Bouldering

So this will be the first of my blogs talking about the different types of rock climbing. I'm going to start with my personal favourite, the one that got me interested in rock climbing as a whole - bouldering. Bouldering is quite a bit different from other types of rock climbing as there is very little equipment required. You could technically do it with no equipment at all. With bouldering there are no ropes, no harnesses and no belays. Falls are more serious because they actually have consequences - no ropes to catch you, if you fall you really fall.




That being said, it isn't actually as dangerous as I've made it seem. Bouldering climbs (or problems) are never as high as traditional rock climbing problems. And typically crash mats are used to cushion. the fall. It is more dangerous than most other types of rock climbing - crash mats won't help much if you fall from fifteen feet onto your neck - but that shouldn't discourage you considering the sport. I've been bouldering for 2 years and I'm yet to sustain any serious injuries.
So what do you need to actually start bouldering? It's almost certainly the cheapest type of rock climbing to get into. You can got to a climbing gym get a membership. From there you can rent climbing shoes and chalk and the crash mats are already all set out. If you want to boulder outside you'll need a crash mat and your own shoes and chalk. But there's nothing stopping you from going out in your bare feet and finding an interesting rock to climb.












Video from YouTube :
Eric Karlsson Bouldering

Equipment

In this blog I'll go over all of the equipment you'll need to get started in the different types of rock climbing. I'll start with the basic requirements- Shoes and chalk. If you want to get into any type of rock climbing, these are the two most basic pieces of kit you'll need.
The shoes are extremely important for helping your feet grip the rock. They should be very tight fitting- any space at the toes will make it difficult to stay on small footholds. Scarpa, Evolv and Red Chili are some brands of climbing shoes.

 Chalk is invaluable to climbers as it quickly dries out sweaty hands. A climbers worst nightmare is sweaty hands causing a slip mid way through a difficult problem. Chalk bags allow climbers to dry  out their hands mid way through a climb, preventing this problem.

The next few pieces of equipment I'll mention are for specific types of climbing. While the last two are used in almost every type, these ones are more specific.
Harness: Harnesses are used whenever ropes are. They attach the climber to the ropes to prevent falls. They are extremely important for climbs involving heights.

Carabiner: Carabiners used alongside harnesses. They attach the ropes to the harness.

Crash mat: Crash mats are primarily for bouldering. Since ropes aren't used, the crash mat prevents injury.