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SylviaSmile
May 17, 2012, 3:34 PM
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Ok, so this question keeps coming up in my mind: is bouldering really the best way to get up a given rock, namely, the boulder? I don't mean highball bouldering, which to me kind of looks like a short free solo, but more like those really overhanging problems you see on climbing videos. If the goal is getting to the top of the boulder, doesn't it make more sense from a practical perspective not to start underneath an overhanging section of it, but rather to walk around it and go up an easier way? For a lot of these smaller boulders it looks like you could literally just walk up it. Or are there really just a lot of medium size anvil-shaped boulders and that's where this style comes from? Oh, and lest anyone think I am hating on bouldering, this video is one of the most awesome climbing videos I have yet found.
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dynosore
May 17, 2012, 3:38 PM
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Not climbing it at all would be easiest.
Troll much?
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SylviaSmile
May 17, 2012, 3:44 PM
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dynosore wrote: Not climbing it at all would be easiest. Troll much?
Well, clearly that would be easiest. I guess I am just trying to figure out how much of bouldering has to do with getting to the top of the rock vs. just making your arms sore. 
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SylviaSmile
May 17, 2012, 3:48 PM
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Also, I don't troll, I just have silly thoughts sometimes.
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lena_chita
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May 17, 2012, 3:57 PM
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SylviaSmile wrote: Also, I don't troll, I just have silly thoughts sometimes.
Yes, very silly.
Rock climbing (or bouldering) is not about the easiest way to get to the top. it has nothing to do with the easiest way to get to the top. Even mountaneering is no longer about the easiest way to get to the top, as people choose to reach the summit by a more challenging route all the time.
Yes, you can walk to the top of a lot of boulders. You can also walk around the rock face and access the top in many cases.
Feel free to do both.
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cracklover
May 17, 2012, 5:00 PM
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lena_chita wrote: SylviaSmile wrote: Also, I don't troll, I just have silly thoughts sometimes. Yes, very silly. Rock climbing (or bouldering) is not about the easiest way to get to the top. it has nothing to do with the easiest way to get to the top. Even mountaneering is no longer about the easiest way to get to the top, as people choose to reach the summit by a more challenging route all the time. Yes, you can walk to the top of a lot of boulders. You can also walk around the rock face and access the top in many cases. Feel free to do both.
Lena, you somewhat understate the case. Bouldering, even more than roped climbing, has the sole purpose of challenging yourself to do the hardest physical movement you can do.
Walking up the slabby side of the boulder, therefore, defeats the entire purpose.
Easier does not mean better. When it gets to be lunch time, it would be much easier for me to search for pictures of lunch online than to go and actually buy or make lunch. But it wouldn't really serve the purpose, would it?
GO
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lena_chita
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May 17, 2012, 5:07 PM
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cracklover wrote: lena_chita wrote: SylviaSmile wrote: Also, I don't troll, I just have silly thoughts sometimes. Yes, very silly. Rock climbing (or bouldering) is not about the easiest way to get to the top. it has nothing to do with the easiest way to get to the top. Even mountaneering is no longer about the easiest way to get to the top, as people choose to reach the summit by a more challenging route all the time. Yes, you can walk to the top of a lot of boulders. You can also walk around the rock face and access the top in many cases. Feel free to do both. Lena, you somewhat understate the case. Bouldering, even more than roped climbing, has the sole purpose of challenging yourself to do the hardest physical movement you can do. Walking up the slabby side of the boulder, therefore, defeats the entire purpose. Easier does not mean better. When it gets to be lunch time, it would be much easier for me to search for pictures of lunch online than to go and actually buy or make lunch. But it wouldn't really serve the purpose, would it? GO
My first-impulse response contained words that would not have been appropriate from the moderator, so I opted for restraint and understatement.
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jt512
May 17, 2012, 5:09 PM
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SylviaSmile wrote: Ok, so this question keeps coming up in my mind: is bouldering really the best way to get up a given rock, namely, the boulder? I don't mean highball bouldering, which to me kind of looks like a short free solo, but more like those really overhanging problems you see on climbing videos. If the goal is getting to the top of the boulder, doesn't it make more sense from a practical perspective not to start underneath an overhanging section of it, but rather to walk around it and go up an easier way? For a lot of these smaller boulders it looks like you could literally just walk up it. Or are there really just a lot of medium size anvil-shaped boulders and that's where this style comes from? Oh, and lest anyone think I am hating on bouldering, this video is one of the most awesome climbing videos I have yet found.
Oddly enough, Sylvia, the goal of bouldering is to find the hardest way up the smallest rocks.
Jay
(This post was edited by jt512 on May 17, 2012, 5:10 PM)
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SylviaSmile
May 17, 2012, 5:22 PM
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jt512 wrote: SylviaSmile wrote: Ok, so this question keeps coming up in my mind: is bouldering really the best way to get up a given rock, namely, the boulder? I don't mean highball bouldering, which to me kind of looks like a short free solo, but more like those really overhanging problems you see on climbing videos. If the goal is getting to the top of the boulder, doesn't it make more sense from a practical perspective not to start underneath an overhanging section of it, but rather to walk around it and go up an easier way? For a lot of these smaller boulders it looks like you could literally just walk up it. Or are there really just a lot of medium size anvil-shaped boulders and that's where this style comes from? Oh, and lest anyone think I am hating on bouldering, this video is one of the most awesome climbing videos I have yet found. Oddly enough, Sylvia, the goal of bouldering is to find the hardest way up the smallest rocks. Jay
Ok, thank you! This is what I wanted to know. I guess what it came down to in my mind that for some (most?) crags, there are several ways up and all of them are rock climbing, whereas for most boulders, there are several ways up and not all of them are rock climbing. So bouldering seems a little silly from the perspective of ascending a rock--I agree that it is awesome from the perspective of human physical ability, which is why I posted the video along with it.
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cracklover
May 17, 2012, 5:25 PM
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jt512 wrote: SylviaSmile wrote: Ok, so this question keeps coming up in my mind: is bouldering really the best way to get up a given rock, namely, the boulder? I don't mean highball bouldering, which to me kind of looks like a short free solo, but more like those really overhanging problems you see on climbing videos. If the goal is getting to the top of the boulder, doesn't it make more sense from a practical perspective not to start underneath an overhanging section of it, but rather to walk around it and go up an easier way? For a lot of these smaller boulders it looks like you could literally just walk up it. Or are there really just a lot of medium size anvil-shaped boulders and that's where this style comes from? Oh, and lest anyone think I am hating on bouldering, this video is one of the most awesome climbing videos I have yet found. Oddly enough, Sylvia, the goal of bouldering is to find the hardest way up the smallest rocks. Jay
I give you... The Saddest Problem Ever:
http://www.rockclimbing.com/...lem_Ever__68016.html
Cracks me up every time.
Cheers!
GO
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jomagam
May 17, 2012, 5:40 PM
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jt512 wrote: Oddly enough, Sylvia, the goal of bouldering is to find the hardest way up the smallest rocks.
Some say that the very definition of bouldering is the most difficult way to get nowhere.
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mojomonkey
May 17, 2012, 6:57 PM
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cracklover wrote: jt512 wrote: SylviaSmile wrote: Ok, so this question keeps coming up in my mind: is bouldering really the best way to get up a given rock, namely, the boulder? I don't mean highball bouldering, which to me kind of looks like a short free solo, but more like those really overhanging problems you see on climbing videos. If the goal is getting to the top of the boulder, doesn't it make more sense from a practical perspective not to start underneath an overhanging section of it, but rather to walk around it and go up an easier way? For a lot of these smaller boulders it looks like you could literally just walk up it. Or are there really just a lot of medium size anvil-shaped boulders and that's where this style comes from? Oh, and lest anyone think I am hating on bouldering, this video is one of the most awesome climbing videos I have yet found. Oddly enough, Sylvia, the goal of bouldering is to find the hardest way up the smallest rocks. Jay I give you... The Saddest Problem Ever: http://www.rockclimbing.com/...lem_Ever__68016.html Cracks me up every time. Cheers! GO
The comments on this one always makes me laugh:
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jt512
May 18, 2012, 5:32 AM
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cracklover wrote: jt512 wrote: SylviaSmile wrote: Ok, so this question keeps coming up in my mind: is bouldering really the best way to get up a given rock, namely, the boulder? I don't mean highball bouldering, which to me kind of looks like a short free solo, but more like those really overhanging problems you see on climbing videos. If the goal is getting to the top of the boulder, doesn't it make more sense from a practical perspective not to start underneath an overhanging section of it, but rather to walk around it and go up an easier way? For a lot of these smaller boulders it looks like you could literally just walk up it. Or are there really just a lot of medium size anvil-shaped boulders and that's where this style comes from? Oh, and lest anyone think I am hating on bouldering, this video is one of the most awesome climbing videos I have yet found. Oddly enough, Sylvia, the goal of bouldering is to find the hardest way up the smallest rocks. Jay I give you... The Saddest Problem Ever: http://www.rockclimbing.com/...lem_Ever__68016.html Cracks me up every time. Cheers! GO
Love the crashpad. God forbid he should risk a bruised tush by taking an unprotected 4-inch fall onto a bed of leaves.
Jay
(This post was edited by jt512 on May 18, 2012, 5:38 AM)
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guangzhou
May 18, 2012, 8:53 AM
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USnavy wrote: SylviaSmile wrote: If the goal is getting to the top of the boulder, doesn't it make more sense from a practical perspective not to start underneath an overhanging section of it, but rather to walk around it and go up an easier way? haha, apparently I am not the only one that has noticed this. People in Yosemite often like to pull down on some V10 moves to reach the top of a rock that can be climbed via 3rd class on the back end.  But, the point of boudlering is not to get to the top of the rock as efficiently as possible. Actually, its more like getting to the top as inefficiently as possible. The idea is to build strength and technique pulling on the hardest possible moves.
Bouldering is a lot like climbing, it's more about the chosen route than reaching the top.
You can scale the face of El-Capitan in Yosemite or you can walk around back. Both will put you on the summit.
One is called rock climbing, but the other is called hiking.
(This post was edited by guangzhou on May 18, 2012, 10:00 AM)
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USnavy
May 18, 2012, 9:49 AM
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guangzhou wrote: USnavy wrote: SylviaSmile wrote: If the goal is getting to the top of the boulder, doesn't it make more sense from a practical perspective not to start underneath an overhanging section of it, but rather to walk around it and go up an easier way? haha, apparently I am not the only one that has noticed this. People in Yosemite often like to pull down on some V10 moves to reach the top of a rock that can be climbed via 3rd class on the back end. But, the point of boudlering is not to get to the top of the rock as efficiently as possible. Actually, its more like getting to the top as inefficiently as possible. The idea is to build strength and technique pulling on the hardest possible moves. Bouldering is a lot like climbing, it's more about the choose route than reaching the top. You can scale the face of El-Capitan in Yosemite or you can walk around back. Both will put you on the summit. One is called rock climbing, the other is called hiking.
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guangzhou
May 18, 2012, 9:56 AM
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USnavy wrote: guangzhou wrote: USnavy wrote: SylviaSmile wrote: If the goal is getting to the top of the boulder, doesn't it make more sense from a practical perspective not to start underneath an overhanging section of it, but rather to walk around it and go up an easier way? haha, apparently I am not the only one that has noticed this. People in Yosemite often like to pull down on some V10 moves to reach the top of a rock that can be climbed via 3rd class on the back end. But, the point of boudlering is not to get to the top of the rock as efficiently as possible. Actually, its more like getting to the top as inefficiently as possible. The idea is to build strength and technique pulling on the hardest possible moves. Bouldering is a lot like climbing, it's more about the choose route than reaching the top. You can scale the face of El-Capitan in Yosemite or you can walk around back. Both will put you on the summit. One is called rock climbing, the other is called hiking. When did I say bouldering is not climbing? I never said that. I said bouldering is about strength and technique training, and not about simply making it to the top of a rock.
Not sure what you are referring to USnaive. Wasn't saying you said anything along those lines.
But, I know some people who only boulder and don't use it a training tool for strength and technique.
Personally, I seldom boulder. Sport climbing is my training tool of choice for both strength and technique. Also use it for improving my endurance.
.
(This post was edited by guangzhou on May 18, 2012, 10:03 AM)
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camhead
May 18, 2012, 1:14 PM
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jt512 wrote: SylviaSmile wrote: Ok, so this question keeps coming up in my mind: is bouldering really the best way to get up a given rock, namely, the boulder? I don't mean highball bouldering, which to me kind of looks like a short free solo, but more like those really overhanging problems you see on climbing videos. If the goal is getting to the top of the boulder, doesn't it make more sense from a practical perspective not to start underneath an overhanging section of it, but rather to walk around it and go up an easier way? For a lot of these smaller boulders it looks like you could literally just walk up it. Or are there really just a lot of medium size anvil-shaped boulders and that's where this style comes from? Oh, and lest anyone think I am hating on bouldering, this video is one of the most awesome climbing videos I have yet found. Oddly enough, Sylvia, the goal of bouldering is to find the hardest way up the smallest rocks. Jay
Though, it should be added, that most bouldering actually places more emphasis on reaching little mini-summits than sport climbing does.
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ajkclay
May 18, 2012, 1:21 PM
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... and for a different perspective, in the sandstone pillars along the German / Czech border, Saxony Switzerland region you are not allowed to climb any face that you could walk to the top of.
Only pillars, not cliffs on the sides of hills.
So, it seems that it could be argued that in some regions, people agree with the root idea in the OP.
:)
Cheers
Adam
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bearbreeder
May 18, 2012, 4:29 PM
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getting strong and making the hardest moves ....
many top level climbers often say that bouldering is one of the best ways of getting strong ...
i dont boulder a lot personally ... but those who do boulder tend to be much stronger climbers IME for sport and certain types of trad
heres what someone who knows something about climbing says about bouldering ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihL7kLPGmPo
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SylviaSmile
May 18, 2012, 6:28 PM
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bearbreeder wrote: getting strong and making the hardest moves .... many top level climbers often say that bouldering is one of the best ways of getting strong ... i dont boulder a lot personally ... but those who do boulder tend to be much stronger climbers IME for sport and certain types of trad heres what someone who knows something about climbing says about bouldering ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihL7kLPGmPo
Makes a lot of sense...I should do more bouldering!
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