Why did I Chose this Topic

For my free inquiry project I am going to pursue my hobby of indoor rock climbing, specifically bouldering. Bouldering can be described as the type of rock climbing where there isn’t the use of a harness or rope, instead there are large crash mats below the walls to catch the fall of climbers. Since climbers aren’t supported by any gear, the walls are typically much shorter is it would be quite unsafe if they were the same height as walls used for rock climbing with a rope. Bouldering is quite a popular activity as it improves upper body strength, coordination , balance, flexibility and grip strength. I grew up as a dancer so when I first tried bouldering, certain aspects came quite easily to me such as the balance and flexibility. Other areas such as upper body and grip strength proved to be a challenge that led to frustration as I had trouble with completing more challenging climbs. Through this inquiry project I hope to set goals, track my progress, dive into the technique of climbing and connect these lessons to other areas of my life.

Bouldering 101: The Ins and Outs

I climb at BoulderHouse Victoria but have also visited their Langford location. The wall is 13 feet high with an assortment of colourful holds with varying difficulties. Climbing at Boulderhouse is sorted by a set of 8 coloured circuits ranging from beginner all the way to advanced. Each circuit includes 5-6 problems which offers a variety of opportunities for climbers of all skills to practice and challenge themselves. The climbing wall gets reset on a weekly basis to make sure there are new challenges for climbers to come and work on. The Victoria location gets reset on Wednesdays every week so you’ll often see an increase of people coming to eagerly attempt the new climbs.

The list goes as follows (beginner-advanced):

Yellow, Orange, Green, Blue, Purple, Red, Black, Pink

The goal behind offering circuits of ranging ability is to encourage people of all experience levels and backgrounds try climbing. It is also a great way to track your progress as you can look back and compare your abilities to when you first started up with now. It’s a very rewarding feeling completing your first circuit of a new colour which leads to the eagerness to learn and grow and complete the next level. There are multiple types of walls and holds and as you keep experimenting with new circuits you’ll discover which ones you prefer.

Slab: Slab climbing is a form of rock climbing in which the wall is at less than a 90-degree angle from the ground. Slab climbing, which can also be called friction climbing, prioritizes foot work over hand and footholds, as opposed to vertical climbs or overhang climbs which often have foot and hand holds. This form of climbing requires works on a lot of balance and reaching across a large distance as holds are usually scarce. Slab requires mental calculation to think about the most effective way to complete the circuit with the limited holds.

Overhangs: The opposite of a slab is an overhang wall. An overhang is any section of a wall that is more than vertical. Overhung walls tend to be a little more challenging to complete as they require more strength to stay on the wall. Overhangs usually have holds that stick out from the wall more than a slab would as the climber has to grab on and support themselves to make sure they stay on the wall. Gravity is working against the climber during an overhang as they are being pulled towards the ground and have to fight that to stay on the wall.

Vertical: Vertical climbing is what you would imagine: a wall that is about 90 degrees from the ground. Vertical climbs require smart footwork as it’s easy to get tangled and feel stuck if you aren’t thinking about your where your feet are going. Thinking about keeping your weight in your feet rather than your arms can help reduce stress and strain on your upper body causing fatigue and the possibility of falling off the wall and not making it to the end of the circuit.

My goals: What do I Hope to Achieve

I started climbing back in February of this year because my good friend Ava introduced me to it when she invited me to go climb with her. Prior to this the only experience I had with rock climbing was a few school field trips I had been on which mainly consisted of rock climbing with a rope and harness. I really enjoyed my time bouldering with Ava and decided to keep it in my life. About 3 months in, I realized how often I was going and so I bought a monthly pass in hopes of staying consistent with climbing often. When I first started I was completing yellows and oranges and now I can confidently do greens and challenge myself with blues. As I continue learning about Bouldering throughout my inquiry project, I hope to dive into the proper techniques of each type of wall. I tend to stick to my favourite type of circuits and sometimes let fear get in the way of trying a more challenging circuit. I hope to gain a deeper understanding of proper technique to build my confidence with climbing in order to keep improving and trying new things. I hope to achieve a purple level circuit by the end of my project and stay consistent in my climbing and make time for it in my schedule. Thank you for reading and I hope you look forward to climb through this journey with me!