the Art and Science of Bouldering

Welcome to the Art and Science of Bouldering! 

In retrospect I‘ve been working on this book since 1982, when I was in Fontainebleau for the first time, knowing that bouldering would keep me busy for the rest of my life!

In 2000, Klem Loskot and I visualized our thoughts about climbing and bouldering in our book Der XI. Grad, Klettern am Rande des Menschenmöglichen, the first book about climbing to show series of movements and photomontages to illustrate the dynamics of climbing.

Now the time is ripe for a truly new publication about bouldering! On the one hand, bouldering has become very complex and multifaceted, on the other hand many photo-technical possibilities were inconceivable when Der XI. Grad was created. Super short wide-angle lenses and digital full frame cameras capable of taking 8 or more images per second into a large buffer, interval shooting, and also the possibilities of modern software e.g. for creating photomontages are developments that were still just a dream when Der XI. Grad was written. For the analysis of the Bouldering World Cup in Eindhoven e.g. we took more than 28,000 images in two days, including HD video, to be able to better analyze timelines later on. On the respective pages you often find montages comprised of dozens of images shot over a period of several hours.

For the visual types amongst us, a good image offers more information than an entire climbing technique guide does. In the Art and Science of Bouldering there are hundreds of inspiring images and sequences like this. All images are candid shots showing specific situations. This trains the eye for movements and lines – something that is essential for bouldering!

he Art and Science of Bouldering therefore is image-based. Textual information is provided through associated captions to illustrate correlations and supplement visual information. Another level of information is provided by means of mind maps to clarify specific correlations.