not understanding the guidebook is the first step to outdoor bouldering. you did it right.

The enjoyment of all outdoor climbing exponentially increases the more regularly you can get out. Love the videos, keep getting out and you'll keep surprising yourself with the progress.

@MikeBoydClimbs

2 күн бұрын

I'll need keep going with it then 💪

I think on the lower end of boulders there's a ton of sandbagging because obscure boulders never get regraded.

part of outdoor bouldering is crash pad management. if a climb doesn't do much traversing, has a clean landing zone, and is fairly vertical; then you can get away with 1 or 2 pads that stay put the whole time and you can do it "safely" on your own. But when a climb moves you away from your crash pads either because of a traverse or the slope of the climb, then you'll want more pads (one person can only carry so many) or an active spotter/pad manager. When you have a spotter moving pads as you progress through a climb, you can do a whole lot more with just 2 pads. Watching you climb at the first location made me a bit nervous for your safety when you had a few people there who could have been moving pads and spotting your falls. I saw how you learned from the comments on your first lead video, so I'm sure your next outdoor bouldering trip will be much safer. Enjoy those beautiful Glens!

ignoring grades and just enjoying bouldering is definitely something I am starting to do more. seeing kids on break throw their bodies at the wall and use any hold possible to top out is inspiring

If you have an issue with falling, having a constant spotter to catch your fall, and push you towards the best spot on the crash pad if you do fall is super helpful, it gives you so much more confidence on the rock

who writes "to the left"in this kind of context?! what are we supposed to get from it😂

@San-vp4zj

2 күн бұрын

everything

@djekhex

Күн бұрын

usally the climbs in a guide book are broken up based on the side of the boulder face so to the left would indicate the left side of that face. but if the guide book didnt specify north south east or west side it was poorly written

I remember watching your first climbing video, giving you (a pretty good to my opinion) advice. Let me do it again today: you really lacked a spotter. It would have been more reassuring and safe for you. I freaked out twice in this video. Glad you have not hurt yourself. Keep going!

Dropped by Block 10 on a recent trip and had an absolute blast. Mentioned I'd heard about the gym from your video and the lady at the front desk said you'd been in earlier that morning. Sad to have missed you, but I had a great time. If I ever return to Dundee, I'll definitely be back. Thanks for introducing me to such a great gym!

@MikeBoydClimbs

2 күн бұрын

Tara actually told me you did. Sorry I missed you. thanks for checking out my local gym 💪

Wide Boyz tee spotted. It's a great thing that Mike goes climbing all decked in high visibility orange clothes.

I think you would have a good time travelling to a bouldering destination. climbing obscure local problems is great with good knowledge and lots of good communication within the community, but not the best way to intro yourself. Jump across the pond and visit Fontainbleau!

@patrickfleming

9 сағат бұрын

I dont think he can time travel

For me when I was getting started bouldering on real rock, it helped going with someone who had climbed the area for a long time. He knew the area like the back of his hand and it was basically like getting a guided tour; no confusion about what was considered “on” or “off” on a problem. Certain areas and rock types are a better transition from the gym as well

I absolutely love your climbing content! It’s awesome to be able to see how you make progress in rock climbing!

@MikeBoydClimbs

2 күн бұрын

Glad you enjoy it! Thanks for the comment

Building good landings is for sure a science of its own and definitely worth learning (holes between pads are just great for breaking your ankles, you need to cover them). Having a good spotter who knows what they're doing is also a must especially with sketchy landings (redirecting your fall). Climbing over Fontainebleau's soft sandy ground is totally different from a steep, risky, sharp rock littered terrain of magic wood for example.

Climbing outdoors is a testament of how all the "other" things in climbing matter so much (breathing, not overgripping, planning, flow, a sense of body awareness, mental game, route reading, etc...) It's always fun to be humbled, and to face a challenge that shuts you down. Don't forget to get back up once you get humbled by a piece of rock.

3:16 Exactly why i started my channel - i may not send them perfectly but gives the next person an idea!

IF you never started climbing, would you wear bright orange pants?

Those landings do look rather uncomfortable for a landing zone. Definitely make sure you have a spotter for stuff like that, their job isn’t even to break your fall, but to secure your head and spine in an uncontrolled fall. That does a lot for your confidence as well, especially for sketchy landing. Also: you should really try and plan a trip to Fontainebleau at some point. It is really uncomparable to anything you else you might visit for bouldering. Not only is it a beautiful forest, it also unmatched in the density, quantity and quality of boulders. That feeling of driving to Fontainebleau for the first time and seeing some sandstone boulders in the forest out of your windows is amazing.

@MikeBoydClimbs

Күн бұрын

fontainebleau is on the cards!

Finally! I've been getting into outdoors too and have experienced nearly all of the same difficulties. It's such a relief knowing it's not just me.

Great video, Mike. I only discovered you through your videos with the Wide Boyz, but I love this channel - as someone who's only one year into my own climbing journey, your content is so relatable. Also, fantastic editing, filming and general storytelling. You have a real knack for narrative. Keep up the good work, buddy! 👏🏻

@MikeBoydClimbs

Күн бұрын

thanks Anna, that really means a lot 😊

Tip from someone who outdoor boulders a lot, and only uses indoors to train for outdoors. On the really sketchy landings, don’t bother with pads, they only provide false security, it’s better to be able to see the rocks and try to land on them, not between them

You are making the exact type of climbing videos i want to see. It is also the types of videos i want to make myself some day :)

@MikeBoydClimbs

2 күн бұрын

thanks for the kind words. I'm trying to make content that I would like to watch so it sounds like we are quite similar in that way 😊

Thanks Mike, helps a lot

Love this. I've been getting gradually better indoors and I'm really excited to go out with an experienced companion some time and try my hand at getting absolutely humbled :D

i think footwork is extremely important outside and can make a huge difference in how hard you find the boulders

Hey Mike, i met you a couple of times in Scotland and have since moved to Australia. I got myself an Organic pad, actually, and have gotten involved a bit with the local bouldering community (due to the lack of sport climbing or good indoor climbing gyms in far north Queensland). I'm new to outdoor bouldering too and can confirm, bouldering grades are WAY harder outdoors. 😮

My dude, your climbing videos have become soooo enjoyable. Content, editing, personality. Everything on point. I genuinely enjoyed every vid on this channel 🎉

Tried bouldering outside for the first time a couple weeks ago as well, and got equally humbled. Usually climb at 6A+ to 6B+ inside, but outside the hardest I managed was like a 5+. Great video!

@MikeBoydClimbs

Күн бұрын

glad I'm not the only one!

The lesson to just try stuff that looks fun to try is a fantastic one! A lot of people I climb with get stuck on trying a boulder or a route just because it's the right grade even if it's not a great climb. If you ever end up taking a trip to Fontainbleau I'd recommend just ignoring the guidebook and putting your mat below whatever you find most inspiring. I've done some fantastic easy and hard climbs by exploring in this way.

Hoping to get some crashpads and experiment with outdoor bouldering for my first time too! Been awesome to watch you document your climbing, good stuff :D

@MikeBoydClimbs

Күн бұрын

enjoy! Thanks for watching 💪

Inspirational stuff! The scariness kf outdoor bouldering has put me off so far but this makes me want to give it a go. Indoor has the convenience factor too, which is hard to beat

@MikeBoydClimbs

2 күн бұрын

Try to find a place that has flat landings to get started. Enjoy! (and thanks for watching)

Hey Mike, just so you know for next time, in a "sit-start" you are supposed to sit (have your butt touch the ground) and then lift off the ground with the holds. Otherwise it's a low/crouch start. Good luck on your bouldering journey 😊

@MikeBoydClimbs

Күн бұрын

I actually didn't know that! Thanks for watching 💪

You should do a font trip! Bonus is the boolder app is absolutely amazing, so easy to find stuff and full of topos and GPS

@MikeBoydClimbs

Күн бұрын

I'll check it out! Thanks for watching 💪

Absolutely need a spotter! This is scary stuff Mike

At the time i tried outdoor bouldering for the first time i climbed V6 moonbard benchmarks and supposedly harder stuff at the gym. I was humbled on my first sesh on rocks to a V4/V5 climber. After a couple of sessions i got used to the unique challenges and climbed V7. I am confident you will have a similar experience 😄

@MikeBoydClimbs

Күн бұрын

I've never tried the moonboard but I've heard it's mega hard too!

signed up for my first outdoor lead intro workshop in 2 weeks - I hold responsible for this

Every time I visit a new climbing area its pretty much a given the first day will involve at least several hours of being lost looking for a specific route or problem. It's a pretty magical experience. Once you know where everything is, there's less to discover and you have to put on the try-hard pants.

The no hands mantle V6 was my problem at ley quarry called "Those Hips Don't Ley" i have a video of the FA on my Insta. Brutally on the hips even with mikes variation! So cool to see it on the channel man 👍

Thats why you need to make friends to help carry in more pads! Will make it feel much better

in regards to a comment early in the video, about suffering during an activity, but eventually deciding its fun, that's what is known as "Type 2 Fun", i.e. suffering in the moment, thinking its fun after youve done it (with type 1 fun being fun in the moment, fun in retrospect)

Really well made video. Just subbed!! We have just started exploring and videoing outdoor bouldering more too and have gone twice in two different locations in the last month. They both seemed harder but the second place seemed a lot harder and I'm wondering how much of it was down to the a rare 23 degrees C bluebird day in Ireland. It was so hard to hold anything 😋

@MikeBoydClimbs

Күн бұрын

thanks for subbing :) 23 degrees would be horrible conditions. Congrats for sticking with it!

Nice seeing Wolfcrag, been meaning to get back there since last year, fun crag with good variety at the low end

@thenayancat8802

2 күн бұрын

Hah, no way, I thought the V3 traverse was fair for the grade. Whereas some of the other V3s I've tried have been absolutely nails, like each move is v4

OMG 8 MINS in and I just realised Mike is using a wideboyz shirt LETS GOOOO

Thank you for confirming i should stick with ropes. This looks like injury central for me. Looks fun but I know my place.

This was a great opportunity for a collab! Maybe some guidance on how to use the pads and spotting and all that safety stuff!! How about Dave MacLeod??

@MF-CLIMB

Күн бұрын

Dave’s the biggest grade sandbagger going 😅

Nice!

Hi Mike, have you tried soft shoes, which also typically come with with gripier rubber, like the scarpa veloce. Great for bouldering where there is lots of smearing. The Scarpa Vapors you have in this video are very stiff and have the less grippy vibram edge rubber.

"I feel like on this climbing channel all I do is bitch and moan" - that's what makes it so entertaining! 🤣 I'm always wondering how outdoor boulderers get off the boulders after the climb, but usually the film just cuts out at that point so it's great to see that side of it. Also I loved the bright colours. Quite impressive to put up a new route on your first outing too. 😄

Awesome video. When are you planning a trip to Fontainebleau next?

@MikeBoydClimbs

Күн бұрын

Very soon!

@tvdw4055

15 сағат бұрын

@@MikeBoydClimbs That’s fantastic, looking forward to that video. Don’t get discouraged in Font, it can be a difficult transition for people coming from an indoor boulder gym or limestone crag. Some areas there may seem to have notoriously difficult lower graded circuit problems, particularly on slab or vertical terrain. Be prepared to put all your weight through your feet on seemingly non existent footholds. It takes time to get used to, my advice would be to spend at least a week in stead of just a weekend. Good luck and have fun!

Mike, you improved a lot since you started out! If you want to improve even more I recommend working on your flexibility and precise and slow movement especially on smaller footholds. I think this outdoor video really showed where you have space to improve.

@MikeBoydClimbs

Күн бұрын

flexibility is definitely an issue! I need to improve that aspect. Thanks for watching 💪

Please get spotters, I like your content

9:35 It's better to use some spotting when you have a wall behind... Even if it doesn't seem too close - a fall from a slabby boulder could throw you far enough.

I can totaly understand the fear of falling outdoors. I've tried some outdoor bouldering within the last couple of weeks and it is totally different to being indoors. I'm not going as risky as indoors😅

Don’t be shy of occasionally wearing a helmet whilst bouldering. Think of it as the private-pad for the most precious part of your body. You know the places, where the landing is all sneaker rocks and setting up the pads is a sod.

Got to bring some spray paint next time, to colorgrade routes and mark the holds.

one thing to consider is that outdoor boulders have a much higher difficulty minimum than indoor boulders. a v0 outdoors is much harder than an indoor one because jug ladders just don’t exist outdooors.

@MikeBoydClimbs

Күн бұрын

we need to start the scale at v-5

Organic is great, they're local to me. Good products.

The main factor in the difference between indoor and outdoor grading is that outdoors grades are a consensus opinion of many (normally) experienced climbers, wheras indoor grades are given by a buisness whose purpose is to bring in money, and will grade boulders to make people feel better about themselves/stronger in the hopes that they will come back and pay more money. Hence they tend to artificially deflate the difficulty relative to outdoor boulders (where nobody normally has any incentive to misgrade them). I think the other large factor is that commercial climbing gyms are trending towards using much bigger footholds, and if people never learn to climb on small footholds then they will struggle a lot more if they transition to climbing outside.

@mikemarcus7442

Күн бұрын

Also flashing is much more difficult outdoors because even if a problem is physically within your ability, you still need to work out where the holds are. At the lower grades, indoors, reading the route is pretty self explanatory (move to the next red hold, etc). Outdoors anything can be a hold, but only the easiest sequence is graded.

@AnnaNibbs

Күн бұрын

I think you're probably about this - especially with the bigger chain walls. It's perhaps different at some of the old skool walls - my local gym is the Foundry in Sheffield, one of the oldest in the country (it's also a CIC and run by members rather than 100% for-profit). I don't think the grading is as soft there as it is in newer places (it does vary, of course, depending on the setter and the style). I haven't done much climbing outdoors yet - I've been climbing a year, and my only outdoor trip so far was a morning of sport climbing on Peak District limestone. But one thing I noticed was that I didn't find the footholds as bad as everyone was telling me they were, and I think that's partly down to climbing on the Wave and Moon Wall at the Foundry - you get more accustomed to thinking of teeny features as 'good' footholds if you've got a wall that mimics natural rock a bit. It's also down to the fact I've really had to work at my footwork because I'm a T-Rex with a crap ape index, minimal upper body strength and crappy tendons (I have joint hypermobility). I'm fully prepared to be schooled once I get on some outdoor boulders though! 😅 I have no doubt they'll feel WAY harder than indoors.

Its really based on your environment and skillset so we cant say anything for everyone with certainty

@AnnaNibbs

Күн бұрын

I think you're right. One of the local instructors I know said "it's not harder; it's just different". For the easier grades, at least, sometimes (not always!) you have more options because you're not restricted to a set of coloured holds. I've not done much outdoor climbing at all yet - only one sport climbing sesh on limestone. But I actually found I was able to play to my strengths more outside. I found more opportunities to do things with my legs and hips (I'm a T-Rex!) and not feel frustrated because the route was set by a tall/long-armed person and I'm forced to dyno (a skill I'm working on, but I prefer precise, techy climbing!) for a hold that others can just reach up and grab. That said, that was only one outing, and it wasn't bouldering. But I think there's something in that idea. There's potentially more room for creativity and freedom of interpretation, but learning to 'read' the rock is almost an entirely new skill in itself and the risk factor and variability of conditions adds to perceptions of difficulty.

So when i was setting something we had to think about is will someone going to the gym for the first time enjoy it if it was really as hard as outside. probably not so you need to stretch the lower grades downwards that way people who really are very new can get up the wall sometimes. but you also dont wanna just make the range of v0s massive so everting gets shifted. and slowly gets closer to matching their outdoor counterparts as the grades get higher.

5:00 sounds exactly right

13:20: 'We all have egos here' 13:58: 'At the lower end - V5 and below' Alright Mr V6...

I have the exact same shoe, tc pro. I notice that they're much better for outdoor. agree?

It's the same for lead climbing outdoors, by the way, at least here in Austria. I climb about as much outside as i do inside. Indoors my on-sight level is roundabout 6b/6b+, outside i can mostly only onsight 6a's. A few days ago i was stood in front of an alleged 6b+, that starts okay, with relatively good holds and burly moves, but about half way up it turns into a ~10% overhanging slab. The decent holds turn into half-pad crimps with fuck all feet. Bit tough for a 6b+ in my opinion. I agree though, fuck the grades. It was a fun day climbing anyways.

@MikeBoydClimbs

Күн бұрын

sounds like a gnarly line! Thanks for watching 💪

Gyms aren't really soft. They are just gyms. Rock and plastic are two different things, and trying to smash them together to create a singe, unified grading system doesn't work very well.

I boulder V11/8A outdoors and this guy gets a bloody Organic sponsorship! 😂 Good on ya though Mike, I’ve enjoyed your videos since before you got into climbing and been waiting for an outdoor bouldering video 💪. Hit me up if you ever fancy some Peak District bouldering!

To all the people who think spotters are important: Can you show me one video where the spotter actually made a difference? I feel like most of the time the spotter is standing on wobbly feet, not prepared to exert any kind of force.or standing in the wrong spot (usually too close) entirely. I think they might be able to prevent your head from hitting the ground (or rocks) but that could be greatly mitigated with a helmet as well.

It’s not outdoor bouldering which is confusing, it’s that particular guide book 😂 It’s the worse out of the 15 or so guidebooks I own.

What is the brand of your orange pants ? (I like it) Thanks

@MikeBoydClimbs

Күн бұрын

Wild Country (I received these for free, but I would recommend)

@Furansowakun

Күн бұрын

@@MikeBoydClimbs Thank you for the quick reply, I will buy one too :)

Mother Nature didnt assign grade tags to her beautiful sculptures, so why should we? Just enjoy, smile with friends, and never stop exploring

@MikeBoydClimbs

2 күн бұрын

absolutely 💪

13:47 on the contrary. Grades are the best way to track progress. But yes, grades don't matter, except for knowing whether to get on something or not. If you're struggling doing a 6c there's no actual point in trying 7a, because the grades are exponential, so it most likely will be twice as hard. And the "don't matter" part, is that you just have to take something that's either at or above your limit and fight the good fight on it, by looking at a route graded around what your limit is.

@MikeBoydClimbs

Күн бұрын

I actually disagree with trying the harder grades. There have been many times that, for whatever reason, I've done the harder grade but couldn't get the lower one! Thanks for watching 💪

@RockClimberAlex

Күн бұрын

@@MikeBoydClimbs That's just bad grades. If they're decently often climbed, due to the fact climbing grades are exponential you should never be able to get a higher grade but not get the lower one.

Makes me think of my first outdoor bouldering experience. About an hr of bush bashing to get to the boulder ? Not sure if its even the right one , end up making up some climbs . Everything feels extremely sketchy. End up with a few tick bites about 5min in total of "climbing" and some "send" footage so stupid on rewatch it nearly sends you into an existential crisis. It does get better haha

@MikeBoydClimbs

Күн бұрын

Damn... you described it so well even down to the tick bites...

I have been thinking that outdoor bouldering in general is harder because the footholds are much worse than in the gyms, where you don’t really learn proper foot technique.

There is an app called boulder that has a lot of boulders in it, can be really useful

You should get more and bigger pads, those that you used are indeed scary. Also if you have rocks under them, a spotter would guide a potential fall away from them.

If its a well known spot I'd suggest looking for send videos on KZread. People like to post their sends.

nice mike.

And when you finally get used to outdoor grades... then you go to Fontainebleau... and you need to start over again 😅

You might want to train more body tension and footwork, that transfers over to outdoor a lot.

Now try the buttermilks or Yosemite you’ll be doing V0- routes. It’s ridiculously sandbagged there

If you go outside please don’t leave rubbish, brush off your chalk and don’t play loud music 😅 cheers…grades have too many variables so just have fun.

Yes

Search KZread for: Scottish guy on roof . Thats what Mike is like at 4:27 !

Bouldering is so scary. Been trad climbing for 2 years now and sport climbing for many more. But man... When falling with a rope you only hit the ground sometimes. Bouldering you hit the ground every god damn time.

also, you always scout out the down climb before trying a problem..

The fact there is nothing other than a written description is VERY weak. Most boulder guides have at least the start marked. So its a topograph but with just a dot to signify the start So a picture of the north side with a list of the 4 visible routes. Each route is marked 1-4 or A-D etc. And just a dot near the beginning. It might say, "match both hands on the obvious crimp and work your way up and to the right" and the dot will be on the "obvious crimp" This keeps the beta hidden enough and makes it much more of a choose your own adventure. Or if its two wide hands the dot will be placed between them typically

yes.

Having outdoor grades in the gym makes no sense, in Italy we use just colors and every gym has their own "grades", for example. I think that's more reasonable as indoor and outdoor bouldering are very different

I went outdoor for first time ever last weekend and got destroyed, I climb v6/7 indoor(very soft gym) and was terrified climbing something I could easily hold

@MikeBoydClimbs

Күн бұрын

welcome to the club! Thanks for watching 💪

Me living in the Netherlands when people tell me to climb outside 👀

@MyMusicSosa

2 күн бұрын

You are a couple hours away from font

@edwins1508

2 күн бұрын

Glees in germany is a nice region to go to

@soejrd24978

2 күн бұрын

@@edwins1508 Mm thanks for the idea!

@soejrd24978

2 күн бұрын

@@MyMusicSosa That's true, I'll think about going there!

Its on the other left

@MikeBoydClimbs

Күн бұрын

🤣

not the vapour vs outside mike!! your poor shoe rubber :(

If you go a little further in the grades you will find that the outdoor grades are more akin to gym ones eventually. It actually starts to reverse when you really get up in the grades, in the 10+ range. Everyone told me the same thing- outdoor is sandbagged. Then I climbed a few outdoor v9s and 10s and, well, compared to the indoor ones, which often have crazy, ridiculous moves, I felt a lot more comfortable doing the static power moves on crimps and cracks than the no texture bs you find in commercial gyms nowadays.

It's hilarious that previous climbing with the likes of Pete Whittaker and Dave McLeod is seen as safer than this bouldering, seems more like it's simply lack of familiarity...and lack of experienced and focused spotters!

Don’t need to watch the video. The answer to the title is yes.

That is the worlds worst guidebook

I'd argue that 40% of bouldering is not understanding the guide book and 40% getting stuck on top of the boulders and then 20% climbing, so id argue you have it down

8:06 how about a helmet

What a sad world we live in when people first climb on plastic.

😂