Yeah, what happened to the bouldering circuit? Nowadays, the mighty 'project' reigns supreme. Projects, projects, projects. It's one of the most common words you'll hear out in the boulder field or at the crag. "Did you do your project man?" Singular feats of peak performance have trumped the ensemble experience.
I've tried to think of an analogy from another outdoor sport. The emphasis in climbing on projects and difficulty reminds me a bit of the emphasis--and marketability--on single, super-difficult tricks in skateboarding or snowboarding. That stuff does seem to sell, that's for sure.
In the French birthplace of bouldering, a circuit of boulder problems is such a common tradition that they're physically coded and marked on the boulders themselves. Visit Fontainbleau and you can't miss them: they're painted in vivid color with arrows pointing up. Depending on the color, you'll find an appropriate circuit for kids, hard men and women, and all levels between. Just pick a color and follow the arrows. If you're lucky, follow a local too.
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I was in Font once, bouldering in a spot which roughly translates to 'Valley of the Dog.' It's a flat, sandy expanse littered with perfect boulders and home to the famous roof problem, Le Toit du Cul de Chien, a French version of Blowing Rock's Roof of Death. I had the chance to follow an unassuming Frenchman on a red arrow circuit. Over a few hours, we went from boulder to boulder, linking red arrow problems in a continuous flow. True to form, he kindly pointed out flaws in my beta, which I must admit now was really a great help. I didn't send the hardest thing I'd ever done, but that wasn't the point. Climbing uninterrupted wore me out, and left me with a great feeling: the simple satisfaction of moving over stone for an extended period of time.
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Now, I know circuits aren't totally dead, and that a few climbers still nurture and practice their favorite local link-ups. Tom Moulin's recent guidebook for Red Rocks bouldering actually goes as far as describing a whole handful of bouldering circuits for different areas. It would be neat to see more guides in the states do this, but cool and unique as it is, collectively shared circuits are the exception. No one really talks about circuits anymore, and for a more recent generation of climbers, it seems like the idea is either forgotten or meaningless.
Ironically, while running a good circuit is easily more fun that flailing and falling on a pad all day, the truth is doing circuits builds a fantastic training base for taking it to the next level on that one, single hard-for-you climb, i.e., your precious project. For those who remain fixated on performance, and uninterested in this pitch for a flowing hippy trip through the boulders, keep that in mind.
Maybe I'm way off though and there's pent-up love for the circuit out there. Care to tell your favorite circuit spot? Mine's the Long Wall at Grandmother.
Zachary Lesch-Huie
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Great article. Let's get the paint buckets out!
ReplyDeleteI love circuit bouldering but you're right, it's really hard these days to get a crew to go on a circuit for the day rather than camping out at a few select problems. Is the media's focus on V numbers to blame? Have we become to grade obsessed? Possibly. But I think another culprit is the crash pad. Say what? Think about it--how much of a pain is it to stuff all of your spread-out gear into the pad and hog tie the bastard shut? It's kind of a chore. It definitely kills the momentum of quickly hopping from one boulder to the next through the boulder field all day. Back when circuits were popular, there weren't many pads. It was just you and yer shoes and maybe a carpet--not too much junk to move around. I think the key to a good day of circuit bouldering is to cut down on the clutter. Some days me and Melissa roll with one pad and one pack. We throw everything in the pack and just fold the pad without having to cram it full of stuff. It'd be neat to see people return to days of no-pad bouldering on occasion and opt to do a lot of problems in their range rather than push the limits on just a few lines. No pads is how almost all bouldering used to be done until the 90s. Strange to think about now.
ReplyDeleteJust one more thought on why it's not so popular here in the states. John Gill, the grandpappy of American bouldering, gained notoriety for his sick problems that were ahead of his time. For years, up and comers got obsessed with trying to repeat Gill problems to test their mettle against the master. Was this when the American preoccupation with projecting was born? Food for thought.
One good way I've found to keep the circuit rolling while you're out is to limit yerself to 3 tries on a problem. If you can't send, move on. I did this one afternoon at Rumbling Bald and climbed something like 30 lines from V1 to V5. It was a great time.
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ReplyDeleteAbsolutely great article! I loved the circuits at Font and have always wished there were more listed for our boulderfields. The Triple Crown took note and created their Premium Blends for the comps...these make for great circuits. I'm a fan of the beginner "circuit" at the East Side of the Bald...climb all the routes V2 and below (I skip a few of the highballs) starting at Breakfast, then Politician and finally at Slave Driver in a day and you'll feel like you got your money's worth:) Fun beginner circuit but still challenging at times!
ReplyDeleteAlso, the Wanker 101 circuit at Hueco was just featured in Climbing and it also listed another great HP40 circuit, along with a couple of others.
ReplyDeleteGood point about the crash pad. That thick foam square does encourage camping out. It'd be easier to move with a small and light carpet, wouldn't it? Good point about Gill too. He did kind of inaugurate an American project mentality (persisting in Colorado quite strongly), and his way did differ from the historical Font way of circuits. Though that's changing in Font. Old guides there were absolutely organized around circuits. New guides there are explicitly titled "off piste", as in "off circuit," and they're organized around individual problems and their grades.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recommended circuit Brad!
Also, did you buy those jeans you are wearing in that pic while in France? Tres Euro, ami.
ReplyDeleteI have a circuit of problems at blowing rock.
ReplyDeleteMatt, when in Rome, wear spandex Wranglers. Or something like that.
ReplyDeleteErich, what's you BR circuit?
my BR circuit is far too complex to describe on the internet. maybe you will see me in action one day
ReplyDeleteErich.... flailing on A.D.D. does not constitute a circuit...
ReplyDeleteFor mileage, I really enjoy a sesh at Beacon Heights. Probably the most concentrated one-stop shop of easy problemns I know of. Warm up on the small boulders with slabs on the right, then take down the tall wall from right to left, ending on that sweet steep arete. Then to end the day, clamper simulator- really good movement.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the Beacon Heights session being a blast! I like the fact that you can just downclimb and move a foot or two to the side and you have another fun and easy problem.
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