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If you’ve ever spent any time rock climbing or around climbers, you’ve probably heard some of the jargon used in the sport. There are all kinds of goofy sounding words like mantling, smearing, matching, bumping, and crimping. But one not-so-goofy word is the word problem which is what climbers call rock climbing routes. More than a few people have been confused about that terminology, and to explain it now, I’m going to create a metaphor for generic problem solving through rock climbing. So let’s talk beta (information or tips on a particular problem).

As I sat at Hunter’s Rocks in Rothrock State Forest today scoping out some boulders to climb with a few friends, I thought about how much I liked the term “problem.” I thought about how much I appreciate that instead of calling them routes, thereby implying a beginning, end, and particular path. Problems in rock climbing are so much more than a predetermined set of moves that each person must perform. Largely, problems are more like puzzles that have a beginning and end and a million ways to move between them. Whether you’re short or tall, explosive or balanced, lanky or stout will greatly affect the path you decide to travel, but not necessarily your ability to complete the problem. But no matter who you are, you’ll probably spend quite a bit of time failing, falling, learning from others, and thinking about what to do on your next try.

While attempting to boulder (climb low problems without a harness), it’s clear to me that people really are engaging in a creative type of problem solving. Trying a problem for the first time is much like taking a first try at a math problem where you’ll use heuristics, instincts, and first feelings to just give it your best shot. After you (probably) fall, you’ll take a long hard look at what just happened. Maybe your problem solving style is throw yourself at it again, this time making it a single move further before slipping and launching yourself off of the wall, akin to scrapping your work and starting again with a little more information. Or maybe you’ll think about the physics of that next move and realize you’ll need to flag a leg out to one side before reaching for the next rock, much like realizing you’ll need to convert units in that thermodynamics problem before plugging into this particular formula you want to use. After enough tries, you might even sit back from the rock face and watch others give it a try, seeing how they navigate the problem with their particular skill set. Or maybe a friend will even see you fall and approach you with tips. Climbers make a really friendly community, just like other students in your major might.

Anyway, problems are not a misnomer for rock climbing routes. Bouldering is a great metaphor for problem solving in general. And learning to boulder will only improve your creativity, fitness, kinesthetics, and problem solving skills. So, if you can, I’d recommend going to find some rocks (real or fake) and getting to climbing. I don’t think you’ll regret it.