My rookie era: peer pressure brought me to bouldering, then I found calm in ‘the way of the wall’ | Australian lifestyle

AAt first I didn’t notice it. When it got too big to notice, I ignored it. In my ignorance, I even made fun of it. It wasn’t until it completely took over my surroundings that I was forced to accept the reality: my friends can scale walls like mountain goats.

Bouldering is the art of climbing short “climbs” using proven techniques. As much a problem-solving exercise as a physical one, it appeals to parts of the brain left dormant for millennia. What started as a way to train climbers has evolved into its own culture filled with specialized gear, terminology, community memes, and Italian brain rot.

If I wanted to join my friends on “the path to the wall”, I’d start from scratch – but after my GP’s requests for more physical activity turned into passionate pleas – and, of course, a tinge of peer pressure – I found myself outside the Blochaus climbing gym in Sydney.

Climbing gyms have become real third places. Many offer coffee, snacks, free Wi-Fi, lounge areas, and even non-block activities that make them truly comfortable places to hang out. Many hold weekly events, open early and close late.

I didn’t know any of this the first day. I walked around with my partner, who incredibly agreed to start too so I didn’t have to do it alone. We were greeted by a hectic maze of sloping walls and impossibly small “holds.” Even though we were told these climbs had varying levels of difficulty, everyone, even the young children, seemed to move like Cirque du Soleil performers. And then there were us. Starting with the simplest level – blue – we got to work.

I approached the wall with the confidence of someone who had watched at least five to seven instructional videos the night before, but by the time the hand landed, all had been forgotten. Nerves kicked in. Surely those rental shoes were too big? (They were). Surely I used too much chalk? (I had). But none of that stopped me from completing my first climb and the run that followed. I quickly came up against the golden rule of climbing: move slowly. Time spent away from the wall is just as valuable as time spent on it. Within 30 minutes, I could barely move.

This first day was marked by many difficult lessons. Climbing into your 30s without stretching first teaches something that can’t be learned any other way.

My own decisions aside, the block learning process isn’t that steep. As a beginner, it’s clear where you need to focus, what you’re supposed to do – and you get plenty of non-judgmental help from others as you progress. It may take weeks to develop the skills needed to tackle the next level of difficulty, and months to progress from there, but because the colors highlight your next accomplishment, or “projects” in common parlance, learning never becomes a chore.

I committed to going twice a week and purchased a membership to maintain a healthy level of accountability. The benefits were immediate. Two weeks after climbing, my upper body and core strength had noticeably improved; by the third week, my posture and my sleep too. More importantly, I had gone purple. It would still be a few weeks before I managed a climb, but it no longer seemed impossible.

I now crave the moments of mindfulness that the wall provides – it’s hard to sweat over small things when the brain and body are so locked away. Social pressure may have pushed me to climb the wall, but the opportunity to create quiet moments in my week held me back.

Three months later, many climbs still remain out of reach. I haven’t quite figured out the lingo yet or a position on whether liquid or powder chalk is better, but I’m there. The block has a hold on me. Besides, I already bought the shoes.