I’ve recently returned to climbing after a long break. For years, I lived in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado where I had no end of friends ready to go climbing at the drop of a hat, and all of our belay days took place outdoors on the granite. Now, because I now live in a city and my local friends aren’t climbers, I’m relying on mostly indoor bouldering to get my fix, and in many ways, it’s like a whole new sport.
So far, I’ve found a lot of love about it. Indoor bouldering is super convenient for starters. I don’t need to put on my approach shoes for the five minute cycle ride down to the wall. Once I get there, without having to set an anchor and spend time belaying, I can pull my climbing shoes on and get quite a bit done in just 45 minutes and I frequently do so before work. I love it. But one thing I’ve noticed that’s puzzled me is the number of other people there who are climbing while wearing headphones.
