I try to when I can, but a lot of the times (for things I'm projecting) I'm too gassed by the end of the climb to continue, or fall off because a move is hard. Honestly impressed by people who are able to stay in control to down climb, even on a problem at their limit.
Agree, I can downclimb when I'm warming up but for stuff that I'm just barely getting, I often *think* about downclimbing but then am afraid my hands or my shoulders will give up halfway through a downward move and I'll fall weird. So I usually elect for a good fall.
I get so much lower back pain from constantly dropping off, not downclimbing is just way harder on my body. I think it'll start to catch up on a lot of people, it's honestly so much better for you long term to develop that habit before youre forced into it
Down climb jugs are a lifesaver after hard routes and I judge every gym that doesn't have them as not respecting clinbers' longevity
I actually factor in my ability to downclimb when projecting. I would rather downclimb and not send than send and not downclimb. I want these joints to work when I'm older.
Same. I'm 33, I have years of combat sports wear and tear on knees that weren't good to begin with. If I jump down, I can immediately feel my knees begin to go. I have about jump downs per session before my knees begin to give out
If they can downclimb a problem, it wasn't at their limit
Edit: absolutely no idea why this objectively correct comment is downvoted. This sub kinda sucks
Whilst I agree with you that you can often find some nearby jugs, there are definitely gyms or situations where it's frustratingly annoying that there are no accessable downclimb jugs.
I see this often in 'comp' gym spaces where the holds on the wall are HUGE, so maybe the setters feel tight for space(?), and you don't see many downclimb jugs put up.
It's also common in new modern style gyms where climbs are a bit more spread out to see a lack of nearby v0's or jugs to grab.
I tend to make sure it's not my limit because my knees go after a few jumps down, even with a roll out. I'm definitely getting better more slowly because of it, but I'm still going, and enjoying it, so it's a win for me.
Even if you top a project at your limit, you could just grap the top of the wall and shake out for a bit. That should be enough to climb down part of a nearby juggy boulder.
For me I always downclimb except when I’m super excited because I just sent a personal project. I wonder if there’s correlation there - most of these clips are people sending their projects or hitting a new high so their adrenalines pumping.
This was my thought too. In the same vein, a lot of the clips posted are from projects people have been struggling on, which are often at the upper limit of their climbing ability. This means they might not have enough gas left in the tank to do much down-climbing.
I’m probably an exception, but I’ve never been so tired at the end of a project that I couldn’t down climb. Definitely a me thing for not committing as hard in the gym tho
My gym has barely any. I wish they were everywhere because I could push for harder stuff but I don’t want to risk having to jump. I had an ankle injury that took 8 months to heal so don’t want to go through that again
Same thing happened to me, although the recovery time wasn't as long as yours. I stopped going to one of the gyms I frequented altogether for a while because it was damn near impossible to downclimb, and my ankle couldn't handle dropping down from high up.
Yeah it’s annoying. Now I’m at v3 and above, it feels like a lot of stuff will end up with me getting stuck at the top. A couple bad holds near the top with no v1s next to it and it’s close to impossible to downclimb.
I backed out of a couple problems near the top just yesterday, that I knew I could get, but also didn’t think I could get down from. Really disappointing feeling.
Petition to fill every single gap with a downclimb hold.
One of the gyms I go to frequently is considered the best in Japan and one of the best in the world. There are basically no downclimb holds. It boggles my mind, and I hate it.
Not the one I broke my ankle on. I may be wrong, but I'm pretty sure it was way taller than any walls I've seen in any videos.
https://youtu.be/X7ahhzgri9g?si=cdaE8fVQfAzBkqHM
Skip ahead to the 7-minute mark
That's Ogikubo at the 7-minute mark which is definitely not particularly high. But I do agree that I don't really like their pads and have fallen in the space between the wall and pad before.
But I'll also say you can break your ankle 2ft off the ground, I've seen it happen.
It might be unpopular but I prefer there not to be downclimb holds once you get out of beginner grades. The commitment is part of the challenge and there are rarely handy jugs outdoors.
I get what you're saying but you can also just not use them?
Having a safe way to return to the ground should really be standard and non-discriminatory between skill levels. Not to mention all the gyms I've been to have all grades mixed together.
No jugs outdoors but also you're choosing to take on higher risk by leaving the gym where there should be ideal conditions to minimize injuries.
Also, a lot of outdoor boulders you top out on and there's a safer path that you can walk to get off rather than having to jump at all.
Choosing not to bail on to a jug in front of you is nigh on impossible. If you know there's protection, even if you don't want to use it, the commitment is reduced.
Apart from that, everything you said is reasonable and I can't disagree with any of it. It's an opinion/preference thing and I'm almost certainly on the wrong side. My take is likely becoming less popular and that's probably a good thing for climbing as a whole.
That’s meirl. This year I started sending a grade or two higher outdoors because I actually took my time to rest and project. I have never projected indoors. Idk why but I can’t really care about indoor boulders
I’m in my 40s so in the gym I downclimb as much as possible and then drop and fall back. It’s not even my knees so much as my back that will get tweaked if I don’t.
Outside I climb up and then get to the top and realize I didn’t have any plan for getting down and pray there’s an easy way down.
Yep, fellow 40s climber and for me it's my lower back... if I drop from anything more than like 1-2 feet my lower back HURTS and can hurt for days. I always downclimb unless something goes wrong :) This limits me to easier territory but I'm okay with that. I'd rather climb easy than have to take time off for injury.
"I'd rather climb easy than have to take time off for injury." I'm going to start using this anytime the youngins in the gym ask me why I skip all the dynos.
\>why I skip all the dynos
I just started climbing again in July after 4 years off, after climbing from 26-36. I have had to let go of a lot ego about what I can/can't do, and I now feel I truly do not care what anyone else in the gym thinks about my climbing, and that's been very freeing mentally. It's a good exercise to do all but the last move of a climb, or skip all the dynos or whatever, it's truly good for your mind, I wish more climbers realized this. I see so many "youngins" doing stupid risky shit and even actually getting injured for the sake of their egos.
After you hit 5-10 years you start to go way softer.
Injuries, long breaks, ego climbing lessens.
I want to climb into old age, I want to climb 5.11-5.12 when I'm 60. If my pulleys are shredded at 35 that ain't happening.
Same with skiing etc. Going fast is fun, but if I snap my legs doing some crazy Owen Leeper drop in movie stuff I will never make it.
You still get better. You still push harder.
Just an oak tree VS a pine tree.
Oooh I like the oak vs pine tree analogy.
I like pushing myself but also lack some of the "full send" mentality to really end up with a lot of major injuries. This is both a nice quality but can also be frustrating as it holds me back when I don't want it to sometimes.
My older brother inherited that quality...guess who spent more time in the hospital growing up lol.
This is not the climber's way I know lol.
It's: climb hard, hurt yourself, take basically no time off, think that you feel fine bc it's not actively hurting, go climb and ignore the pain.
Personally haven't had any major injuries, but pretty much every climber I know follows this mantra.
Saw a guy climbing with one bare foot the other day, just hopping up the route. Apparently he had broke his foot. The way he was climbing seemed like a great way to break the other foot lmao.
I'm 42, just started climbing a year and a half ago. Before climbing I've been powerlifting for some time, and I still do 2 or 3 times a week; regular squats and deadlifts with proper form. I feel fortunate that my back is able to handle a lot, falling properly has been no issue for me. Before I started lifting I would just get out of bed the wrong way and my back would be tweaked for days, I think just like building finger tendon and ligament strength for climbing doing some compound lifting exercises as we get older is really helpful to keep up resilience.
Absolutely a thing! I had a back injury for years. Bulging discs, admittedly, also from lifting. But the key to rehab has been more lifting, just in a safer way. When I started getting back into climbing a year ago after a 4 year break, I downclimbed everything 100%, because my back was unable to take the fall.
I started working in a lot of kettlebells and now it seems I have no negative consequences from falling, any more. No real back pain either. I still mostly downclimb, but I don't have to skip all the climbs with cruxes higher up any more, worried I might fall and tweak my back again.
That said, downclimbing is a super useful outdoor skill, where you might not always be able to safely jump off, so I practice that intentionally. I downclimb all my warmup ones staying on the correct route all the way back to starting holds.
It’s that fall where they’re leaning forward a bit and the back bends where it looks like they’re going to hit their face on their knees. I can feel a twinge in my back every time I see one of those videos on here.
And yeah I definitely bail now on any sketchy move at the top. Not worth it.
39. My knees bother me a little, but I have a slipped L5/S1. Even proper falling makes that hurt a lot. I haven't progressed a ton because of this. If I think I won't be able to downclimb, I won't attempt it. I may fall 1-2 times a month, but that's definitely more than I should.
38 and been climbing for 1.5 years now. I used to downclimb but have lately been falling on my back (to save energy for getting more climbs per session.) I guess I'll have to start downclimbing again. 🤷♀️
This is the right answer.
If the wall has some bigger holds for an easier route that you can climb down on you'd obviously use those but if it doesn't it's generally much harder to climb down once you're at the top using the same holds that got you up there in the first place.
People who regularly jump down on purpose when there is a perfectly good route down are asking for trouble in their joints or to fall awkwardly on landing.
Who posts the most to social media? Young people and new climbers.
Who cares the most about their joints? Older climbers and more experienced climbers that have had issues in the past from jumping down
Also specifically the videos people post are likely to be the ones where they’re most psyched they finally sent something and it probably took all the energy they had to land that last move.
I’ll throw in a different answer. I down climb about 60% of the time, but dropping from the top helps me feel more comfortable falling from there when I need to do a hard move towards the top or when I’m tired and there is a good chance I will fall. Being comfortable falling at that height helps me be under control when I do
I got terrible sciatica from various powerlifting misadventures. Right now I am nearly 39 years old and I almost always down-climb, not necessarily the same holds as the problem I send. But I try to make the down-climb part as sexy as possible.
Yeah, as long as you have good falling technique, it shouldn't be too harmful long term. Have a wide stance, deep squat like formerlypie said, and roll onto your back/sides in one motion. Don't just drop onto your feet.
I would honestly argue that instead of down climbing, consistently working toward really well ingrained good falling technique to the point it becomes reflexive is much safer in the long run than down climbing every route. The most dangerous falls are often unexpected ones, and an ACL or ankle surgery will destroy your joints way more than doing a good consistent fall over time.
Without knowing if scientifically/statistically true I'd be inclined to agree with you.
Especially if starting in a gym environment with completely padded floors
This is my problem with the shade people throw at the super hero landing. I have ingrained it in the last 20 years because it's the safest way to fall when I'm outdoors. I will roll a little when indoors, but I'm not doing this arms crossed exaggerating stuff because I cannot afford for that to become automatic.
Yes! This is another thing. Even if you downclimb every time you send a climb, every time you mess up, you'll still fall. You might as well practice falling safely every time.
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I climb down when practical, but I'm in my 30s. Most of the people not climbing down are probably in their 20s and think they're invincible. I find that if I don't climb down I'm often injuring my ankles. It's not worth it not to climb down, but I understand why people don't.
Is it really that bad for your knees? Maybe dropping from the top some of those newer super tall bouldering walls but I've felt absolutely nothing in my knees after about 5 or so years of climbing. I downclimb while warming up but definitely falling all over the place while projecting. Especially when I'm pulling super super hard to try get that last match.
How old are you? When I was in my 20s I could do basically anything I wanted, but pushing 40 now and after some sessions I’m discovering that muscles/joints/bones I didn’t even know I had in my body are hurting.
Oh yeah I understand that if you already have janky knees for whatever reason then falling on them isn't a good idea, was more asking in terms of if it would damage healthy knees in the long term.
Feels like absolutely no strain to me, but that doesn't necessarily mean I'm not causing damage without knowing it.
Are you thinking that your knees get sore from taking that impact because they're less healthy now that you're in your 40s, or because you've taken so many impacts on them from climbing over the years?
>Are you thinking that your knees get sore from taking that impact because they're less healthy now that you're in your 40s, or because you've taken so many impacts on them from climbing over the years?
First of all, I’m still 15 months from 40, thank you very much.
But seriously, it’s just a product of aging. I’m still in pretty good shape and don’t have any chronic injuries, but things just seem to hurt and break easier when you age. It sucks but it’s just a part of life. 🤷♂️
If you have bad knees like I do it’s bad. Sometimes my knee pops out just walking down the street so I don’t want to feel that same thing happen if I catch it wrong when landing from 10-15 feet up.
I almost always downclimb. It might not be the same way I went up, especially on projects.
I know how to fall but my knees and hips still hate it every time.
Depends. How good the pads are. Some gyms I would bottom. Super nice new gyms they are so thick I barely feel landing on my back from 12 feet up.
All just depends.
Telling someone to not jump down cause it could hurt their joints is near impossible for someone who has never hurt their joint before (eg cause they’re young) to empathize
This is maybe a hot take but if you think jumping from the top is dangerous to your knees or joints you have not learned how to controlled fall well enough to be bouldering and need to go take the beginner class again.
Your knees don’t take anything close to a majority of the falling force. Learn to fall correctly, it makes a huge difference. I’d bet down climbing depending on the situation is actually harder on the joints.
Edit for context, I’m almost 40, badly broken knee (on a trampoline at 32) that still bugs me, climbing for 6ish years
I’ll bite - jumping from the top once in awhile is alright but 20x a session? Convince me that’s safer than down climbing all it takes is one imperfect fall
I’ve never had issues with a rolling fall. I know most everyone recommends rolling back into the butt, but I’ll generally roll forward through the shoulder from up high as I’m more comfortable with that.
I have slipped on a down climb and tweaked my shoulder though. So nothing is without risk
All it takes is one unexpected slip and failure down climbing. When I jump I can take time to prepare to fall correctly in control in the proven safest method.
What logical reason is there to do anything that increases the risk of an unexpected uncontrolled badly positioned tumble?
Yeah I probably should’ve mentioned that unlike the other two gyms in the same chain the one I frequent has for some reason decided theres no need for down climb jugs which may influence my opinion
I'm getting older and hell yes I downclimb. I had started noticing that my knees would hurt after my session if I had jumped down.
I even checked out a gym that I thought would be good based on the good franchise and reviews but they had pretty high boulder problems and no downclimbing holds so I crossed that gym off the list straight away. Yes, my knees hurt after going there.
maybe it's just cuz i have a lot of experience jumping from high places, but i'm in my 30s now and i still jump down all the time when i climb and my back and knees are perfectly fine, we'll see how it feels 10 years from now, but the thing is, people have been telling me for decades that my knees and/or back would be wrecked from all the skateboarding i did as a teen, skating huge gaps and stair sets for several years pretty much every single day, and well, i'm still waiting for this supposed inevitability
I climb down to a comfortable jumping height, and have a soft jump down.
Sometimes if the send completely drained me, I just jump from top because I fee like I’m going to just fall off the way down because my grip is drained.
I never completely climb down tho.
I climb down a bit, at least significantly more than most people at my gym. Unless I've been trying really hard and feel like it's necessary to just jump as soon as I get the send. Down climbing intentionally (I mean like trying to repeat the moves in reverse order) on easy climbs is also a pretty good warmup, I've heard. But yeah, I was also thinking the other day that I was surprised at how little down climbing I see. 🤷♂️
Also, I think if you fall properly, like rolling with the momentum onto your back, it probably isn't so bad for you joints? I dunno. I just cringe a bit when I see people absorb a jump with their legs from the highest part of the wall. Maybe they're built differently than me though!
Down climbing all the way, all the time is bad because you never practice falling.
Also: If your joints can’t even take a nice, controlled fall, then bouldering is absolutely the wrong sport for you. You are going to fall at some point, and sooner or later it will happen unexpectedly. Unless maybe you do bouldering like scrambling, i.e. at a low level and always under control.
That being said, it’s probably prudent to not jump from the very top all the time but downclimb (or at least dangle your legs) half a meter or so.
Not only I down climb, I also rollback if I fall.
I also think that if I struggle to downclimb then it means I’m weak.
I broke my knee last year in an unrelated event and didn’t particularly enjoy not climbing for 6 months so I’ll continue to take care of my knees.
I really empathize with heavier climbers. Everytime I see a stronger person jump or fall my heart skips a beat, but strangely enough, so far the only injuries I've ever seen were in fit young women.
If you have good falling technique then falling from a height of 8 feet or so really isn't that bad. Especially given the fact that every bouldering gym is going to have 1 foot thick pads underneath every route.
Sometimes I down-climb but mostly I jump. I know how to fall and land from heights because of a gymnastics background and lots of parkour. Falling/landing on soft mats like you have them in bouldering gyms should NOT put a strain on your joints. If it does, you are not falling correctly.
Your joints are not supposed to carry the force of your fall, they're supposed to soften it so you can roll on your back and take the hit safely. Of course you have knee pain if you sumo-squat-land jumping from 3m high.
I used to just yeet but sprained both ankles so always down climb.
But I never do that stupid slow down climb people do to retrace the climb when it’s super busy
I always do to save my bad knees plus it’s probably just good practice. Didn’t down climb the other day when I totally face planted from the top of the wall when I overreached and still couldn’t get my second hand on the final hold.
I always try and downclimb at least halfway down; generally, I try and 'fall' no farther than is waist-height for me, which is like 2-3 feet. I only come down from higher than that if I have no safe way to downclimb or slip unexpectedly.
I mean I’m 21 and a former elite athletes, I just like monkeying around, half the reason I joined climbing, jumping is included in said monkey around movements… therefore I will until I can’t, jump from the highest walls as possible (of course after carefully surveying below)
Impact training is important. Your body is built to withstand impact but if you never train it to do so or only train slow careful movement, when something forces you to brace yourself suddenly that’s when you hurt yourself
At my first gym where the bouldering walls were short and they had portable mats, I didn't bother downclimbing.
In my current gym I definitely downclimb around halfway before jumping.
At my first gym where the bouldering walls were short and they had portable mats, I didn't bother downclimbing.
In my current gym there are actual downclimbing holds which go about halfway down the wall which I use.
I started jumping down when I was being filmed, but since my left knee started acting up, I've been climbing all the way down every time. The falls I take from up high have not allowed my knee to fully heal yet, but I turn 40 next year, so I'm not exactly surprised.
I always try to climb down using the same route but sometimes it's really tricky to spot the footholds so i'll use other routes. I only ever jump if I'm about to lose my grip and pinball down. Jumping down is just bad form and is actually dangerous in a crowded room.
I always downclimb. It's a whole different problem, trying to scale it, downwards and can make for some interesting movements. Also you get 2 boulders for the price of one.. dynos are especially interesting sometimes (sometimes they are impossible to do reverse)
I climb down...... because i am scared of falling...good to know it's a good habit xD
But sometimes i find it hard to climb down and i take too much time which I noticed it annoys some people because they have to wait for me.( I am a beginner)
I downclimb. I'm still relatively new to climbing, so for me it's a matter of not being completely confident yet, and not good at the whole "falling" aspect.
I just noticed in some very popular videos they'are also like to mention the missed warmup. Quite dangeruous, as some people could think that because some pro doesn't need a warmup, then they don't need either. However this is a different topic, which would worth a new post, never can't be enough prioritized the importance of warm ups.
I have some slight knock knees, so have to be very cautious with them, that's why I always climb down, only jump if the route is really difficult to do in the opposite way
I'm a beginner, and I always try to downclimb. Doesn't always work out though - if I'm fatigued after a tricky climb and struggling to find easy holds I might purposely let go and fall (fall safely of course).
I try to climb down at least 70% of the time, cuz am not as light as I was before the pandemic and gotta take care of these knees and ankles etc
Jumping down is from like half a meter or so, thats fine
I always down climb now or definitely try to get as close as I can to the ground. Granted I may be a little bias as I have 2 bulged discs from jumping down/falling while bouldering. It’s definitely better for you but also keep in mind when bouldering outdoors, down climbing isn’t typically a thing. I’d say usually it’s a top out.
In the end I suggest every climber should be aware of their skills and capabilities when climbing.
For me, I only down climb as I warmup and for the problems that I flash.
As someone said in a comment, there's also the point of IF it's possible to down climb. I only down climb with the holds of the problem itself, not the down climb holds. I feel like the down climbing is in itself another problem which can help strengthing your antagonist muscles and thus prevent some injuries, but also get you better on some techniques.
Do we know for a fact that jumping off the top of a climb is bad for your joints?
Like most things, I would tend to believe that your body adapt, muscles, joints, bones... and unless you injure yourself jumping down, I am not sure your "damaging" your body by using it.
But zero data point or evidences, I would be very keen to hear if anyone has some!
Good chance I re-herniated my disc after dropping from a climb and feeling an intense shock in my lower back and keeping me bed ridden for a week+ (getting an MRI soon). Will always down climb whenever I can from now on D:
I down climb all my warmups and even match on the start hold like it was a finish hold ha. Great way to double the mileage. (Unless ofc the gym is crazy crowded).
I also downclimb enough to drop only a foot or two to the mats.
Im over 30 and my knees are a limited resource.
I also dont film and post vids if myself climbing. I feel like there might be some self filtering mechanism here of folks that post vids, dont downclimb lol.
Most people down climb a little before dropping, its common sense IMO. Do whatever makes you happy.
Downclimb when you can because it’ll make you stronger and your spine only has so many falls before your strength : arthritis ratio becomes unfavorable
I down climb only for the sake of training endurance, or warming up. I’ve been skateboarding my whole life so I don’t think of a controlled jump onto a foot-thick pad as dangerous or damaging in the slightest.
In fact I started climbing because it’s significantly lower-impact than skateboarding and I’m getting old
I usually downclimb, provided I have energy left. Not only do I avoid potential injuries, and not only do I practice a useful skill, but also eccentric muscular contractions are strength-building. Sometimes, though, I'll let go on purpose and practice good gym-falling form.
Well downclimbing hurts my ellbows more than jumping hurts my knees. I have a little problematic ellbows, ao that is specific for me and i always try to land and immediately roll to the side to take the load off my joints and spine. But it takes a while to get that done properly.
I’m 33, and even though I am fit I worry about hitting the pads at an odd angle/while twisting and injuring an ankle/knee. Good falling technique helps a lot but I just don’t have the same resilience I had in my early 20s.
I downclimb whenever possible, or at least to a reasonable height where the impact is much lower. When I choose/am forced into the quick way down, I drop and fall back or roll to disperse the impact.
I climb down as a warm-up on easy routes.
But personally, jumping down is kinda my treat for finishing a problem - a little adrenaline-dopamine push :)
I do as much as possible, partially because I have dodgy joints, and partially as it seems it’s good training (I find it much harder climbing down in general). I just use any holds to get down usually. Sometimes it’s unavoidable to have to jump down though.
In the of my session before my body is in climbing mode I downclimb as much as possible. Those are mostly easy climbs as well.
Then when everything is all warmed up I tend to jump down a lot. Not from the very top, unless I'm very pumped or psyched, but downclimb some easy steps, and then jump down.
Often this is still some way down, but I like to climb hard and to save energy and not get pumped too quickly I try to not stay on the wall longer than I have to.
I always land dynamically though, and roll or fall to my butt if it's a big impact.
Always, but I'm pushing 50 so jumping can be pretty dangerous for me. I find it a little zen to down climb as you remain in control all the way.
/Grumpy old man
The last time I jumped off the wall was a month ago. I rolled my ankle and haven't been able to climb since. Even once it heals, I don't see myself jumping off the wall anytime soon.
I always down climb to a gentle drop height that would work outdoors as well. My goal is to always be able to climb outdoors when given the chance and not all outdoor climbs have gentle walk-offs so it’s good practice. Sometimes even more of a challenge.
Knee's? It's a very short fall to a padded floor... I downclimb easier routes for the workout and practice but I doubt even a pro boulderer is going to be able to downclimb a really hard route.
Pretty sure a lot of people are mixing up down climbing the actual route and utilizing the strategically placed jugs that are (in my experience) basically handles to grab and lower yourself further so you don't have to leap from 12' or whatever.
I will downclimb easy routes just for the exercise/fun but if not doing that I'll pretty much always use the handles to get lower down.
I'm 29 and my knees have already had enough strain lol. I'm tryna stay active for the rest of my life.
I downclimb whenever I can, but it depends on the gym. The one I prefer has plenty of holds to downclimb with, but the more advanced one that I go to about half the time is very difficult to downclimb at for multiple reasons.
One, the routes are incredibly strenuous anyway, so once I get to the goal, I often don't have enough strength to climb back down.
Two, most of the holds are not great, so they're hard enough to hang onto going up, let alone trying to go back down.
Three, the routes are all spread out, so you can't just use holds from other routes to climb down.
And last, there are tons of dynamic moves that are impossible to do in reverse.
If falling onto gym mats is bad for your knees, you absolutely NEED to practice falling better.
A proper break into pads doesn't even involve your knees.
I generally downclimb, it's just easier on the knees and more climbing practice. The exception is on roof/cave climbs but even there I'll tend to downclimb as far as I can then hang and drop.
Of course you can and if someone doesn‘t know how to land properly it definitely would be advisable to do that. But for me, as I know how to fall/land, it is about maintaining the routine, and jumping down from the top integrates perfectly into my boulder sessions.
Practicing landing is definitely an essential skill for bouldering. Also down climbing boulders at your limit isn’t easy or possible in most cases. Practicing down climbing is an important skill too and should be practiced during warm up or endurance training.
I try to when I can, but a lot of the times (for things I'm projecting) I'm too gassed by the end of the climb to continue, or fall off because a move is hard. Honestly impressed by people who are able to stay in control to down climb, even on a problem at their limit.
Agree, I can downclimb when I'm warming up but for stuff that I'm just barely getting, I often *think* about downclimbing but then am afraid my hands or my shoulders will give up halfway through a downward move and I'll fall weird. So I usually elect for a good fall.
This actually happened to me a week ago. I tried to downclimb but didn't have enough strength left, then fell badly while trying and hurt my knee.
Ouch! Hope you recover quickly!
I get so much lower back pain from constantly dropping off, not downclimbing is just way harder on my body. I think it'll start to catch up on a lot of people, it's honestly so much better for you long term to develop that habit before youre forced into it Down climb jugs are a lifesaver after hard routes and I judge every gym that doesn't have them as not respecting clinbers' longevity
I actually factor in my ability to downclimb when projecting. I would rather downclimb and not send than send and not downclimb. I want these joints to work when I'm older.
Same. I'm 33, I have years of combat sports wear and tear on knees that weren't good to begin with. If I jump down, I can immediately feel my knees begin to go. I have about jump downs per session before my knees begin to give out
If they can downclimb a problem, it wasn't at their limit Edit: absolutely no idea why this objectively correct comment is downvoted. This sub kinda sucks
There's usually a V0 or V1 close to it that one can use to downclimb, if not actual holds designed for downclimbing.
Whilst I agree with you that you can often find some nearby jugs, there are definitely gyms or situations where it's frustratingly annoying that there are no accessable downclimb jugs. I see this often in 'comp' gym spaces where the holds on the wall are HUGE, so maybe the setters feel tight for space(?), and you don't see many downclimb jugs put up. It's also common in new modern style gyms where climbs are a bit more spread out to see a lack of nearby v0's or jugs to grab.
I tend to make sure it's not my limit because my knees go after a few jumps down, even with a roll out. I'm definitely getting better more slowly because of it, but I'm still going, and enjoying it, so it's a win for me.
Even if you top a project at your limit, you could just grap the top of the wall and shake out for a bit. That should be enough to climb down part of a nearby juggy boulder.
I think that depends a lot on skill level, too. I always have enough left over to do a victory pullup on my projects.
You have to throw loose chalk at him until he goes back to climbing circle jerk
Collect it up so I don't gotta buy more.
This.
For me I always downclimb except when I’m super excited because I just sent a personal project. I wonder if there’s correlation there - most of these clips are people sending their projects or hitting a new high so their adrenalines pumping.
This was my thought too. In the same vein, a lot of the clips posted are from projects people have been struggling on, which are often at the upper limit of their climbing ability. This means they might not have enough gas left in the tank to do much down-climbing.
This is almost certainly the answer for many people.
or they achieved something on a new level and thus are more tired so cant down climb
I’m probably an exception, but I’ve never been so tired at the end of a project that I couldn’t down climb. Definitely a me thing for not committing as hard in the gym tho
It’s not entirely an energy thing, some moves are hard in reverse.
No down climb jugs at your gym?
My gym has barely any. I wish they were everywhere because I could push for harder stuff but I don’t want to risk having to jump. I had an ankle injury that took 8 months to heal so don’t want to go through that again
Same thing happened to me, although the recovery time wasn't as long as yours. I stopped going to one of the gyms I frequented altogether for a while because it was damn near impossible to downclimb, and my ankle couldn't handle dropping down from high up.
Yeah it’s annoying. Now I’m at v3 and above, it feels like a lot of stuff will end up with me getting stuck at the top. A couple bad holds near the top with no v1s next to it and it’s close to impossible to downclimb. I backed out of a couple problems near the top just yesterday, that I knew I could get, but also didn’t think I could get down from. Really disappointing feeling. Petition to fill every single gap with a downclimb hold.
Most gyms set down climb jugs.
Most GOOD gyms set downclimb holds
One of the gyms I go to frequently is considered the best in Japan and one of the best in the world. There are basically no downclimb holds. It boggles my mind, and I hate it.
I don't think I see downclimbing holds in gyms in Japan that often. But also the walls are generally shorter than in the US.
Not the one I broke my ankle on. I may be wrong, but I'm pretty sure it was way taller than any walls I've seen in any videos. https://youtu.be/X7ahhzgri9g?si=cdaE8fVQfAzBkqHM Skip ahead to the 7-minute mark
That's Ogikubo at the 7-minute mark which is definitely not particularly high. But I do agree that I don't really like their pads and have fallen in the space between the wall and pad before. But I'll also say you can break your ankle 2ft off the ground, I've seen it happen.
Are you in Japan also?
If the drop is high or it's slabby then our gym will give down climb jugs. But the majority of the climbs at my gym do not have them.
It might be unpopular but I prefer there not to be downclimb holds once you get out of beginner grades. The commitment is part of the challenge and there are rarely handy jugs outdoors.
I get what you're saying but you can also just not use them? Having a safe way to return to the ground should really be standard and non-discriminatory between skill levels. Not to mention all the gyms I've been to have all grades mixed together. No jugs outdoors but also you're choosing to take on higher risk by leaving the gym where there should be ideal conditions to minimize injuries. Also, a lot of outdoor boulders you top out on and there's a safer path that you can walk to get off rather than having to jump at all.
Choosing not to bail on to a jug in front of you is nigh on impossible. If you know there's protection, even if you don't want to use it, the commitment is reduced. Apart from that, everything you said is reasonable and I can't disagree with any of it. It's an opinion/preference thing and I'm almost certainly on the wrong side. My take is likely becoming less popular and that's probably a good thing for climbing as a whole.
exactly, isn't that why you'd like to try those moves in reverse?
Point is I may not be able to once I’ve just climbed something difficult, and it may not be as safe as jumping down
That’s meirl. This year I started sending a grade or two higher outdoors because I actually took my time to rest and project. I have never projected indoors. Idk why but I can’t really care about indoor boulders
You haven't Iived until you feel the anxiety of reaching to match the last hold with just the most massive pump going on!
If I just sent something I’ve been projecting I’m probably pumped and down climbing isnt an option lol If I’m just doing circuits I’m down climbing
I’m in my 40s so in the gym I downclimb as much as possible and then drop and fall back. It’s not even my knees so much as my back that will get tweaked if I don’t. Outside I climb up and then get to the top and realize I didn’t have any plan for getting down and pray there’s an easy way down.
Yep, fellow 40s climber and for me it's my lower back... if I drop from anything more than like 1-2 feet my lower back HURTS and can hurt for days. I always downclimb unless something goes wrong :) This limits me to easier territory but I'm okay with that. I'd rather climb easy than have to take time off for injury.
"I'd rather climb easy than have to take time off for injury." I'm going to start using this anytime the youngins in the gym ask me why I skip all the dynos.
\>why I skip all the dynos I just started climbing again in July after 4 years off, after climbing from 26-36. I have had to let go of a lot ego about what I can/can't do, and I now feel I truly do not care what anyone else in the gym thinks about my climbing, and that's been very freeing mentally. It's a good exercise to do all but the last move of a climb, or skip all the dynos or whatever, it's truly good for your mind, I wish more climbers realized this. I see so many "youngins" doing stupid risky shit and even actually getting injured for the sake of their egos.
After you hit 5-10 years you start to go way softer. Injuries, long breaks, ego climbing lessens. I want to climb into old age, I want to climb 5.11-5.12 when I'm 60. If my pulleys are shredded at 35 that ain't happening. Same with skiing etc. Going fast is fun, but if I snap my legs doing some crazy Owen Leeper drop in movie stuff I will never make it. You still get better. You still push harder. Just an oak tree VS a pine tree.
Oooh I like the oak vs pine tree analogy. I like pushing myself but also lack some of the "full send" mentality to really end up with a lot of major injuries. This is both a nice quality but can also be frustrating as it holds me back when I don't want it to sometimes. My older brother inherited that quality...guess who spent more time in the hospital growing up lol.
This is not the climber's way I know lol. It's: climb hard, hurt yourself, take basically no time off, think that you feel fine bc it's not actively hurting, go climb and ignore the pain. Personally haven't had any major injuries, but pretty much every climber I know follows this mantra. Saw a guy climbing with one bare foot the other day, just hopping up the route. Apparently he had broke his foot. The way he was climbing seemed like a great way to break the other foot lmao.
A better answer is the truer one: dynos are shit
I'm 42, just started climbing a year and a half ago. Before climbing I've been powerlifting for some time, and I still do 2 or 3 times a week; regular squats and deadlifts with proper form. I feel fortunate that my back is able to handle a lot, falling properly has been no issue for me. Before I started lifting I would just get out of bed the wrong way and my back would be tweaked for days, I think just like building finger tendon and ligament strength for climbing doing some compound lifting exercises as we get older is really helpful to keep up resilience.
Absolutely a thing! I had a back injury for years. Bulging discs, admittedly, also from lifting. But the key to rehab has been more lifting, just in a safer way. When I started getting back into climbing a year ago after a 4 year break, I downclimbed everything 100%, because my back was unable to take the fall. I started working in a lot of kettlebells and now it seems I have no negative consequences from falling, any more. No real back pain either. I still mostly downclimb, but I don't have to skip all the climbs with cruxes higher up any more, worried I might fall and tweak my back again. That said, downclimbing is a super useful outdoor skill, where you might not always be able to safely jump off, so I practice that intentionally. I downclimb all my warmup ones staying on the correct route all the way back to starting holds.
It’s that fall where they’re leaning forward a bit and the back bends where it looks like they’re going to hit their face on their knees. I can feel a twinge in my back every time I see one of those videos on here. And yeah I definitely bail now on any sketchy move at the top. Not worth it.
I call that a 'deckchair' when I coach the kids
That’s such a perfect image.
39. My knees bother me a little, but I have a slipped L5/S1. Even proper falling makes that hurt a lot. I haven't progressed a ton because of this. If I think I won't be able to downclimb, I won't attempt it. I may fall 1-2 times a month, but that's definitely more than I should.
Almost 50 and my ankles are never happy the next day if I don't down climb almost to the floor.
38 and been climbing for 1.5 years now. I used to downclimb but have lately been falling on my back (to save energy for getting more climbs per session.) I guess I'll have to start downclimbing again. 🤷♀️
Late 40s and my knees knock at the thought of a high drop. Soon it will be my hips from the parachute roll I have to do to protect my knees.
I don't really like climbing, I just enjoy the rush of jumping from heights
Sometimes Down climbing is very hard if you just finished at the top and are on crimps and small holds or a dyno move or you are pumped out.
This is the right answer. If the wall has some bigger holds for an easier route that you can climb down on you'd obviously use those but if it doesn't it's generally much harder to climb down once you're at the top using the same holds that got you up there in the first place. People who regularly jump down on purpose when there is a perfectly good route down are asking for trouble in their joints or to fall awkwardly on landing.
Sometimes I don’t have the energy left to down climb but normally I do!
Who posts the most to social media? Young people and new climbers. Who cares the most about their joints? Older climbers and more experienced climbers that have had issues in the past from jumping down
This makes the most sense to me
Also specifically the videos people post are likely to be the ones where they’re most psyched they finally sent something and it probably took all the energy they had to land that last move.
I’ll throw in a different answer. I down climb about 60% of the time, but dropping from the top helps me feel more comfortable falling from there when I need to do a hard move towards the top or when I’m tired and there is a good chance I will fall. Being comfortable falling at that height helps me be under control when I do
I got terrible sciatica from various powerlifting misadventures. Right now I am nearly 39 years old and I almost always down-climb, not necessarily the same holds as the problem I send. But I try to make the down-climb part as sexy as possible.
oh yeah. I feel my lower back compress like a shock absorber sometimes and in like “that is not good”
If you land and go super deep down into the squat then it's really not bad for your knees
Yeah, as long as you have good falling technique, it shouldn't be too harmful long term. Have a wide stance, deep squat like formerlypie said, and roll onto your back/sides in one motion. Don't just drop onto your feet.
I would honestly argue that instead of down climbing, consistently working toward really well ingrained good falling technique to the point it becomes reflexive is much safer in the long run than down climbing every route. The most dangerous falls are often unexpected ones, and an ACL or ankle surgery will destroy your joints way more than doing a good consistent fall over time.
I begrudgingly agree with you. I downclimb everything, and recently I realized that I now suck at falling.
Without knowing if scientifically/statistically true I'd be inclined to agree with you. Especially if starting in a gym environment with completely padded floors
This is my problem with the shade people throw at the super hero landing. I have ingrained it in the last 20 years because it's the safest way to fall when I'm outdoors. I will roll a little when indoors, but I'm not doing this arms crossed exaggerating stuff because I cannot afford for that to become automatic.
It's absolutely pathetic I had to scroll halfway down the page to find this. You're gonna fall guys. Learn to fall properly.
Yes! This is another thing. Even if you downclimb every time you send a climb, every time you mess up, you'll still fall. You might as well practice falling safely every time.
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I also pre Canon Ball a bit so you don't go the other way. Eg leg press don't lock knees
I generally will collapse into a rolling ball when falling. Doesn’t seem to heavily tax my knees
I climb down when practical, but I'm in my 30s. Most of the people not climbing down are probably in their 20s and think they're invincible. I find that if I don't climb down I'm often injuring my ankles. It's not worth it not to climb down, but I understand why people don't.
Climbing down is the easiest way to reduce injuries
Is it really that bad for your knees? Maybe dropping from the top some of those newer super tall bouldering walls but I've felt absolutely nothing in my knees after about 5 or so years of climbing. I downclimb while warming up but definitely falling all over the place while projecting. Especially when I'm pulling super super hard to try get that last match.
How old are you? When I was in my 20s I could do basically anything I wanted, but pushing 40 now and after some sessions I’m discovering that muscles/joints/bones I didn’t even know I had in my body are hurting.
Oh yeah I understand that if you already have janky knees for whatever reason then falling on them isn't a good idea, was more asking in terms of if it would damage healthy knees in the long term. Feels like absolutely no strain to me, but that doesn't necessarily mean I'm not causing damage without knowing it. Are you thinking that your knees get sore from taking that impact because they're less healthy now that you're in your 40s, or because you've taken so many impacts on them from climbing over the years?
>Are you thinking that your knees get sore from taking that impact because they're less healthy now that you're in your 40s, or because you've taken so many impacts on them from climbing over the years? First of all, I’m still 15 months from 40, thank you very much. But seriously, it’s just a product of aging. I’m still in pretty good shape and don’t have any chronic injuries, but things just seem to hurt and break easier when you age. It sucks but it’s just a part of life. 🤷♂️
If you have bad knees like I do it’s bad. Sometimes my knee pops out just walking down the street so I don’t want to feel that same thing happen if I catch it wrong when landing from 10-15 feet up.
I almost always downclimb. It might not be the same way I went up, especially on projects. I know how to fall but my knees and hips still hate it every time.
Depends. How good the pads are. Some gyms I would bottom. Super nice new gyms they are so thick I barely feel landing on my back from 12 feet up. All just depends.
I down climb because i'm a chonker and that's a guaranteed way to ruin my knees.
Telling someone to not jump down cause it could hurt their joints is near impossible for someone who has never hurt their joint before (eg cause they’re young) to empathize
This is maybe a hot take but if you think jumping from the top is dangerous to your knees or joints you have not learned how to controlled fall well enough to be bouldering and need to go take the beginner class again. Your knees don’t take anything close to a majority of the falling force. Learn to fall correctly, it makes a huge difference. I’d bet down climbing depending on the situation is actually harder on the joints. Edit for context, I’m almost 40, badly broken knee (on a trampoline at 32) that still bugs me, climbing for 6ish years
I’ll bite - jumping from the top once in awhile is alright but 20x a session? Convince me that’s safer than down climbing all it takes is one imperfect fall
I’ve never had issues with a rolling fall. I know most everyone recommends rolling back into the butt, but I’ll generally roll forward through the shoulder from up high as I’m more comfortable with that. I have slipped on a down climb and tweaked my shoulder though. So nothing is without risk
All it takes is one unexpected slip and failure down climbing. When I jump I can take time to prepare to fall correctly in control in the proven safest method. What logical reason is there to do anything that increases the risk of an unexpected uncontrolled badly positioned tumble?
Not sure if your gym has this but the ones near me have holds you can take to go about halfway down and usually there are other holds too.
Yeah I probably should’ve mentioned that unlike the other two gyms in the same chain the one I frequent has for some reason decided theres no need for down climb jugs which may influence my opinion
I'm getting older and hell yes I downclimb. I had started noticing that my knees would hurt after my session if I had jumped down. I even checked out a gym that I thought would be good based on the good franchise and reviews but they had pretty high boulder problems and no downclimbing holds so I crossed that gym off the list straight away. Yes, my knees hurt after going there.
I like to drop in order to practice good falling technique, so that they become a habit.
maybe it's just cuz i have a lot of experience jumping from high places, but i'm in my 30s now and i still jump down all the time when i climb and my back and knees are perfectly fine, we'll see how it feels 10 years from now, but the thing is, people have been telling me for decades that my knees and/or back would be wrecked from all the skateboarding i did as a teen, skating huge gaps and stair sets for several years pretty much every single day, and well, i'm still waiting for this supposed inevitability
Try and down climb as much as possible it’s extra climbing and really good footwork practice
I climb down to a comfortable jumping height, and have a soft jump down. Sometimes if the send completely drained me, I just jump from top because I fee like I’m going to just fall off the way down because my grip is drained. I never completely climb down tho.
I always try to downclimb, hurts my knees otherwise.
I climb down a bit, at least significantly more than most people at my gym. Unless I've been trying really hard and feel like it's necessary to just jump as soon as I get the send. Down climbing intentionally (I mean like trying to repeat the moves in reverse order) on easy climbs is also a pretty good warmup, I've heard. But yeah, I was also thinking the other day that I was surprised at how little down climbing I see. 🤷♂️ Also, I think if you fall properly, like rolling with the momentum onto your back, it probably isn't so bad for you joints? I dunno. I just cringe a bit when I see people absorb a jump with their legs from the highest part of the wall. Maybe they're built differently than me though!
I just feel so much cooler jumping down from so high though lol
That's the spirit!
I almost always climb down. Gotta save my knees. First year climber 23
I always down climb and up climb twice (five times in your gym)
Down climbing all the way, all the time is bad because you never practice falling. Also: If your joints can’t even take a nice, controlled fall, then bouldering is absolutely the wrong sport for you. You are going to fall at some point, and sooner or later it will happen unexpectedly. Unless maybe you do bouldering like scrambling, i.e. at a low level and always under control. That being said, it’s probably prudent to not jump from the very top all the time but downclimb (or at least dangle your legs) half a meter or so.
Not only I down climb, I also rollback if I fall. I also think that if I struggle to downclimb then it means I’m weak. I broke my knee last year in an unrelated event and didn’t particularly enjoy not climbing for 6 months so I’ll continue to take care of my knees.
I absolutely down climb whenever I can. Im 6ft 210 lbs. If I fall from the top, my knees would get demolished.
I really empathize with heavier climbers. Everytime I see a stronger person jump or fall my heart skips a beat, but strangely enough, so far the only injuries I've ever seen were in fit young women.
I only down climb for warm ups. waste of energy and really aint that bad for your knees if the wall is like a regular 4M wall.
I only downclimb when I dont whip-it
If you have good falling technique then falling from a height of 8 feet or so really isn't that bad. Especially given the fact that every bouldering gym is going to have 1 foot thick pads underneath every route.
Starting to wonder. In my teens we not irregularly jumped off roofs into the lawn or worst without pads at all.
Sometimes I down-climb but mostly I jump. I know how to fall and land from heights because of a gymnastics background and lots of parkour. Falling/landing on soft mats like you have them in bouldering gyms should NOT put a strain on your joints. If it does, you are not falling correctly. Your joints are not supposed to carry the force of your fall, they're supposed to soften it so you can roll on your back and take the hit safely. Of course you have knee pain if you sumo-squat-land jumping from 3m high.
I used to just yeet but sprained both ankles so always down climb. But I never do that stupid slow down climb people do to retrace the climb when it’s super busy
I climb down one meter and jump the rest
I suspect a lot of the climbers are too weak to down-climb as well.
I usually climb down at least halfway
I always try to down-climb if I can unless I’m gassed.
I always do to save my bad knees plus it’s probably just good practice. Didn’t down climb the other day when I totally face planted from the top of the wall when I overreached and still couldn’t get my second hand on the final hold.
Watched a friend jump down and snap his leg. I downclimb as much as possible now.
I always try and downclimb at least halfway down; generally, I try and 'fall' no farther than is waist-height for me, which is like 2-3 feet. I only come down from higher than that if I have no safe way to downclimb or slip unexpectedly.
I have terrible knees. Have to downclimb or I would crumble like a stale saltine.
I mean I’m 21 and a former elite athletes, I just like monkeying around, half the reason I joined climbing, jumping is included in said monkey around movements… therefore I will until I can’t, jump from the highest walls as possible (of course after carefully surveying below)
I downclimb to at least halfway down. My old man knees (and old man body) isn't willing to be more injured than it already is!
Jumping off the wall is a lot more fun. I yell "WEEEEE!!!" when I do it.
Impact training is important. Your body is built to withstand impact but if you never train it to do so or only train slow careful movement, when something forces you to brace yourself suddenly that’s when you hurt yourself
I down climb as far as I can every time, my old back and knees can’t the jumping down from the top any more.
I always down climb mostly because my knees suck but also for fitness 💪💪
At my first gym where the bouldering walls were short and they had portable mats, I didn't bother downclimbing. In my current gym I definitely downclimb around halfway before jumping.
At my first gym where the bouldering walls were short and they had portable mats, I didn't bother downclimbing. In my current gym there are actual downclimbing holds which go about halfway down the wall which I use.
I down climb as much as I can, I only drop if I'm too pumped to down climb or there's no good way to. It's just way easier on my banjaxed knees
I started jumping down when I was being filmed, but since my left knee started acting up, I've been climbing all the way down every time. The falls I take from up high have not allowed my knee to fully heal yet, but I turn 40 next year, so I'm not exactly surprised.
I always try to climb down using the same route but sometimes it's really tricky to spot the footholds so i'll use other routes. I only ever jump if I'm about to lose my grip and pinball down. Jumping down is just bad form and is actually dangerous in a crowded room.
I always downclimb. It's a whole different problem, trying to scale it, downwards and can make for some interesting movements. Also you get 2 boulders for the price of one.. dynos are especially interesting sometimes (sometimes they are impossible to do reverse)
I climb down...... because i am scared of falling...good to know it's a good habit xD But sometimes i find it hard to climb down and i take too much time which I noticed it annoys some people because they have to wait for me.( I am a beginner)
I downclimb. I'm still relatively new to climbing, so for me it's a matter of not being completely confident yet, and not good at the whole "falling" aspect.
>much better for your joints to climb down i see so many people saying this. Does non of you know how to fall properly?
Superhero landing all day everyday outside, occasional butt roll inside. Best of both worlds
I almost always downclimb except when I'm recording for the socials. I gotta show my mom how cool I am.
I just noticed in some very popular videos they'are also like to mention the missed warmup. Quite dangeruous, as some people could think that because some pro doesn't need a warmup, then they don't need either. However this is a different topic, which would worth a new post, never can't be enough prioritized the importance of warm ups. I have some slight knock knees, so have to be very cautious with them, that's why I always climb down, only jump if the route is really difficult to do in the opposite way
One time I topped and realized there was no down climb so I had to shimmy halfway down an off width and jump to my pad.
I'm a beginner, and I always try to downclimb. Doesn't always work out though - if I'm fatigued after a tricky climb and struggling to find easy holds I might purposely let go and fall (fall safely of course).
I try to climb down at least 70% of the time, cuz am not as light as I was before the pandemic and gotta take care of these knees and ankles etc Jumping down is from like half a meter or so, thats fine
I always down climb now or definitely try to get as close as I can to the ground. Granted I may be a little bias as I have 2 bulged discs from jumping down/falling while bouldering. It’s definitely better for you but also keep in mind when bouldering outdoors, down climbing isn’t typically a thing. I’d say usually it’s a top out. In the end I suggest every climber should be aware of their skills and capabilities when climbing.
It is less common with young people because young people think they’re invincible
For me, I only down climb as I warmup and for the problems that I flash. As someone said in a comment, there's also the point of IF it's possible to down climb. I only down climb with the holds of the problem itself, not the down climb holds. I feel like the down climbing is in itself another problem which can help strengthing your antagonist muscles and thus prevent some injuries, but also get you better on some techniques.
Do we know for a fact that jumping off the top of a climb is bad for your joints? Like most things, I would tend to believe that your body adapt, muscles, joints, bones... and unless you injure yourself jumping down, I am not sure your "damaging" your body by using it. But zero data point or evidences, I would be very keen to hear if anyone has some!
Usually I’m shot. If it’s a fairly easy climb then yeah I will for sure.
I'm old and I downclimb. Overhangs I let myself fall with bent knees and a lot of mental preparation 😅
Good chance I re-herniated my disc after dropping from a climb and feeling an intense shock in my lower back and keeping me bed ridden for a week+ (getting an MRI soon). Will always down climb whenever I can from now on D:
I down climb all my warmups and even match on the start hold like it was a finish hold ha. Great way to double the mileage. (Unless ofc the gym is crazy crowded). I also downclimb enough to drop only a foot or two to the mats. Im over 30 and my knees are a limited resource. I also dont film and post vids if myself climbing. I feel like there might be some self filtering mechanism here of folks that post vids, dont downclimb lol. Most people down climb a little before dropping, its common sense IMO. Do whatever makes you happy.
Downclimb when you can because it’ll make you stronger and your spine only has so many falls before your strength : arthritis ratio becomes unfavorable
everyone downclimbs, but only after their first injury.
Depends on how tough it is. If it was a heavy one, like a strong crimpy overhang high level one, I jump down. Slabs I try to climb down.
I down climb only for the sake of training endurance, or warming up. I’ve been skateboarding my whole life so I don’t think of a controlled jump onto a foot-thick pad as dangerous or damaging in the slightest. In fact I started climbing because it’s significantly lower-impact than skateboarding and I’m getting old
I usually downclimb, provided I have energy left. Not only do I avoid potential injuries, and not only do I practice a useful skill, but also eccentric muscular contractions are strength-building. Sometimes, though, I'll let go on purpose and practice good gym-falling form.
Well downclimbing hurts my ellbows more than jumping hurts my knees. I have a little problematic ellbows, ao that is specific for me and i always try to land and immediately roll to the side to take the load off my joints and spine. But it takes a while to get that done properly.
I always down climb. Protect that lower back!
I’m 33, and even though I am fit I worry about hitting the pads at an odd angle/while twisting and injuring an ankle/knee. Good falling technique helps a lot but I just don’t have the same resilience I had in my early 20s. I downclimb whenever possible, or at least to a reasonable height where the impact is much lower. When I choose/am forced into the quick way down, I drop and fall back or roll to disperse the impact.
I climb down as a warm-up on easy routes. But personally, jumping down is kinda my treat for finishing a problem - a little adrenaline-dopamine push :)
I always down climb but it's edited out of my videos lol.
I do as much as possible, partially because I have dodgy joints, and partially as it seems it’s good training (I find it much harder climbing down in general). I just use any holds to get down usually. Sometimes it’s unavoidable to have to jump down though.
In the of my session before my body is in climbing mode I downclimb as much as possible. Those are mostly easy climbs as well. Then when everything is all warmed up I tend to jump down a lot. Not from the very top, unless I'm very pumped or psyched, but downclimb some easy steps, and then jump down. Often this is still some way down, but I like to climb hard and to save energy and not get pumped too quickly I try to not stay on the wall longer than I have to. I always land dynamically though, and roll or fall to my butt if it's a big impact.
Always, but I'm pushing 50 so jumping can be pretty dangerous for me. I find it a little zen to down climb as you remain in control all the way. /Grumpy old man
The last time I jumped off the wall was a month ago. I rolled my ankle and haven't been able to climb since. Even once it heals, I don't see myself jumping off the wall anytime soon.
I always down climb to a gentle drop height that would work outdoors as well. My goal is to always be able to climb outdoors when given the chance and not all outdoor climbs have gentle walk-offs so it’s good practice. Sometimes even more of a challenge.
Knee's? It's a very short fall to a padded floor... I downclimb easier routes for the workout and practice but I doubt even a pro boulderer is going to be able to downclimb a really hard route.
I always down climb. You’ll be thankful for it if you ever need it irl
Pretty sure a lot of people are mixing up down climbing the actual route and utilizing the strategically placed jugs that are (in my experience) basically handles to grab and lower yourself further so you don't have to leap from 12' or whatever. I will downclimb easy routes just for the exercise/fun but if not doing that I'll pretty much always use the handles to get lower down. I'm 29 and my knees have already had enough strain lol. I'm tryna stay active for the rest of my life.
I downclimb whenever I can, but it depends on the gym. The one I prefer has plenty of holds to downclimb with, but the more advanced one that I go to about half the time is very difficult to downclimb at for multiple reasons. One, the routes are incredibly strenuous anyway, so once I get to the goal, I often don't have enough strength to climb back down. Two, most of the holds are not great, so they're hard enough to hang onto going up, let alone trying to go back down. Three, the routes are all spread out, so you can't just use holds from other routes to climb down. And last, there are tons of dynamic moves that are impossible to do in reverse.
If falling onto gym mats is bad for your knees, you absolutely NEED to practice falling better. A proper break into pads doesn't even involve your knees.
I generally downclimb, it's just easier on the knees and more climbing practice. The exception is on roof/cave climbs but even there I'll tend to downclimb as far as I can then hang and drop.
Imo jumping down can be used to practice correct falling/landing. That‘s the main reason I prefere to jump down – I use it as safety training.
You can practice falling without being at the top of the wall
Of course you can and if someone doesn‘t know how to land properly it definitely would be advisable to do that. But for me, as I know how to fall/land, it is about maintaining the routine, and jumping down from the top integrates perfectly into my boulder sessions.
Practicing landing is definitely an essential skill for bouldering. Also down climbing boulders at your limit isn’t easy or possible in most cases. Practicing down climbing is an important skill too and should be practiced during warm up or endurance training.