Bouldering - the Art of Spotting

Written by Super Member: bradkillough


I have been around rock climbing of some sort for about 12 years and did a lot of Rappelling before that. I've been a certified guide since 2001 and I've pretty much seen it all, but it hasn't always been good. Bouldering is a great way to climb and it's like climbing. It's a thinking game!

However, like a lot of things, there are some people who do not think about what they are doing! Take, for instance, the spotter - it's not a hard thing to learn and even do, but I don't see a lot of people doing it. I'm a judge at a couple of Bouldering comps, and I've seen four to six climbers standing under a problem watching someone working it out, and then the climber pops off the problem and the others watch that climber hit the ground and never move a finger!

Keep in mind, so far we've been lucky with injuries being pretty low, but it only takes one bad injury - or God forbid - someone getting killed to change everything or stop it all together. Instead, why not do it the correct way! It's so easy to learn, spotting your partner. Some people stand there with their hands by their sides, watching someone work a problem. When they come off, it's so fast that they can't get their hands up fast enough and the climber has a ground fall, and that's not good! It's a fairly easy process. If the problem is a mostly vertical climb, try to catch them by the waist and guide them to the pad. If it's less than vertical (overhanging), catch them under their underarms so you can right them to their feet as they hit the pad! So it's not that hard to do. You still have to have your hands up, so you will be ready. So climb on and be safe and climb another day!

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