UKC

Making the transition from indoor bouldering to rock can open up incredible climbing opportunities both at home and abroad, from Froggatt to Fontainebleau. As one of the most accessible (and social) disciplines in our sport, bouldering indoors has grown in popularity, leading some newcomers to wonder what lies beyond the climbing gym and get outdoors.

If swapping plastic for rock from time to time appeals to you, here's a list of the equipment you'll need (not much) and some advice to help you make the most of your first outing.

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Nice wee article that; one I’m sure many will find useful. Although, I’d be inclined to put tip number 9 first!

On an editorial point, either some of the photo captions need updating or Rob should be listed as the author…

Please put advice about not climbing on wet rock closer to the top. This is the biggest advice that new climbers need, not what shoes to use. 

I would like to say that if you think that there is nothing as slippy as dual or no-tex holds outside you've never been to Dinas Rock...

Why? Genuine question.

Nice to see the old timer Rob Greenwood showing the inexperienced newbie Alan James how it's done

Is it? Really? Come on Robert, even if you have taken a pledge never to come down to the top of the (English) Midlands and mess around on our little brown rocks, you've been around UKC for long enough to know that gritstone in particular seems far more vulnerable to damage in the wet than in the dry. I would imagine the same is likely to be true of softer sandstone - I guess you might visit Northumbria once in while?

I rarely go out specifically bouldering, although I did actually do a graded boulder problem yesterday, albeit an easy one. In the Peak, there is a lot of rarely climbed rock - many many boulder problems that see only a handful of ascents. But you do notice at the honeypots - Stanage Plantation and some bits of Curbar for example, that some problems are taking a hammering and getting really worn. Of course these are the most famous places, so unlike the obscure f3 I did yesterday (3 ascents in the logbook, the oldest one presumably being the FA), these are exactly the places that people are likely to go on their first trip outdoors bouldering.

Robert may be at the wind up with his question, but he has a point.

Could be shortened to "Do not climb on wet sandstone" for a more accurate and less north of England centric view.

Geologically fair, but how many beginners to outdoor climbing do you reckon know that gritstone is a form of sandstone?

Conversely, if you grew up scrambling around wet Scottish Munros, or at the seaside anywhere on the entire west coast of the country, and someone says to you "do not climb on wet rock" you're not going to take that person seriously.

If you want to be listened to, it's good to make sure your message is accurate.

The main message should be "don't climb on wet sandstone" IMO, with a secondary message of "gritstone is a type of sandstone BTW."

Climbing on wet rock in Scotland is a skill in itself!

Of course I know that one should not climb wet sandstone. The post I replied to talked about rock in general which puzzled me; maybe a strange.   bouldering thing. But perhaps it was just one of those gritcentric posts.

Having almost no interest in bouldering, I hadn't read the article, but, like with cycling, I do sometimes read bouldering threads just to get a voyeuristic peek into a weird and alien world.

Yes, I do climb in Northumberland. Being a nice place and north of Hadrian's Wall I consider it honorary Scotland.

Anyway I am currently pottering in the Pyrenees on my way back from Spain, psyching up for the unavoidable hell of driving from the Channel to the Border. If only they would bring back the direct ferry bypassing England completely.......

You could always return via Ireland ...  (I know its not direct but its probably more interesting than the interminable M6)