Bouldering has blown up in popularity in the last few years with many new faces picking up the sport. What the hell is bouldering and why are so many picking it up?

Bouldering is a style of climbing done without rope or harnesses. Instead, climbers rely on crash pads and controlled falls. Routes are called problems. They are short, powerful, and designed to challenge strength, balance and problem solving.

Bouldering can be done indoors on artificial walls or outdoors on natural rock. Same concept only very different conditions.

Many cities now have indoor climbing gyms for you to go and build up your skills. With each hold attached to a coloured grading system.

Grades can be intimidating and we will break the ins and outs of climbing grades in an upcoming article.

Many of these gyms work the same way that your standard commercial gym do, go buy a membership usually around the £40 a month mark in the UK and enjoy climbing somewhere safe and close to home. With instructors and lessons available in most of these locations if you are truly dedicated to improving.

Each gym brings something different while some are designated bouldering gyms others may have more of a focus on speed climbing where you are attached to a harness and have to race up the wall as fast as you can.

Unlike other forms of climbing, Bouldering is about reading movement, testing solutions, and learning through failure. It’s easy to start but hard to master.

Once you are feeling brave enough Outdoors Bouldering can be exciting but comes with responsibility. You have to know how to protect the environment and your surrounding area as well as yourself. But how can we do this?

For a start, don’t climb a unestablished route if you are not experienced enough. Different rocks have different rates of degradation, climbing sandstone for example can cause holds to deteriorate over time. Not only that but you will probably try climbing a route way above your own level.

There is also a general principle of respect for your surroundings. Following the ‘leave no trace’ rule. Pick up your rubbish, you might spend all afternoon at one problem but that doesn’t mean that everyone else wants to tidy up after you. You are still in nature and there is the surrounding eco-system to be conscious of when climbing.