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andy_reagan
Feb 20, 2004, 6:25 PM
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I've been thinking about this for a few days now. I love climbing, specifically bouldering. It seems like the perfect sport for me, no ropes, unneccesary gear, etc. Just you and the rock (and your spotter :wink: ). My heart lies with bouldering.
I'm slightly interested in climbing with ropes. I don't know if that is just my lack of experience (only climbed roughly 15 pitches outdoors so far) or just that bouldering suits me better.
Part of my love for bouldering is the fact that you can measure your progress so well, and watch yourself develop stronger and stronger.
Ok, heres my question (finally :lol: ):
Do you think one can be a well rounded and proficient boulderer without ever roping up? Or do you think there is things that would benefit your bouldering level that sport or trad climbing can teach a climber that you could never learn purely bouldering?
I'd be curious on your input...thanks
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rrrADAM
Feb 20, 2004, 6:34 PM
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No need to rope up if all you want to do is boulder... I know a few who pull V7/8 and have NEVER even been in a harness. I think a well rounded boulderer needs to boulder many type of problems, as in crimps, pockets, slab, crack, vert, overhung, sit starts, etc... Well rounded does not equal V10 on pockets, but V4 on thin balancey slab or crimpers.
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thinksinpictures
Feb 20, 2004, 6:36 PM
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I probably don't actually want to step into the debate that is almost certainly going to ensue, but... whatever.
I think you can be a well-rounded boulderer without ever tying in, just like I think you can be a well-rounded sport climber without ever learning to place your own pro.
That being said, I don't think you can be a well-rounded climber if you don't ever tie in, boulder, place your own pro, clip a bolt or two, learn proper self-rescue technique, do some high-altitude mountaineering... did I forget anything?
According to my own standards am I a well-rounded climber? Not yet, but I'll get there one day.
I don't remember who said it, so forgive me for not giving credit, but the best quote I've ever seen on rc.com was the following:
Bouldering for power
Sport for endurance
Trad for your head
The mountains for your soul
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ctclimbz
Feb 20, 2004, 6:37 PM
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Really interesting question... In my personal climbing progression, I have been a devotee of different disciplines for different periods of time. I started out as a principled trad junkie, but came to realize the attraction of hard sport routes (and putting principles aside). I also spent several years climbing with just choes, chalk and boulder pad, and have been inspired in different ways on short problems that I never was on the big stuff. However, when it comes down to it, I just want to be out climbing. Sometimes cranking out V8 is super satisfying, and relaxing between burns with friends or just out solo does it for me. Other times, nothing is more fulfilling than climbing a huge piece of rock, no matter what the difficulty. The feeling of being on the summit of something huge and that sense of accomplishment is totally different than bouldering, and rewarding in different ways. I think that the more time you spend climbing, the more all areas of climbing will appeal to you, and the desire to be able to climb all different kinds of stuff will be more important than whether you can crank V6+ or V7-...
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mtman
Feb 20, 2004, 6:40 PM
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i would have to say that you could get better by just bouldering, but i have found that sport climbing has helped my bouldering and vice versa that bouldering has helped my sport climbing.
i think (for my at least) that as bouldering is very hard, having tricky moves but short has helped build strength and technique, but sport climbing as there is more moves builds better muscle memory and endurance. i need to do both and i go back and forth between the two.
i do agree with you that bouldering is more free, just you and the rock, but sport climbing you can go so high, and you are more by your self, and it is more technical, which I like a lot, but also i develop a rhythm that you cant have when you are bouldering, i love them both and i cant have one with out the other.
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curt
Feb 20, 2004, 6:40 PM
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In reply to: Do you think one can be a well rounded and proficient boulderer without ever roping up? Or do you think there is things that would benefit your bouldering level that sport or trad climbing can teach a climber that you could never learn purely bouldering? I'd be curious on your input...thanks
I think that's a really good question. I started out climbing doing trad routes and then picked up bouldering soon after. For years, I did both in parallel and now I boulder almost exclusively--but I still do rope-up once in a while. I think the roped climbing did help my bouldering--but that's not to say that the roped climbing is necessarily required. So, how's that for a non-answer?
Curt
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jonf
Feb 21, 2004, 4:25 AM
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Yeah, I agree that you could become a great boulderer without climbing routes, but climbing routes will certainly help you. I split my time between bouldering and trad (and sport when i can get to a sport area). Climbing routes hasnt helped my power in anyway, but it has helped my endurance and my ability to figure out moves on a problem. Routes have helped my sense of body positioning, which enables me to figure out beta for a problem and climb it elegantly instead of trying to force my way through it and making the problem harder than it has to be.
So I would say go for it, get on some more routes.
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kalcario
Feb 21, 2004, 4:46 AM
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*Or do you think there are things that would benefit your bouldering level that sport or trad climbing can teach a climber that you could never learn purely bouldering? *
Think you just answered your own question.
But, if all you ever want to do is boulder, then no, roping up won't help you.
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jonf
Feb 21, 2004, 10:13 PM
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In reply to: if all you ever want to do is boulder, then no, roping up won't help you.
..wrong
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moeman
Feb 21, 2004, 11:26 PM
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If you are talking about just getting better at bouldering, then just boulder. But climbing is all about pushing your limits and having fun, right? So if all you do is boulder, you may be doing harder problems, but you won't be stretching yourself to try new things. And lets face it, routes are fun. Don't get me wrong- I absolutely love bouldering, but climbing feels incomplete if thats all you do. Bouldering is great to physically challenge yourself. Sport climbing is fun- you get a good rythmn going. An then there's trad climbing. I did my first trad lead today, and I feel more satisfied than any other day of climbing-- ever. When you place a bomber stopper and clip in, knowing you now are safe-- its the best feeling in the world. Learn to trad climb. It won't help your bouldering, but it will make you a much more rounded climber and happier person.
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lox
Feb 22, 2004, 2:07 AM
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In reply to: now I boulder almost exclusively--but I still do rope-up once in a while. I think the roped climbing did help my bouldering--but that's not to say that the roped climbing is necessarily required.
God, how stupid can you be... All climbing helps all other climbing. This idiot can't understand that. Of course, he can't boulder very hard either. I suspect he can't climb routes at an elite level either...
ANYWAY.
The other stupidest thing in this thread is this:
In reply to: Learn to trad climb. It won't help your bouldering, but it will make you a much more rounded climber and happier person.
Obviously, this person is a delusiated IDIOT. Climbing on a rope will not make you a happier person. It will make you a mule, a person to be laughed at for how much work they put into climbing nondescript movement. The only thing worst than trad climbing, is aid climbing... the art of moving up without actually climbing.
Boldering is the true art of climbing... movement and purpose... without all the trappings of the public perception of "rockclimbing."
If you know this, you are lucky... if you can stick with this path more power to you.
If you can stick to this path and be hella blazed... may the blimp be with you.
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muni
Mar 5, 2004, 8:14 PM
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I've heard that sport climbing can actually hurt your bouldering. But I dont know if thats true...I boulder pretty much exclusively, but every once in a while I'll throw on a harness for fun
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ctclimbz
Mar 5, 2004, 8:18 PM
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Personally, I have found that if I want to be bouldering at my absolute peak, I need to be training specifically for bouldering. I find that when I train routes, my endurance goes way up, but I lose that top end power that I find necessary for really hard problems. I would be curious to know if anybody else agrees with that... Its actually been a source of frustration because when I wish to push my route limits, I have to stop bouldering and train endurance, and then when I want go back and boulder, I find myself frustrated that I can't lock off holds I know I can when I'm bouldering all the time. I've also found that the high end of both my endurance and power both come back relatively quickly when I train either specifically, but it sucks that I lose the high end of one when I train the other.
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bouldering-bumm
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Mar 6, 2004, 1:38 AM
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I think that bouldering has to be made up, like, long traverses that are still bp's require endurance, but a 5 move V.10 needs sick strength, so I think that to be proficent in bouldering, you need to be proficient all around
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el_trevor
Mar 9, 2004, 2:43 PM
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rope up! you learn alot of technique as well asbuild endurence , it also gives you alot more to climb ! dont just stick with one side of climbing , if you jsut boulder you wont be able to experience great places.
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reprieve
Mar 9, 2004, 3:09 PM
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man, climb what you want. climbing's not about being good, it's about enjoying what you do. if you just want to boulder, there's no need to climb anything else "just to get better"
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andy_reagan
Mar 9, 2004, 5:48 PM
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In reply to: man, climb what you want. climbing's not about being good, it's about enjoying what you do. if you just want to boulder, there's no need to climb anything else "just to get better"
point taken, but realize that other people have very different viewpoints and perspectives than you do. For me, a big part (perhaps the biggest part) of climbing is the fact that I can get progressively stronger and stronger and therefore climb progressively harder problems. I guess we do agree on a fundamental level though. My progress with climbing is what makes it enjoyable.
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reprieve
Mar 9, 2004, 6:10 PM
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ok, i guess i was being slightly closed-minded. If what you enjoy about climbing is merely the aspect of being good at "something", then yeah, you'd probably want to train as many different ways as possible.
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andy_reagan
Mar 9, 2004, 8:42 PM
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you don't want me to open my mouth wider so you can fit more words into it, do you? :wink:
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reprieve
Mar 9, 2004, 9:09 PM
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In reply to: you don't want me to open my mouth wider so you can fit more words into it, do you? :wink:
HAHA! good one...never heard it before. :P
wasn't trying to put words in your mouth, sorry if i did.
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boulderman
Mar 9, 2004, 9:39 PM
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If you want to be a strong boulder, then boulder hard and train for bouldering. To be a generalist (all around climber) is to be mediocre at a lot of things, to be a specialist is to be great at one thing. If you want to be great at bouldering then you have to devote yourself to building that type of power.
Don't take much stock in the people who say "it's not about being good, it's about having fun". I don't buy it. Boulders by nature are very competitive with themselves. All boulderers want to get better; getting better is what is fun! Walking up to a boulder that appears to be unclimbable, then finding holds, working out the moves and eventually having success, that is fun! Flailing through a V0- because you are not driven to be better, or because your only reason for climbing is some professed "Zen-like" love for the rock is.... not fun! :roll: (If you are a 5.6 climber and having first success on a V0-, that is fun too!).
As far as training power and endurance for bouldering, you never need a rope. Train for this on boulder problems, (laps, 4X4's, etc).
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curt
Mar 10, 2004, 4:22 AM
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In reply to: If you want to be a strong boulder, then boulder hard and train for bouldering. To be a generalist (all around climber) is to be mediocre at a lot of things........
Curt
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