Top rope vs bouldering reddit Catching falls is also very different, in top rope the climber basically just sits down and the device takes them but in leading the climber can fall a lot further so the belayer should lock off the belay and jump slightly to catch the climber with There are 2 gyms in my area, 1 specializing in sport climbing/ top-roping with auto-belay, and another specializing in bouldering. Jun 16, 2021 · Bouldering vs. Both are strictly bouldering though, but they have tons of great climbs and some workout areas as well. I can only afford membership to 1 gym and was wondering if bouldering or sport climbing would be better to condition my body to get used to climbing again. Go for the bouldering gym with day passes at the rope gym. Lastly, you’ll meet a great community of people who are way more interesting than the average gym bro. Very few of them seem to climb on rope indoors indoors is bouldering/hangboard. A sub for women and non-binary climbers and their allies Mostly top rope (2x/week) but try to boulder at least once a week as well. Chalk sock means it doesn't spill. "Rope Oct 12, 2020 · The French Scale is much more convertible between its top-rope and bouldering equivalents, while the YDS and American bouldering scale, the V scale, are not as convertible. I have only been here once or twice but haven't returned since it's more of a bouldering gym. In other places, a V1 could be a staircase. 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 Feb 2, 2025 · Top rope climbing is a type of climbing where a climber is attached to a moving rope that goes up to a secured point at the top and then comes back down again. I am looking for a more aggressive style shoe as I've heard that these will give me the best performance, but I would like the freedom to go top rope for a few hours here and there. Mission Viejo I believe is bouldering only too. You will be challenged physically and mentally by both bouldering and top rope climbing. The rope increases safety because the belayer can control the rope and assist in catching the climber in the event of a fall. For lead climbing you bring the rope up with you, clipping into pieces of protection as you go; you ‘lead’ the rope up the wall. I'm not familiar with The Front's South Main gym or Momentum's other facilities. Even a bowline is safe A grigri is extremely safe and takes a special moron to drop someone on top rope. 9/10s typically top roping. The people I know who progress pretty quickly at lower grades on rope split time between bouldering and roped climbing-- progressively shifting towards more bouldering as a percentage of training as their roped climbing grades have gone up. A figure eight is extremely safe and extremely easy. The top rope moves tend to be easier but once you exert that energy there's so much more left to climb! So this thread is making me feel kind of I'm at a "normal" progression. It really only seems concerned with breaking routes into boulders, sections, and what you're capable of based on max boulder strength I started on top rope and ended up switching bouldering exclusively after a couple months. Feb 21, 2025 · When it comes to indoor climbing gyms, Seattle’s Vertical World launched the concept in 1987, attaching holds with glue to vertical pieces of plywood. 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. CC and TRS are both great for those, and especially with newer climbers, a lot of top rope routes can offer a challenge while not feeling completely impossible (as with some bouldering routes that you can't even figure out the start for). I prefer a chalk bag with a chalk sock. I typically go to the Hanger in Orange (formerly Factory Bouldering years ago) and they are bouldering only. I also assume that since rope routes are higher, getting accustomed to finishing routes on belay walls would increase my endurance and help desensitize me to that hear of heights. Bouldering grades vs YDS grades aren't really super comparable all around the globeespecially in gyms. Mesa Rim is fun if you also top rope. I have climbed multiple 7a/+ (5. . It is a distillation of the physical aspect of rock climbing. I started out bouldering there but personally didn’t like the atmosphere. For example, take shoe stiffness. Overall, the YDS and the French Scale are fairly easy to convert between, but since they are used in different regions, you are likely to see large regional differences 220 votes, 23 comments. Top rope is by far the safest discipline in climbing. I tried different entry level shoes - since my main goal is a shoe that is reasonable comfortable for a 3h session, has good grip and has a good amount of rubber, will last a good amount of time and I should feel Bouldering is the most accessible type of climbing. They have one in South Boston and one in Dedham. 13 would have maybe v7-8 moves, but a 60 foot 13 would have v4-5 moves. I top rope occasionally and use my chalk bag, no need to buy redundant gear. Also dog friendly. Go grab a bag of Friction Labs (or whatever else you want, I tend to prefer them over others, but it’s all both a personal preference and placebo effect). definitely not my new one. Dec 5, 2024 · Climbers relish the thrill of tackling problems and the satisfaction of reaching the top, making bouldering a fun and rewarding activity. Hello all! Ive been climbing in Evolv Kronos and while they are great, im wanting something more for top rope, for the small footholds and overhang/slight overhang. BONUS - Try some of the top-rope gyms as well. Free climbing: using only , while having ropes and a belay partner as backup in case you fall. That said I personally prefer Crux. Key things to consider: toe length, greek vs roman vs egyptian foot, arch height, width. thus a lot of people can get into bouldering as they dont need a partner and you just walk up climb a little then leave. 10b-c, while projecting 5. I think I'm definitely going to want to dry all forms of climbing in the future, in particular outdoor rope assisted rock climbing. 66K subscribers in the climbergirls community. Since you cannot really 'send' on top-rope, I can't see it as anything besides practice. The major difference between bouldering and rock climbing is the height of the rock. Chalk bag is smaller and easier to keep in my backpack. If you’re doing overhang climbing (cave), you’re working your strength a lot more because you have to hold yourself up with your arms, engage your core (abs, chest, and back) and maintain tension through your feet to stay on the wall. If you like small gyms, Asylum near downtown is cool. Bouldering often boils down to doing one move or not doing one move. The gym juggles the now-usual brand of offerings: birthday parties, youth camps, and adult classes, plus a multitude of top rope and lead routes alongside a small bouldering area. Dec 7, 2020 · I like both sport and bouldering the same, but I go through cycles of preferring one over the other. It would definitely take me about a week or more to finish those. I think the comparisons in the article are fine assuming you're a comfortable sport climber with a lot of experience. But then augment at the rope gym to get route endurance before the outdoor season. The Watertown (and I think Stoneham) CRG has bouldering, top rope, lead, and auto-belay too! Rock Spot is also a great one too. And when I top rope, I use dynamic rope, too. In one top rope session I can climb maybe up to ten routes. Outdoors is rock/projects. I started climbing 9 months ago started with bouldering first and gradually to top rope and now sport. IDK just didn't appeal to me almost at all. What Is Top-Rope Climbing? Top-rope climbing involves a rope anchored at the top of the wall, with one end tied to the climber and the other managed by a belayer. "solo") to protect you if you fall. Additional Toe Rubber increases durability and toe-hooking capabilities, and an updated heel helps facilitate heel hooking. But It seems that regularly bouldering in itself is helping with the fear aspect of it as I get more confident with my climbing and take accidental falls somewhat Try them both and get the one that fits best (allowing for the stretch that happens as shoes break in) I was in the same position as you a few years ago and went with the Finale because it had better reviews. My arms usually feel pretty good while top roping but always feel like they're on the brink of injury while bouldering. Any recommendations for climbing gyms with good top rope… The best-selling Tarantula climbing shoe is reinvigorated with additional features to help beginner climbers focus on bouldering and more complex climbing movements. So I went out to buy some climbing shoes. Catastrophic on top rope? Near impossible. It is almost closer to gymnastics than trad climbing in how it taxes the body's musculature. Depending on the features of the shoe, some shoes can be considered more of a bouldering shoe than a sport or trad shoe. I’ve been going to Denver Bouldering Club for a while now and it’s great, but I miss ropes. Top rope I can do 11d/12a with some rest on a 50 ft wall. To me, staying calm on a rope and executing hard moves high off the deck with the risk of taking big falls is half of the battle. So bouldering and has really made it easy for me to solve cruxes in my 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. Have always started slow, trying not to push myself too hard and listening to my body. Bouldering shoes tend to lean towards softer rubber because bouldering usually has more volume walking, might need more sensitivity, and a long route can be tiring on the feet with soft shoes. all you really need are shoes. Now: obligatory 'top rope is useful in some situations' and 'bouldering is just different not less hard or less scary' comments commence. It's really hard to equate the grades of bouldering and rope because if a route is 30 feet, a 5. I'm pretty sure the gyms here in Holland use dynamic rope even for top roping (possibly low stretch dynamic rope). It’s smaller which gives it more of a community feel and makes it easier to get to know the other regulars. I feel a mix of top rope and boulder has been the perfect combo of fun and training benefits for me! What I gain from bouldering translates into better strength and climbing past cruxes during top rope. 12a) routes in different styles, even one that is basically a high-ball boulder, and am yet to climb a single 6C (v5) boulder. Free solo: Same as free climbing but with no ropes and no partner (i. You're doing it for the pure challenge of the movement. In top rope im doing consistent 5. I started bouldering like 3 weeks ago and I usually go for 2x3h sessions per week. So one of the things I decided was not to do top-rope at all, only lead (the only exception is when I do laps but those are always easy routes that I up climb and down climb for endurance). Indoor bouldering. Bouldering attracts a certain type - young (quick adrenaline rush, videos with dubstep soundtracks), social (short attempts, lots of chatting in between), broke (all you need is shoes). I preferred the mental and more playful/gymnastic aspects of bouldering. It's also a newer and larger facility compared to Momentum Millcreek, and it's close to downtown if that's where you are working or staying. For me at least, I had to focus on technique (still have to) for almost every move on a bouldering problem. Here to offer a different take on top rope (as someone who favors rope). They also have two locations. This is sometimes called a static vs dynamic belay point, top rope is static, leading is dynamic. So iLL: Mix of bouldering and top rope--and the bouldering community here is strong with competitions. Jul 1, 2024 · Limestones and volcanic rocks can also be utilized for bouldering. The city one is alright, quite a few top rope routes For top roping, the rope is secured to an anchor above your head (hence the word ‘top’, because the rope is at the top of the route). Apparently it gets really hot and muggy in summer which is a huge turn off. They use completely different systems. Top roping allows climbers to ascend taller walls secured by a rope running from a belayer at the base to an anchor point at the top of the climb. 10d and 5. I started bouldering and progressed into top rope indoors, then out doors, then leading outdoors which is so satisfying. Top roping and bouldering are not really that similar (unless you are talking highball bouldering). I think its this non-commitment to the lifestyle and mindset that climbers seem to not like, not the actual bouldering. see the rest of the conversation below, but lead climbing is both psychologically and physically more difficult than top roping. At a rope gym, you are climbing at most 50% of the time (belaying 50%). Top rope is like endurance running, you’re not climbing at max but you go for a much longer time. You have to go out of your way to increase risk so have an incident top roping. I've been wearing Solutions for 7 years. I mainly top rope and i boulder with my friends as well, but i prefer top rope. I used to only boulder but am Got my top rope belay cert, and ended up climbing top rope or autobelay a total of like 3 times in the following 6-7 months. Initially when I was just beginning, I didn't find sport to be very engaging. 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. HR has city and Nunawading - no bouldering. If you are talking about toproping in the gym vs. Orange has god awful parking though Hawthorne and Long Beach have top rope and lead. If you’re only really interested in bouldering/training then, I think the variety at Elevation is better. I can boulder v4s pretty easy some on the 1st try and some takes a few tries. Do what you enjoy. I like to sit and analyze my movements on the wall and come up strategies to defeat the problem. Gym is clean. Leading requires a lot more time and at the gym I don’t know if it helps with headspace at all since the clips are so close together anyway 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. These walls are made out of panels of wood, adhesive coatings, or even precast frames of real rock walls. Indoor bouldering often entails riveting bouldering progressions in an indoor environment utilizing artificial climbing walls. And my habits in top roping have made me boulder in a "power-saving" way. They have a singular boulder and a side is reset each week. 11a’s. It all depends on the height of the route. I think I'd only prefer static rope for top rope soloing, and even that is theoretical because in order for me to get the top rope up I first have to lead rope solo up there and Liquid chalk is good for bouldering, but if you’re rope climbing (particularly leading) you’re going to be a spectacle trying to put on liquid chalk. I think bouldering is more pure in the sense that you are able to perform harder singular moves, whereas with route climbing I find that sometimes improvement manifests itself via longer sequences with more variables that makes it interesting, but sometimes feels less motivating and painful Feb 21, 2025 · Top rope climbing, on the other hand, uses a rope. However that means that I’m always climbing slightly below my top-rope ability. I wouldn't worry about it. As the climber moves up the wall, the rope smoothly slides through a belay device that rests on their harness. Most of them had the body before they started climbing. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. Bouldering emphasizes strength and technique. In some places, a V1 is roughly a stout 5. This style allows you to climb much higher—often over 30 feet—while staying securely attached the whole time. I find top rope to be more efficient to do for training, I top rope 2-3x a week and only lead once, it’s a huge difference than having a lead-only elitist attitude lol. There is a kid's zone, and fewer kids boulder, so it's mainly adults climbing. You aren't climbing to get the exposure or get somewhere. Physical and Mental Challenges. bouldering in the gym, just do what you enjoy. I recently started bouldering at an indoor place close to my home, I've been maybe 8 or 9 times over 6 weeks and I love it. A bit of outdoor bouldering and outdoor sport climbing when I'm on holiday. You can do more hard moves at a building gym and have more control over rest and difficulty. With lead climbing, the rope starts at the bottom of the climb, with one end tied to the climber and the belayer attaching a short As I’m trying to get in shape to send some sport climbing routes at Sandrock, AL this summer I’m trying to get better about incorporating rope climbing in my gym training. I'd rather spend my time/energy doing tries on individually harder stuff at the bouldering walls than climbing easier but more physically exhausting things on rope. Rock Climbing. My 945 got replaced as the Bluetooth no longer works reliably, so it is now a rock watch. e. Whereas on top rope/lead there are usually only a few moves where I have to focus on technique. The Front downtown has some autobelay top rope. My question/s is what benefits of bouldering set you up, if at all, for outdoor stuff? UC has Collingwood (boulder only) and Blackburn (amazing facility with top rope, lead, autobelay, speed wall, a cafe and bouldering). Crux is much smaller and older, but it has bouldering, top-rope, and lead climbing. I guess it boils down to the fact that I spend a larger percentage of my time focusing on technique when bouldering, compared to top rope/lead. The rare individual might lead and top rope the same grade, but in my experience most people will get a clean top rope ascent at least two letter grades harder than they redpoint. Do you recommend doing both bouldering and rope climbing on the same day, or should each have its own day? I have been going 3-4 times a week doing mostly bouldering. General advice first: go for shoes that work for your foot shape. I've climbed at Blackburn a few times. Even though arguably, my Fenix 7 Pro sapphire is better built for bouldering/climbing then my forerunner 945, I'm not risking a new top of the line watch. When I boulder, I can do most V2s and some V3s, having sent one V4 in my life. US grades are pretty weird to compare bouldering and rope climbing in however, in terms of font grades, a 6B non-slab boulder is significantly harder physically than a 6b route. I typically climb V2s/3s and very few 4s, and I'll climb 5. The Southie one has bouldering and top rope, I think. 10, so that falls in line with your top rope capability. Boulders used in bouldering are generally 13 – 16 feet high while the walls in rock climbing can be 100-feet high on average. V5/6s is where I am at right now. Starting bouldering opens a lot of doors to great experiences and personal growth. They can even get as tall as the giant 541-feet high CopenHill rock climbing wall in Switzerland. If you want flexibility to go to many places then Hanger is the one. I climb about v3-4’s. 11d/5. ljdnopj rqeffj hcc gwcdx xludfuyk alrk npyvd irhz bsn jcl