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What is bouldering?

Bouldering is a type of rock climbing in which climbers do not use ropes and rarely go higher than 3 to 5 meters above the ground. This is a technical sport that requires strength, power and technique – so much so that boulder routes are called “problems” as they are typically more challenging and technical than traditional climbing routes. Bouldering is an increasingly popular form of climbing and can be done either outdoors or in a large number of climbing gyms.

What is a bouldering mat?

Boulderers do not use ropes and although they generally remain less than 5 meters above the ground, a fall from that height can still cause severe injuries. Boulderers’ only protection is a bouldering mat (sometimes called a crash pad) that is placed on the ground to break their fall.  Typically a climber will also have a partner or spotter that will try to direct the climber toward the bouldering mat in the event that he/she falls.

Given that climbers have been bouldering for centuries, it’s amazing to think that the first commercial bouldering mat wasn’t manufactured until the early 1990s. Although it took a while for them to be accepted by the climbing community, bouldering mats/crash pads are now as much of a  mark of a boulderer as a chalk bag, climbing shoes or a toothbrush.