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kunegochu
Jun 14, 2008, 3:37 PM
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but i want to try it out before i buy all the equipment. is it pointless to try with my normal shoes and no chalk
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colatownkid
Jun 14, 2008, 4:21 PM
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the beauty of bouldering is that it requires so little equipment. all you need are shoes, chalk, and a pad. compared to roped climbing it's really cheap.
when you say "normal shoes" i assume you mean tennis shoes, etc. if that's the case you may have a problem since bouldering is intended to be inherently difficult and you'll need the shoes just to make your feet stay on the wall.
that being said, chalk and a bag is $15-ish, shoes can be as cheap as $50 if on sale, and crash pads are $200+ regularly. so you need about $300 and some boulders and you're good to go.
alternately, you could find a local climbing gym. you can rent shoes there and try some bouldering. see if you like it first, then decide whether to invest.
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sungam
Jun 14, 2008, 5:02 PM
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bull.
You don't need anything to boulder, except a fairly grippy set of trainers (or tennis shoes or whatever you call them, sneakers or sommit) and a buddy to spot you. find some rocks that aint too high and got good landings and off you go.
-MagnuS
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colatownkid
Jun 14, 2008, 5:56 PM
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sungam wrote: bull. You don't need anything to boulder, except a fairly grippy set of trainers (or tennis shoes or whatever you call them, sneakers or sommit) and a buddy to spot you. find some rocks that aint too high and got good landings and off you go. -MagnuS
i respectfully retract my previous response.
yes, all you need is a rock and a soft landing. if you're having fun, great. if you decide you want to invest in a pad, shoes, etc., know that it's really not too expensive to get in to.
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sungam
Jun 14, 2008, 7:25 PM
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colatownkid wrote: sungam wrote: bull. You don't need anything to boulder, except a fairly grippy set of trainers (or tennis shoes or whatever you call them, sneakers or sommit) and a buddy to spot you. find some rocks that aint too high and got good landings and off you go. -MagnuS i respectfully retract my previous response. yes, all you need is a rock and a soft landing. if you're having fun, great. if you decide you want to invest in a pad, shoes, etc., know that it's really not too expensive to get in to.
-MagnuS
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iwasasportweenie
Jun 14, 2008, 9:56 PM
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colatownkid wrote: the beauty of bouldering is that it requires so little equipment. all you need are shoes, chalk, and a pad. compared to roped climbing it's really cheap. when you say "normal shoes" i assume you mean tennis shoes, etc. if that's the case you may have a problem since bouldering is intended to be inherently difficult and you'll need the shoes just to make your feet stay on the wall.
I know you've already revised your take on this, but I can't help adding...
Not all bouldering is necessarily real foot intensive. Back when I was in college a few years ago, my older friends liked to talk about how they'd watched Matt Wilder (of Middlebury, in college years) run laps on the Illustrious Buddha (V8 or V9) at the Gunks in sneakers.
That aside, get some rock shoes. Unless you can already do a one-finger, one-arm pullup, you're gonna want em.
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spikeddem
Jun 15, 2008, 3:41 AM
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While at first I thought I might agree with the statement that you don't technically need shoes, I have decided I don't. Reason being that you wanted to figure out whether you like it or not. You are more likely to hate it without proper footwear.
I suggest trying it in a gym.
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bizarrodrinker
Jun 17, 2008, 2:12 PM
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iwasasportweenie wrote: colatownkid wrote: the beauty of bouldering is that it requires so little equipment. all you need are shoes, chalk, and a pad. compared to roped climbing it's really cheap. when you say "normal shoes" i assume you mean tennis shoes, etc. if that's the case you may have a problem since bouldering is intended to be inherently difficult and you'll need the shoes just to make your feet stay on the wall. I know you've already revised your take on this, but I can't help adding... Not all bouldering is necessarily real foot intensive. Back when I was in college a few years ago, my older friends liked to talk about how they'd watched Matt Wilder (of Middlebury, in college years) run laps on the Illustrious Buddha (V8 or V9) at the Gunks in sneakers. That aside, get some rock shoes. Unless you can already do a one-finger, one-arm pullup, you're gonna want em.
True, but if any variation of the buddha is v8/9 then boxcar arete is like v12 (which it isn't). But thats a different rant.
To the OP...get to a gym and try climbing in sneakers and climbing shoes (rental) then you can decide what you need and don't need.
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