From falling to flow: why you should take up bouldering as a hobby for reasons beyond exercise

By Jacob Fairless Nicholson, Associate Lecturer (Teaching) in Human Geography, UCL

Shortly after I started my PhD at the end of 2016, a small, community-focused bouldering wall opened on the street I lived on. I was completely new to climbing at the time but thought: why not give it a go. Almost a decade later my love affair with bouldering is still going strong and I’ve found, as a researcher and a boulderer, there are many benefits to my hobby.

Bouldering is rock climbing without ropes, usually to a fixed height of up to 4.5m, with protection from falling provided by foam crash mats.…

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