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Bouldering for Beginners: How to Get Started
Never climbed before? What bouldering is, what happens in your first session, what to wear and how to keep going afterwards.
Bouldering is climbing without ropes or a harness, on low walls over deep padded matting. There is very little to learn before you start, you do not need a partner, and you do not need to be strong. This is how to go from never having climbed to climbing regularly.
Step 1: book an induction
The best way to start is an induction at a climbing gym. At Boulder Shack in Southampton a bouldering induction is 25 minutes with a coach, and you stay and climb for as long as you like afterwards. You will be shown:
- How the gym works: the layout, how the grades work and the rules that keep everybody safe.
- How to use your feet: where to put them and how to stand on them, which matters more than how hard you can pull.
- How to fall: falling is part of bouldering, and landing well on the mats is a skill you are taught.
- How to read a climb: each climb, or problem, is a puzzle with a way to the top. We have a guide to reading a route.
After an induction you can come back and climb whenever we are open.
Coming on your own is normal
The two things that stop most people are not knowing where to start and not having anybody to climb with. The induction answers the first. The second answers itself: you do not need a partner for bouldering, most people arrive on their own, and it is normal to end up talking to whoever is trying the same climb. If you would rather arrive with a plan, come to one of our social climbing nights.
Step 2: climb regularly
- Start on the easy climbs. The easiest problems have big holds and big footholds. Get the basics right there first.
- Rest between goes. Bouldering is hard on muscles that are new to it. Take breaks and listen to your body.
- Move up gradually. Try harder climbs as you get stronger and your technique improves, and ask other climbers or our team for advice. People like being asked.
Step 3: keep learning
Like any skill, climbing takes practice. When you want help, coaching can work on your technique, your strength and how you approach a climb that scares you.
Step 4: buy kit later
You do not need to buy anything to start. Wear clothes you can move in. Climbing shoes are included with an induction, and after that they are £3.50 to hire, or free with any membership. When you are ready for your own, read how to choose climbing shoes.
Ready?
What happens on your first visit walks you through the day, from parking the car to your first climb.
