My rookie era: peer pressure brought me to bouldering, then I found calm in the way of the wall'

"At first, I didn't notice it. When it became too big to not notice, I ignored it. In my ignorance, I even mocked it. It wasn't until it had completely subsumed my inner circle that I was forced to accept reality: my friends can climb up walls like mountain goats. Bouldering is the art of ascending short climbs using time-tested techniques. As much a problem-solving exercise as it is a physical one, it pleases parts of the brain left dormant for millennia."

"What began as a way to train rock climbers has blossomed into its own culture replete with specialised gear, terminology, community and Italian brain rot memes. If I wanted to join my friends in the way of the wall, I'd be starting from zero but after my GP's requests that I engage in more physical activity turned to impassioned pleas and, fine, a tinge of peer pressure I found myself outside Blochaus climbing gym in Sydney."

Bouldering combines short, technical climbs with problem-solving, engaging both physical ability and cognitive strategy. The sport developed from rock-climber training into a distinct culture with specialised gear, terminology, community and niche memes. Climbing gyms act as social hubs, offering amenities like coffee, snacks, wifi, lounges and events while operating long hours. Beginners often arrive with limited technique, rental shoes and excess chalk, facing nerves despite tutorial research. Even easy routes can appear deceptively challenging among sloped walls and tiny holds, prompting learning through practice, adaptation and social encouragement from more experienced climbers.

Read at www.theguardian.com