Think about one of the most frustrating things that can happen when you’re bouldering: you successfully do all of the hard climbing moves only to reach the top and not be able to do the topout. Grr.
“Topping out can be the most difficult part of bouldering, especially if you’re used to the gym, where you jump or downclimb from the top, or they set massive jugs to make it easy to haul your butt up and over. With most outdoor problems, it isn’t considered finished until you’re standing on top. At that point, you’re often pumped and high off the ground, so it isn’t the ideal time to experiment with the finer points of technique..”
-David Flanagan
This article from climbing.com has some tips for how to improve your topouts.
It gives step-by-step instructions for how to mantel, rockover, and heel rockover.
The mantel:
“Manteling is the method of going from hanging from a feature to standing on it, without help from any higher holds.“
The rockover:
“This move is when you place a foot on a high foothold and stand up on it by pressing hard with the legs while your arms keep you balanced.”
The heel rockover:
“Blank, rounded, or undercut topouts are best tackled with an approach that combines elements of rocking over and manteling.”
Remember: it is ideal to practice topouts in a safe and easy environment so you can feel more confident doing them in harder situations.
The article finishes with a few suggestions for training topouts in the gym. Give it a read and learn how to be better prepared to avoid the frustration of not being able to topout….
CLICK HERE: Master Topouts
(photo courtesy of climbing.com)
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