The Climbing Experience

The Climbing Experience

We Cause Problems

NEVER STATIC. ALWAYS EVOLVING.

Difficult Play
The Climbing Experience

Difficult Play

For us, climbing means challenging our mind as much as our body. The architecture of our gyms emphasizes a variety of movement styles for all abilities and body types. The routesetting teams experiment with three-dimensional climbing on walls designed by our in-house team bespoke to our spaces. Our sport is always evolving, and Bouldering Project’s goal is to help climbing reach its potential. Only then will we discover ours.

Our Circuits

First envisioned on the sandstone boulders of Fontainebleau, France (aka the birthplace of bouldering), the circuit system explores climbing beyond grades and invites a climber to experiment with movement and style. At Font, boulderers follow color-coded problems through the forest. We adapted this approach in our gyms through our color wheel – your guide to Bouldering Project climbing. Risk. Intensity. Complexity. These are the building blocks of each color grade. Some problems make a climber push past mental discomfort. Others require maximal effort. The rest require sequencing intricate movements. Together, they create a circuit.

Our Craft

Human ideas pieced together on blank walls to create difficult play – it’s our obsession. We think of routesetting as athletic graffiti. Never static. Forever evolving. Our walls become a place to test and refine climbing concepts, and where we prioritize quality over quantity. Through the years, our routesetters have participated on the biggest stages from World Cups to the Olympics. The greatest metric for success though, is when we watch one of our problems capture someone’s imagination.

Youth & Adult Climbing Classes

Climbing is social, silly, frustrating, hilarious, inspiring, and so much more. Our goal is not to make the best climbers in the world—it’s share the love of climbing while meeting you where you are to help you progress and achieve your goals.

Learn more.

Climbing Glossary

Here’s a breakdown of some basic climbing terms.

  • Beta

    A description of how to climb a specific problem, usually refers to the best (ie. easiest) way.

  • Crux

    It’s a Latin word meaning cross, and is the hardest bit of the route you’re climbing.

  • Dyno

    “Dyno,” refers to a dynamic climbing move where you are jump for your next hold—removing all four points of contact in the process.

  • Flash

    To send, or complete, a climb on your first try.

  • Holds

    These are the colored plastic shapes that we hold onto and put our feet on while climbing.

  • Slab

    A slab refers to the angle of the climbing surface where the wall leans away from you and typically requires more technical footwork.

  • Volumes

    Our gyms feature geometric shapes, “volumes”, that are screwed onto the walls along with the plastic climbing holds. These are typically the same color as our wall and can be used for hands or feet with any circuit color.