Boulder Sledding

One of my favorite hobbies is bouldering, a rope-less form of climbing. Boulder routes, called problems, generally range anywhere from a few feet to crippling heights (don't worry Mom, I mainly stick to the problems under 15 feet). Bouldering pads are slices of stiff foam that fold up and can be carried on your back. When one falls off a problem, their feet and ankles are protected by the pad. Pretty simple concept, right? Here's a picture of a guy with a bouldering pad on his back, just so you get the point.



I was walking down the canyon the other day with my bouldering pad on my back, when a mid-aged lady stopped me to ask some questions. Here's a transcript of our conversation.

Lady: What's THAT!?
Me: A bouldering pad.
Lady: A boulderin' what?
Me: A pad. It's for rock climbing on the boulders. Bouldering is climbing without a rope, generally on boulders that are about 10 feet high. If you fall off, the pad protects your feet and legs from hitting the hard ground.
Lady: You SLIDE down the boulders on your pad!??!?!

Yeah lady, we slide down the boulders. Wow.

Click here if you want to see some more pictures of me and my friends bouldering.