Bouldering
Good spotting is the art of guiding the climber’s fall rather than trying to catch him/her. If you’re asked to spot someone, you should aim to guide the fall by taking the hips so he or she lands on both feet. If it’s your first time, ask another climber to assist you. Until you’re an expert climber it’s not a good idea to climb on your own, especially not on higher problems.
If you ever get in trouble up a rock and you need to jump off, remember that downclimbing is always the better option. Your ankles will thank you for it. And if you do have to jump, remember to bend your knees on impact. If you plan to make bouldering your new way of life, you want to consider buying a good crash pad. These mattresses aren’t exactly cheap but they’re a lot softer to fall on than sharp rock.
Though you can use sneakers to start out, it’s not a very good idea. You won’t learn the subtleties of footwork and frequently repeated rocks will suffer erosion from dirty or unadapted shoes. Cleaning your shoes before you climb is important because you want to make sure that the special rubber on them will completely stick to the rock. Since your feet are your most important instrument for upward motion you want to put some care in choosing your shoes.
Climbers tend to wear shoes a couple sizes smaller than their normal shoe size. It’s probably not a good idea to kill your feet but your shoes should never feel loose. Take your time determining the size: cram your feet in the smallest shoes possible, then add some sizes until you feel comfortable. Remember that your feet should never slip inside your shoes.
A chalk bag and some chalk (Magnesium Bi Carbonate, actually) will help you keep your hands dry. Most chalk bags come with a short belt and buckle to put around your waist. Dip your hands in it and it will miraculously absorb your sweat. It will help you evoid the embarrassment of ungraciously greasing off the rock. Chalk also is a mild anaesthetic. If you have a small scab you can smear some clean chalk in it.
The single most important feature on a chalk bag is how it closes: you want a bag that can be thoroughly sealed off. Believe me: chalk can get messy. Even then, it’s probably a good idea to have a ziplock-style plastic bag for transportation. Chalk bags come in different sizes and this may seem more important than it looks. If you’re planning to do lots of bouldering, you may want to opt for a chalk bucket: a massive container that’s intended to stay on the ground.