothbrush. Its purpose is to clean chalk and grime off climbing holds. As a route gets climbed a lot by lots of people, chalk builds up on the surface of the holds, filling in the nice texture that makes it grippy. So, you can brush the chalk off to help make it grippy again! Not a necessity when first starting out, the centre will likely have brushes mounted on poles dotted around for cleaning holds, or you can ask someone to borrow theirs. This might seem odd, but honestly, bouldering is a very social sport so it is a totally normal thing to do. [Etiquette note: If someone brushes a climb, they are entitled to climb it next]
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Extras - I would advise bringing a water bottle as you would for any exercise activity, these shouldn’t be taken onto the mats as they would not be fun to land on, but there will usually be an area to keep them.
Before you go:
Most centres will have something like a ‘Give it a go’ session, where you will get an hour or so with centre staff and they will walk you through the basics of climbing, show you some things to try, give you a safety briefing and sign you off to climb unsupervised. I would suggest doing one of these if you’re a little nervous going in - it can just start you off with a little more confidence. They aren’t usually too expensive and pretty easy to book. Also keep a look out if your wall does social events like a ladies night or a training night if you want to meet some new people to climb with.
Final Thoughts:
Climbing is more than just a sport, it’s a community. It’s a group of people all excited to see each other succeed, to help each other out and see what they are capable of. It’s not about who can climb the hardest, it’s about showing up and giving it a go and enjoying yourself. Someone achieving their first of any grade is just as worthy, it doesn't matter if it’s seen as an ‘easy’ route or ‘hard’ route. Everyone has just as much of a right to climb as anyone else, and it is for any body. Don’t worry about not feeling strong enough to try climbing, climbing will make you strong in the ways you need, and you’ll probably surprise yourself! And in fairness, bouldering is 10% climbing and 90% sitting on the mats and chatting.
So, what are you waiting for?
A bit of bonus lingo:
- Beta - The sequence or moves needed to complete a climb
- Flash - Completing a climb first go
- Send - Completing a climb
- Crux - The hardest part of a route
Used in a sentence - “Oh man, I almost flashed that route but I couldn’t figure out the crux. Do you have any beta for it, I want to send it before I finish my session”
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