Check yourself before you wreck yourself !

Bouldering

Bouldering is a style of rock climbing but without the use of ropes. It is normally limited to very short climbs so a fall won’t cause a serious injury or death. It is normally practised on large natural or man-made boulders. It can also be practised at the base of large rock faces or even on buildings.

This is for the experienced rock climber as a way to increase their technical and route finding skills. This requires strength and fitness.

This type of climbing is only performed up to 5 metres high with crash mats at the bottom due to the fact that no saftey ropes are involved

There is a grading system that is used to give you an idea on what you are letting yourself in for. The most popular grading system is the John Sherman V grading system. This starts at V0 for the easiest and just keeps going. The hardest at the moment is V16.

Where to go, Cost and Equipment

Where

Your local rock climbing centre should have a bouldering room. Check out this link for the UK climbing centre directory. This will have every climbing wall and bouldering room in the country.

www.thebmc.co.uk/Feature.aspx?id=2234

Cost and Equipment

Course  -  Around £25 but only after you have joined a rock climbing centre and have done the climbing course. This costs around £45.

Chalk Bag  -  Around £10

Shoes  -  Around £55