WRITTEN BY JOSH DEAKIN
Maine’s mountains, granite outcroppings, and rock-laden coastline beckon to climbing enthusiasts, offering up great venues for a specific type of climbing called bouldering.
Bouldering is rock climbing at its bare minimum. There are no ropes or harnesses involved. Instead, there’s typically just the climber, some specially designed shoes, a bag of chalk for grip, and a crash mat for falls.
The small amount of gear needed for bouldering makes the hobby more affordable and accessible than mountaineering or more traditional rock climbing with rope, which require lots of special equipment. The sport is growing in popularity, with its recent addition to the summer Olympics and expansion planned for upcoming Olympic games.
And the rocky coast of Maine provides some wonderful bouldering challenges.
“In our area, the premier spots are Canada Cliffs near Echo Lake and Great Head (both in Acadia National Park), which in my opinion is some of the best bouldering anywhere,” said Ryan Scott of the Atlantic Climbing School in Bar Harbor. “It consists of overhung cave-like features with extremely exciting and burly movements. It’s right next to the ocean, so you can hear waves lapping the rocky shore while you try to send your projects.”
The climbing is very technical and involves testing your skills in balancing and strength to make your way through a route in the cliff face without gaining much altitude in the process. It’s a free climb based on navigating without necessarily a Point A and Point B. This is especially true for bouldering outside versus bouldering at an indoor facility, where specific routes are marked with colored rocks.
An immense amount of upper body strength is needed for this type of climbing, and flexibility is a huge plus when trying to position your body in tight places to search for the next step in the climb. As a result, bouldering is a great workout for your arms, back, shoulders, and core.
When bouldering outside, it’s a good idea to bring mats with you in case of a fall. In bouldering, you typically only climb up to 12 or 15 feet, and there’s a technique to falling safely. For example, when falling you shouldn’t try to catch yourself; it’s best to relax your body before impact. You must accept the fall, which can sound counterintuitive to the layman. But falling is part of the sport and can be part of the fun.
It’s best to go into bouldering with a light-hearted, positive attitude, and be ready to embrace the ups and downs.
“Lots of crash pads and enthusiastic partners will help you fall where you should,” Scott said. “That’s what bouldering is all about — building strength and hanging out with your friends. Rope climbing is usually done in twos or threes, but with bouldering, since you don’t leave the ground, the more the merrier.”
And Acadia National Park is a great location for bouldering.
“Our pink granite is perfect. We have many different walls, sea caves, ocean cliffs, and 200- foot multi-pitch routes,” Scott said. “Shagg Crag (on Bald Mountain in Woodstock) is another awesome spot in Maine. It features overhung hard sport climbing which is unusual for Maine.”
The options for climbing in our state are vast but there are certain spots that are held in particularly high regard.
“Katahdin and Great Head in Acadia are the most special spots to me,” Scott said. “They have a special energy that can’t really be described — it has to be experienced.”