| Bouldering is one of
the easiest types of climbing to prepare for - just tie
on your shoes and clip your chalk bag on, and you're
ready! Bouldering and traversing are slightly different,
but the terms are often used in each other's place.
Bouldering usually refers to climbing on large boulders
or small faces. Traversing can be done on or off belay,
unlike bouldering, which is almost always done without a
belay. Bouldering is usually done close to the ground,
within about ten feet or so. One can traverse at any
height, on or off belay. A
"route" on a boulder is not called a route. It
is usually referred to as a problem, or a boulder problem.
There are many places to boulder,
probably many more bouldering areas exist than do
vertical climbing areas. Since the only development of a
bouldering area needed is clearing of dirt and possibly a
rating of some of the problems, bouldering areas are very
widespread.
Most climbing gyms have a
bouldering area. They usually have a cave and a ceiling
as well as vertical walls for traversing. There are even
some gyms that are devoted entirely to bouldering and
traversing.
Bouldering can be done on any good
sized chunk of rock laying around, but it can be hard to
find good areas with many boulder problems. If you are
looking for bouldering in your area, pick up Rock'n Road.
A rock climbing areas of North America book. If you
want to develop your own area, look for old avalanche
zones. Don't go anywhere that is an active avalanche zone
though! Old avalanche zones often have large boulders
with lots of space around them. This is ideal, because
you want a safe landing if you fall off of the boulder.
Look for variations in the rock that would make an
interesting climb. Overhangs and sharp edges make for a
great problem.
|
The climbing of boulders is
one of the most satisfying ways of filling a short climbing
session. You can concentrate entirely on moves at the limit of
your ability without having to worry about placing gear or
clipping bolts.
In bouldering the climber does
not tie into a safety rope. Instead the climbing is done very low
to the ground on walls with large pads underneath them.
Bouldering is generally a more advanced kind of climbing, but it
is also a great way to work on strength and climbing technique.
Because there is no rope and spotter involved it is also a way to
get in a "workout" when you don't have a climbing
partner.
| How
to Prevent Finger Injuries While Bouldering |
| Considering how easy it is to
prevent them, finger injuries are surprisingly
common among boulderers. Here are a few things
you can do to avoid hurting your fingers next
time you climb. |
|
| 1. |
Warm
up before you climb. Jog or bike to the
bouldering area, jump rope or stretch. |
| 2. |
Stretch
your fingers and hands. Stretch one hand out in
front of you like a traffic cop ordering someone
to stop (at a 90-degree angle to your chest and
as far in front as you can reach). Use your other
hand to gently pull back on the fingers of your
outstretched hand. Switch hands and do the
stretch again. |
| 3. |
Squeeze
a tennis ball in each hand for 2 minutes. |
| 4. |
Wrap
a strip of athletic tape above and below the
first knuckle on the middle two fingers of each
hand. Tape the fingers tight enough for support
but not so tight that you lose circulation or
mobility. |
| 5. |
Tape
other fingers as needed. |
| 6. |
Avoid
using holds like one-finger pockets and very
small crimps unless you're an expert boulderer. |
| |
Tips: |
| |
Listen
to your body. If your fingers ache, take a break
for a few days and let them recover. |
|
What is needed for Bouldering?
-
Rock Shoes
-
Chalk Bag\Bucket
-
Crash Pad
-
Boulder
-
Tough Skin
Cool weather is ideal also, rubber grips
better, you don't overheat and you sweat less. Obviously you need
to take care when slipping/jumping off. Having someone to
"spot" you (stand and support you if you fall) is
useful. Beware of rough landings on rocks that can twist your
ankles.
Bouldering as a sport specifically places a
significant strain on the environment because it has such
potential for negative impact. Compared to the
"vertical" world of climbing, bouldering problems are
often accomplished on a horizontal plane since the absence of
ropes keeps boulderers close to the ground for safety. The result
can be severe damage to the natural resource.
Q. How can you
help preserve bouldering ?
A. Leaving no
trace keeps the environment healthy and
available for future use.
More specifically….
No grooming! It is stressful enough
on the ecosystem to have people tromping around and disturbing
both animals and plants. By cutting trees, moving rocks, and
other modifications, boulderers significantly affect the survival
of other species. You would think that most people would agree
that untouched forest is more attractive than sawed off branches.
Unfortunately, exceptions exist in any situation and for those
who insist on damaging the natural features.
Keep our trails limited! One of the
greatest threats to an ecosystem is the fragmentation of habitat
by treading off trail. The only way preservation and human use
can be integrated is if humans respect the wild—stay on
trails whenever possible to avoid trampling vegetation!
Watch where you put a crash pad. Placing
pads on vegetation crushes plants (obviously). Being considerate
of your environment not only helps preserve the ecosystem.
About that
chalk…it doesn’t exactly add to
the natural scenery.
On the other hand, it certainly makes finishing a problem much
easier. So you can use colored chalk that blends in. Another
great way for you to be proactive in preserving the environment
is to participate in volunteer chalk clean-ups in bouldering
areas. Being involved can also mean encouraging any
not-so-environmentally-friendly users to respect nature a little
more like you do!
Go to Top
Traversing is much like bouldering, but
done mainly on the same horizontal plane. Sometimes the traverse
leads upwards or downwards slightly. If you want to traverse a
route that is high up, then you need to be on belay. When
traversing, runouts between protection can be more dangerous than
runouts on a vertical route because of the danger of the
pendulum. A pendulum is when a climber is far horizontally from
their last piece of protection and falls. When the climber falls,
they will swing from side to side, much like a pendulum on a
clock. This is very dangerous, because it can damage the rope if
the rope is run across sharp surfaces, and the climber can be
injured if they swing into rocks, especially sharp ones.
When traversing on belay, do not make long
runouts! It is very dangerous to top rope a traverse, unless it
is very short, because a top rope anchor is fixed, and cannot
move, therefore a pendulum is almost certain in a fall.
New
Jersey
The bouldering in New Jersey
can be divided into four geographical regions: the basalt boulder
fields near Princeton and Sourland Mountain, the Watchung
Mountains, the Northern Highlands, and the Kittaninny Ridge. The
first commercial guidebook to climbing and bouldering in the
Garden State was New Jersey Crags (by Paul Nick and Neil
J.A. Sloane), which has a supporting website. A new book, Rock Climbing New Jersey by the
same authors will include comprehensive coverage of all the
climbing and bouldering in New Jersey (as well as Delaware,
Manhattan, and Pennsylvania's NJ-border area).
New York
The Gunk's: The Trapps provide
northeast boulderers with their only opportunity to sample John
Gill's mastery with The Gill Egg, V4, The Gill Pinch,
V4, Gill's Double Clutch, V4, New Pair of Glasses,
V7, The Illustrious Buddha, V10, and for those willing to
walk a little bit, The Boxcar Traverse, V5. Pick up a
guidebook here or check out Pusher's
online guide which contains updates
to the current guidebook. Also, Gunks.com
includes tons of information about
the gunks.
Central Park: There are several boulders in Central Park
that have worthwhile bouldering, including Rat Rock and the
Worthless Boulder. Pusher's online guide contains a topo to the bouldering at the Worthless
Boulder, while ClimbNYC.com includes a discussion group for NY City climbers
and now has an online guide to Central Park.
Pennsylvania
Ralph Stover State Park: High
Rocks is a scenic gorge located in Ralph Stover State Park, Bucks
County, PA (not far from the NJ border). Although mostly known
for its top roping opportunities, there is also some good trad
climbing, sport climbing, and bouldering. The smooth shale rock
makes for a different kind of climbing experience (love it or
hate it). The best bouldering is in the Ripper Traverse area
which offers a compelling array of well-chalked flakes on
overhanging rock. The classics include the dynamic lunge Up
(V1), the long and pumpy Ripper Traverse (V2/V3), the
powerful Low Traverse (V5), the ballock-shriveling Battle
Of The Bulge (aka Down) (V2 X), and the area's
test-piece Marty Broke It (V7). A comprehensive guidebook
to all forms of climbing there (Classic Rock Climbs #12: Ralph
Stover State Park) is available
from Falcon Publishing. The guidebook has a supporting web site .
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