Netherton Foundry Shropshire

Netherton Foundry Shropshire
Classic cookware, made in England

Monday 12 August 2019

A break from our working lives.


A definition: what is bouldering?
Bouldering is rock climbing stripped down to the raw essentials, frequently demonstrated by some ripped climbers, stripped to the bare essentials. 
“It is a form of rock climbing that is performed on small rock formations or artificial rock walls, known as boulders, without the use of ropes or harnesses.”
Until recently bouldering was seen as the poor relation to roped climbing, indoors and out.  There is a fascinating but brief history by John Gill, in which he notes that bouldering was first documented as an activity in the late 19th century, and whilst it was used for training for “real” rock climbing, it was not taken seriously, in its own right, until relatively recently.

It is now increasingly popular and fashionable, attracting a whole new target market and this has led to innovation, aspiration and ambition within the wider bouldering community.




A declared interest:
As well as spending a lot of time thinking about iron and oak, we devote a lot of our free time to rock; sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic, not progressive and glam rock.  Although a bit of punk is always a welcome distraction.
Rock for climbing on, an interest that has been passed on to the next generation and here is where our worlds collide.  Netherton’s first born, Toby,  is a talented (#nobias, #parentalpride) rock climber and boulderer and is sponsored by WildBounds to promote their selection of BelmezFace bouldering gear.  Originating out of the cobbled, graffiti-tagged streets of Madrid, BelmezFace’s  collective of artisans and creatives manufacture gear that as environmemtally sustainable as it is high-performance.   Follow Toby to watch his climbing and bouldering adventuires.
Oh yes, Wildbounds also happen to be one of our customers too - what goes around, comes around. 

By the way, if you look up BĂ©lmez Faces, you come up with something altogether different – alleged paranormal activity in a house in Andalusia!

We have been watching the evolution of bouldering and the facilities on offer with great interest and enthusiasm.  As this article points out, “Bouldering isn’t the oldest form of climbing, but it may be the most modern.”
The opening of the Depot in Sheffield , a brand new, dedicated bouldering wall is a milestone in the journey of bouldering walls, the way paved by Yonder, Substation and Boulder Hut on foundations laid in older venues, where bouldering was a lesser part of traditional climbing walls.  The Climbing Works Sheffield blazed the trail that others would follow when it opened in 2006, as they say themselves it is aWorld-renowned bouldering centre of international significance and is the first UK bouldering centre to be awarded a National Performance Centre status by the BMC.”  It was the industry standard and world’s largest bouldering centre for many years before others  such as Yonder and Boulder Hut  further paved the way on foundations laid in older venues, where  bouldering was a lesser part of traditional climbing walls.




And these new venues are winning on so many levels; they are inviting and accessible, they have the atmosphere and ambience of a great night club, but with better loos and lighting (the music is open for debate!), and each has its own USP, be it vegan catering, hot yoga sessions, decent coffee (a must, in our eyes) or great pizza.



We admire this bold approach, the breaking of barriers, puncturing of perceptions, the inclusivity and the drive behind these ventures.  After all, bouldering is a truly democratic activity, appealing to all demographics; you can be young or old; a tyro or a hero; , you don’t even need to invest in special kit, you can hire a pair of shoes at the venue while you work out if you are going to come back for more.  Nor is it not ALL about the performance, you are not up against the clock, or anyone else; it’s about enjoyment and self-improvement.  Everyone is too immersed in their own boulder goals to be watching you!



We are looking forward to seeing more venues spring up around the country – so much is being debated about increasingly sedentary lifestyles, the selling off of school playing fields, a general lack of accessible sporting facilities and we believe that these centres offer far more than the sum of their parts; a chance to enjoy a physical activity, be part of a community, make new friends, challenge yourself.

If you fancy having a go, read this article and let us know how you get on.

Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2019 ©

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