| Bouldering is a kind of rock climbing which | | | | belt and used to get a better grip going up. |
| involves relatively short climbing distances | | | | Boulder climbers may also make use of a brush |
| made without a rope and without any special | | | | to help them clean the places where they need |
| climbing equipment. While people climbing the | | | | to get a grip. All in all, however, the gear |
| face of a boulder are generally only going up | | | | used is minimal and the only piece of really |
| a few meters, the surfaces that they climb | | | | essential equipment for bouldering is a crash |
| are chosen for being particularly difficult | | | | pad for safety's sake. |
| to scale. In the United Kingdom, the routes | | | | |
| that people use to climb on boulder faces are | | | | The most popular place in the world to travel |
| usually called "problems", because it takes | | | | for bouldering is Fontainebleau, to the south |
| some thought to solve the problem of how to | | | | east of Paris, France. The Fontainebleau |
| get to the top. | | | | system and the John Sherman V-Grade system |
| | | | are the two systems for rating the difficulty |
| Generally the only piece of safety equipment | | | | of bouldering ascents. The sport of |
| that one will use for climbing a boulder will | | | | bouldering continues to develop, and more and |
| be a large thick pad on the ground below. | | | | more difficult climbs are being located all |
| This is called a crash pad - in addition, | | | | over the world, with the most difficult one |
| when someone is climbing on a boulder they | | | | on the John Sherman V-Grade system being the |
| usually have people below them on the ground | | | | Wheel of Life in the Grampians of Australia. |
| who can reposition the crash pad to catch the | | | | While bouldering was originally just seen as |
| person in the event of a fall. Most boulder | | | | a training method for rock climbers during |
| climbs are also in the range of three to five | | | | the Victorian era of mountain climbing, the |
| meters, making it very unlikely that a fall | | | | late nineteenth century and early twentieth |
| onto the pad will result in any kind of | | | | century began to see the related skill sets |
| damage. | | | | of rock climbing, ice climbing and bouldering |
| | | | split off from being thought of only as |
| While it is possible to climb many boulder | | | | necessary parts of mountain climbing and were |
| faces without any kind of equipment at all, | | | | pursued more in their own right as sports |
| most climbers make use of a few basic items, | | | | with their own specific challenges and |
| such as climbing shoes, sports tape, and | | | | focuses. |
| loose chalk which is kept in a bag on one's | | | | |