When most boulderers think in terms of going bouldering they pile into the vehicle and drive somewhere near their home town, then park alongside a road at a pullout, or public parking area, and walk along a trail or path to reach a pile of boulders, whereupon the commence to toss down a hefty brightly colorized crashpad on the ground beneath their next 'project'.
But that's most other boulders for you.
For me though, walking shoes, a winter coat, short knee length short pants (this is a must...no matter how cold it is because pant legs get in the way!), grab a bottle of water, tuck it into my mini fanny pack, and a snappy departure from home, taking either a left or a right route, and briskly march along the town paved sidewalks, going out for a long daily "walkabout" in this neighborly and quaint smalls-ville town.
En route along that multi-mile walkabout march I do make it a habit to stop at any one of a half dozen small town playground areas to check out the bouldering potential. I know, I know...you're thinking to yourself...that ain't bouldering. But I do digress on this fine point.
There are the little town playground one may encounter the usual small kids playing on the playground equipment (various slides, steps, platforms, monkey bars, roped arenas, mini-bouldering wall, mini-tunnels, etc), and yep you sure can see and hear by all the smiles and noisy chatter that the kiddies are all having a blast. And the parent (usually its Mom)...well she is standing there nearby enjoying a relaxed moment, chattering with 1-2 other Mom's who are also there releasing all that pent up energy so very much bound up tight in those little 4 year-old kiddies that ain't any taller than my waistline.
It's there, among all that friendly noise, that I pick a spot to sit down on the ground, remove my overcoat, plop my fanny pack and water on the ground, untie my tennis shoes, slip out of my socks, stand up, and slowly gravitate over to the starting point.
Yep, the key here (point #1) is BAREFOOT. Ya don't wanna be doing this stuff with shoes on...you can die doing it with shoes on...I should know after attempting it the first two times. Shoes are simply too clunky for this game. And while we're on the topic of "barefoot bouldering" you don't really want to spend time flying off (like you might do when you are out at the real live bouldering area and that big fat orange crashpad is awaiting to catch your feet). Because here at the small town playground area — the ground is indeed soft, and spongy-like, but....its usually composed of bark or sawdust chips, and sometimes big chips. So, if you hit the ground too hard you will certain find a splinter in your sole (key point #2).
Each play area has its own natural starting point for bouldering, and it does take some analysis to find it. This particular one begins at the vertical ropes ( a series of horizontal and vertical tied ropes). I step aboard (yep, it's kinda like getting on a moving Mississippi River paddle-wheel riverboat), and cruise easily along the roped section, then along the mini-vertical bouldering wall, to the rest spot on the outer start of the first monkey bar set. Here we get some stretching in because we are gonna need it soon enough.
Then I lean into the overhang, full body hanging from the slick metal monkey bars of set #1, and slowly cruise upside down, full body hanging along the first set of bars to the far end, then at the last rung, I flip my feet up into the previous bar, until my knees are fully enclosed on that bar, and let go with a woooosh — with hands off that last bar — I swing with a momentary rush fully upside down, like a gymnastics person, and continue to swing fully upside down, back and forth for a series of times, enough to get that blood a pounding in my head, and enough to chill down the fore arms (well not really...).
Then on the last swing, aim for the high bar directly above, muscle it with hands, foot out left on the vertical slick pole, other foot out right on the other slick pole (now bear in mind that this is typical very wide Beacon Rock style stemming!), and gingerly reach over to that far slick metal pole and smartly grab the second monkey bar set, and cut the feet loose, swinging your feet up into the awaiting first two horizontal bars and wrap your legs over it quickly, pull a swift, stylish reversal, all the while hanging totally upside down, then cruise in upside down mode all the way across monkey bar set number two. When you reach the far end of that set, do a very stylish reversal, and cruise the same monkey bar set for 3-4 loop sessions in a row, then at the farthest end of that monkey bar you can finally stop and take a brief break. No, no, no, not by putting your feet on the ground (that means you failed to send the route dude!). You hang there on the metal bars and chill briefly, or if you are not pumped (and technically you should not be here yet!), then you make another very very long stem out with your barefoot to stick it onto another far out there vertical slick metal pole, wrap your hands around it, both feet on it and on a nearby metal vertical bar, then lower yourself into another upside down position, and cruise along a single metal horizontal metal bar across to the far final end flat kiddie landing platform. Then cruise underneath that platform to the far end, grab the vertical metal ladder at that far end, stand up on it...then crawl back under the platform and cruise another horizontal bar hanging upside down, and pull a quick reverse, aim your toe for the center point of the farthest platform, touch it...and done.
That is tour number one. Though each small town kiddie playground offers its own unique set of tours, this particular play area has a total of four quality power lines, yielding measurable technicalities upwards in the V3-V4 range, depending on your skill level (i.e. again reminding you that you get instantly disqualified if you do it with shoes on).
Do note that playing this whole game of town park metal bar bouldering — the weather must not be too cold for obvious reasons! Point number one, your hands and feet will never survive the super cold metal bars. And point number two...if its really cold during the day (in winter), such as 45F, then bouldering is much more difficult on slick metal poles (you need the foot stickiness that occurs on the soles of the feet upon the vertical slick metal poles for viable traction).
After doing a half dozen session you will get the hang of it, and playground bouldering suddenly becomes an exercise friendly, neighborhood walkabout, smile-at-your-neighbor non-motorized virtual necessity.
