Why Do Some Climbers HATE Bouldering?

Western Gold is a bad ass flick and there is some super hotties in it!
Bouldering or Not....show me more hotties and I don't give a shit what anyone thinks about what they like or don't like to climb :)

I don't hate it. I just don't get it. Maybe I'm just getting too old to be a boulderer. Besides I can't stand to wear a wool beanie in the summer.

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camhead wrote: I can't remember his name, but was this the guy in Priest Draw, AZ? I recall hearing that story, and there's a plaque in his memory at the boulder it happened at (just uphill from the triangle boulder, I believe).

Yeah, that's the guy. His name was Rob Drysdale and he was a very strong and gifted young climber. I believe he was about 22 when he died.

The only reason is egotism. And the idea that good boulderers can't sport climb or trad climb is not true.

I see new boulderers transfer to the local hard sport crag all the time and send 5.12 pretty fast.

Nor is trad cragging way more scary and more difficult. Hard highball bouldering is easily as scary and commiting as trad cragging...

Alpine is kind of a different bag though. But it's all fun, and the egoists are lame.

As long as you're not chipping holds or bolting obvious protectable routes it's all good to me!!

JLP wrote:It comes in the moment after you try it and realize the hardest moves on the hardest climb you've ever done are barely V2 - your ego just can't process it.

+1000

People hate on it because they suck at it.

Make whatever excuse they want...it's not long enough, people better at it than them wear funny clothes, they might have to sit in the dirt to start, they're too old for it...whatever the excuse, the real reason: THEY SUCK HARDER than Hoover, Electrolux, and Dyson combined.

I love to climb over gear, but my second love is bouldering. Convenient, and I can try the business over and over without having to climb 80' of rambling filler just to get there, or dangle around on a rope with my kidneys getting crushed and my legs going numb.

Not a fan of the beanie/no shirt look, but I'm not a fan of the skinny jeans or pants below your ass cheeks either...then again at 40yo, I don't expect to be down with modern youth fashion choices.

Some trad climbers say that bouldering isn't 'real climbing' because your climbing blocks 15 feet high, not cliffs. A sport climb is essentially a few boulder problems stacked on top of each other, and is climbed with a rope. When trad climbing, there is sometimes a focus on the exposure and movement on the rock, but bouldering has all of that too. Mountaineers try only to get to the top of the peak, so although they have a right to say that bouldering is stupid because you can walk up the backside of a boulder, trails lead to the top of many cliffs that sport and trad climbers use, and they never get bashed for that.

Delta Bravo wrote:Notice no one fucks with Bob Horan.

Oh I totally fuck with Bob Horan, but he started it!!

I was looking at only having short bits of time to climb this spring so I thought oh hell, I'll just get a bouldering pad and start bouldering. It's actually been great for my roped climbing. I'm now doing my regular roped routes in half the time I used to take just to keep myself from having to go bouldering.

But to be honest, there is a lot of truth in hating it because you can't do it very well. I find it hard to devote time to that form of climbing when my preferred form is readily available. I know I'd get stronger if I would boulder for a season, but I can't make myself do it. It's boring.

Hank Caylor wrote: Oh I totally fuck with Bob Horan, but he started it!!

I fuck with Bob just by living...he thinks I'm weird.

I don't mind bouldering at all, but in general I prefer to rope up. I seem to worry a lot more about getting injured bouldering much more than I do while roped up (and most people I know that have been hurt 'climbing' have really been hurt bouldering --ankles, etc...)

Climbing is one of my favorite forms of exercise, and I just don't often feel like I get a good workout when bouldering. Working a 5-move problem may generate some power, but it usually doesnt do much for aerobic endurance like a long sport or trad pitch. Just my two cents!

Elena Sera Jose wrote:I challenge any boulderer to jump on a 12 draw sport 10 or a trad 100ft 7 and manage to keep their balls in the sack!

I flashed a 10c/d my first outing with my rope. I don't see what the big deal is about converting bouldering to sport... I look at it this way, I don't have to worry about falling and breaking my ankle as much and there are plenty of gnarly rests to chalk up on... there may be some endurance issues for some but for the great majority i doubt there'd be a problem... Now a 5 pitch 5.9... that MIGHT be a different story. I'll update later.

I don't have bouldering I just think it's kinda lame. Given a limited amount of time to climb, I'd rather spend that doing something fun.

Kris Holub wrote:I don't have bouldering I just think it's kinda lame. Given a limited amount of time to climb, I'd rather spend that doing something fun.

So in a limited time scenario... you'd rather get on 2-3 pitches than get on 10-20 problems? I'd rather get in a bunch of diverse climbing, multiple styles, assorted features than climb some of the same over and over... it comes down to preference and what you, personally, define as fun

Hey--it's ALL GOOD.

Not everyone is lucky enough to have easy access to whatever one considers to be "real" climbing. It's mostly about making the moves and it doesn't matter if those moves involve pro, tools, plastic, trees, or buildings for that matter. People need to get over their snobby, "purist" attitudes and appreciate the fact that gaining vertical (or horizontal) ground is its own reward and any form that takes is legitimate and positive, as long as one respects nature and fellow climbers (as well as any other people/critters in the area).

As far as bouldering goes, it should be respected as an amazing form of climbing as there are problems running from those easy enough for any climber to manage to the seemingly impossible—and it doesn't require a huge investment in a rack or other gear. Just look at this movement:

youtube.com/watch?v=D3ZnfqP…

The footwork is spectacular (I can't imagine anyone onsighting a problem like that--some of those sequences would require x-ray vision/ESP to anticipate) and the climber is never more than several feet off the deck. Also, although most climbers seem to pull for each other to get a move or a send, boulderers tend to be especially good cheerleaders—there’s obviously a lot of camaraderie and lack or pretense.

Further, bouldering will make you a better climber, period. It helps build strength, endurance (on longer problems), move vocabulary and assuming you're adequately spotted/padded, you can safely do moves similar to cruxes you may encounter when a much higher pucker factor may be in play, such as running it out high up on an “adventure” climb where retreat is not a desirable option. The confidence and focus gained from having pulled similar (or easier) bouldering moves could play a key part in sending or avoiding a nasty fall.

Of course, bouldering is a two-edged sword—it can produce great benefits but as in any activity (especially one that can be so intense), you have to warm up adequately and avoid moves that could easily hurt you (most of the worst climbing injuries I’ve had were bouldering-related when I was just starting out—D’oh!). Plus, it can be a lot of fun!

^

His chalk bag dabbed the ground several times. Mark it zero. This is not 'Nam. There are rules.

Jeremy Hand wrote: So in a limited time scenario... you'd rather get on 2-3 pitches than get on 10-20 problems? I'd rather get in a bunch of diverse climbing, multiple styles, assorted features than climb some of the same over and over... it comes down to preference and what you, personally, define as fun

That's correct. I view climbing as a way to allow me to access "impossible" terrain and to get on top of things the average person would only dream of. Bouldering is a great tool to increase climbing skill, but it lacks any element of exposure and adventure. I also find it inherently contrived almost to the point of being a game. I don't have anything against bouldering, I just can't get psyched about it. On the other hand I can rant about bouldering culture just fine.

Kris Holub wrote: That's correct. I view climbing as a way to allow me to access "impossible" terrain and to get on top of things the average person would only dream of. Bouldering is a great tool to increase climbing skill, but it lacks any element of exposure and adventure. I also find it inherently contrived almost to the point of being a game. I don't have anything against bouldering, I just can't get psyched about it. On the other hand I can rant about bouldering culture just fine.

+1!

That is the beautiful thing about climbing, we can both share a passion albeit for two completely different reasons. Good luck on all your adventures!

Hey im intetested in some sort of climbing. Always the kind that you go 1000 feet up a cliff.. I come from a cycling background and it's funny to read about the hate of bouldering from climbers/top rope etc.. in cycling some mountain bash the roadies amd the dirt jumpers and the bmxers and vice versa.. but in the end its all cocky ego.. we all cyclists appreciate eachother because we are riding bicycles. Does that make sence to you guys and gals.. so what do you boulderes and climbers thing about the people climbed everest? Iv summited mt logan.