THE JOY OF MOVEMENT: AN INTRO TO BOULDERING
by PATRICK L WELSH
The cool early autumn air is a welcome change to the sweltering hot temps that have accompanied this summer in the Wasatch. This presents local climbers with a long awaited window of opportunity to climb in the canyons, in cool temps that are offer good friction, decreased insects, and the splendor of the fall colors. Down in the shedding trees and orange and yellow-carpeted canyon bottoms, and away from the towering crags, are the
solitary boulders. These monoliths of rock are often smaller pieces of the surrounding cliffs that have separated from the main crag from causes ranging from erosion to glacial grinding.
Boulders range in size from small seven to eight foot chunks slightly larger than a refrigerator, to larger 30-40 foot, house sized highball horror shows; and feature everything from gentle fat jugs to dime edge crimpers that will make your eyes bug out.
At first glance it may seem like your afternoon might be better spent trying to climb longer routes as opposed to pinching crystals on a small boulder over a pad, but you would be seriously underestimating the value of bouldering. The opportunity to practice harder moves in a more simple and relatively “safe” setting really can help our climbing meteorically. Knowing we have the ability to confront crux situations low to the ground in a calm manner can help our climbing in all other aspects and heights; and it will make you wicked strong to top it off.
Bouldering is also a great way to break into climbing because you can usually do it alone (though a good spotter i.e. catcher is recommended), and you don't need any of the heavy and expensive gear required in the other disciplines of climbing. Bouldering is also a highly social style of climbing, due to the fact that everyone involved is on the ground within talking distance and you can usually just walk up to a group and get involved in passing.
The only required gear to boulder is a "crash pad;" a sandwiched foam pad that usually can be folded in half and carried backpack style. It's a piece of gear necessary to catch and cushion you in the event of a slip or fall. A pair of sticky rock shoes and a chalk bag is the only other equipment you need to get started in bouldering. A strong will, patience, and a cool head is also very useful as well, because bouldering can be difficult. You could spend a whole afternoon struggling to just pull yourself off of the ground, and only make a few feet of progress. When you finally pull over the lip of your project and realize the mastery and control you have utilized, you will discover why bouldering is so popular.
Perseverance is key though. You are not bouldering because it is particularly easy; you want to be in the moment and enjoy the movement and learning taking place in the face of difficulty, whether you are three feet off the ground or hundreds of feet up a wall. The intricacies of breathing, body position, tension, and kinesthetics are similar to those found
in yoga or martial arts; and share many of the same mental and physical
benefits of those disciplines as well.
The difficulty rating of bouldering is slightly different than the standard Yosemite decimal 5. system. The V system is used in most places, and was created by the famous U.S. boulderer John “Verm” Sherman. That system ranges from V0 (the easiest) to V15 (the extremely hardest). Most beginners will find the V0-V1 range comfortable for their first attempts, then make the progression to higher numbers. However, bouldering is generally much more stressful on the joints and muscles, so careful consideration to stress and injury should be observed to prevent getting side lined early.
Special care should be taken in the impact and usage of bouldering. Often the casual nature of the sport can cause the trampling of underbrush, leaving of litter, and make climber overcrowding a problem in popular areas. Stewardship and respect of the land are of utmost importance in any outdoor pursuit, and are key to the future full enjoyment of
natural spaces by yourself and generations to come.
Utah is packed full of great bouldering sites, so many that you could spend the better part of a lifetime just trying to tick off Little Cottonwood’s classics alone. Ibex (in the West Desert), Triassic (Central Utah), Joe’s Valley (central Utah), Moab, and a slew of others are also packed full of thousands of problems (climber's lingo for routes) if you run out of local projects. Check out A Bouldering Guide to Utah: by Beck, Baldwin, and Russo for a comprehensive overview of Utah’s bouldering possibilities or just wander the forest, explore for yourself, stretch out your arms and start pulling.