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Bouldering

Climbers invented bouldering as a training tool for mountaineering and traditional rock climbing, beginning on the gritstone outcrops of the United Kingdom and on the sandstone boulders of Fontainebleau, France, with some of the earliest forays onto the boulders of Font coming as far back as the 1870s.

In the United States, bouldering was seen, at best, as “practice climbing” until the gymnast John Gill applied the strength and skills he’d cultivated as a gymnast to pursue and evolve bouldering as its own pursuit, beginning in the 1950s. Pushing the sport basically on his own, Gill proposed a new bouldering grading scale (B1 through B3), and in the 1960s and 1970s established problems that would today be V10 (i.e., very difficult) on the modern bouldering scale, the “V Scale.”

Now, bouldering is a sport of its own—gaining popularity in indoor and outdoor environments all over the world. It’s the simplest, easiest-to-learn and to-practice form of climbing: All you need is rock shoes, a chalk bag or chalk pot, a toothbrush for cleaning the holds, some crashpads, and friends to spot you. In bouldering, climbers tackle boulder “problems,” usually five to 20 feet tall, but in some cases higher (this is called “highball bouldering”). The current most difficult boulder problems are given 9A on the French scale or V17 on the V Scale, and involve wildly dynamic moves on minuscule holds up overhanging panels of rock.

News

The Perks of Pandemic-Era Climbing

I’m sure we can all agree that the past year and a half has been a steaming hot pile of guano-covered choss for a number of reasons. But I’m not here to bring back painful memories. I’m here for the silver linings.

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Culture

Connecting Disadvantaged Children With Nature in Greenland

Against a background of 10,000-foot peaks, icebergs, and the vast Atlantic Ocean, local Inuit kids in East Greenland are growing up stuck somewhere between traditional ways of life and the quickly encroaching modern world. Communities struggle with record suicide, alcoholism, and abuse rates. Four Icelanders and an American asked the question: Can rock climbing help?

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Culture

Climbing For Every Body

When Drew Hulsey started climbing he weighed 300 pounds and wondered if the ropes would hold. He found out that they would, and found a community that embraced him. Now he sets an example that inspires others to join him.

Published
Videos

This Guy Gets Flown Around the World To Set Boulder Comps. Dream Job?

The documentary follows route setter Tobi Diedler on a trip to Singapore, where he had the privilege of setting the biggest IFSC-listed bouldering competition in Southeast Asia "SMU GRAVIVAL." It explores the life and work of a route setter in general, but also the arguably absurd scenario of someone being flown around the globe to mount wooden boxes and plastic holds on manmade walls.

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