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Crushing It in Style: What Do You Wear for Indoor Bouldering

Crushing It in Style: What Do You Wear for Indoor Bouldering

Imagine stepping into a vibrant indoor bouldering gym, the sound of chalked hands gripping holds, the laughter of fellow climbers, and the exhilaration of conquering challenging routes. Indoor bouldering, a form of rock climbing without ropes, has gained immense popularity among fitness enthusiasts and thrill-seekers alike. But as a beginner, one question may linger in your mind – what do you wear for indoor bouldering? Fear not, for we are here to guide you through the art of dressing for climbing success! The Climber’s Uniform: Climbing Shoes When it comes to indoor bouldering, your shoes are your most critical piece of gear. Climbing shoes are designed with sticky rubber soles that provide superior traction on holds, allowing you to scale walls with confidence. The snug fit is essential for precision and control, so be sure to try on a few pairs to find the perfect fit for your feet. Remember, a good pair of climbing shoes can make all the difference in your climbing performance. Comfort and freedom of movement are vital in indoor bouldering. Climbing-specific pants or shorts are designed to accommodate the dynamic moves required for bouldering. Look for options with stretchy materials that allow unrestricted leg movement. Avoid baggy pants that might snag on holds and impede your progress. Opt for form-fitting attire that helps you focus on your climbing without distractions. For your upper body, choose lightweight and breathable climbing shirts. Look for moisture-wicking materials that keep you dry during intense climbs. Short-sleeve shirts are ideal for indoor bouldering, as they allow your arms to move freely without extra fabric getting in the way. Find a shirt that complements your style and keeps you feeling comfortable and confident on the wall. Chalk is a climber’s best friend, helping to keep hands dry and increase friction on holds. Invest in a chalk bag that can be easily clipped to your climbing harness or waistband. Fill it up with chalk, and you’re ready to conquer any route. Many climbers have their unique way of applying chalk, whether it’s a light dusting or a generous coating. Find what works best for you and embrace the chalk game. Indoor climbing gyms usually maintain a comfortable temperature, but it’s a good idea to dress in layers. As you warm up on climbs, you may want to shed a layer to avoid overheating. Likewise, when taking breaks between attempts, having an extra layer to throw on will keep you from getting too chilly. Layering also allows you to adapt to different climbing conditions, ensuring you’re prepared for any challenges that come your way. While climbing accessories are not essential for indoor bouldering, they can enhance your experience. Consider wearing a lightweight climbing helmet for added protection, especially in busy gyms where there may be falling chalk bags or holds. Fingerless climbing gloves can protect your hands from abrasions while leaving your fingertips free for optimal grip. Long hair can become a hindrance during climbs, obscuring your vision or getting caught on holds. Keep your hair in check with hair ties or headbands to ensure an unobstructed view and maximum focus on your climbing. Above all, remember that comfort and confidence are key. Choose clothing that makes you feel good and allows you to move freely. Climbing is as much about mental focus as it is about physical strength, so feeling comfortable in your climbing attire will boost your confidence on the wall. In Conclusion: Climb to Your Heart’s Content Now that you know what to wear for indoor bouldering, you’re ready to embark on your climbing journey. With climbing shoes that grip like a gecko, flexible pants that let you twist and turn, and moisture-wicking shirts that keep you feeling fresh, you’ll be well-equipped to tackle any route that comes your way. So, gear up, chalk up, and climb to your heart’s content – the indoor bouldering world awaits your ascent!

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The Best Bouldering Shoes for Beginners

As in every sport, you must be equipped with the correct gear to be successful, and bouldering is no exception. Bouldering is a uniquely agile and precision-intensive physical endeavor, and the shoes you wear while bouldering have to perform as such. While there are many things to look out for when hunting for the best bouldering shoe, as a beginner, your needs will be a tad different than an old pro. For those just embarking on their bouldering obsession, comfort, durability, and cost will be the biggest factors when purchasing bouldering shoes. Affiliate Disclaimer Boulderingwire is an affiliate and we earn from qualifying purchases. We receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. × Dismiss alert Are you still overwhelmed with the many bouldering shoe options on the market? Don’t sweat it. We will break it down for you in this article and point you in the right direction. What are bouldering shoes? Essentially, bouldering shoes are a specific type of climbing shoe designed for tackling bouldering problems, which are short but tricky climbs up an indoor bouldering wall or an outdoor small rock formation. Because bouldering is a free-form climbing sport, bouldering shoes are specifically constructed to withstand and aid in the immense strenuousness of the climb. What characteristics should I look for in a beginner’s bouldering shoe? Though bouldering shoes are a unique design themselves, within the category is a wide variety of shoes as well, ranging from a shoe fit for an expert to an intermediate to a beginner. For example, a bouldering shoe for an expert will have a more exaggerated shoe last and be softer and more flexible than a boulder shoe for a beginner. Understanding these distinctions will be key when determining which bouldering shoe to purchase as you begin honing your bouldering skills. Below are the characteristics to look for when shopping for bouldering shoes as a beginner. Rigidity. This might seem counterintuitive, but having a stiff shoe as a bouldering beginner is a necessity. The strength of your feet and toes likely will not be at the level required to sustain the weight of your body on minuscule edges and crevasses all day. You will need time to build up this strength, as well as a little help while you practice during that time, and a rigid bouldering shoe will provide you with the barrier you need.   Slightly downturned profile. Rather than the extreme curvature of the shoe of a seasoned bouldering athlete, a slightly downturned profile is best for a beginner. This allows for you to work with a more natural shape of your foot as you navigate easy to moderate bouldering problems that do not require as much precision. Modest asymmetrical shape. An asymmetrical shape of the shoe curves the foot inward, forcing weight on the big toe. As an expert, you will look for an asymmetrical bouldering shoe. However, as a beginner, a modest asymmetrical shape if not an entirely symmetrical shape is more appropriate. This will feel more natural to you and ensure your safety and comfort. Easy to slip on and off. Most of the bouldering shoes available to you will be secured by Velcro straps or will have a Velcro option. You will want a bouldering shoe with Velcro straps instead of the lace-up version for ease of use. Snug but not tight. This may go without saying, but you will have better chances of successfully completing a bouldering problem if your feet are not killing you. You do not want your shoes to be loose, as this risks your safety and agility while climbing, but you also do not want them to be constricting. As a general rule of thumb, your foot should not be able to move around inside the shoe, but it should not be painful to wear the shoe for extended periods of time. What are the best bouldering shoes for beginners? So, what are the best bouldering shoes for beginners? While there are many options, below are what we consider the top five bouldering shoes for beginners. La Sportiva Tarantula. A popular choice amongst beginners, the Tarantula adheres to the desired characteristics mentioned above: stiff, flat, comfortable, slightly asymmetrical, and comes in a Velcro version. The only downside to this shoe is that its thick rubber can leave you desensitized to the smallest holes and edges, and you may quickly be moving up to an intermediate shoe. You may want to go down a size with this shoe to avoid a loose fit. Mad Rock Drifter. In terms of affordability, this beginner’s bouldering shoe is a winner. It is a great place to start if you are not wanting to shell out the big bucks just yet on a bouldering shoe. Much like La Sportiva Tarantula, the Mad Rock Drifter has minimal curvature and modest asymmetry. Unlike the Tarantula, it has less stiffness, thus allowing you to be more sensitive to edges. Being a leather shoe, it will stretch over time, to not lose the snugness of the fit, go down half a size to start. Scarpa Arpia. For a more seamless transition into an advanced bouldering shoe but the feel still of a beginner’s bouldering shoe, consider the Scarpa Apria. This shoe’s profile is a bit more downturned than the previous options and features a more asymmetrical shape, both of which will help you gain more confidence in your edging skills while still providing the comfort and support of a beginner’s shoe. As with the Mad Rock Drifter, go down half a size here. Evolve Shaman. The Evolve Shaman is a wonderful option, especially if you like bouldering on overhangs. The shoe is designed with an added rubber covering over the big toe to provide stability and comfort while you strengthen your feet and toes. Its more advanced design also lends to a smoother transition up to an advanced bouldering shoe when you are ready. Black Diamond Momentum. When it comes to style, many people turn

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Bouldering Clothes

What Do You Wear for Indoor Bouldering

For indoor bouldering, you should wear your current workout clothes, rock shoes, casual slip-on shoes, and a lightweight jacket. Indoor bouldering can be an immensely fun and rewarding physical activity. However, there is always the crucial question of what to wear when bouldering! What’s is appropriate? What is recommended? What is appropriate? Here we will learn more about the proper bouldering attire. Let’s break these all down, shall we? Affiliate Disclaimer Boulderingwire is an affiliate and we earn from qualifying purchases. We receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. × Dismiss alert Workout Clothes If there is one rule about bouldering attire to remember, it’s this: If you’ll wear it to the gym, it will work for bouldering. You would be even better prepared if you were to take the flexibility of your current exercise clothes and ramp that up even more. Flexibility is the name of the game. There is also even an added level of casual to bouldering attire that you don’t see as much in a regular gym. Unlike outdoor bouldering where clothing requires much more weight and padding due to safety precautions, you can get away with much lighter fabrics when indoor bouldering. Bouldering gym floors are covered with protective matts to help break your fall should you take a tumble.  Although a bit of bagginess in your clothing is okay, when it comes to indoor bouldering, the slimer the fit the better. Remember that flexibility is paramount, so make sure that the slim fir clothes you choose to wear have a lot of flexibility to offer to you in your bouldering adventures. Tops People wear all sorts of tops when bouldering indoors, from casual tops to t-shirts to tanks to workout tops. Sleeves or no sleeves are fine if they don’t get in the way of your grip when climbing. Remember to keep it slim fit! Bottoms Before you ask the question, yes — you can wear shorts when bouldering! Whether your pants or leggings are on the long or short end of length, they will help you out during your climbing. Remember though — just like your tops, you want to go for the slimmer fit. You wouldn’t want your pants to get in the way of your bouldering. Skinny or slim stretch jeans, although not the absolute best choice, are a good choice for climbing as well. As long as they are made to stretch and cling to you well, they’ll serve you well. Rock Shoes These might be the most important piece of clothing for bouldering. You could technically do indoor bouldering naked perfectly well if your bouldering shoes are on your feet (please do not go bouldering naked). Rock shoes, or bouldering / climbing shoes, are specially designed for bouldering. They have a thin yet strong layer that clings almost skin-tight to your feet with white-knuckle traction on the soles. This allows you not only to protect your feet, but to have incredible traction as well as flexibility for your feet! These are essential for any boulderer. Don’t worry though — though you can absolutely buy your own pair of rock shoes, you don’t need to go to the bouldering gym. Like a bowling alley, bouldering gyms have plenty of rock shoes for you to rent while you’re there. Also like bowling alleys, you have to wear the rental shoes with no socks. The staff do regularly clean the shoes, but if there is any reason for you to buy your own rock shoes, there it is. Slip-On Shoes Because rock shoes are only good for bouldering and not really for anything else (walking included), you’d want to arrive to and leave from your bouldering experience with a different pair of shoes, a more comfortable pair. It’s important to bring an extra pair of shoes along with you, preferably a pair that is easy to slip on and off. Not only does this allow you more comfort for your feet while bouldering, but it also prevents you from having to walk the floors of the gym restrooms with only your thin, skin-tight little rock shoes.  Lightweight Jacket Thankfully, most bouldering gyms are air-conditioned. There is a flip side to that though. Bouldering can be a strenuous physical feat that can lead to you sweating like you haven’t sweated in a hot minute. Like when you get out of the pool and the wind chill sends a shiver through your system, so is finishing a sweaty bouldering session and taking a break with nothing to protect you from the AC’s chill. Bringing a light jacket may not seem like a priority at first, but it will help you stay warm enough when taking breaks in between climbing sessions. In Conclusion We hope that this article has been as enjoyable for you as it was informative. Hopefully this will not only give you a better idea of how to prepare for indoor bouldering, but also get you excited to find your nearest gym. Happy climbing!

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