I’d decided to take up bouldering as a new year’s resolution and, unlike so many new year’s resolutions before it, it was one I was evidently keeping to. On a wall in a south London industrial estate, with no idea how to get down or get higher, I was technically bouldering albeit in the most static way imaginable.

“There’s a tiger near your left knee,” says a voice from below.

“Yep. Yep. OK. I think I can get it,” I say, reassured to see for myself that the voice below is referring to the pattern on the hold rather than the big cat predator.

I clumsily shift my body weight and manage to get part of my left foot on the recommended tiger. But no sooner have I done this, my right foot slips and my hand grip loosens. With the force of gravity living up to its reputation as an occasionally cruel mistress, I’m immediately falling down towards the mat in a style best described as a “goalkeeper’s belly flop.” Imagine a fridge-freezer hurled from a bridge, and that’s basically what I look like in that moment.

Introducing floor to body and body to floor, like they’re strangers and I’m their mutual acquaintance, a loud ‘THWACK’ echoes round the space on impact. There’s a big collective “Ooooooh” noise followed by a couple of “Mate, are you alright?”/ “Dude, u k?” lines as I get back on my feet and check that nothing’s broken. Nothing is.

It’s my first big bouldering fall and, 11 months on, I’m happy to report that it stands proudly as the first of many. My almost one full year of bouldering has been brilliant. During my time doing it, I’ve learned that there’s always a solution to something even if it might not be obvious at the get-go. I’ve learned that it’s OK to fall, and that embracing the fall and learning from the mistakes is how we progress. It’s made a positive impact on both my physical and mental health. I really can’t recommend it enough.

“Introducing floor to body and body to floor, like they’re strangers and I’m their mutual acquaintance…”

Does all this mean I’ll be jumping off playground slides perched precariously on top of the Eiffel Tower anytime soon? No. Probably not. Learning bouldering hasn’t suddenly turned me into an Alex Honnold character. I’m not planning to solo El Capitan without ropes, or attempt the other mad stuff he does, in the immediate future. What I will keep doing though is looking up, getting on the wall, falling off that wall from time to time, and then looking up once more to approach the problem in a new way.

Bouldering isn’t just about the climbing. It’s about the falls and, most importantly, how we respond to them. Whether you’re looking to take it up as a new year’s resolution or just generally keen to try something new, I reckon you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the ways in which it alters your thinking.

For more information about climbing at The Arch, check out their website. 

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