If you have never climbed indoors, bouldering is usually the easier place to start. There is no rope, no harness, and no partner to sort out, so you can be on the wall within minutes of walking in. The more useful answer to indoor rock climbing vs bouldering, though, is that hardly anyone predicts which one will suit them, and because both sit under one roof at North Devon’s largest climbing centre you can settle it in one visit instead of choosing blind. Here is how the two compare, and what to do if you still cannot decide.
What indoor rock climbing involves
Indoor rock climbing means climbing a tall wall while tied to a rope. If you come off, the rope holds you, and you are lowered back to the floor under control. Most beginners start on top rope, where the rope is already fixed above you before you leave the ground.
You wear a harness and climbing shoes, and someone at the bottom manages the rope for you. That job is called belaying, and it is taught face to face by a qualified instructor rather than picked up as you go. On a first visit to our indoor climbing wall, we do it for you, so the only thing you have to think about is the next hold.
What bouldering involves
Bouldering is climbing at low height with no rope at all, over thick safety matting. You work on short routes called problems, drop off when you have had enough, then step back and try again. Our bouldering room is set up so you can do that all evening without ever leaving the ground for long.
The kit list is tiny. You need climbing shoes and a bit of chalk, and we can sort both of those out on the day. The British Mountaineering Council calls indoor bouldering the most accessible form of climbing because it needs the least equipment and no partner to hold your ropes.
Problems are marked by colour, so you can find ones set at your level and watch your progress as you move up through the grades. Because the grades start very easy, there is normally something you can get up on a first session, which is a large part of why bouldering hooks beginners.
Keith recommends paying very little attention to the grades for your first few sessions. Beginners who chase a number tend to climb tense and tire quickly, while the ones who simply try whatever looks interesting improve faster.
Which is harder, climbing or bouldering?
Move for move, bouldering is usually harder. Problems are short, so they tend to be steeper and more powerful, and a boulder grade asks more of you than a rope route of a similar number.
Getting to the top is easier on a rope, though. A top rope route is longer and steadier, and one slip does not end the attempt. If your idea of a good session is reaching the top of something tall, roped climbing feels more rewarding early on.
Bouldering also gives you far more attempts in an hour, which is brilliant for learning quickly, although it is tiring enough to stop before your arms make the decision for you.
You do not have to choose before you arrive
This is the part an article cannot settle for you. Both are in the same building here, so you can find out how each one actually feels rather than guessing from a description. Ask us when you book, and we will point you to the session that lets you try both.
It is worth doing, because the two feel nothing alike once you are on the wall. Shoes and a harness are provided either way; an instructor is there for the roped side, and you are not committing to a course to find out.
What you need to bring
Very little, for either one. Wear clothes you can move in, tie long hair back and bring a water bottle. Everything else, including shoes and a harness, is provided, which is the point of trying a session before you spend anything on kit. Our first time climbers page walks through exactly what happens when you arrive.
For opening hours, parking, current prices and anything else practical, the visitor information page is kept up to date, so it is worth a look before you set off.
Do you need someone to climb with?
For bouldering, no. Turn up on your own, climb at your own pace, and talk to people or keep to yourself as you prefer.
For roped climbing, you need either a partner who can belay, an instructor with you, or an auto belay, which lowers you gently when you let go. A taster session is the simplest way in, because we handle the ropes while you climb. When you want to climb ropes unsupervised, a climbing induction is the step that gets you signed off to do it safely.
Keith recommends coming in comfortable clothes and leaving the gloves at home. Climbing works through your hands on the holds, and a little chalk deals with sweaty palms far better than gloves ever will.
How fit do you need to be?
Less fit than you think. Most people arrive with no climbing strength at all, and that is completely normal here, because technique carries beginners much further than raw muscle does.
Climbing works your whole body, and it counts towards the strengthening activity in the NHS physical activity guidance, which asks adults to do strengthening activity twice a week. That guidance also says to speak to a GP first if you have not exercised for a while or have a health condition, so do that before you book, and tell us on the day so we can plan around you.
The social side
Bouldering is the more sociable of the two on a busy evening, because you climb in short bursts and end up chatting to whoever is working on the same problem. Roped climbing is more of a two-person activity, where you take turns and rely on each other, which builds a different kind of trust. Couples, friends, and colleagues often prefer it for that reason.
Cost and climbing regularly
Bouldering is generally the cheaper habit, because it involves less kit and less instruction. Once you are climbing every week, membership works out as better value than paying for each visit. If you would rather learn properly from the start, our climbing courses take you from a first session through to leading.
Indoor rock climbing vs bouldering: which should you try first?
If you are nervous about heights, start with bouldering. You are never far off the ground, and you decide when to come down.
If heights are the appeal and you want the view from the top, start on a rope.
If you are bringing a partner or a group, roped climbing gives everyone a job to do and keeps them all involved.
And if you honestly cannot decide, do not. Try both in one visit and let the wall answer it, or ask us which session suits you best. Almost nobody sticks with only one of them for long anyway.
Frequently asked questions
Is bouldering safer than roped climbing?
Neither is risk-free, and both are run to the same safety standards here. Bouldering has no rope, so falls are short, but you land on the matting, which is why we show you how to come off a problem before you start. Roped climbing keeps you attached throughout, so the risk sits in the rope work, and that is why it is taught in person.
Do I need my own climbing shoes?
Not to begin with. Hire shoes are available every session, and most people use them for a good while before buying. Ask an instructor before you buy, because sizing catches people out.
Can I climb without a partner?
Yes. Bouldering needs nobody but you, and the auto belays let you climb on a rope alone once you have been shown how to use them, although climbing with a partner does need one of you signed off to belay.
Ready to find out which one you prefer?
The honest answer to indoor rock climbing vs bouldering is that you will know within an hour of trying them. Book online and come and see, with all the kit provided and an instructor beside you, whatever the weather is doing outside.
If you would rather ask a question first, get in touch and we will tell you honestly which session to start with.
