Outdoor Bouldering

Today was my first time getting to try bouldering outdoors rather than in the gym, and I had naively expected the two would be pretty similar. It turns out that outdoor bouldering fear is absolutely a thing - when you are trying to top out a tall problem, and you look down knowing that if you fall you’re going to have to aim for a relatively small mat, it doesn’t feel so easy. That’s assuming you can control your fall at all, if one of your feet slips, well… above a certain height, you need to commit to finishing, and be confident that your feet will in fact not slip. The rock is also so sharp compared to gym holds - my hands are shredded.

With all that being said, getting to explore, spend some time outside, to breathe the fresh sea air and have a laugh with some friends was an excellent experience, and the climbing itself was pretty fun too, once I’d pushed past some physical and mental barriers. Hopefully it’ll become a habit.