Between the increasing number of celebrities doing it (like Zac Efron and Brie Larson) to nearly every Tinder profile featuring a photo or video of the person at indoor rock climbing gym, bouldering has really become the “in” thing to do these days.
Speaking of great things, the GOAT team talk about the ‘Dinosaurs In Love’ song that’s gone viral on It’s Been A Big Day For… below:
The numbers back that perception up as The Guardian notes that the number of people partaking in rock climbing is growing by as much as 20 percent a year and there was the 2018 Oscar-winning bouldering documentary, Free Solo, that exposed the sport to even more eyeballs.
So why has bouldering – an activity seemingly populated by millennials – suddenly become so popular? After doing it for a number of years, I think I’ve figured out an answer: no one looks cool doing it.
Like with any new activity, there’s always an element of self-consciousness that sets in and rock climbing in particular exposes people’s trepidation more than most sports.
It’s nerve-wrecking enough to climb “problems” (that’s lingo for a particular route on a wall) as high as four metres without any harness and suddenly slipping, let alone having the thought of dozens of others watching you while you do it. There’s simply no way to look “cool” when rock climbing and you worry about looking stupid when you fall, which also eats into your insecurities because part of the reason we do most things is to look good.
But after swallowing my nervousness and climbing – and falling – for a few weeks, I realised that no one gave a crap when I came off the wall. If anything, strangers would ask if I was okay before the conversation turned to how difficult the problem I fell off of was.
As it turns out, rock climbing is actually a very inclusive activity. People won’t laugh at you when you fall, you’ll end up talking to others about problems (the ones on the wall, not your personal ones), and strangers will end up cheering you on as you finally complete a route.
Everyone who boulders recognises that it’s not a “cool-looking” activity so there’s no ego about it. Everyone had to start from ground zero (literally) so there’s a lot of support because they’ve all been “there,” and everyone just want to challenge themselves physically and mentally in a safe space free of any pissing contests. It’s ultimately just a very nice and safe environment to be in (unless you fall off the wall incorrectly).
I thought this was just all my own nonsensical justifications about why rock climbing is great, but I was pleasantly surprised when my friend decided to boulder for the first time and experienced the same things I did.
My friend admits to having body image issues and was extremely self-conscious about rock climbing. However, they were very surprised at how nice and supportive the community was. As there’s a lot of time spent resting on the mats, there’s a strong social element involved and my friend reveled in bonding with strangers over failed climbs while also pushing themselves on problems.
As my friend said to me, “no one cares if you’re fat, skinny, short or tall, everyone is just there to have fun.”
Beyond the feeling of support from the bouldering community, rock climbing is also a physically-challenging activity that also exercises your brain. Not only does it work your entire body, your mind gets a workout in trying to figure out the best way to overcome difficult problems.
When you realise something doesn’t look cool no matter how you try and ego is no longer a factor, it’s amazing how much of a nicer environment it creates. Rock climbing is an activity that recognises this, hence why it appeals to people from all walks of life, regardless of how good they are at climbing up walls.
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