As Elliot Scully (‘26) swings around to grab the final hold, other boulderers shout encouragement from below. They don’t care who is on the wall – just that someone is finally completing a route that they’ve been working on for days or even weeks. 

“I think the community is great. I met a lot of people there, and they’re all super kind,” says Kate Chiang (‘26), who recently tried climbing for the first time. The other climbers “weren’t afraid to help me out when I asked”.

Aside from the great community, bouldering is a type of climbing more focused on solving the problem, or crux, of a route. Bouldering is much closer to the ground than other types of climbing, only going about twelve feet off the floor. The lower heights allow boulderers to push themselves to climb harder routes without having to worry about falling and hurting themselves. 

Routes are set up at gyms for people of all skill levels. Some people struggle more with balance, or grip strength, or even just climbing on more of an overhang, allowing for the route setters to tweak routes to become more or less difficult. 

“There was this one route that we were trying, and I could get pretty far on it,” says Scully, “but my friend couldn’t get it at all. I guess I just have better balance.”

Climbing outdoors is a very different experience. While the closest outdoor routes are a few hours away, climbing them can give climbers more options for routes and also eliminates costs associated with gym memberships. Compared to a route you might find in a gym, holds are usually smaller, further apart, or just in peculiar spots; the route is naturally formed rocks, after all. 

“I really liked that there were so many different ways to climb a route,” says Scully. “It made me think about where the holds could be, rather than how I can use the brightly colored holds.”

Places to climb in (and near) Ann Arbor

• Planet Rock – locations in Ann Arbor and Madison Heights
• Grand Ledge – outdoor sandstone routes