Bouldering is a form of climbing involving short routes, where climbers jump off (or climb down) onto padding, allowing them to climb without rope or harnesses.
Tropical, urbanised Singapore may lack the space, weather, and natural rock formations most suited for outdoor climbing. But the compact format of bouldering has flourished in indoor gyms, which seem to have sprung up by the dozens in retail malls and other locations.
Our colleague visited one of the newest entrants, Project Send, to finally try bouldering for herself.
In this article, she shares what she’s found out about the sport that has captivated many of her friends, and her tips for anyone who’s keen to try it for the first time.
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I really mean it when I say I haven’t really exercised for years.
I do have some background in sports from when I was much younger, but then I guess I just got busy with school, then work, and just life in general.
However, I’ve always found bouldering quite intriguing. Even though it’s been getting more popular recently, it’s not a “conventional” sport like soccer or basketball.
So, I was quite happy when I was asked to try bouldering for an article, at Project Send — a new bouldering gym that recently opened on the second floor of Esplanade Mall, overlooking the bay area.
Big windows and a lot of natural light.
I think I had a pretty good introduction to the sport, with around three hours spent climbing, with lots of breaks in between routes.
I also got to watch more experienced climbers working on their routes, as the gym got busier towards the end of the day.
Blending in well, I think, even though it made me nervous just seeing them attempt moves like big leaps, and stretching out to reach holds.
In total, I managed to try at least 10 routes. I can’t remember how many I completed, but the hardest route I finished was rated “3”, while the most difficult route in the gym was a “12”.
I think my climbing was pretty average for a beginner.
So why are people getting into bouldering?
As for why I think people are getting into bouldering, I see it as a good way to train yourself without it being excruciatingly boring (compared to running on a treadmill, for example).
I was also surprised that it felt approachable, even to me — someone who hasn’t exercised in a long time.
You need some strength and fitness — but that’s not all
I think this is because bouldering is not just about strength or fitness.
I expected that it would be very physically challenging and require lots of arm strength, which was a bit daunting because I can’t do pull ups, and I’ve never done weights.
But, I found out that there’s quite a lot of thinking involved too. You have to plan your routes and figure out how you’re going to climb.
Planning out the moves for a route with Project Send’s head coach Akmal.
Basically, it’s not just brute strength to pull yourself up the wall.
I think it also takes confidence to push yourself beyond your comfort zone, because you sometimes won’t know whether you can climb a particular route until you’ve tried it.
And, because of that mental stimulation, it’s constantly interesting.
Of course, your physical conditioning would improve if you climb regularly, and I imagine that it would come as an unexpected surprise, because climbing doesn’t feel like “hard work” in the same way as lifting weights in a conventional gym.
I also think there’s an element of teamwork involved. It’s more evident than most people would realise — on a route where you’re not familiar, you can expect that other people in the gym will cheer you on.
In my experience, the cheering helped to affirm that what I was doing was “correct”, even though there isn’t only one correct way to climb each route.
So it’s a community-friendly activity, where you can gather with a lot of people and plan how to climb routes together.
And if I had to summarise, it would say I think people are getting into bouldering because it’s a stimulating form of activity that pushes you both physically and mentally, with a strong sense of community.
With that, here’s my experience trying bouldering for the first time:
Getting started
We got to Project Send in the late afternoon, and there was plenty of natural light in the space.
This space (the gym’s competition wall and training area) is behind a wall, so the gym turned out to be quite a lot bigger than it might seem from the entrance.
The first thing for me to do was to get a pair of climbing shoes, which the gym rents out to those who, like me, are just trying out the sport.
The shoes have rubber soles that help climbers stick to slippery or small climbing holds with the help of friction. I tried a few different sizes before selecting one that was tight, but not uncomfortable.
Pushing past mental barriers
Falling off the wall was one area where I had to push myself mentally.
Going through the standard orientation for all beginner climbers.
I started off my session by learning how to fall safely: Land with your feet, bend your knees, and roll back onto your butt and back.
You should also avoid using your arms to break your fall, as this can result in injuries.
I don’t have a fear of heights, and when I first looked at the walls, I didn’t think they were very tall.
But, I realised that when you are on the wall, you feel like you’re further off the ground than you actually are.
At some points, it felt quite nerve wracking, because there’s an intrinsic fear of falling and getting hurt.
I could feel that my feet were tiptoeing on small holds, and the fear of slipping off and falling was definitely there.
It was helpful to “reverse climb” down the routes so that I didn’t have to fall from the very top of the wall.
But I think there comes a point where jumping off is easier than climbing down, where overcoming fear and just jumping (safely) would be a better option.
Successful fall after a successful climb.
The satisfaction of completing a route
A highlight for me was finishing each route. Especially routes that I didn’t think I could do — that was a very satisfying feeling.
From the perspective of someone who’s not climbed before, I don’t really know what I can or cannot do just by looking at the route from the ground.
But when I come down, and see how far I’ve climbed, it’s quite fulfilling.
One of the routes I remember was a route with yellow holds, rated level “2”.
The route requires you to climb around a corner, and it was more difficult than some other routes because you don’t know where the hold is, but you have to reach out for it.
It was more difficult than it looks! You need core strength, arm strength, and flexibility.
It was fun, and also very tiring — which just makes completing a route very fulfilling because you’ve pushed yourself physically and mentally.
A place to spend time, on or off the walls
I can see the appeal of being able to come in and just chill or work (the café area is open to all, even if you’re not climbing).
There’s also an al fresco seating area just outside the gym where patrons can have their pastries, juices and coffee from Beta Cafe.
I saw some climbers sitting and working (or studying?) at the gym’s cafe area.
The pigeonholes for personal belongings neatly double up as table space for the cafe.
The gym also has some really nice facilities for washing up after climbing, which suits those who want to climb before work.
The entrance to the men’s and women’s shower area. There’s a Dyson hairdryer too.
Rain shower with indoor greenery. And plenty of space for your belongings.
Wrapping up
After this experience, I definitely feel like I understand my climber friends better. I think I can see why some of them would want to go bouldering twice a week.
I can even see myself getting more into climbing, and I’m already making plans to go again.
Even though I remember waking up and thinking “everything hurts” the day after my first time climbing, it’s a change to my largely sedentary lifestyle.
10-week programme and fitness classes
Among Project Send’s unique offerings is a 10-week programme for climbers of all levels.
Participants first go through a simple evaluation and are sorted into smaller groups based on their climbing ability. They then go through a structured programme for 10 weeks with Project Send’s climbing and fitness instructors.
There are two sessions per week: a one-hour functional training session, and a two-hour climbing training session.
Each week’s programme is priced at S$75.
Find out more, or sign up here.
Project Send also hosts fitness classes for climbers and non-climbers alike. There are classes that focus on upper or lower body strength for those looking to target their weaknesses, as well as a class for full body strength.
There are also classes covering Calisthenics fundamentals, and mobility — two areas that are highly complementary to climbing, as well as overall fitness.
You can access their class schedule and book slots through the Project Send mobile app (via the Apple app store and Google Play).
Outdoor climbing expeditions
Project Send also plans to organise overseas climbing trips, to bring climbers from the gym to the great outdoors.
Plans are already underway for an inaugural “test trip”, involving interested participants from the 10-week programme, and there will also be future trips open to the public.
Look out for more information on Project Send’s social media.
Project Send
Address: Esplanade Mall, 8 Raffles Avenue, #02-29, Singapore 039802
Opening Hours
- Monday to Thursday: 6:30am to 9:30pm
- Friday and Saturday: 10:30am to 1:30am
- Closed on Sundays
Beta Café Opening Hours
- Monday to Thursday: 8am to 8pm
- Friday and Saturday: 11am to 8pm
- Public Holidays: 11am to 5pm
- Closed on Sundays
This sponsored article by Project Send helped this writer exercise for the first time in years.
Article images by Nigel Chua.