Why I prefer bouldering to top-rope and leads climbing
And what does this have to do with video games…I thought this was a video game newsletter, Caleb!
Lately, over the past month or so, as I’ve reached the final stages of writing my What Remains of Edith Finch book (Kindle version available for preorder now, with the print version available on the June 12th, 2023 release date), I’ve been trading my early morning writing time for early morning rock climbing time. Well, “rock” of the indoor gym variety, and, as of late, “climbing” of the bouldering variety, not the walls-and-rope variety.
I’ve been having a great time living out my Spider-Man fantasies, and an even better time learning all of the nuances and vocabulary of this new hobby. To me, the fun part of knowledge is the learning part, not the display-of part. I’ve taken so many Coursera and Udemy courses for skills I’ll never actually use. It’s probably something I should talk to a therapist about. It seems weird, right?
Anyway, one of the early concepts I learned while climbing is that climbing is split into two schools: “top rope and lead climbing” is different than “bouldering.” And not only is there a difference between the two, many climbers only pledge allegiance to one or the other. Some hobbyist climbers enjoy both, but as a hobbyist becomes an enthusiast, a choice is made between the two. Do I focus on climbing (ie, a tall wall, a rope, and a fun rappel down) or do I focus on bouldering (ie, a short wall, no rope, a hopefully-controlled climb down)?
During my latest climbing session, the early morning of April 22nd, 2023, I think I made my choice. Bouldering. But why?
“Why?” is a question a friend recently posed. It was the first time I actually realized that the distinction between the two forms is a known, accepted distinction. All of my climbing sessions for the preceding month had been split between ropes and bouldering.
Coincidentally, however, that morning (before I saw the friend’s question above), I had opted to rent only shoes for my climbing session, instead of shoes + harness, which meant that I had committed myself to a day of bouldering only. Then I saw the question above and realized that maybe my shoe-only rental wasn’t a matter of simply wanting to arbitrarily focus on bouldering for a day, but was a decision that had already implanted a forever-forward bias favoring bouldering because I responded to myself—my lips probably moving along with my otherwise silent defense—that “bouldering is great, because…” And, nothing. Because why?
Why did I choose a life of bouldering on that early morning of April 22nd, 2023?
Besides the lower session cost due to not having to rent a harness every time, bouldering feels like a more intentional action than rope climbing.1 But that’s too general a reason. Specifically, bouldering:
Is a puzzle. There is always a most efficient way to reach the solution to the bouldering problem (yeah, the route a climber takes when bouldering is called a “problem” which I absolutely fucking love). Each problem is designed by a setter, and that design is intentional in a way that I don’t see as much with rope climbing.2 A bouldering problem setter defines the starting holds for the climber’s feet and hands and also defines the final hold (which determines a solved problem). From there, the climber’s got to puzzle their way through.
Not me. But, like, I’m just as good. Really. Um, I mean it. Credit Is a puzzle that can be Dishonored through like Corvo when confronted with a locked glass-paned window. While a bouldering problem should be solved with efficiency and with stamina in reserve, it doesn’t have to be. For those who want to brute force their way to a solution, they can. It will take a lot of strength and a lot of stamina, but it can be done. I will never have that level of stamina or strength, so I’ll stick with a stealth playthrough of the Dishonored Bouldering Wall.3
All you need to steal/boulder efficiently is a glass window/bouldering problem and magic powers/magic powers. Has an easy mode. Both schools, rope climbing and bouldering, have grades for difficulty. However, bouldering (at least at my gym) tends to allow for multiple solutions to lower-difficulty problems. But as the difficulty grade increases, the solutions become more strict, especially as the problem grows upward along the wall. What can start out as a mid-grade problem with a few different options, will ultimately coalesce into one solution. Having many options at the start is quite helpful. Or, at least, it teases me into attempting the mid-grade problem while I know not to touch a high-grade problem. It’s like running into your first Lynel in Breath of The Wild and noping out back to a small party of Bokoblins. Bouldering lets me grind on the same mid-grade problem for weeks, happily, feeling productive, until I finally solve it.
I was just saying hi, Lynel. Geesh. Prioritizes technique over strength. Similar to my Dishonored item above, but different in that while a bouldering problem can be solved with strength, it is much more likely to be solved with technique. With rope climbing, I feel that strength tends to be more important than technique. As a pretty weak person, I like my walls like I like my video games: accepting of my preference for a methodical approach. Bouldering is the Shadow of the Colossus of climbing while rope climbing is the sport’s Dark Souls. Yeah, I said it.
Probably a V7 or V8.
Upon choosing bouldering as my climbing preference (though I still enjoy rope climbing), I was encouraged in a confirmation bias kind of way to codify the elements of my choice. Now, after having done so, I think I understand more about myself and my preference for hobbies, not just climbing. Not only are puzzle video games one of my favorite genres, but I love the puzzle aspect of the programming side of game development and the puzzle nature of spreadsheets (ohhhh, to land on that just-right formula….nothing beats it). Hell, and I love puzzles. Just plain ‘ol jigsaw-ass jigsaw puzzles.
Have you ever tried climbing? If so, which school do you prefer?
Here’s a real one of me bouldering:
Though I did, on the afternoon of 4/22/2023, purchase my own pair of climbing shoes
I am still very much a hobbyist and very much learning, so it’s quite likely I haven’t yet developed an eye for the level of intention with rope route setting vs. bouldering problem setting…but, I mean, with rope setting the route is called a “route” not a “problem,” so I have to conclude that the climbing community largely agrees with me that bouldering problems are generally more intentional than rope routes. Or not.
Until I inevitably set off an alarm and then panic-murder everyone in the gym.
I love those gaming references.
I never tried rope climbing, because I feel like you need more stuff and knowledge to start.
With bouldering it was a lot more easy, a friend took me with them, I rented shoes and we startet to send problems.