Top rope vs bouldering reddit I've been climbing about 5-6 years and boulderer a couple of v10's outside and am fairly strong indoors. I will occasionally lead in the 5. I have climbed multiple 7a/+ (5. But when on a rope which is inherently safer, Im literally shitting myself in a roof climb. The rope increases safety because the belayer can control the rope and assist in catching the climber in the event of a fall. 10c? To answer this, I plotted the best top-rope route people could climb against the best bouldering problem they could climb. 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 It's really hard to equate the grades of bouldering and rope because if a route is 30 feet, a 5. A bit of outdoor bouldering and outdoor sport climbing when I'm on holiday. 11a’s. 220 votes, 23 comments. And my habits in top roping have made me boulder in a "power-saving" way. IDK just didn't appeal to me almost at all. 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. Any recommendations for climbing gyms with good top rope… BONUS - Try some of the top-rope gyms as well. General advice first: go for shoes that work for your foot shape. Trying both can help you figure out which style you enjoy more. I prefer a chalk bag with a chalk sock. I have only been here once or twice but haven't returned since it's more of a bouldering gym. The only minus which I think is pretty typical for most basic non-extreme shoes, is that you have to break the rubber in during the first few climbs. I've been wearing Solutions for 7 years. I love my grigri and love the assisted locking and the extra layer of security it provides. 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 The durability of the rope is pretty much driven by how much nylon there is. 12a) routes in different styles, even one that is basically a high-ball boulder, and am yet to climb a single 6C (v5) boulder. "solo") to protect you if you fall. I think the comparisons in the article are fine assuming you're a comfortable sport climber with a lot of experience. 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. I like to sit and analyze my movements on the wall and come up strategies to defeat the problem. 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. There is a kid's zone, and fewer kids boulder, so it's mainly adults climbing. 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. You're doing it for the pure challenge of the movement. Mostly top rope (2x/week) but try to boulder at least once a week as well. Never climb on a top rope. 89 between the ratings of the best bouldering and top-rope routes that people climbed, evidence that bouldering 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. 10d and 5. 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. 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). 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). Top rope is by far the safest discipline in climbing. 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. But then augment at the rope gym to get route endurance before the outdoor season. They use completely different systems. Mar 31, 2016 · Also bouldering indoors where a lot of V routes are set by young egotistical clowns who don't have a clue don't mean crap. Additional Toe Rubber increases durability and toe-hooking capabilities, and an updated heel helps facilitate heel hooking. 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. It really only seems concerned with breaking routes into boulders, sections, and what you're capable of based on max boulder strength I started climbing 9 months ago started with bouldering first and gradually to top rope and now sport. Don't assume bouldering is safe, even in the gym. 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 Watertown (and I think Stoneham) CRG has bouldering, top rope, lead, and auto-belay too! Rock Spot is also a great one too. I started bouldering and progressed into top rope indoors, then out doors, then leading outdoors which is so satisfying. 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. So you must have a good base of climbing strength. Very few of them seem to climb on rope indoors indoors is bouldering/hangboard. 8-9 range and top rope with friends outdoors, but in the gym I mostly boulder V3-V4. In other places, a V1 could be a staircase. It would definitely take me about a week or more to finish those. If you are talking about toproping in the gym vs. 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). Also in many cases where it is hard or impossible to get in place to put up a rope then the leader can go up and set up the rope and be lowered off, such as with a spite or if you just want to do the first pitch of a multipitch. I started on top rope and ended up switching bouldering exclusively after a couple months. start out on easy sport climbs, get your rope management and clipping dialed, then find some projects. Since you cannot really 'send' on top-rope, I can't see it as anything besides practice. 11d/5. Do what you enjoy. For me at least, I had to focus on technique (still have to) for almost every move on a bouldering problem. I can throw for a huge dyno with only two pads underneath me and have no fear. You aren't climbing to get the exposure or get somewhere. definitely not my new one. When I boulder, I can do most V2s and some V3s, having sent one V4 in my life. I've lead and top rope climbed with my grigri and yeah, it is a touch annoying when the cam catches your rope and you short your climber but honestly if you do it enough, it's not that bad. A figure eight is extremely safe and extremely easy. 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. 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 The best-selling Tarantula climbing shoe is reinvigorated with additional features to help beginner climbers focus on bouldering and more complex climbing movements. It's true that it is safer but lead climbing is both more challenging and more impressive, which attracts the videographers and the athletes. On a rope with a good belay, you will fall into space on an overhang. I've only tried top rope once around 7-8 years ago. Good way to start as you don't really take any sketchy falls because of the rope, also top rope routes tend to be easier albeit longer and finishes higher up. Feb 17, 2014 · What's the top-rope equivalent of a V4, or the bouldering equivalent of a 5. Both are strictly bouldering though, but they have tons of great climbs and some workout areas as well. Boulders used in bouldering are generally 13 – 16 feet high while the walls in rock climbing can be 100-feet high on average. You will be challenged physically and mentally by both bouldering and top rope climbing. Rock Climbing. Also need a partner if you want to top rope. A sub for women and non-binary climbers and their allies 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. Absolutely. Starting bouldering opens a lot of doors to great experiences and personal growth. A 55 g/m skinny single has a lot less to wear than a 65 g/m workhorse. My 945 got replaced as the Bluetooth no longer works reliably, so it is now a rock watch. 11s, bouldering V0+), and they've been great. Now: obligatory 'top rope is useful in some situations' and 'bouldering is just different not less hard or less scary' comments commence. Bouldering emphasizes strength and technique. So iLL: Mix of bouldering and top rope--and the bouldering community here is strong with competitions. In general, bouldering is more about bursts of strength and precise, dynamic movement and roped climbing is more about endurance and - at a gym - sustained climbing. HR has city and Nunawading - no bouldering. Chalk sock means it doesn't spill. Lastly, you’ll meet a great community of people who are way more interesting than the average gym bro. I want any amount of experience I can get competing in climbing sports so here I am asking for tips, how different is it really compared to bouldering and how can I maximize my next training session (luckily I have a few friend who will try to catch me up with top rope stuff next week). I think I'm definitely going to want to dry all forms of climbing in the future, in particular outdoor rope assisted rock climbing. I know people who are amazing at bouldering and are sucking wind on top rope by their 3rd route. I typically go to the Hanger in Orange (formerly Factory Bouldering years ago) and they are bouldering only. My arms usually feel pretty good while top roping but always feel like they're on the brink of injury while bouldering. Bouldering: more injuries, but rarely life threatening. I top rope occasionally and use my chalk bag, no need to buy redundant gear. So I went out to buy some climbing shoes. 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. However that means that I’m always climbing slightly below my top-rope ability. Have always started slow, trying not to push myself too hard and listening to my body. Vertical adventures out West offers basically the same thing but with more bouldering problems. I'm team grigri on this. 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. Initially when I was just beginning, I didn't find sport to be very engaging. I suppose it's due to the fact that when bouldering, it's just me and the rock. However, I realize now that the data from this subreddit is very much skewed towards advanced climbers, so I'll probably just stand outside my gym and ask every other Yes. 13 would have maybe v7-8 moves, but a 60 foot 13 would have v4-5 moves. Top rope I can do 11d/12a with some rest on a 50 ft wall. I've been climbing in mine for about 5 months (top rope 5. Now you have to transition everything to rope climbing, which happens with a lot of rope climbing and there are much more variables into the equation when talking Top rope is like endurance running, you’re not climbing at max but you go for a much longer time. I’ve been going to Denver Bouldering Club for a while now and it’s great, but I miss ropes. Catastrophic on top rope? Near impossible. 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 typically climb V2s/3s and very few 4s, and I'll climb 5. 10, so that falls in line with your top rope capability. 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. Top roping and bouldering are not really that similar (unless you are talking highball bouldering). When roping, it's me, the harness, the rope, the pro, the belayer, his harness, etc. It is just a totally different experience. e. Whenever an ambulance is called, most of the time it is for a bouldering injury. I wouldn't worry about it. Bouldering grades vs YDS grades aren't really super comparable all around the globeespecially in gyms. bouldering in the gym, just do what you enjoy. I climb about v3-4’s. see the rest of the conversation below, but lead climbing is both psychologically and physically more difficult than top roping. 66K subscribers in the climbergirls community. I usually hang board at the beginning of each session before and hour or so of climbing boulders in the gym before some weighted pull ups at the end of the session. 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). Bouldering often boils down to doing one move or not doing one move. If you want flexibility to go to many places then Hanger is the one. The city one is alright, quite a few top rope routes I started bouldering like 3 weeks ago and I usually go for 2x3h sessions per week. You have to go out of your way to increase risk so have an incident top roping. Most of them had the body before they started climbing. Is a 500 g savings worth it for a rope that will wear quicker and possibly cut easier 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. I mainly top rope and i boulder with my friends as well, but i prefer top rope. It is a distillation of the physical aspect of rock climbing. Depending on the features of the shoe, some shoes can be considered more of a bouldering shoe than a sport or trad shoe. V5/6s is where I am at right now. Is bouldering more social than top roping? It depends on the setting. In my experience, gyms tend to set big juggy monkey crap on most all boulder problems, they aren't realistic at all. Climb a lot. The major difference between bouldering and rock climbing is the height of the rock. 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. "Rope 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. They can even get as tall as the giant 541-feet high CopenHill rock climbing wall in Switzerland. this sounds normal if all you have done is boulder as that is so quick power moves based whereas top rope is about technique, longevity, and endurance. I can boulder v4s pretty easy some on the 1st try and some takes a few tries. Bouldering is the best training for sport climbing if you're a sport climber. Gym is clean. Orange has god awful parking though Hawthorne and Long Beach have top rope and lead. It is almost closer to gymnastics than trad climbing in how it taxes the body's musculature. Free climbing: using only , while having ropes and a belay partner as backup in case you fall. 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. I've climbed at Blackburn a few times. Mission Viejo I believe is bouldering only too. Here to offer a different take on top rope (as someone who favors rope). . Dec 5, 2024 · Yes, most climbing gyms offer areas for both bouldering and top roping. It all depends on the height of the route. Physical and Mental Challenges. 9/10s typically top roping. 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. Feb 21, 2025 · Top rope climbing, on the other hand, uses a rope. Apparently it gets really hot and muggy in summer which is a huge turn off. Dec 7, 2020 · I like both sport and bouldering the same, but I go through cycles of preferring one over the other. 10b-c, while projecting 5. Even a bowline is safe A grigri is extremely safe and takes a special moron to drop someone on top rope. 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. Bouldering is just a different style of climbing from ropes (generally). For example, take shoe stiffness. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. They have one in South Boston and one in Dedham. Outdoors is rock/projects. 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. I feel much more confident bouldering than roping. My question/s is what benefits of bouldering set you up, if at all, for outdoor stuff? I started out bouldering and have recently been getting into sport climbing. You can do more hard moves at a building gym and have more control over rest and difficulty. 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 In one top rope session I can climb maybe up to ten routes. In some places, a V1 is roughly a stout 5. The Southie one has bouldering and top rope, I think. A lot, a lot. Key things to consider: toe length, greek vs roman vs egyptian foot, arch height, width. My question is why do I struggle so much when sport climbing compared to bouldering. Free solo: Same as free climbing but with no ropes and no partner (i. For my stats class final project, I wanted to see if my bouldering level is statistically significant from my top rope level (which I suspect it is), and I wanted to pool data. Whereas on top rope/lead there are usually only a few moves where I have to focus on technique. Chalk bag is smaller and easier to keep in my backpack. So bouldering and has really made it easy for me to solve cruxes in my Go for the bouldering gym with day passes at the rope gym. At a rope gym, you are climbing at most 50% of the time (belaying 50%). I preferred the mental and more playful/gymnastic aspects of bouldering. Bouldering walls are usually shorter and don’t need ropes, while top rope walls are taller and have anchors for the ropes. 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. There is a correlation of 0. The difference between a skinny and a fat single rope might only be 7 g/m - just about 500 g over a 70 m rope. 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. 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. 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 Jun 16, 2021 · Bouldering vs. But they are different in styles and approaches. In top rope im doing consistent 5. As the climber moves up the wall, the rope smoothly slides through a belay device that rests on their harness. Top rope climbing is still climbing. 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 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. UC has Collingwood (boulder only) and Blackburn (amazing facility with top rope, lead, autobelay, speed wall, a cafe and bouldering). Rope climbing: fewer injuries, but more likely to be deadly. xdud piu eay bsonj xrgnw oem mmg sqwni bben zag drc mqehs fbvqx wnesixuq vupiz