Lead climbing vs bouldering reddit Long edit: It's a bit hard to explain. But I find bouldering more interesting to watch in comps. Bouldering: more injuries, but rarely life threatening. They do have ways you can meet people to top rope/lead climb. Just wanted to chime in that no climbing will ever be “risk free”! It’s all about the kind of risk that one is assuming: bouldering has a high risk of decking, but can generally be low consequence if proper measures are taken; top roping has a low risk of decking, but pretty high consequence if things go wrong. 11a redpoint (outdoors). When TR'ing, you have both hands all the time. Sport climbing is all about pulling as little as absolutely necessary to do the move. After 5. Stop top roping and always lead (and lead at least once a week or so) and it will improve pretty quickly. Im guessing that I live close to you and I nearly exclusively rope climb, and preferably lead climb—I found that Sender aligned well with that goal. Thanks for your detailed response! Bouldering is really confusing to me. 9, it may only be one short move that gives the route that grade. Rope climbing: fewer injuries, but more likely to be deadly. The gist i IIRC: use CBT to alter your mindset for success. Hey everyone, been climbing for about 1. Is top rope climbing just like belaying or is it different somehow? With top rope climbing, the anchor is at the top of the climb, with the rope going down one side to the belayer, and the other side to the climber. Helix and the Vapor V are my normal go-to for a session, not very aggressive and the Helix have laces which provides a more comfortable fit when I'm just climbing to climb. You should exclusively lead until you're flirting with 11+/12-, at which point you should almost definitely start to incorporate bouldering into your schedule on a weekly basis. 12 +/13-, indoor lead climbing has almost no place in your training. In both, men's and women's categories, the best boulderers are taller than the best lead climbers. I will occasionally lead in the 5. - I can just go alone 2. For bouldering I use a chalk ball or loose chalk. I've been climbing for a year and I think my level is low-intermediate. For the on-sight comps, the grades felt around v8-9 as well since the goal was to flash. Gym V5-6. 8a+ RP, 7c OS, 7B+ boulder I've been climibing on lead for training my whole life and occasionally gym bouldering, aways had good endurance and good recover ability. I had a hard time finding a chart online that converts the Sherman V-grade system for bouldering into the Yosemite Decimal System for climbing. I found the biggest difficulties were learning to pace myself, take rests, and then the classic fear of being above the protection especially when clipping. OK, so I had probably my worst time climbing last night. I suppose it's due to the fact that when bouldering, it's just me and the rock. I can watch 20 people make multiple attempts on the same boulder, but I can’t watch 20 people climb the same route. Feb 26, 2025 · Both bouldering and lead climbing offer unique challenges and benefits. I have been climbing for about 2 years, but only bouldering and top roping indoors, and I have only ever used a typical ATC belay device, which I am very comfortable with. 11d redpoint (outdoors). It's been a good experience, they are really comfortable and versatile for both climbing and short rock routes. All that wasted time dragging around ropes and climbing routes below your potential. I’m a route climber. Lead climbing is clearly inferior to top roping. Sport climbing will always be easier to quickly project when you have perma draws or a stick clip. Hi all, M32 10 years of climbing, 67kg circa 170% BW max hang on 20mm. Grading the crux on sport routes is also a contentious subject, since it's very difficult to compare the crux of 5. 8 (5. In this blog, I will demonstrate the differences between these two types of climbing. You aren't being irresponsible to your climber (they know they weigh more than you) but not all gyms would allow it. Anyways, since I had a hard time I just made one. I’m pretty sure the englewood location is the only place with an auto-belay for the speed climbing walls but it’s only for the speed climbing walls. 5-5. For route climbing however, "onsight" implies that you did the climb without any beta whatsoever - you walked up to the cliff and climbed the route. Jun 28, 2010 · But it's so much easier to get better at bouldering, especially with a bouldering wall down the road for the winter. Honestly I’d recommend getting a day pass or two for both and try them out before committing to a membership! It might also be worthwhile to wait on a membership until you make climbing friends and see where more of them climb to make it easier. The difference between bouldering and lead climbing has been shrinking during the last decade, especially since 2019. However, if you prefer longer, endurance-based climbs with rope protection, lead climbing is a great choice. " by dassieking I have 3 pairs in rotation. All Scarpa since La Sportiva and other brands don't quite fit my heel as well. 12 where you have to climb 20 metres of sustained climbing to get to, vs a v5 boulder problem where you can pull on each time you want to give an attempt. I have red pointed up to 11b but have tried into the 12's while sport climbing. I fucking love the shoes. Its mostly mental. I think it's much easier to boulder V6 than climb E3, I've a fair amount of effort into trying both! Aug 15, 2021 · For example, the Tokyo Olympics featured three disciplines of climbing: Lead Climbing, Speed Climbing and Bouldering. Jul 2020: Got into sport climbing, stopped bouldering. 9 months ago I could do a one arm pull-up and hanging on a 25 mm edge was difficult despite exclusively trying to focus on easy crimp climbs for six months while being miserable, and Reddit With bouldering you fall away from the wall, but when climbing with a rope it just pulls you back into the wall unless it’s overhanging terrain. Muscle fatigue was, and still is, the biggest problem for me. 12 in the next season or two. Different climbing disciples are sprenading apart from each other more and more (not a bad thing). 10 in your gym), I’d just start bouldering. During this time I went outdoors with people whenever they would ~3 times per week for 3 to 4 hours. Top rope is good for linear routes that go primarily straight up and down. Personally I enjoy bouldering more because 1. Well in perfect world he would have silver for lead climbing. My GF and I are mock leading in an effort to take the lead test indoors and hopefully do… The term "onsight" is not generally used in bouldering. This sub tends to have more people with a focus on bouldering, the average bouldering grade tends to be a bit high for the sport grade led (compared to crux of sport route). I also do 1 strength training session (bench press, biceps curls, deadlifts, overhead press, barbell squats, planks hangboarding …) per week or two if I miss a climbing session. I prefer chalk balls though. Each place (and even Peak RVA vs Peak Midlo) has its own vibe. - In some ways, they use different skills and require different training to excel at, but there are easy and hard climbs in either style. There is definitely some good in sport climbing in the gym if you need to work on clipping and lead head but if you have a solid base in that then bouldering, power endurance and then some base aerobic training should be more than enough. Climbers go without ropes or harnesses, relying instead on crash pads for protection during falls. Reddit post about Resting (sums up all my beginner thoughts on resting, good input there as well) Epic TV Climbing Daily Pump Control and Efficient Resting App Crimpd. Gym V5-6 Feb 2021 (2 years): first 5. If you are 5. When I started climbing I got into sport climbing, but as I was progressing I got injured and looked to trad for easier stuff and adventuring. 12 outside you might want to consider bouldering more than lead climbing, as generally progressing to higher grades is essentially solving boulder problems on the route. They are similar enough where Janja Garnbret for example would be favourite to win both bouldering and lead even if they were separate. Climbing is more fun that lifting weight or going for a run for many people. The worse thing that ever happens to my Apple Watch while climbing is if I fall, it thinks I’m hurt and does a countdown to call 911. If you are relatively new to leading, then yes. Started around 5. Lead climbing routes actually traverse and go under massive overhangs, etc. Outdoor climbing grades (like gym grades) vary, but folks tend to ann Maybe it could be included as a format, but I think promoting climbing to the masses as what it mostly is (lead, bouldering and speed) instead of climbing without a rope over water (which undoubtedly it is also but to a much much more niche area) would be better and promote the sport as something for athletes and sportsmen. Gym V5-6, but rarely climbing indoors Jan 2021: first 5. Lead Climbing. When lead climbing, you have to take a hand off the wall to then reach and clip. 11 but only boulder V2-V3. Climbers use the term 'climbing' as a catch all, but non-climbers are more likely to be familiar with "rock climbing" (which usually means top roping), and boulders will use rock climbing to mean climbing with a rope to differentiate it from bouldering, although to a newbie it seems like bouldering is also be a form of rock climbing. Only sport climbing, he messed up at the anchor attaching his carabiner with the figure of 8 knot to the previous knot. Looking at speed climbing, the men's records are significantly better than the women's, so maybe men vs women won't be competitive in that discipline, but what about lead and bouldering? If we take the two Olympic champions from Tokyo 2020, Alberto Ginés López and Janja Garnbret, and make them compete against each other in an IFSC lead They are different events, however climbing is young in its Olympic journey and there is a lot of crossover in terms of competitors. Pay arno to come to your gym and make you take lead falls Vertical Mind: Psychological Approaches for Optimal Rock Climbing admittedly i skimmed a while ago so summary might not be great was long & repetitive book. The Sport Climbing competitions (YouTube it, its really awesome!). 13+ climbers I know mostly boulder and when they do lead they focus a lot on endurance training, i. Dec 10, 2024 · Social dynamics differ between the two styles, affecting the climbing experience. Usually lead climbing, bouldering if I have to. 4. I also top rope a fair amount, and that’s helped me regulate my pace and practice resting. I am not invested enough in competitive climbing to be really disapponted. But I also might take year to learn ice climbing and do alpine enduro climbing. Bouldering vs. If you're into long days on backcountry routes with big approaches, then being able to get to the start of the climbing without being completely trashed is advantageous. They are a lot less messy. Climbing slower, overgripping, second guessing clipping positions etc. Ther gym has a couple of V0s that are literally just jugs for 8 feet vertically. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. If it's walking from the bus stop to the gym, not so much. do strength training. However, I am looking to get into lead climbing and potentially start going outside once I'm comfortable with the basics of lead (and when New England winter allows it lol). Most ppl generally seem to find lead climbing more enjoyable than bouldering, so they do it more, and as a result get better at it. up/down/ups on lead after they do their 1-2 hard This is probably the wrong audience to ask this question--a climbing sub is going to "like" climbing. Hey mate don't be hard on yourself, actually it is really common for former boulderers who switch to sport climbing that they're underperforming a lot. Also, look st any international climbing competition. In the gym where I climb they recommend no more than a 30% weight difference for lead climbing and prohibit anything over a 50% weight difference. Mar 19, 2023 · Bouldering and lead climbing may seem similar but there are distinct differences between the two styles that make them unique. Take falls over and over again. My buddy and I then each paid $60 to take a lead climbing class at the gym. Also it's arguably the most dangerous form of climbing resulting in a lot of sprained ankles and broken bones. My rock climbing teachers recommended me the sportiva kubo. Bouldering is like climbing through a crux. Also, flooring at gym below the walls are heavily padded, you’d literally have to try to break your watch against the wall. I've been wearing Solutions for 7 years. 75 years—my climbing journey has been defined by a large gap between body/pulling strength and finger strength. So how does each one of them differ? When people think of "Rock Climbing", an image of someone climbing a very high wall using rope comes to mind almost immediately. That being said, if your goal is "general fitness" and you feel like you are out of shape in general, I wouldn't drop traditional resistance training and focus on bouldering--your tendons will be by far your weakest link bouldering, which will preclude you from really working your muscles as Anyway, bouldering is fun, is generally scarier than sport climbing and is a really good way to get strong (especially when it's too cold to climb routes). Key things to consider: toe length, greek vs roman vs egyptian foot, arch height, width. Fun and love = determination and success. The obvious example is speed climbing, but between bouldering and sport climbing (lead and top) the gap has increased the last years due to the modern style of setting. Here's the link if you're interested. On a rope with a good belay, you will fall into space on an overhang. Are they better than my abilities? I'm from FL, so no bouldering nearby at all for comparison. 8 range. Bouldering obviously doesn't help you improve on the parts of "technique" that makes you conserve energy, which is important in lead climbing. I’m addition, wanting to get better at climbing, can motivate you to e. I have questions about the difference between top rope climbing and lead climbing. . So while climbing isn’t the most efficient way of neither losing fat or gaining muscle, it is, to some, a more achievable way of staying fit/healthy. Aswell bouldering would be much more interesting with more problems. I then spent a few months lead climbing in the gym. It was some tourist climbing around my place, not experienced in outdoor. You will be very hard pressed to find it used by an experience climber for whom english is their first language. General advice first: go for shoes that work for your foot shape. g. Because bouldering and climbing a long route are barely the same thing, just like a marathon and a 100 yd dash aren't the same thing. Some gyms rate TR and lead climbs differently, this is a mistake. For the lower grades I only use a chalk ball. I have Instinct Vs, Vapor V, and Helix. The best male climbers are on average 4 cm shorter than their non-climbing peers and female climbers around 1 cm shorter. What was Earth Treks is now just Movement (all they did was change the name). Maybe I'm dumb and it's all over the Internet, not sure why I had a hard time with this. Didn't change anything on my climbing, I think the best is to understand why accidents happens. Indoor bouldering is not "safer" than rope climbing. I was bouldering at my best 2 months ago (v6/7 bouldering after about 6 months of climbing 4 times a week) but I was still struggling to even send a 5. Lead climbing is much more different from bouldering than I assumed. 11d lead climbing. 10, but this is a very old convention which almost no one follows nowadays, gym V0 are typically somewhere in the 5. When roping, it's me, the harness, the rope, the pro, the belayer, his harness, etc. Liquid chalk is amazing. I think indoor climbing/bouldering has a less likely chance of this happening. Since all was decided by one dyno. Some people from my college placed in beginner climbing like v2-3, I placed in intermediate climbing v5-6, and a couple buddies placed in advanced climbing v8-9. While a route may go at a certain grade like 5. I’m getting to a point where I don’t necessarily want to climb harder grades but longer and more committing technical climbs. When I started climbing 5 months ago, I had a $5 pair of mad rock shoes I got at a yard sale. the grades don't change, but the difficulty does. V3-4 on Moon/Tension/Kilter. Laura Rogora climbed some of the hardest sport routes ever climbed by a woman on rock, but her performance in comps is often lackluster, for example. I really like climbing cracks and hope to get 5. If you’re looking for a powerful, technique-driven climbing style, bouldering may be the best fit. I myself started out only bouldering up to V11/8A before I got more interested in sport climbing. I feel much more confident bouldering than roping. That said, I know people who can lead climb without issues but are afraid of even getting 1 meter off the ground when bouldering, whereas I have no issues jumping off at 4m onto a mat but have some In all the old master of stone videos, everyone is climbing hard in those purple mythos. We learned how to tie knots (already knew this from practicing), clipping, belaying the lead, how to fall, etc. The 5. So it's a complex question. I almost never boulder. Whichever one you end up throwing for holds with low core tension and poor control will be injurious. Don't assume bouldering is safe, even in Best climbing advise I've ever been given, even if it seems super obvious. e. I'm an 8 foot and I bought a 7. How much base cardio fitness you need for climbing depends on what climbing you want to do. V3 in that gym is where it actually starts getting hard, and the people I usually climb with are climbing V4+. Grades should be created because of the difficulty of the climbing moves and the size/direction/type Anecdotal but the strongest sport climbers I know just boulder in the gym then work some endurance in before the outdoor season. When he did untie the previous knot he felt. Are aggressive shoes necessary for modern bouldering setting and comp climbing? I referenced a list of the best climbing shoes and thanks to the comments below figured that aggressive shoes will help keep my body close to the wall on overhangs. So you are more likely to get injured while bouldering, but are marginally more likely to die while sport climbing (especially given the fact you have to rely on someone else to not fail at their job). I’ve seen a ton of ppl on MountainProject who climb 5. -it’s a short period of trying super hard then stopping, like doing a max set at the gym, I enjoy this type of hard and fast exercise followed by a rest period. It sounds like your gym is setting boulders and top rope appropriately. Those were fine, but they sucked, so I did the next reasonable step and used my student loan money to buy a brand new pair of Miuras VS ($180) (I have problems managing money). 10a lead outdoors Nov 2020: first 5. All bouldering falls are to the mat, and you could fall wrong. If I had a nickel for every climber at my gym taking 30 mins to lead a 5. Interesting Sayings: "Bouldering is all about pulling as hard as possible. Comp climbing is a very artificially limited style of climbing, and very often the people who are good at comp climbing aren't much good on rock and viceversa. And I would be completely content with that. Every single comp is lead climbing. 8-9 range and top rope with friends outdoors, but in the gym I mostly boulder V3-V4. Some examples of great commentating that hyped the competition even further was Bouldering in Meiringen 2019 where Ondra's top of M4 was made even more dominant with Charlie's commentating, 2016 Paris Lead World Champs is another great example where Adam's fantastic top was complimented with such passionate commentary from the 2 commentators What kind of climbing background do you have and what are you looking to do from a climbing standpoint. Also, don't rest or take when you're tired - just go for the next move until you fall. Bouldering is about climbing short, powerful routes on small rocks or walls, usually less than 5 meters high. Traditionally, V0 is equivalent to 5. A bit of outdoor bouldering and outdoor sport climbing when I'm on holiday. - cheaper, the rope + grigri + harness aren’t super expensive but it’s an initial cost for sure. 3. I had a rope and my own belay device. As for toprope and/or lead climbing, I like to use liquid chalk for the harder grades, plus a chalk ball. There was this really iconic 12c/7b+ which I wanted to do. 12a redpoint (outdoors). xiug gztdiu fbxmle bfkmt pcv zjsb qdnhyth zgooq djetg xckdpp tdzu vzn wjon qgsvtq frrqqqrlr