[Getting Started Guide to Rock Climbing] The difference between bouldering climbing!Answers to the Top 10 Frequently Asked Questions for Beginner Rock Climbers

For newcomers to rock climbing, they often mistake bouldering for the same thing. In fact, rock climbing is a general term for this sport. At present, the mainstream of indoor artificial rock climbing in Taiwan can be divided into two categories: bouldering and climbing. The biggest difference between bouldering is that bouldering does not require ropes to secure it, and the climbing height is relatively low. However, Taiwan’s rock climbing fields are mostly bouldering fields, and artificial climbing fields are rare due to factors such as construction costs.In addition, according to different climbing methods, there are different classifications such as outdoor climbing, traditional climbing, and artificial climbing.

Many people who have never been in contact with bouldering or climbing may think that rock climbing depends on the strength of the whole body. In fact, rock climbing is a matter of physical ability (strength and coordination), psychological ability (overcoming fear and calm control) and thinking ability (route judgment and coordination). Logical thinking) and exercise.

After engaging in rock climbing, you can train the abilities of the above three aspects at the same time. Compared with traditional repetitive exercise modes such as swimming and jogging, rock climbing is highly variable in comparison, and each practice will not feel boring or static.As long as you regularly set aside time every week to exercise yourself with three or five friends, you will be able to see growth in all aspects after a period of time, and the benefits of various rock climbing are countless!

In practice, the techniques used in climbing and bouldering are exactly the same. The only difference between the two is that climbing will focus more on the "rhythm" and "endurance" of climbing, while bouldering will test the "explosive power" and "endurance" of the rock climber. coordination".

But for beginners in rock climbing, it is more important to try to practice feeling and control the correct position of the body on the rock wall without pursuing specific "skills" or "movements".What is special about rock climbing skills is that there are no situations where different people are suitable for different rock climbing skills. Everyone's mastery of the skill is the fundamental factor that determines whether the rock climbing skill is good or not.

Bouldering equipment is very simple, all you need is a pair of climbing shoes and a chalk bag to start bouldering.Climbing up requires relatively complete equipment. In addition to basic rock climbing shoes and chalk bags, depending on the type of climbing you choose, you may also need to purchase additional brakes, quick buckles, and main ropes.

All major mountaineering supplies stores and large-scale rock climbing venues in Taiwan sell rock climbing equipment, but the price difference from entry-level models to professional models is not small. It is recommended that novices for rock climbing start with the entry-level model and wait for a complete rock climbing course And after developing the habit, you will know more about which climbing equipment is more suitable for you.

Take rock climbing shoes as an example. Generally, a pair of rock climbing shoes for beginners will have two situations after half a year: one is that they find that they are not interested in rock climbing, and then they don’t need to wear them anymore; The fit required a new pair, so it is not recommended to buy equipment that is too expensive in the first place!And like general professional rock climbing shoes, they are sometimes uncomfortable to wear because of their functionality. On the contrary, novices can easily buy rock climbing shoes that do not fit the size.

There are different grading systems for bouldering and bouldering in rock climbing. At present, the commonly used bouldering difficulty system in Taiwan is the V system. Arabic numerals will be marked after the English letter V. The larger the number, the higher the difficulty. Generally, the routes that can be climbed in artificial rock climbing fields range from VB (Below V0) to V8, and the most difficult bouldering route in the world is currently V16.

Shangpan Taiwan uses the YDS (Yosemite Decimal System) system, which is expressed in the form of 5.X. The larger the number, the higher the difficulty. After exceeding 5.10, a/b/c/d will be added to make a more subtle distinction, such as 5.10b will be slightly more difficult than 5.10a, and the most difficult climbing route in the world is 5.15c.

Indoor rock climbing fees in Taiwan can generally be divided into two charging methods: "general admission" and "experience courses".If you want to know the cost of each rock climbing gym, you can refer to itRock Climbing Recommendations in Taipei,rock climbing recommendation in TaichungOrKaohsiung Rock Climbing Recommended.

For beginners in rock climbing, it is recommended to start with the experience course. The experience course is a packaged rock climbing course specially designed for beginners. The general course time is about 1 hour, and multiple people can participate at the same time. There will be special coaches to guide, and free Equipment used, the average price is between $500-$1,000 per person.Each rock climbing gym will have different preferential prices, such as Taipei'sCorner Climbing GymThe trial class includes the admission fee on the day, even after the class is over, you can stay and practice, and you will get a free admission. If you are interested, you can come back to practice.

Climbing courses can be roughly divided into climbing skills courses and climbing assurance (climbing) courses.The skill course is to teach the techniques and methods of climbing; to ensure that most of the courses are practiced for the correct use of the equipment guaranteed by rock climbing.It is generally recommended that novices in rock climbing start with the skill course first, and after raising their climbing ability to the basic level, if they are interested in climbing, they can learn rock climbing assurance techniques.

If you have a strong interest in rock climbing, you can move towards a more advanced certificate.At present, the highest-level quasi-official unit in Taiwan is the Sports Climbing Department under the Mountain Association of the Republic of China (Mountain Association). The rock climbing certificates issued by it are highly recognized by the industry; although other local associations also have other certificates, the degree of recognition is relatively low.

There are three kinds of climbing-related certificates issued by the Mountain Association: Sports Climbing Coach Certificate, Sports Climbing Referee Certificate, and Sports Climbing Line Setter Certificate; in addition to the coach certificate, the other two are more related to rock climbing competitions.If you want to obtain a certificate, you must first pass the CBT (Climbing and Belay Test: Climbing and Belay Test) held during the mountain agreement period. After passing, you are eligible to sign up for various certificate lectures. After passing the lecture assessment, you need to go through an internship to obtain the certificate. .

In addition to the indoor rock field, if you have been familiar with rock climbing for a period of time, you can also move towards outdoor rock climbing.However, outdoor rock climbing belongs to the natural environment after all, unlike indoor rock climbing grounds, which are designed with safety in mind, so you must measure your own ability, and go with a coach or rock friends who are familiar with the outdoor rock ground to ensure safety.At present, the relatively mature natural rock fields in Taiwan mainly include Longdong in the north and Guanziling in the south. Both of them are climbing rock fields. There are also relatively small rock fields such as Cannon Rock, Atami, Shoushan, and Qianguang Temple , are also climbing mode.

As for natural bouldering, because of Taiwan's terrain, the larger rocks are mostly by the stream or by the sea. However, after a large typhoon or other natural disasters pass through, the terrain may change, so the development of natural bouldering fields in Taiwan is more difficult. not easy.However, some groups in Taiwan are currently working hard to develop some new natural bouldering fields. I hope that beautiful natural bouldering fields can also be seen in Taiwan in the near future.