Bouldering Pads and Spotting: Reducing the Worst Landings

Bouldering injuries are overwhelmingly landing injuries: ankles, knees, and occasionally the head and spine. Almost all of them happen in the second between leaving the wall and hitting the ground.

That means the useful work happens before you start: where the pads are, who is spotting, and whether the landing is acceptable at all.

Place pads where you will fall

The most common mistake is putting the pad directly under your starting position, where you will not be falling from.

Think about the problem in reverse: where will you be when you fail? The answer is usually the last hard move, at full stretch, often with some sideways drift and a few metres of travel.

Practical placement:

• Cover the last move, since that is where most falls happen.
• Extend the coverage in the direction of likely drift.
• Cover the start as well if the problem traverses.
• Check the ground beneath. Pads over rock, roots or a slope do nothing useful.

Coverage beats thickness. A large pad covering the right area is more protective than a thicker small one in the wrong place, though you want both where possible.

The spotter’s job

A spotter does not catch the climber. A spotter guides the fall onto the pads.

What that looks like:

• Stand close enough to act, positioned so you can see the climber and the landing.
• Hands up, at about chest or head height, moving with the climber.
• Aim the falling climber’s torso and head toward the pads, not onto the ground beside them.
• Keep the area clear. Bags, bottles and bystanders in the landing zone are hazards.
• Move the pads mid-attempt if the climber’s position changes.

Two rules worth stating plainly: never spot with your hands down, and never spot with your phone in one of them.

Check the landing before every attempt

Before pulling on, look at the landing rather than the holds.

• Is the ground flat and clear?
• Is the pad coverage where the fall will be?
• Is there anything loose above you, or a hazard like a rock or a tree in the fall line?
• Is anyone else in the way?

If the answer to any of these is bad, change the setup or leave the problem. A bouldering grade is not worth an ankle.

The decision that matters

The most valuable judgement in bouldering is deciding not to try something. Highballs, bad landings, wet or greasy rock, and fatigue at the end of a session all push the risk up.

Set the pad, place the spotter, check the landing, and then climb — or walk away and come back with more pads and more people. The rock is not going anywhere, and bouldering is a sport you want to keep doing.