Information AboutBouldering |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT BOULDERING | |
| types of climbing | |
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Typically bouldering is a more high impact sport focusing on individual moves rather than the endurance required in Traditional Climbing or Sport Climbing . Boulder routes are most commonly referred to as 'problems', because the nature of the climb is often short, curious, and much like problem solving. As in other types of climbing there are entire Grading Systems for bouldering alone. The most commonly used grading systems are the John Sherman V-grade system, beginning at V0 and increasing by integers to a current achievement of V15, and the Fontainebleau system which ranges from 1 to 8c+. Both scales are open-ended at the top, and thus the upper grade of these systems increases as boulderers ascend more difficult problems. To reduce the risk of injury after a fall, climbers rarely go higher than a few meters above the ground (anything over 7 meters is generally considered to be Free-soloing although such climbs might also be termed high-ball bouldering problems). They may also put a Crash Pad / Bouldering Mat on the ground to break their fall and/or assign a Spotter , a person standing on the ground to prevent the climber from landing badly. The spotter generally works to direct the climbers body toward the crashpad during a fall, while protecting the climber's head from hazards. The region around Fontainebleau near Paris is particularly famous for its beautiful and concentrated bouldering sites. Well known areas include Stanage (UK), Dover Island (Canada), Hueco Tanks (Texas), Castle Hill, New Zealand , and Bishop, California amongst Others . Bouldering is continually gaining in popularity, partly as evidenced by the growth of bouldering areas in indoor climbing gyms and even entire climbing gyms dedicated to bouldering. Children are joining the sport now as well as adults. In fact, studies have found that when you start when you are young you have better climbing skills when you are older due to getting past disadvantages such as height and strength. GEAR ;Chalk :Boulderers use loose, powdered chalk on their hands as a drying agent while climbing. The chalk is stored in a small hand-sized pouch worn on the climber's lower back called a chalk bag. Climbers may, on occasion, mix their chalk with cleaning alcohol, benzine etc. This is to ensure that the climbers hands are not only dry, but that any grease or other impediments to good grip will disolve in the alcohol and evaporate. Continued use of this mixture however can have adverse effects on the climbers skin, it is their for not a recomended technique and should only be applied on extremely difficult climbs if at all. ;Pads :Boulderers commonly carry a mattress-like object called a crash pad. These are generally 50" x 40" x 3" foam pads with a heavy-duty fabric shell. Crash pads can be folded in half and worn like a backpack. It is opened and placed at the based of a boulder to cover irregularities in the landing and provide some cushion if the climber falls. Often a group of climbers will boulder together, each carrying his or her own crash pad. When using many crash pads together, the landing zones are larger and safer. A crash pad is not a substitute for a human spotter to protect a climber in a fall, and crash pads cannot eliminate all risk of injury. ;Ropes :Ropes are generally not used in bouldering. Occasionally, a top rope will be to practice a particularly high or dangerous boulder problem; however, many boulderers consider this to be poor form. ;Shoes :While shoes designed for technical climbing are not required to participate in bouldering, they can offer the climber a distinct advantage. ;Climbing Walls
LIST OF BOULDERING SITES OR GYMS Lists by U.S. state: EXTERNAL LINKS
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