For those who have been practicing the sport for several years, the fall season is often synonymous with performance. The air is fresh, the holds feel sticky, it’s the time of the year when the temperature allows us to push our physical limits. You know, your summer project with bad slopers? Easy in October.

For newcomers who’ve been mostly indoor climbers in the past few months, the temptation will be felt quickly. With the growing popularity of bouldering, there is certainly a need to address in terms of educating the next generation of outdoor climbers. At Bloc Shop, you will find grades on each problems, the landing surface is ideal, and the chalk is provided. Outside, there will be rocks; nothing else ! I remember my first trip outdoor : we used small bed mattresses protected by garbage bags to protect our falls. Rather embarrassing, isn’t it? Here I will try to give you some tips and advice that would have served me well at the time. For regulars, a little reminder on ethics and good habits never hurts.

The Basics

Let’s start with the required equipment. If the necessary climbing equipment appears meager in comparison with other sports, a mere oversight could still ruin your day of climbing. The landing surfaces in Quebec are usually uneven and rather dangerous, so you’ll need a crashpad (or many crashpads, if you we’re honest.) Several options are available to you: large, small, thick, thin . In addition, in terms of quality, some are much more durable than others. In my experience, the Organic Crashpads stand out for their quality, and they will last you forever. Luckily, we sell them at Bloc Shop! Otherwise, the MEC will have other options in terms of brands and models available.

Obviously you will not find chalk bins among the boulders in the forest. You will need to bring a chalkbag. Also, there won’t be 20 feet brushes waiting for you. Bring yours, you will not regret it ; holds quickly become slippery without brushing. The more motivated will bring their own pole, other will simply tape their brush on a long branch to reach holds that are out of reach. Needless to say, you will also need tape to take care of your poor fingers (yes, your skin will get worn out very quickly at first).

Given our proximity to the region, your first experience will probably take place in the Laurentian Mecca : Val-David. The Parc Dufresne often appears as the obvious destination, since it offers the easiest access as well as a plethora of boulders in good conditions. In addition, a well-written guidebook will provide you with all the information required about the area and problems available for you.

There are several aspects to consider before venturing deep in the laurentian’s forests. One that overrides everything: LEAVE NO TRACE. When you leave a climbing site, it should be cleaner than when you arrived. You bring your waste back, and you’re more than welcome to bring back more. In this way, nature remains clean and the climbing access is not constantly threatened. If you have friends that take you in a more underground area, keep in mind that the vast majority of boulders outside of Val-David is on private land. So be aware of two things: you probably do not have the right to be there. Second, you probably do not have the right to be there. This will be my only explanation about the delicate access problems in the region (it is a complex subject and usually fuels controversy), but it is something to keep in mind.

Particularities

Now that we went through the basics, we will skim through features offered by ” the great outside ”. If you are used to follow the colored holds to complete your project, let’s say it goes a little differently outside. You probably knew already, but your brain will take some time to adapt. Regardless of the level that you climb indoor, you will probably find yourself climbing a few grades lower for some time. Various factors come into play: the holds are harder to see, more complex to use, less positive, the movements are more difficult to understand or imagine, and footholds are much more subtle, among others . Considering the tangent on which indoor climbing has been evolving in the last decade, which has the effect of greatly differentiating it the from outside experience in terms of style, the transition between the two worlds is not always easy.

Initially, it can be difficult to understand the difference between commitment and difficulty. Is a particular movement difficult because it requires an important commitment (eg a jump, bad feet, unusual height) or because it is simply physical ? Thus, a V2 topout at 20 feet above the landing might seem as difficult as a V4 movement three feet off the ground. You need to accustom yourself with these kind of situations, and it is far from instantaneous.

In addition, due to the uncertainty that provide small footholds, inexperienced climbers tend to look for larger footholds rather than the ones that are better positioned. The results are often tenuous body positions lacking any effectiveness. In this case, you’re climbing level will vaslty improve when working with well-positioned precarious feet. Climbing outside forces you to improve your technique. The unknown usually causes anxiety, so you’ll be less confident in your abilities than usual. In any case, a good dose of humility never hurts.

After climbing in the gym for a while, our brain gets used to climb using relatively comfortable hold, that is to say, organic and rounded shapes. Outside, it’s mostly the opposite. You’ll trade huge volumes for small, complex, and abrasive grips. Whether because of the aggressive texture, sharp edges, or unnatural finger positions, all aspects of climbing outside force will force you to reconfigure your knowledge of climbing. Pulling hard on a painful crimp demands a well-developed psychological capability, as well as some experience to recognize your limitations. Moreover, the type of callus formed by the plastic is totally different from the one formed by the rock; the transition between the two requires a few sessions! All these small details, which immediately appear innocuous, mark a notable difference between the two types of climbing and make their practice quite distinct.

Ethics

Ah! The crunchy part at last! As in all communities, we do have has a ticklish ethic. It is usually better to be informed in advance than to learn from a grumpy climber. I could write about climbing ethics for several pages, but it will suffice to present a short and non-exhaustive list of elements to consider. If they seem trivial to some, they are of crucial importance for others. Please use this information in combination with good judgment.

Using tickmarks is very common outside. These small chalk marks below holds are used to improve the precision of movement and to increase chances on low-percentage ones. We try to stick to small and subtle marks that will be easy to erase with a brush. Moreover, it is important to erase them when leaving the problem. It is a matter of aesthetics, and some purists climbers like to find solutions without outside help ; we try to respect that.

When climbing with a group of unknown climbers, try to be polite and let everyone climb equally. Furthermore, and this is quite important, if another climber brushes all the holds, it is generally not advisable to get on the problem before him, unless you’re THAT GUY. Usually you do not want to be THAT GUY. (That girl either!)

When climbing in already developed areas, the accepted brush types are limited. Stick to the bristle or nylon brush to avoid degrading the holds. The different types of rock react differently to brushing. For example, sandstone is much more fragile than granite. Also, metal brushes are only used to remove moss when opening new climbing areas and problems. Therefore, you shall leave these kind of brushes at home if you’re visiting a crag that is already well-developed.

More generally, just try to be respectful. It seems rather simple, but sometimes we forget about the simple stuff. Communication is key. You have the perfect beta to help another climber? It is best to ask before giving unsolicited beta. Want to spot another climber? It’s always good to ask before. Having seen many awkward situations in the past, the golden rule seems not to make assumptions about the expectations of others. Better safe than sorry.

Have fun, do not take yourself too seriously, and take time to discover the beautiful subtleties offered by the practice of outdoor bouldering.