What's a boulder problem?

I knew the thread title would get you to click.  Now obviously I don't mean literal boulders, or short climbs rated on the V-scale.  Rather why do short sections of longer routes get nicknamed boulder problems?  Most famous is now probably "the boulder problem" from Freerider, but it seems like tons of routes have these so called sections.  There's already a good word for the "the hardest part of the route", and it's not at all clear what defines these sections relative to the rest of a given route. 

Bouldering Sucks.

Some sections of some routes just lend themselves better to being thought of as boulder problems, especially at higher grades. For example, let's say there's a 12+ route that has a 9-move, sequential, and perhaps difficult-to-read crux. It may just make sense to think of and describe that crux as a V6 boulder problem.

Usually it just refers to the crux of a route being a distinct section.

Someone may chime in and say all route grades are based on the single-hardest-move, but the reality is that's just not the case. Many routes factor in endurance to the rating.  

Hard, sequence specific moves. Usually hard/impossible to reverse or stop at.
Also love "bouldery start" comments for routes like at JTree.

"Boulder Problem" sounds cooler that "Top Rope" problem.

Many new climbers go straight to Bouldering when they really should be Top Roping to gain strength and experience.

Many boulder problems should really be top rope problems.

Falling 10 ft or further is not a good idea.  

I once saw him quoted as saying Top Roping at Joshua Tree is how young Bacher trained for Soloing

WAY overthinking! Tell me what’s confusing about this:

“Climb series of stacked V2 problems, separated by good rests”

Or

“A few bolts of 5.11 climbing take you to a tough v5 right before the anchors”

It usually means that the difficult section of the route is not a single move, but a sequence of several moves. I.e. a boulder problem. 

Gumby King wrote: Bouldering Sucks.

Nobody talks more trash about bouldering than a 5.10 trad climber.

Todd the Tangler wrote: Some sections of some routes just lend themselves better to being thought of as boulder problems, especially at higher grades. For example, let's say there's a 12+ route that has a 9-move, sequential, and perhaps difficult-to-read crux. It may just make sense to think of and describe that crux as a V6 boulder problem.

Usually it just refers to the crux of a route being a distinct section.

Someone may chime in and say all route grades are based on the single-hardest-move, but the reality is that's just not the case. Many routes factor in endurance to the rating.  

Thank you this is a good answer. 

Harris P wrote:

Nobody talks more trash about bouldering than a 5.10 trad climber.

I wish I were a 5.10 trad climber

Gumby King wrote:

I wish I were a 5.10 trad climber

Try bouldering!

Gumby King wrote:

I wish I were a 5.10 trad climber

You should try bouldering

If only I could try bouldering

• Spider Savage wrote: "Boulder Problem" sounds cooler that "Top Rope" problem.

Many new climbers go straight to Bouldering when they really should be Top Roping to gain strength and experience.

Many boulder problems should really be top rope problems.

Falling 10 ft or further is not a good idea.  

I once saw him quoted as saying Top Roping at Joshua Tree is how young Bacher trained for Soloing

I couldn’t agree more with you. Bouldering seems so accessible and easy which it is to an extent but in reality it is very advanced and hard!  When I started out climbing I did almost nothing but bouldering.  It was unproductive and I got all sorts of arm/hand tendon injuries.  i could not even climb a true V1 outside until almost a year if I remember correctly.  

I can also vouch for sport climbing falls being so much safer for the most part.  I have started toning down my bouldering after falling 20+ ft multiple times and recognizing how dangerous it is, especially when I am alone. 
I also get to the top of a boulder sometimes and see a top rope anchor and think ‘oh, that would be much smarter to use’ but usually i don’t even know its there until i reach it.  Seeing one really starts to make me ask myself ‘what the hell are you doing?’ lol. 

Here's my theory on it...I think people call parts of pitches boulder problems because its a series of harder moves that are unprotected like bouldering. But maybe not hard enough to be called the crux. I think the key is its unprotected.