When starting with rock climbing it can be hard to get down from a boulder you just climbed, especially when the bouldering problem is just at the limit of your abilities. Over years of bouldering experience I developed different techniques that always allow me to get back on the ground safely.
As a general rule, climbing the wall back down is the safest way of getting down from a bouldering wall. If the height doesn’t exceed 2 meters (6.5 feet) you can also jump down. It is recommended to place a crash pad or mat under the falling zone or have a spotter that helps you jump down safely.
Especially jumping down a bouldering wall can be very dangerous when you don’t know how to do it correctly and lead to injuries. In the following I will explain the three different options of getting down from a climbing wall in detail.
Climbing Back Down From The Bouldering Wall
Whenever possible you should climb back down from a bouldering wall as this is the safest way to do it. The risk of hurting yourself and possibly getting injured is decreased to a miniumum. However often there are several problems with climbing back to the ground, such as you have not enough power anymore after climbing all the way up.
This is very often the case as most climbers always look for bouldering problems that are on the edge of their abilities and are very power consuming to climb for them. This is why it is very important to think about the down climbing part before even climbing up. If you want to learn how you solve a boulder problem most efficiently click here.
When you are already on the top of the boulder and then start thinking about how you get back down it’s too late and you often don’t have the time to think clearly about a solution, because you are out of power and can’t hold yourself any longer. This often leads to unprepared jumps from big heights, which are very dangerous, especially when you are a beginner and not confident in the landing technique, which I will talk about later in this post.
When climbing back down you can also use the bouldering holds and footholds of the other climbing routes, as this is not part of the bouldering problem anymore. You already solved the problem and the main priority is to get down safely now. Additionaly there are often very good holds that are marked with an arrow down, which are exclusively for climbing down and are not part of a boulder problem.
If you are out of power, try to find a spot on the wall where you can stay for a few seconds effortless, before you continue your downclimb. These spots are often found where you have two good footholds and you can lean into the wall without needing your hands to stabalize. Alternatively some climbing gyms have an area on top of their bouldering walls where you can top off after finishing a boulder and rest for a few minutes.
Most of the times it’s not necessary to downclimb the entire wall, as you can jump down safely the last little part of it. In this case a special landing technique isn’t rquired, because the distance you fall is very small and you can just stand on your feet.
Jumping Down From The Climbing Wall
Try to avoid jumping down a bouldering wall whenever possible and try to climb it down. If you land correctly and don’t get directly injured it still isn’t good for your bones and joints if you do it often. The only real reason to jump down the wall after you finished a boulder problem is the lack of power. So if you want learn how you increase your climbing power you can click here.
Everything else like having no motivation to climb down or it doesn’t look cool are no arguements that justify the risk and long term effects of jumping down from big heights. However, if you don’t have the power to climb down and you are also not in a position where you can rest, jumping is an option to get down from a bouldering wall.
However there are many things to care about before jumping. The most simple beeing looking down and making sure the falling area is free and nothing is in the way. If a person or a thing, like a chalk bag, is in the falling zone ask the person kindly to leave it or the owner to remove the object. Always double check if you can jump by looking down before doing so.
The correct landing technique reduces the risk of getting injuried and decreases the force on your bones and joints. Try to jump down straight and avoid rotating. When landing on your feet bend your knees (like you do when squating) naturally without additional force and let yourself fall on your back.
Using crashpads or climbing mats brings additional safety, as the ground you land on is softer and better for your bones and joints. If you use multiple mats or crash pads make sure to don’t overlap them and instead place them edge to edge so an even surface is created. This is important, because uneven surfaces makes the landing harder and the force can’t be split up evenly between your both legs.
Let a Spotter Help You To Get Back Down
Having a spotter is always a good thing in climbing and especially bouldering as it gives extra safety. A spotter helps you to get down safely with catching you and slowing down the fall. It is very important that you can trust your spotter, as you will be more confident in jumping down when you have to.
If you are climbing in a group or with a friend ask if they could spot you. This isn’t necessary for all bouldering problems, but when you have to go to your limits, because the boulder is very hard for you, you should definitely ask. If you climb alone you can also ask other people in the climbing gym if they could assist you with spotting.
If you found a person that spotted for you it is common to ask the person if he needs you to spot for him aswell. I think helping out each other is great, because you also meet new poeple like this. When spotting it is very important to be focused and ready in case the climber is falling. Telling the climber you are ready is giving them extra confidence in you.
Final Thoughts
Bouldering is a beautiful, but also pretty dangerous sport. In the beginning I also made the mistake to just jump down for no reason and hurt myself quite often because of that. Try to take care of yourself and just take the additional training of climbing down. It really doesn’t hurt.