…Bouldering is a form of rock climbing in which there are no ropes, and the pitches are significantly smaller, usually topping out at around 16 or 17 feet. “Bouldering is the sprinting equivalent to running,” explained Alarcon. “It’s short, it’s powerful, and it’s more dynamic. Bouldering is always different, and it’s creative. A big part of the appeal is the problem-solving aspect of it.”
Though bouldering climbers don’t have a designated climbing partner, as in other forms of rock climbing, bouldering is actually more social, Alarcon said. People will work with their friends to solve “boulder problems” (designated routes up a wall which vary in difficulty) together.
To keep things interesting for regular climbers, Touchstone employs a team of professional “route setters” to travel around to all of their locations and devise new problems to solve. Routes are designated by colored tags, ranging in intensity from “V0” to “V12….”
