Why Do Some Climbers HATE Bouldering?

I call it "boulderzzzzz" as I fall asleep as soon as I hit the pad. Almost as boring as "sport" climbing 

Bouldi Troll wrote:

The climbers that hate on bouldering are usually the experienced ones with fragile egos that can't handle getting their asses handed to them on the lowest graded problems. 

Fragile egos all around I say. Anyone over a certain age knows that what used to be a practice drill has become a full fledged sport. There is nothing wrong with having a basketball dribbling championship or a baseball throwing championship either, its 'Merca and we gots freedom.

I've found that many of my friends who exclusively boulder have almost all pissed themselves on routes over 15'. That probably says more about my choice of friends than anything.

I climb mostly trad these days, but bouldering was fun when I had cartilage in my knees and ankles that didn't flop over so easy. 

Even hitting a pad is dangerous, so I don't do it any more. I did quite a bit of bouldering in JTree and Sylvan Lake in the early 2000's, and I even got to meet Verm... 

As a boulderer mainly, I see roped climbing like I see golf -- it's something I can fall back on when I turn 60 and my body is in shambles, not able to do anything else.

jimmy kwrote:

... my body is in shambles, not able to do anything else.

"Shambles?" Dang, bro. I got a bad back and a wonky knee, but I'm not ready to be shot to be put out of misery yet. Sheesh.

Duh.
Because Beanies.

Plus sport climbing has barely been accepted as real climbing and it's taken a solid 40+ years. Now, if all the pebble wrestlers started DWS that might change the dynamic.

I did hear many boulderers can't swim. Is that true?

M Mwrote:

Plus sport climbing has barely been accepted as real climbing and it's taken a solid 40+ years. Now, if all the pebble wrestlers started DWS that might change the dynamic.

I did hear many boulderers can't swim. Is that true?

Bouldering is significantly older than sport climbing

M Mwrote:

Plus sport climbing has barely been accepted as real climbing and it's taken a solid 40+ years. Now, if all the pebble wrestlers started DWS that might change the dynamic.

I did hear many boulderers can't swim. Is that true?

You gotta be trolling here. Barely been accepted? I'm pretty sure sport climbers and dedicated boulders (individually and not combined) significantly outnumber dedicated trad climbers. So I don't think the majority of the climbing community cares whether, or not the minority trad climbing community accepts them or not. 

the following are my observations over my 20 years of climbing (pretty avid all-arounder, bouldering, sport, trad, alpine, hangdogging): i think the bulk of the modern frustration/disdain with bouldering has been influx of people that have transitioned from the gym to outdoor and the increase in poor etiquette and environmental impacts that have also followed. the huge increase in climbing's popularity has see a dis-proportionate increase in bouldering as it is the most accessible and easiest transition from the gym to the outdoor. there also seems to be a big increase in personal fitness (crossfit, orange theory) that has a social aspect to it. bouldering also has this appeal. i have first had witnessed many areas that had low bouldering scene just explode over the last 10 or so years and have seen first hand the impacts that has had. bouldering also seems to have by far the largest social media presence which i think adds to the hate (i have my own thoughts on this i wont get into). gotta post that vid about how many veeeeeez i climbed and than argue about which low low start is the correct start. i think sport climbing has obviously seen the 2nd largest rise in popularity/problems with trad climbing in 3rd.

M Mwrote: I've found that many of my friends who exclusively boulder have almost all pissed themselves on routes over 15'. That probably says more about my choice of friends than anything.

That reminds me of a funny story I'll keep to myself.

Indian creek got worked when the pad people started trampling their way to every pebble. Climbers at IC BITD wouldn't even go shit  around the boulders, people used to stick to the very few trails.

pkedswrote:

the following are my observations over my 20 years of climbing (pretty avid all-arounder, bouldering, sport, trad, alpine, hangdogging): i think the bulk of the modern frustration/disdain with bouldering has been influx of people that have transitioned from the gym to outdoor and the increase in poor etiquette and environmental impacts that have also followed. the huge increase in climbing's popularity has see a dis-proportionate increase in bouldering as it is the most accessible and easiest transition from the gym to the outdoor. there also seems to be a big increase in personal fitness (crossfit, orange theory) that has a social aspect to it. bouldering also has this appeal. i have first had witnessed many areas that had low bouldering scene just explode over the last 10 or so years and have seen first hand the impacts that has had. bouldering also seems to have by far the largest social media presence which i think adds to the hate (i have my own thoughts on this i wont get into). gotta post that vid about how many veeeeeez i climbed and than argue about which low low start is the correct start. i think sport climbing has obviously seen the 2nd largest rise in popularity/problems with trad climbing in 3rd.

Spot on. 

My annoyance with bouldering feels pretty self-serving ...

I "found" a "new" wall this summer, at the base of the wall are a few surprisingly impressive boulders ... I guess. I told some people about the boulders and started scrubbing some routes on the wall. One of the routes I scrubbed is, I think, one of the better crack routes in an area with 600 routes; it took me five-ish hours to scrub it ... totally worth it, so psyched on the route, labor of love. 

Soon, the boulderers came out and scrubbed four boulders and claimed something like 25 FAs ... in a weekend.

I dunno, I type all this with a smile, but it feels diminishing to work so hard on a new 60 ft. route and then have a boulderer scrub an 8x12 ft. strip of rock down the hill, claim four FAs on it (because when you grab the crimp six inches to the right it's a COMPLETELY different route), each one named, each one with it's own unique MP page. Ugh, bouldering.

:)

Dont let all the FAs(or lack of) get you down. 

Coincidence or not, the first letters of FArt?

Bouldi Troll wrote:

trying to think of a snarky response I found this.

I know not very good, but I thought I would feed you my wasted time!

fantasticalness is one that is highly underused in the FA community