Hanging on in Gatineau Park

Bouldering: the 100-metre dash for climbers

BY DAVID KAWAI

IT’S A BIT INTIMIDATING to get dragged into the heart of Gatineau Park by one of Canada’s top rock climbers.

“I hope you like mud,” says Jody Miall, stuffing climbing gear into his pack and heading for the trail. Pant legs rolled up, we hike the narrowing path for 10 minutes before Jody stops and points up the hill.

“If you go that way there are some good sport climbs,” he says, promptly turning his back on them. Miall isn’t climbing routes today; he has no rope, no carabineers (draws) and no belay devices. We keep walking. The path gets narrower still and steep beyond comfort.

Another 15 minutes pass and we arrive at The Shrine. It’s like the secluded home of a handful of 15- to 20-foot boulders, enclosed by trees in every direction.

Jody Miall spots his landing while crimping down on one of Gatineau Park’s Shrine boulders.

Charlotte Curtis follows the sun up a V3 boulder problem in Niagara Glen, Ontario.

Miall slips on his climbing shoes, chalks his hands and scopes out the features on one of the boulders with a wicked overhang. He hoists his toned 5’8” frame off the ground. His movement is dynamic with timing and balance perfectly in sync, popping from one hold to the next. After four or five powerful moves, Miall hucks for the sloped top-out, grunting and barely holding on. He summons body tension and kicks out a leg to prevent his own momentum from peeling him off the rock.

Welcome to the world of bouldering.

If rock climbing was a running sport, then sport climbing would be a marathon, and bouldering would be the 100-metre dash. In the last decade, bouldering has exploded in popularity among the climbing community. Today it accounts for nearly 99 percent of all competitive adult rock climbing in Canada and about 90 percent in the U.S., which amount to some 250 competitions a year.

Competitions aside, the mental and physical fitness aspects of recreational bouldering have won over climbers of all abilities. Miall ranked first in Canada for bouldering last year and placed third on the American Bouldering Series (ABS) this year. He figures the sport is getting a lot of attention because it’s impressive and physically taxing.

“The hardest moves in climbing are done in bouldering,” he says. “You get the top climbers jumping whole body lengths and hanging onto the tiniest holds.”

Bouldering is evolving as a social sport, and its subscribers tend to work on problems in groups. Boulderers cheer each other on to reach higher points until the team discovers a sequence to the top.

Alyssa Herzig, a 22-year-old University of Ottawa student, started bouldering in February and she’s already addicted: “It’s fun, and everybody sort of pushes each other. It’s good times. But, even if there’s nobody here, I can still zone out and climb on my own.”

Unlike route climbing, bouldering doesn’t require a belayer (safety rope). All you need is a pair of climbing shoes, a chalk bag and a crash pad to cushion against those potential plunges to terra firma.

Erik Harmsen, 19, has been bouldering for more than a year now and enjoys the pureness of the sport. “I like the fact that there’s nothing there but you and the rock,” he says. “The equipment is minimal. You can just get up and go.”

The lack of equipment often leads to misconceptions about the danger factor. Miall explains that people often confuse bouldering with “free soloing,” which is climbing without a rope at heights where a fall could be fatal. Most bouldering is limited to about 20 vertical feet.

“I think the danger is grossly over-exaggerated,” says Miall. At the same time, he believes safety should always be a concern, especially when bouldering outdoors. “People underestimate it sometimes, and think it’s simple because of the lack of equipment.”

IN BOULDERING, every fall is a ground fall.

Boulderers use crash pads to absorb the impact of falls, but on difficult or high-ball climbs, or when the landing area is steep or uneven, you’ll need a good spotter. The job of a spotter seems simple, but it’s an art in itself.

A good spotter keeps full attention on the boulderer and tries to anticipate falls before they happen. Spotters should have solid footing, stand with arms out and palms open to the boulderer’s back, and keep fingers together and thumbs in.

When your climber falls, there are split seconds to decide how to react and guide the climber to a safe landing. It could require a simple brushing of the back, but be prepared for an awkward fall and improvised technique. It’s best to learn in a climbing gym from boulderers with spotting experience.

He says boulderers can easily get injured if they don’t practice proper spotting — the art of hovering underneath a fellow boulderer with arms out, ready to catch and guide them to a safe landing if they fall. The best place to learn is in a climbing gym, where there are well-padded floors. New climbers can also use climbing gyms to hook up with local folks who often know the best areas to boulder outdoors.

Herzig went bouldering outdoors for the first time in May. She admits the gym is more convenient and a “little softer on the skin,” but she says nothing beats real rock.

“I like how the problems aren’t mapped out. And when the sun’s on your back…you just feel at one with nature. You just can’t get that in a gym.”

The biggest problem with outdoor bouldering? It can be hard to find challenging locales, especially in the Ottawa area. What’s worse, some of

Toronto’s Nicole Reeve stretches the first move on a finals problem at an indoor bouldering competition hosted by Ottawa’s Coyote Rock Gym.

the few established bouldering areas in Ontario may soon face climbing bans or restrictions due to environmental concerns.

Michel Viens, Senior Manager of Natural Resources and Land Management for Gatineau Park, says climbing in the park will be significantly reduced in the next three years while a conservation plan is developed.

“The park has a fragile and sensitive ecosystem,” he explains, citing problems like “the creation of trails, erosion, and trampling of endangered species.” Viens is working with the Alpine Club of Canada to find solutions to these concerns, and he asks climbers to “take all necessary precautions to minimize impact on the environment.” Climbers would do well to heed this advice because their efforts could affect the future of local outdoor bouldering.

In the meantime, Miall suggests that people interested in indoor or outdoor bouldering visit their local climbing gym for more information. Gyms also host bouldering competitions with recreational, experienced and open level categories. It’s an excellent showcase for bouldering talent and provides an opportunity to get into the sport.

Both climbing gyms in Ottawa — Coyote Rock Gym (739-4074) and Vertical Reality (569-3903) have recently expanded their indoor bouldering facilities. David Kawai is an avid boulderer and has fin- ished his third year at the Carleton School of Journalism. He is head of media monitoring and analysis at the Public Health Agency of Canada.

HOW TO FIND A BOULDERING AREA NEAR YOU

Start out on the Internet at www.drtopo.com for free printable climbing area maps. Click on the map of North America to get information on bouldering (and other climbing) in specific states or provinces. You will see locations, area maps with trails and boulder locations, problem locations, problem names and difficulty ratings. Difficulty rated at V0 is the easiest and V15 is the hardest. Beginners should look at the V0 to V3 range.

} Gatineau Park Shrine Boulders, Quebec. This location is the nearest bouldering to the Ottawa area, just a 30 minute drive. To

A climber tops-out a popular warm-up boulder near the entrance of Niagara Glen, Ontario.

avoid the insect action, try it April to May and September to November. It’s not a huge area, but a couple dozen problems have been established. } Val-David, Quebec. About an hour outside of

Montreal, Val-David is considered among the best places to boulder in Quebec. Advertised to have about 50 problems, boulders in Val-David are accessible and close to one another. } Niagara Glen, Southern Ontario. Near Niagara

Falls, this location is the most famous bouldering area in Ontario. It offers about 250 problems and a seemingly endless selection of boulders, with plenty of beginner grades. The limestone boulders can be slick, but landings are generally on even ground.

PHOTO BY DAVID KAWAI