Bouldering

Bouldering is a form of free climbing that is performed on rock formations without the use of ropes or harnesses. While bouldering can be done without any equipment, most climbers use climbing shoes to help secure footholds, chalk to keep their hands dry and to provide a firmer grip, and bouldering mats to prevent injuries from falls. Unlike free solo climbing which is also performed without ropes, bouldering problems (the sequence of moves that a climber performs to complete the climb) are usually less than 6 meters (20 ft.) tall.

Guavaberry Spring Bay on Virgin Gorda is well-developed as a climbing area because all of the boulders are easy to access and most have really safe landings. There are a wide variety of boulder problems found on and alongside Guavaberry’s property.

The boulders found along the beach at Spring Bay are open to the public while the other top star boulders which are found on Guavaberry’s property are only accessible to Guavaberry Spring Bay’s guests. Guavaberry provides complimentary crash pads for their guests and they have chalk for sale in their commissary.

They offer this as a perfect solution for the visiting tourists who do not want to travel with bulky climbing gear. Guavaberry Spring Bay is hands down the best choice for climbers looking for a memorable bouldering experience on Virgin Gorda.

Bouldering climbers can also pick up a copy of A Guide to Bouldering and Travelling in the Virgin Islands at Guavaberry Spring Bay’s office.  Authors Jon Wasser and Rich Crowder mapped out many of the bouldering problems in this guide.

The beautiful bouldering photos are by Rich Crowder. If you’re interested in learning more about bouldering in the BVI, you can purchase his guide from here.