Climbing wrapped 2024

It's almost the end of the year—time for a thorough climbing wrap-up. How I've been documenting my climbing progress has been extremely helpful to me and was quite useful when I decided to write this article. To begin, here are some highlights:

• I began climbing on February 7, 2024, at Urbana Boulders.
• I started uploading my climbing videos on Instagram in March.
• I’ve been visiting the climbing gym regularly, about 4 times a week.
• I’ve spent roughly 400+ hours climbing in gyms since I started (as of today).
• I've sent 11 V6-7 (gym grade) problems so far.
  • [1] [2] [3] [4] at Mosaic Boulders
  • [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] at Urbana Boulders
• I’ve visited 12 climbing gyms in total so far.
• I had my first outdoor bouldering experience in Berkeley this summer.

The journey so far has been an absolute blast, and here is my full reflection.

My Climbing Stats

The "Hardness" of the Grading System

There are two major grading systems in bouldering: the Fontainebleau scale and the V-scale. I started climbing in the United States, where the V-scale is mostly used. Some gyms use a single-digit V-scale, while others use range-based grades that can sometimes be narrow or wide (e.g., V4-5, or V4-6). The strictness of grading, however, varies between gyms—especially when comparing commercial franchise gyms to smaller neighborhood gyms. For simplicity, I’ll disregard outdoor bouldering grades here, as I’ve only been on outdoor trips twice.

To me, the grading system feels rewarding when I send a higher-grade problem, but it's also important for me to be aware that I'm not a competitive climber. My goal is simply to progress naturally, without rushing, while spending time with friends—whether that means helping each other on climbs, chatting, or just playing little climbing games.

At Urbana Boulders, they use a six-color tag system to represent ranges of the V-scale:

There used to be a white tag, which was an "unknown" grade that route setters would assign immediately after resetting a new set of climbs. A week or so later, after the reset, each white-tag climb would be updated with its actual grade. However, from what I’ve heard, some people complained about the white tags, and the gym removed them afterward. I personally like the white tags for two reasons. First, grades are largely unimportant for non-comp climb—it's about having fun and thoroughly studying the route. If I get stuck, I can discuss with friends to come up with different possible beta. Second, I can use those new routes as a metric to test how much I've progressed. For the first couple of weeks when the white tags were still there, I was able to finish about 60% of the climbs right after they were set in one session. The most sends I got was roughly 80%, and later I found that the problems I hadn’t sent in that session were all V6+.

In my experience, grading at Urbana Boulders is often stricter compared to most other franchise gyms I’ve visited. Although softer routes can sneak in depending on the route setters, I would say most climbs are graded fairly strictly within their defined ranges. Occasionally, the routesetters may intentionally set softer climbs to motivate climbers who want to achieve higher grades. I’ve experienced this myself: I sent a purple tag (V6-8) in April after only two months of climbing. I was surprised at the time because the problem was set with only huge cube-shaped holds on a slab wall (bolt holes are off for certain). I credit my decent balance ability for that send. Jed, the route setter, and I had a small talk, and that's when I first learned about the term "sandbagging." It means that a climb is much easier than it is graded.

Grading a route is inherently subjective because climbing is a sport with so much variation. Some climbers are flexible, some are powerful, some have stronger fingers, while others are good at core strength. Setting a route that encapsulates all these factors is impossible, or at least highly time-consuming for route setters. For instance, many physically strong climbers (typically tall) in the gym weren’t able to finish that sandbagged purple-tag climb on the slab wall after a fair number of attempts, but as a smaller climber, I found it more manageable. This kind of variability raises the question: how can you assign an "objective" grade? Because of this, I try to keep the grading debate in perspective.

The other day, I was talking with a friend, Aaron. We discussed how this two-level, wide-range grading tag system is sometimes inconsistent in terms of the difficulty climbers experience, and how it may give false hope for sending a hard green tag in the short term if they are not prepared. The grade may float around from V4 to V6 from time to time. To me, a V6 can be significantly harder and different from a V4. Recently, at Urbana Boulders, I noticed that many of the yellow tags now reach near V4, while some green tags were probably downgraded to V4. Similarly, I’ve found that almost one-fourth of the purple tags fall to V6 in terms of the strength and skills required to finish them. But there may be more to this grading style than meets the eye.

I've also climbed at gyms that use a single-digit V-scale grading system, but I find it less reliable because the 0-7 range here in the States is already wide, making it hard to find a good balance. But it's straightforward, for sure. Mosaic Boulders is a small, cozy gym just two blocks away from UC Berkeley; they use a one-grade range system. In this system, each color represents a specific V-scale range with no overlaps: V0-V1, V2-V3, V4-V5, V6-V7, and so on. While grading subjectivity still exists, I think this system somehow minimizes inconsistencies, and I prefer it this way.

Since I started climbing, I'm confident that I’ve sent at least 300 problems and have around 200 sends documented on my Instagram. Over time, I’ve developed my own view of difficulty levels. Remember, the grading numbers I’ve mentioned here are based on how I perceive climbs in gyms on the West Coast and Midwest of the United States.

• VB, V0, V1 (introductory level): Holds are mostly jugs or jug-like holds, with a comfortable introduction to basic types like pinches, slopers, and wider pockets. These climbs are straightforward—often strength alone is enough to pull you to the top, even without good techniques.
• V2, V3 (beginner to intermediate transition): Slightly tougher holds like shallow crimps and small two-finger pockets are introduced. The placement of holds may sometimes feel unintuitive, and requires climbers to rely more on intuition or strength/endurance.
• V4, V5, V6 (intermediate level): Introduces 5-10mm crimps, smoothed-out volumes, small foot chips, and flat slopers. More "creative," specialized holds (like complex pinches or steep slopers) also come into play, such that they expose climbers to styles they might see outdoors.
• V6+ (advanced level): I’ve only climbed one V7 so far (with about 80% confidence that it’s a strict V7), so I don’t have much personal experience to write about yet.

Note: This breakdown ignores wall styles like slab and overhang—but those affect difficulty in their own ways.

Beyond individual gym grading, V-scale grading also differs significantly by region. For example, many Asian gyms (e.g., in Japan and Hong Kong) tend to deflate their grades—something I’ve heard from influencers and friends in the scene. A V6 in the United States (if strictly graded) might only be equivalent to a V3 or V4 in Japan. This means that simply discussing grades in isolation often doesn’t tell the full story about a climb or the climber’s ability. As an example, one of my friends, S, who climbs in Singapore would grade the only V7 I finished, which I’m going to discuss later, as a V5-6.

Grades are fun. They’re enjoyable because they give a relatively objective sense of progress, but they can also be draining if you overthink them or let them affect your mental state. Whether my friends or I send a harder grade, we chat about it or celebrate—that’s what matters most. And when I sent my first few V6-7s, the only feeling I had was being grateful for the people on the crash pad cheering me on.

10 Months as a Milestone

Now, focusing on myself, I want to use this blog post as a way to measure how my climbing ability has progressed since I started and as a reference for my future self. Maybe it can be useful to others as well. Since I’ve visited Urbana Boulders the most, I’ll primarily use my experience there for reference, along with some climbs I’ve done at Mosaic.

In general, I’m able to finish every green tags (V4-6) and below, so V5 and low-end V6 feels completely doable for me. That is, I'm sure that I can complete these within 30 attempts. I consider my current climbing level as follows:

• For yellow tags (V2-4): I’m roughly 90% confident I can flash them, and I’m 100% sure I can finish them within a few attempts.
• For green tags (V4-6): I’m rouhgly 50% confident I can flash them. With the recent resets, I’d estimate the flashable green tags lean more toward V4 or V5 from my perspective. I’m also 100% confident of finishing them within a reasonable number of attempts.
• For purple tags (V6-8): For most purple tags, I can finish about half of the route for a single problem, and they are likely V6-V7 level problems. As of now, I’ve completed roughly 7 purple tags at Urbana Boulders. Of those, half of them felt like softer climbs and leaned more toward green-tag difficulty (one of which includes the sandbagged slab balance climb I mentioned earlier). The other climbs feel more solidly in the purple range.

Close Look at the V6-7 Problems I Sent

Again, all the V6-7 climbs I’ve completed are gym graded, and I disregard any inconsistencies in grading between regions. I recognize that the "hardness" of each climb differs, so I’ll categorize my V6-7 climbs into two groups: those that feel like a solid V6-7 and those that feel softer. I’ll explain why and give them my personal grade, simply because it allows me to recognize the exact difficulties of each climb and evaluate them subjectively.

The first one I want to talk about is from the BBC8 Women’s Open Final (V6+). This was part of the Boneyard Boulders Cup 8th Edition, a regional competition held by Urbana Boulders. Sam, a friend I met at UB, who regularly climbs V9 recognized this as a good purple tag, and based on the effort I put into this climb, as well as the techniques it required, I personally would grade it as V7-ish. I spent nearly a week on this problem, with over 30 full attempts, plus additional attempts focusing on specific sections and movements. The climb required a variety of skills:

• The first part was dynamic and required coordination and core strength. I had to pull myself back to the wall after being thrown off from the start while matching on the edge of a large side hold.
• The second part was more static and technique-heavy. It required:
  • Heel hooks and precise positioning for proper posture.
  • Finger strength for 5mm crimps.
  • Wrist and back strength for maintaining control on the final hold.
  • Lower body control to stay close to the wall while finishing.

This climb was incredibly challenging yet rewarding to me, and I’m especially thankful to my friends for their encouraging words that kept me motivated throughout the process.

I've sent 4 V6-7 problems at Mosaic:

• The first one is probably softer considering the tension it requires to finish. I used a "chestbar," which involves squeezing my chest into the side hold to provide good support and help me stay below the top. Since the top part of the finishing hold has no texture, you can't hold it to finish, but instead, you need to match with both hands and touch it. This was a fun blue tag at Mosaic, and I personally would grade it V4-5 because of the tension involved.

• The second one is a really tricky slab problem. The start was a crux for me because I thought I had a relatively short arm span. But then some friends told me to focus on the foot chip and really step on it to support my body as I reached for the next crimp hold. With my span, I could reach it comfortably, but I also had to be aware of my coordination, as I couldn't lose my step that was supporting me. The next crux involved stepping on top of a chip on the side of a volume. One of the beta tips was to step on it with the front part of my foot, which caused excruciating pain. But tolerance was key. After getting past that, the next few holds were straightforward. Nathan, who helped record this video, came up with more than five beta variations, and he’s been my inspiration at Mosaic. I would grade it V5 due to the lack of finger strength required for a V6.

• The third one was full power on muscles for the pinch and slope. I think I did it differently from the intended beta, which I saw on Mosaic's Instagram, where one of their route setters finished it. I was super happy to complete it. I would grade it V6 for the amount of tension required to top out.

• The last one was somehow easier for me to finish the first half, but the crux was getting around the giant hold in between, which belongs to another problem. The key was using my left finger and arm strength to keep my center of mass on the crimp foot hold, while reaching for a stable grip on the next crimpy, slopey hold. I would personally grade it V4-5 because it lacks the strong power required to finish a V6-7.

At Urbana Boulders, I've sent another 6 V6-7 problems. I mention V6-7 even though the grade tag at UB is V6-8 (purple), because I know I’m definitely incapable of finishing a V8 at the moment.

• The first one is the sandbagged route I mentioned earlier. As Jed, our route setter at UB, said, it's really tough to grade a route like this, and I agree. So, I won’t be giving my personal grade here, since all it provided was fun and an opportunity to test out everyone's slab walking experience.

• The second one is a problem on the top-out wall. At UB, we have a top-out wall that simulates an outdoor bouldering experience, where you have to touch all the holds and top out to the sofa-level floor to finish. This one was a purple tag, and it had a "no arete" label on the starting holds. Alex, another friend, and I were working on it, and we agreed that it’s either a green or a pink, depending on whether the "no arete" label is on. But anyway, this was a fun climb, and I would personally grade it as a rough V5 due to the lack of power required.

• The rest ([1] [2] [3] [4]) are some recently finished climbs, and to me, they all seem to range from V5-6, but not 6+.

Home Gyms & Outdoor Trips

This section will primarily cover the numbers and stats I’ve collected, some of which are based on geolocation data I tracked myself.

My home gym is definitely Urbana Boulders, as I spent more time in Illinois than in California. However, since I spent all summer (a full four months) in California, I’ll factor that time into the stats as well:

• I’ve spent roughly 258 hours at Urbana Boulders and roughly 165 hours at Mosaic Boulders. Altogether, that totals 400+ hours between these two gyms.
• On average, that’s about 1 hour per day over the past 10 months.
• The longest recorded session lasted about 5.5 hours—I’m not entirely sure why I stayed that long. Probably just post-finals week exhaustion, plus chatting more than climbing.
  • Note that the 7.7 hours in the Mosaic chart was inaccurate because, on that day, I went back and forth to Mosaic twice, and my current code doesn't split that time up.
• Most of my sessions typically last 2 hours, though occasionally they go longer when I just want to "relax."

As of December 17, I’ve climbed at 12 gyms in total:

• Illinois (4 gyms):
  • Urbana Boulders 🥇
  • First Ascent Humboldt Park
  • Brooklyn Boulders Chicago
  • ARC at UIUC (our campus gym, which has a top rope wall and a Kilter Board room—if we count that)
• California (7 gyms in NorCal):
  • Mosaic Boulders 🥈
  • Benchmark Berkeley
  • The Oaks
  • Dogpatch San Francisco
  • Movement Santa Clara
  • Movement SF
  • Bridges Rock Gym 🥉
• Costa Rica (1 gym):
  • Eskalar, a super cool climbing gym that also doubles as the training center for youth national players. I visited this gym during a conference trip, and it was an awesome experience.
  • Fun fact: At Eskalar, I met two very strong climbers, both named Tommy. It reminded me of the "Spider-Men pointing at each other" meme, which made the experience even more interesting. I had a great time climbing there with talented youth athletes on bouldering problems, the Kilter Board, and the spray walls.

I’ve only climbed outdoors twice so far:

• Indian Rock Park, Berkeley: I went with some super fun, casual climbers I met at Mosaic. While the experience was enjoyable, I couldn’t even complete a V1 because the rock was so dense, and I had commitment issues—I was afraid of falling off the slippery surfaces and getting injured.
• Holy Boulders, Illinois: This was a well-planned trip in October to the Shawnee National Forest. A group of about 10 of us drove from campus to the area, and we spent the day chilling and climbing the rocks we set up ourselves. (Unfortunately, I forgot to download some beta videos beforehand, and there was no cellular signal at the site.) Despite that hiccup, it was a fantastic experience, and we’re already looking forward to the next outdoor trip.

Training, Warm-ups & Injuries

I definitely do not consider myself a competition-style climber, nor do I wish to become one in the future.

Tryout for the Climbing Team

Around September, I noticed that the UIUC climbing team was recruiting new members. The only reason I applied was that I wanted to benefit from their regular training routine. I hoped it could help me become a better climber in areas where I lacked the most, such as endurance and technique. I applied just to give it a try and to see how challenging the routes were for competition climbers.

The tryout consisted of two parts: the first was top rope climbing, and the second was on the Kilter Board (each part included three climbs of increasing difficulty). Now, here’s the hilarious part: I had only tried top rope climbing once prior to the tryout, and I couldn’t top any of the top rope routes that day.

For the Kilter Board part, my group (we were three climbers, including myself) was assigned the following problems: a V5, a V7, and a V8+.

• I was able to complete about 80% of the V5 problem, 50% of the V7 problem, and roughly 20% of the V8+.
• Kaji, a freshman also in the tryout, was incredibly strong and a super dynamic climber. I wasn’t surprised when he made the team afterward, and I just wish him the best in his competition journey in the team.

Even though I didn’t make the team, it’s not as bad as it sounds. The climbing team trains at Urbana Boulders on a regular, weekly schedule, so I often get to observe how they train and climb (or just flash) routes with different styles. Watching them gave me a better understanding of the variety in climbing techniques: static, dynamic, slab work, power moves—each team member has their own unique style, and I love that.

I even got the chance to connect with some of the team climbers, though I’ve only had a few conversations so far. Hopefully, I’ll get to talk with more of them next year. Their routines—including 4x4s, campus boarding, wall traverses, and even random spray wall problems or dyno/paddle moves—have been both inspiring and satisfying to observe.

Training on My Own. Since the summer, I’ve started doing specific "toy" training on my own. I got a hexagonal portable hangboard from Amazon and began lifting weights using different numbers of fingers. I also started doing L-sits regularly—on a flat floor or hanging rings—along with daily pull-ups (up to 14 max). Here’s what I’ve achieved so far:

• I can do a one-arm pull-up with 90% completeness on my right arm.
• I can hold a full front lever, either gripping a bar or using four fingers on the Beastmaker hangboard’s deeper slots.
• I can do more than two pull-ups on 40-degree flat slopers.
• I’ve reached 1-4-6 on 20mm crimps with a wider step size on the campus board.

Nathan, the friend I mentioned in one of my V6-7 climbs, told me how calisthenics has benefited his climbing. Taking inspiration from him, I’m also exploring this aspect to improve my strength.

Another type of training is simply climbing. One route I remember spending an entire week on is an overhang climb, and I attempted it more than 50 times. A friend and I joked that I didn't have the endurance or muscle to finish the send, but while I was climbing, I was also training.

Technique Training. Technique is another area I’ve been focusing on, though it's hard to "train" directly. For me, it’s challenging to replicate the elegant movements of experienced climbers or Olympians—the kind of sequences that look effortless and perfectly logical in their own styles. Technique often comes from experience, and maybe I can train by focusing on the tiny details I pick up while climbing simpler problems.

To work on this, I began climbing more problems and analyzing my movement. I tried to find the optimal posture for climbs I had already completed—refining my technique further. I learned two fun training techniques from Louis (Catalyst Climbing, my favorite climbing YouTube channel): the "flow" and "robot" styles of movement. A few weeks ago, I practiced these styles and felt that I gained some muscle memory by incorporating them into my climbing. Now, I apply these techniques when attempting new problems. On good physical and mental days, this helps me confidently flash some V4 or even V5 problems.

One of the joys of climbing is watching how different climbers approach problems in unique ways. I’ve had a lot of fun spending time with others, exploring various permutations of postures and movements to solve the same climb. It’s incredibly satisfying to discover new solutions together.

Mental Preparedness. Checo, a friend I met in Costa Rica, and I had a few conversations about how mental preparedness affects climbing—even problems we’ve already sent. Climbing is equal parts physical and mental, and that’s one of the reasons climbing with friends are really important. When you’re trying harder problems, the support and encouragement of climbing partners are invaluable for staying mentally positive.

Warm-ups Are Important

For the first few months, I rarely did warm-ups. But that was alright since climbing was already fun, and sometimes I didn’t have a lot of time to spend on warm-ups without cutting into my actual climbing time. However, as I started progressing to higher levels, I began paying more attention to the length and variety of my warm-up routines.

One noticeable difference is that proper warm-ups make climbing feel more fluid, confident, and long-lasting. When I warm up properly, I can spend up to four hours climbing without feeling too tired. But without a good warm-up, I often feel fatigued after just about 30 minutes. Preparing my body is super important if I want to have a productive session with friends and actually solve problems. (Plus, ping pong is definitely a great warm-up routine.)

Then again, on more casual climbing days, chatting and small talk can be just as fun as the climbing itself.

Taking Care of Myself

Injuries happen from time to time, but it's crucial to avoid major ones. Luckily, I’ve never had a serious injury so far—just some flappers, bolt hole cuts, and scratches. I try my best to prevent anything worse from happening.

I don’t climb top rope, crack, lead, ice, or outdoors (which might sound silly to some people) at the moment. One of my goals is to become better at bouldering first before exploring these other types of climbing. Now that I’m nearing 30, avoiding injuries and being able to keep climbing is far more important to me. Also, take care of the calluses! Balms, nail clippers, and tape are our best friends.

Weaknesses & Strengths

As an intermediate climber, I know for sure that I have many weaknesses, but I also have certain strengths that allow me to climb hard with confidence.

In a post I wrote a few weeks ago, I mentioned trying a purple-tag problem, which I believe is definitely a V7-V8 climb (at UB). It required precision and skill, such as: (1) jumping mid-air with pinpoint accuracy to reach an 8cm-wide sloper while avoiding other holds; and (2) a dyno (dynamic jump) to an upward hold from a crimp at a bad angle.

Everything about this climb was so challenging that I had to break it into more than four components just to analyze and reflect on it. Complex coordination moves, finger strength for pockets, far volume/hold walking on two slab walls, bicep and tricep strength, and accurate footwork for jumps—it all required a lot of effort.

But there are areas where I feel confident. Since I'm not very tall and am lightweight, my core and back strength allow me to maintain my center of mass when performing specific moves, such as pogoing and doing moves on a slab wall. I'm good at pogo moves, but I struggle when the holds are slopers at bad angles. But my finger strengths are gradually getting stronger with each training and climbing session.

Another area I’ve started focusing on—and where I've been struggling—is projecting problems. Thoroughly studying a route can become quite analytical if I treat a moderately difficult climb seriously, especially when I want to flash it.

Extra Stuff

UB Spray Wall

Before visiting climbing gyms around the Bay Area in California, I had never seen a spray wall. So when the route setters set a spray wall at UB, my friends and I were psyched. This was something some UB members had probably been waiting for. Unfortunately, after a few weeks (right before the gym competition), they reset the wall, and it’s now gone.

While the spray wall was up, I created an interesting problem called "Toy Story," which consisted solely of fun toy-shaped holds on the wall. I gave it a V3+ grade after asking some friends to test it out. The problem had a cool pogo move that many friends who tried it said was fun.

A week ago, while looking through my photos, I found a picture of the spray wall. Inspired, I decided to segment all the holds in the photo and create a little hold "card" for the wall. Isn't this wall a piece of art?

Bouldering Journal

In one of my previous blog posts, I mentioned that I had started a bouldering journal to keep track of the climbs I've explored. However, I found it challenging to keep it up-to-date since most of my time is now spent simply climbing regularly, and I'm busy with other duties. Instead, I began creating well-formatted captions for the climbing videos I post on Instagram. These captions follow the basic structure of my journal template and include all the key information I want and need. Even though I haven’t been journaling as much recently, the journal pages I've made are lovely. I love the feel of actually handwriting my notes, whether on paper or digitally on my iPad.

Friends

Climbing is nothing without friends.

When I was designing my bouldering journal, I included a section titled "I Climbed With" in the template. My goal was to keep a record of the names of people who helped me on climbs or simply chatted with me. This is partly because I’m not great at remembering names, and it would be awkward not to know their names the next time we meet—especially if we connected and shared a good vibe.

Here’s a short (and incomplete) list of names I remember climbing with, in no particular order:

Litong, Aaron, Dave, Min, Xiaoqin, Daniel, Athena, Jiayi, Jun, Ahmed, Ben, Hao-Chien, Jacob, Ruchen, Hao, Fei, Peter, Yizhu, Yifei, Ziqi, Rose, Finnley, Stelios, Henry, Russell, Kaji, Kevin, Dev, Nick, A.R., Will, Wendy, Paul, Sam, Will, Jackie, Alex, David, Scott, Dillon, Nick, Ujaan, Fernando, Jason, Sasha, Isaac, Ben, Nathan, Dongsu, Elijah, Dillon, Paul, Parker, Stephanie, Falcon, Chaoyu, Nat, Matthew, Rose, Checo, Tommy, Tommy, Sebastian, Mateo, and more.

I’m just grateful to have had these friends on this climbing journey.

What About 2025?

I’m a casual person. So, realistically, here are my climbing goals for next year:

• Spend more time with friends—helping those who are new to climbing learn techniques and keep supporting each other as we tackle harder and interesting problems. I also want convince the person who first introduced me to climbing at UB to come back to the gym :D
• Send a strict V8.

Vanga! Vamos! Allez! Gamba!