Bouldering

Bouldering is great for beginners. It's relatively affordable, accessible and easy to do with large groups of friends, making it a great social activity.

Unlike free solo climbing, which is also performed without ropes, bouldering problems usually less than 20 feet tall. Most climbers say anything above 15 feet is a highball and can range in height up to 35-40 feet where highball bouldering then turns into free soloing.

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Gear

Bouldering requires significantly less gear than other forms of rock climbing. In fact, if you plan to boulder indoors at a gym, all you really need is a pair of climbing shoes, which you can usually rent at the gym. Other commonly used gear includes chalk to help absorb moisture from hands and increase friction when climbing and a brush for cleaning off holds. If you're headed outdoors, you'll also need a crash pad to cushion your falls.

Setting

A climbing gym is a great place to go bouldering for the first time. Climbers of all abilities can have a good time with many route options available in one place and accessible in any type of weather. For those who enjoy the outdoors and live near a crag (a climbing area that contains numerous routes), there are guidebooks, apps, and online resources to help locate problems which are graded based on their difficulty. Americans typically use the V scale, which grades boulders from V0 to V17.