Frequently Asked Questions

Most definitely! We've met young climbers and old climbers, slim climbers and round climbers, fully limbed climbers and partially limbed climbers. If you want to, you can climb. It might not always be easy but then what worthwhile pursuit is? 

Yes, absolutely! Like any sport there are risks involved but we at BoulderBox make it as safe as it can be. We have provided a handy guide to safety rules and climbing etiquette around indoor centres that should ensure your safety as well as that of others. Access it from the NavBar or at the bottom of any page.

Of course! No one is born with abs and a strong upper body. Climbing can help you get there though. More importantly, we aim to be very beginner friendly and thus at our centre you'll find routes to climb regardless of ability.

On the contrary, you'll develop lean muscles if you climb. Just look at our boss, Vrinda; she has been climbing for years now!

Climbing is a body weight exercise and thus your body naturally doesn't put on heavy muscle mass through climbing. That is not to say it cannot help you achieve serious gains, when supplemented with a gym routine and bulking diet.

Climbing makes you fit and healthy. Eating less calories makes you lose weight.

Sure you can! All you need to do is register, get a short introduction and away you go!

If you would prefer a more guided approach, then we suggest you sign up for one of our intro courses and take it from there.

Note:

• Children under 14 years of age cannot climb unsupervised at our centre.
• Individuals under the age of 18, require a signed form from their legal guardian.

All you need is yourself, and maybe some clothes. Definitely some clothes.

Recommended: climbing shoes*, chalk*, towel, water bottle
*available for hire at the centre

No one is too old for anything at our centre so long as all our rules are being abided by.

Our policies on children are:

• Children under 6 years of age must be an arms length away from a guardian at all times. The only exception is in the case of top-rope climbing.
• Children under 12 years of age must have a guardian present at the centre unless partaking in a BoulderBox authorised course/lesson.
• Children under the age of 12 cannot belay.

For the entirety of the opening hours during that day! Come help us setup in the morning and shut shop in the evening if it pleases you because it would definitely please us.

Climbs are graded by difficulty. There are various grading systems around the world. None are perfect as climbing is an individual sport and what might be easy for me might not be for you.

In any case, for bouldering we use V grades which start at VB and then ascend in difficulty from V0 all the way to V17.

For reference: VB climbs are for beginners. A V6 climber is one who can do V6 climbs consistently and this normally requires a few of years dedicated focus. A V12 climber is verging on professional. Only 1 person in the world has done a climb graded V17.

We are required by our insurance company to ensure that everyone using the facility fill out a release of liability waiver.  If you have any questions regarding the activities we partake in at our facility, the waiver itself and our standards, please feel free to contact us and we would be happy to discuss our safety practices.

Climbing above a crash mat (usually made of foam) without a rope is called bouldering. It gets its name because alpine climbers in the 1900s used boulders as means to train strength/power for tough vertical ascents when away from the mountains.

Rope climbing is climbing to great heights when attached to a rope! It requires a buddy to belay you and keep you safe. There are two forms of rope climbing: lead climbing and top-rope climbing.

Belaying means to “hold fast” and has its roots in sailing. In terms of climbing, it means to use a 'belay' device to secure the rope attached to another climber when they are high off the ground.

In both lead climbing and top-rope climbing, one person climbs while another belays the rope attached to the climber.

In top-rope climbing, the rope a fixed at an anchor at the top of the wall. This ensures soft short falls in case of the active climber falls.

In lead climbing, the rope is not fixed to any anchor. The active climber clips it into quick-draws (load bearing metal gates) as he moves along the wall. This ensures that in the event of a fall, the belayer can hold on to the rope and the active climber will only fall relative to the distance to his last clipper quickdraw. This method of climbing entails higher risk due to the potential for decking - hitting the floor during a fall - and thus is restricted to experiences climbers only.

Climbers are often looking to transfer their abilities to outdoor rock. Often in such cases, top-rope climbing is not an option. Even if it is, it requires time to set up a top-tope anchor outdoors which might be better spent climbing. Thus lead climbing is an essential skill for any climber wishing to climb outdoor routes.

Furthermore, climbing is not purely a physical sport. Lead climbing induces an extra mental component to master that many relish.

Climbs normally done as bouldering are called problems. Others are called routes, such as rope climbs.