@Mike-oz4cv its just waiting to happen when you go from 0 board climving and regularly trying to push grades on it(having climbed for a relatively short amount of time). It's something we've all been through, especially after the euphoria you get from the initial gains you get from learning how to board climb (you learn how make the most of your power, contact strength, moving quickly and precisely etc.). You become enamoured with the progress and then inevitably you push it too far but that's part of slowly figuring out your own limits as well so in the long term its an important and natural step in progression
Was going to mention what you said at the end. With the incline, the thing that you seem to struggle with is keeping tension - you sag, then when you move you lose your feet. Good training for that is finding a bunch of holds on a steep incline and go really slowly through them, one move at a time, trying to keep yourself from sagging as much as possible. Careful foot placements, you don't want to be "loose" at any point. Once you teach yourself how that feels, it gets easier to find elsewhere.
i really respect your approach to climbing mike. It can be super hard to progress in something as complex as climbing, so this is really inspiring to a lot of people
Controversial opinion perhaps but I think the 2024 moonboard grades aren't sandbagged that much, and closely reflect the level of effort I put in on blocs outdoors. With the exception of that 7A that Aidan Roberts put up (under sam prior's account) called Str8 off dins dome. That thing is beyond nails for the grade
Yes gyms are mostly really soft, i climb 7a/7a+ indoors, outdoors its like 6c-ish, but grade is just a metric of progress for me so i dont mind have kind of like 2 scales for both enviroments, as long as it is consistant
fully agree I think board grades are representative of outdoor grades in the sense that if you never climb outside you will struggle to match your indoor grade which likely isn't as accurate as a climb that's been there for 40 years so it's not necessarily that moon boards are hard it just the gym is most likey soft.
Didn't realise that moon board started at V4 and almost laughed when I saw you started it at that. I'm V5 in the gym and was struggling on V2s when I started
@@paulwhitlock8881 I feel like the moonboard grades and outdoor boulder grades are pretty much equivalent here. Mostly because those that establish the outdoor boulders are also moonboard climbers. So its the reference
You should do a 30 day moonboard video lol. I am an occasional 7a climber, and to be honest on the board in my gym I struggle to climb 6a! My fingers are strong but I weigh 80kg~ so it's truly a struggle. Nonetheless if I try super hard (I think tbh board climbing is mostly a mental challenge) I can get to the top. Try super hard and send dude, you've got it. Edit: ah yes, also what is key is to try and keep your feet on! Body tension is key!!
I strongly suspect is a bit of both, the moonboard is probably sandbagged but if you're used to commercial gym grades in the UK, yeah those are soft (as they are in many places)
Great vid, love how you covered the stages of moonboarding. I tried moonboarding in my first month of climbing and I also couldnt get off the ground, and the more I tried the better I got. I related so much to the acquisition of the secret "body tension". + that home gym is immense
This is fantastic! I love following your journey, I have been obsessed with climbing just like you and I am on the same journey since I started 6 months ago. I also tried moonboard for the first time a couple of weeks ago, I struggled for four sessions to finally send “The Wam Up Problem 6a+” (talk about sandbagging) on the 2019 moonboard. I would love to see more of your moonboard projects so that I can climb along side with you here in Sweden. Great video as always!
This video was right to heart...I've been able to climb 5.12-'s at the gym but I can't do a V3 on the Moonboard (fixed at 40degrees). Exact same scenario as you Mike. The gym is getting a new Kilter board that can have the angle changed, so I'm going to copy your trials and start at about 20degrees and keep making it steeper from there until I can do the route at 40. Thanks for the tip!
I’d be very interested to see you do videos on more boards. I’m very new to climbing and they all look so intimidating to me… this video really helped explain what this board is for and how best to approach it. Full marks 👍🏼
Wild how a tiny bit of success can suddenly make you such a better climber. Definitely experienced the same feeling myself on my climbing journey more than a couple times.
the moon board is just highlighting a lot of weaknesses in your climbing all at once - and like you said, it is a specific style that you really need to learn. The main things I noticed missing were 1. you were hopping on the board with NO PLAN - you didnt know where any of the feet were and you had no plan for what sequence you wanted to do. This is very common because I think people assume that because there are lights it will be easy to read. 2. Your footwork and body tension on bad feet is lacking a lot, and the moonboard punshies that. The good news is climbing on the board for a few months will greatly improve your climbing. Remember to stay postive and keep postive self talk... you cannnn do the move.
I’ve trained a lot on the 2016 moonboard, it definitely reflects outdoor bouldering grades more than indoor climbing. High intensity, crimpy, short climbs with little room to do anything other than the intended beta.
As someone who has tried boarding only a couple of times and got disheartened and deterred this video really helped Thanks Mike! Please I would love for you to try the other boards as well!
I'd love to see you try climbing the Tension Board 2! I climbed on almost every board on the market when I was picking out my homewall, and the TB2 was by far my favorite
I'm just at the point where you are in the beginning of the video. Been climbing for a little over a year (obsessively so) and have now started scheduling one MB 2024 session per week. So far I have gotten over the initial shock at least, now it's on to ticking the first climb.
There isn't a more universal experience than a climber trying a training board for the first time (and getting absolutely shutdown). Keep at it consistently and you WILL start to get comfortable on it (and hella strong)
Amazing video and great effort! I used to be exactly as you and now I’ve built a moonboard in my garage and love it as a training tool. You will get very strong very quickly if you consistently mix in a moonboard session every couple weeks at least from the start!
My gym has a tension board, new gym just got a TB2. When i started i was a v5/6 gym climber, amd i had to start at v3. At this point though I've climbed more V7 & 8s on the tension board than on commercial sets. Its just a whole new style of climbing to learn. The best part of your video was seeing how well amd precisely you were moving off the moon board because of it. Well dome! You'll be leading 7b in no time.
Totally been there and after a year recovering from two consecutive A2 pulleys, I'm now back there again ;) Be careful with the board obsession.. Its addictive and it will lead to injury if you don´t pace yourself. Talking from experience;)
Subbed over this video, you really captured the many stages of moonboarding experienced through trying to match your climbing up to benchmarks. I own a mini-moonboard, and the benchmarks on it are beyond humbling. I don't know if the hardest climb I've ever done was on a moonboard, but I'm positive the hardest moves I've ever done are.
@@MikeBoydClimbs The OG set is IMO the hardest of any moonboard benchmark wise. There are finishing matches that will have you crying in the shower. I ordered the new set so we'll see how the 2024 blue holds are for the mini, but I'm sure it will be a different style and likely much easier. I was worried about the blue holds not feeling like a moonboard, but it has to me as I've climbed the full 2024 board over the last month. if it's just for you I'd say do the mini, but if it's going to be climbing with friends/roomies then go full screw in spray wall.
Mike, the video where you tried climbing for the first time was a major trigger for me to go try climbing myself, thank you for that 😁 And now this video is the trigger to go try moomboardong for the first time! I totally related to the notion that the moonboard is where the stronger boulder bros hang out 😂
A grade can’t be “sandbagged” if it’s done by consensus. Good job on hitting the benchmarks, just remember that it’s a training tool for your fingers mostly so over use can lead to injury. Fun video I’d watch one on tension or grasshopper for sure.
So, in our climbing gym the grades are pretty on par with the moonboard. That said, almost no one but the super strong get past V4, and there are a lot of people who struggle on V0s at our Gym. When I started, if something was V0+, it was out of reach. Even if it wasn't on part, it shouldn't have been. Feels like there needs to be an extra two grades at the beginner level at points.
Sounds like a sick gym! Mines the same way. Super Old school, concrete walls, setters are outdoor crushers etc. No parkour, no massive holds etc etc. Definitely the best gym in the area for getting properly strong for outside.
Make sure you try the 2016 set if you ever stumble upon it, many of the holds on it are just so nice, especially a lot of the OG yellow holds feel just amazing to hold and pull from and most of them are actually way better than they look. Btw I think it is more of a getting used to the holds thing that makes the board feel a bit stiff at start. People who grade them know all the holds and easy moves perfectly and have perfectly refined beta for holding and moving in between them, while new climber has to figure it all out. I climb usually in 6B-7A range and I'd say the moonboard grades at least on the 2016 set are more or less in line with the grades at all the 3 gyms in my town. Maybe now after 3 years on the moonboard, it is perhaps even starting to reverse where I'm probably even more likely to climb some benchmark of a grade on MB than smth similar style and grade on gym because I'm this much more used to holds on MB aye. But then again some of the benchmarks are also sandbagged. Pretty sure I've seen smth that was a 6B+ benchmark for like 5 years got eventually moved to either like a 6C+ or 7A lol, to climb ALL the benchmarks of a grade is crazy hard because of all the sandbagged and personal weakness ones.
Awesome video, and well done! The Moonboard is hiiiiighly addictive. It's so much fun even though it doesn't have the colors and stuff like indoor bouldering, but I think it is because it feels a lot more like climbing outdoors. The grades are hard, the holds are bad and tension is needed. And yes, I get it, outside is way harder blablabla but you get my point 😁
@MikeBoydClimbs my pleasure, your takes on climbing is a lot more relatable for me since I'm also fairly new but I still haven't tried outdoors climbing. I really need to make it happen! Keep up the awesome work 🤙
Loved the video Mike great effort. One thing I noticed when you first got on the moon board in the home gym at 10.24 you do a couple feet swaps. You need to learn to keep that left foot on and go to the next foothold with the right then up with left again instead of swapping feet. It will make the climb more fluid and efficient.
Now that you have a moonboard obsession I think you're about to get seriously strong. Once I was bitten by the bug that is when I saw real progress and gains. 2019 IMO is super friendly compared to 2024, I love that set.
I find that with moonboard especially there is alot of off angle tension. ex. on your send go where u kept falling on that under cling because you were reaching straight up for it. but on the send your body is ever so more leaning to the right helping keep tension in your whole body and making it easier to get a good grip on the under cling. As an injured board climber, its exciting to see you get into it. both moonboard and kilter are very different in styles and can be so much fun to climb
Another awesome video Mike, 🤩 loving your work and I too am becoming obsessed with boards! I totally agree with you that it's due to the fact that you have access to 'classics' at your local gym. The impermanence of a boulder set is a bit deflating sometimes. Totally agree that the moon board v4’s are harder than most gym v4’s but what I found was that once I started using good board technique and knew the beta inside out, they felt like a top end of a v4 should feel. I guess they are also set by really strong climbers and that tends to mean v3-5 can be sandbagged. I have a theory about 2 sets of climbers the self deprecating climber who sends something and thinks, ‘ah wasn’t that hard, I give it v4’ - and the super confident climber ‘that’s awesome, I’m awesome that’s v7 for sure. Perhaps a reflection of different mindsets from around the world?
Important to note that it's not always true that a problem made less steep will be easier. Changing the angle changes the direction of gravity which can make positions/moves stretched or cramped when at less steep angles.
I feel you mike! It took me a bunch of sessions to just get my first climb on the moonboard (2019 set). It is hard! And it sometimes feels different to other climbing, with this "feet follow hands" concept, which you don't have on the kilter or tension board (were you have actual footholds!).
Following up to my own comment 😅. Would love a video on your honest comparison as an intermediate climber between moonboard and other boards with actual feet!
kilter board is definitely my favorite of the group. you should definitely try some kilter..I have logged over 700 different v4-7 on kilter it is definitely addictive as you say, last year I made a goal to go and do every single jimmy webb kilter problem that he set up to my limit, I did it because he is soo much taller than me that I knew it would force me to adapt, it took me several months but I did most of them, still got a few to tick off and at different angles as well..lol..addictive, but makes you sooo strong. Great video.
@@MikeBoydClimbs The moonboard is arguably the worst climbing of the big 3 boards, especially the older sets, the newer ones are slightly better. They just don't have a lot of different angles and the feet tend to all be the same. The TB2 is my favorite board and I feel like the most versatile. Has crimps, slopers, pinches and varying feet that can be used from a ton of different angles so it allows much more variety and transferable skills than the straight on pulling that the moonboard excels at.
@MikeBoydClimbs kilter holds I like better and the app seems to have many more boulders and routes also I love how the kilter has really amazing boulder problems at almost all angles not just 25 and 45 degrees
if you want the opposite experience and you would like an ego boost, definitely try out the kilter board! It's quite fun and friendly, easier to follow with the lights and some fun big dynamic moves. Plus with the extra width you can get some cool longer problems with more sideways movement. Board climbing is great! :)
i think a video on the kilter would be amazing to watch, its pretty much the opposite to the moonboard. forgiving holds and every climb is at least 2 grades softer than on the wall
I feel you’ve had a very normal Moonboard introduction. It feels absolutely nails until it doesn’t. If you come back to those same V4 benchmarks in a year I bet you’ll say “yeah that feels about V4”. The board is very prone to causing finger injury’s though so you need to be careful. I’d recommend looking into “Emil Abrahamsson’s, No Hang Protocol” it’ll help strengthen your tendons and generally keep you’re hands in good condition, plus you’ll likely see a massive overall finger strength improvement in like 30 days. Maybe that would make a good video 🤷♂️ Anyway, loved the old videos, and loving the climbing channel! ✌️
I feel like this is a universal experience when trying the moonboard for the first time: picking the most repeated climb then failing to climb it because it is so hard.
Kilter can be a lot more beginner friendly going down to V0, but even then the low grades are definitely sandbagged, even the jugs are just okay. Apparently though in higher grades it becomes reversed and airbagged (holds only get so bad?)
In my mind the moon board is just a training tool, it’s not so much about sending the problems, it’s about applying maximum effort, improving body tension and technique as well as developing your problem solving ability. I love it, despite my lack of sends 😂
I experienced a very similar feeling when i started on the kilter board, felt good seeing I'm not alone. On kilter- I haven't had any issues with the app personally
Those look like winter warmer socks when you're wearing your finales. Joking aside, I want to get into board climbing but I'm really struggling with the angles, even with 30 degrees it's basically impossible. I don't understand how you managed to do it at 40 degrees as a board climbing newbie. Was it really just trying it lower angles and then progressively increasing the angle? The problem is that most gyms don't have a moonboard with an adjustable angle though. Do you think you would have pulled it out the bag still if you didn't try the climbs at lower angles?
I think I would of still been able to eventually get some benchmarks, but much slower without the articulating board. If I was you, I'd start by using any feet you can rather than sticking to the problem exactly. Then if you have an issue, make it easier by changing the problem slightly to suit your needs. Next, ignore the final match and just get to the top. Then you can start doing things properly step by step. Stick with it and watch those pulleys!
Well done Mike! You managed to keep that "OK, I'm done making Climbing videos" promise to your viewers on your main channel, for 12 whole days. Or was it just a plug for this B-channel? Or are you saying board climbing is not real climbing? If so, welcome to the climbing community, you're definitely one of us now!
Body tension only works when you place your feet well and then actually use them. This is a weakness viewers and guests in your videos have pointed out. Seems the MB gave you a reason to follow through on that advice. You’ll turn your footwork into a strength soon enough. Good work.
Give board climbing like 3-5 good sessions and you'll get the hang of it. Need to get the specific timing, movement and holds figured out then it becomes much more fun. The sag and pop from the hips and really driving through your feet are vital for board climbing. Learn those and you can reach an extra 2 rows before cutting. With the 2024 moonboard, I noticed a lot of the early V4 benchmarks weren't all that creative with their starts and basically all had the 2nd move to the same hold that is just far enough away that it is a jump from the kickboard but the starting hands are really high and awkward making it a bit of a shut down move when you are new. This is the exact move you were both falling on with that first problem of the video Once you learn that specific move, it seems like it magically unlocks like half the v4s on the board. As for the grades. I don't think the MB is overly sandbagged, a bit at time but for the most part it is a similar amount of effort to the outdoor boulders I have done. Like all climbing the grades are subjective and all over the place. There is a bit of a "macho vibe" with board climbing at times that comes with sandbagging but I do think the board community as a whole doesn't want to sandbag, they are just wanting more realistic grades to outdoor instead of the frankly soft gym grades. (IMO gym grades start becoming better around v6/v7 but below that they are super soft)
I had the same experience when I first started the moonboard, but I do think the early grades are super sandbagged, but worth getting them. Some of the v6-7 moonboard climbs I find easier than the v5s.
I feel like it's always going to feel like the grades are sandbagged when you approach the grades from an indoor bouldering perspective. Yes, the climbs feel hard to begin with, but that is because of the soft grading of indoor gyms to entice people into climbing. Further more, it is a lot harder to add tension when you can't apply enough pressure through your hands and feet because of holds that you can't hold onto so I think as finger strength, applicable finger strength and body tension progress, the moon board starts the feel slightly more doable.
The Kilterboard is a much better introduction to board climbing. It goes down to V0 (realistically a V1-V2 gym) Board climbing puts an intense strain on your connective tissue, and learning board technique on better holds will help you avoid injury and transition to other boards easier.
Mike, definitely try Kilterboard. It'll feel like a revenge for the moonboard 😉. Grades at lower angles (below 40) are absurdly soft. At 40 and over seems to be more fair
Board climbing, especially 40 degree plus, is SO focused on tension and finger strength, including dynamic movement and HARD deadpoints. So different from modern bouldering. But it's such a great training tool, and you really get a lot of milage out of it. Good times!
Its a much better training tool for outdoor bouldering. The board style is so extremely similar to my local area's bouldering style (New River Gorge) that it's wonderful.
Try the kilterboard, I think it is much better, especially for newer climbers. The moonboards holds are sharper and harder on the fingers whereas the kilterboard is easier on the body and I don't think the grades are 'as' sandbagged as the moonboard.
As one of said “boulder bros” who hangs out under the boards, I resent you calling it a scary place. We might be power screaming our way up something hard, but we’re also some of the most welcoming people you’ll ever meet. It doesn’t matter if you’re attempting to tick your first ever bloc on a board, or your 50th VHard, CLIMBING IS HARD. And we’re all in there to get better, and we know you’re trying. This is genuine, to everyone who’s looked at the board and the bros hanging out by them, chatting shit and power screaming, come ask if you can try something, we’ll always welcome you. At least that’s the case in every gym I’ve ever been to
My joke was perhaps a little in bad taste. Every self proclaimed boulder bro has always been more than happy to help me up much easier climbs and enjoys chatting shit. I might even be transitioning to a boulder bro myself...
Haha my local has a board called the woody and it's just ridiculously stiff. I have been trying it for 3 months and finally got the "warmup" easiest climb on it. Would really like to try a moon board
If you tried most overhung v4s outdoors you’d find them similar to moonboard problems. The issue isn’t that board climbs are sandbagged, the issue is that gyms are soft (in order to retain weaker/beginner customers).
Welcome to the jungle. One advice from a moonboarder since 2009: be extremely careful not to overuse and to stop the session as you start feeling sloppy or tired. Pulleys, wrists and elbows will be grateful. Other than that, keep pushing and be consistent!
To be honest with you Mike, its mostly that indoor gyms are soft, not that moonboard is sandbagged. Sometimes its even a bit easier than the outdoor boulders. There has been an inflation in indoor gym grades thats there to motivate begginer climbers to progress quickly trough the grades, but you cant use them as a real proxy to outdoor climbing. Especially in bouldering gyms the inflation is always present, lead climbing gyms, depends where.
Hahahaha the moment at 6:18 had me hooooowling, this is maybe the most relatable climbing monologue i’ve ever heard
I know it happens to most!
@mikeboydclimbs Absolutely - thank you for sharing your journey and experience with board climbing! It’s valuable to any with those thoughts :)
And then see a 14 year old flash a 7a so you know you get old😂
@@MikeBoydClimbs - but yes, to answer your question honestly - you are indeed shite. lol. Get tough and go get strong!!!!
So cool you picked my climb as your first benchmark! Loved seeing it at different angles. Nice work 🎉
"You can hear the grip" *pulls earphones out in horror* 🤣🤣
that was a vile sound yea
the kinda thing that makes my skin crawl
Bro I fucking shivered, pulled my headset off as fast as I could.
Bro that sound was heavenly
@@KaelGen Real, Idk what the people above are tweaking about
only heard it over phone speakers at low Volume and still cringed like crazy
Please never do that again, like ever 💀
The difference between you climbing at the start and the end of the vid is so impressive. Your going to improve so much boarding like this
I think there is a difference!
Next video: '' I ruptured my pulley by climbing too much on the moonboard '' :D
hopefully not! 🤪
Seriously lol, he shouldn't even be touching this yet
@@rundown132 Why? I don’t think the holds or moves are particularly bad. It’s just very physical. Basically every move is a max strength effort.
@Mike-oz4cv its just waiting to happen when you go from 0 board climving and regularly trying to push grades on it(having climbed for a relatively short amount of time). It's something we've all been through, especially after the euphoria you get from the initial gains you get from learning how to board climb (you learn how make the most of your power, contact strength, moving quickly and precisely etc.). You become enamoured with the progress and then inevitably you push it too far but that's part of slowly figuring out your own limits as well so in the long term its an important and natural step in progression
@@heraclitus4884 Nothing which can’t be solved with lower volume and more recovery.
Was going to mention what you said at the end. With the incline, the thing that you seem to struggle with is keeping tension - you sag, then when you move you lose your feet.
Good training for that is finding a bunch of holds on a steep incline and go really slowly through them, one move at a time, trying to keep yourself from sagging as much as possible. Careful foot placements, you don't want to be "loose" at any point. Once you teach yourself how that feels, it gets easier to find elsewhere.
1:18 "Always works flawlessly, with NO bugs" if only haha
This was such a good low key joke. He must be one of us. :D
😉😉
i really respect your approach to climbing mike. It can be super hard to progress in something as complex as climbing, so this is really inspiring to a lot of people
thanks for the kind words and thanks for watching!
Controversial opinion perhaps but I think the 2024 moonboard grades aren't sandbagged that much, and closely reflect the level of effort I put in on blocs outdoors. With the exception of that 7A that Aidan Roberts put up (under sam prior's account) called Str8 off dins dome. That thing is beyond nails for the grade
Yes gyms are mostly really soft, i climb 7a/7a+ indoors, outdoors its like 6c-ish, but grade is just a metric of progress for me so i dont mind have kind of like 2 scales for both enviroments, as long as it is consistant
yeah I totally agree. The 2024 v4 benchmarks are nothing like the 2016 v4 benchmarks, still have like 10 v4 2016 left when I've climbed V8 outdoor 😅
fully agree I think board grades are representative of outdoor grades in the sense that if you never climb outside you will struggle to match your indoor grade which likely isn't as accurate as a climb that's been there for 40 years so it's not necessarily that moon boards are hard it just the gym is most likey soft.
str8 of dins dome should be 6C, 6C+ max. Aidan said so himself, he only changed his mind about the grade because of punter sam.
I don't think it's the hardest, but I don't think it's the easiest set either. I found the 2017 moonboard grades easier
Didn't realise that moon board started at V4 and almost laughed when I saw you started it at that. I'm V5 in the gym and was struggling on V2s when I started
Depends on the set. Off the top of my head I know the 2016 and 2024 sets start at 6B+/V4
The 2017 board at 25 degrees has some V2s and I was the same, sending V5/6 in the gym, V3/4 outdoors, getting absolutely shit on by moonboard V2
V5 indoor is on average much easier than V2-3 outdoors, indoor grades are irrelevant to outdoor grades that these are based on
@@paulwhitlock8881 I feel like the moonboard grades and outdoor boulder grades are pretty much equivalent here. Mostly because those that establish the outdoor boulders are also moonboard climbers. So its the reference
You should do a 30 day moonboard video lol. I am an occasional 7a climber, and to be honest on the board in my gym I struggle to climb 6a! My fingers are strong but I weigh 80kg~ so it's truly a struggle. Nonetheless if I try super hard (I think tbh board climbing is mostly a mental challenge) I can get to the top. Try super hard and send dude, you've got it.
Edit: ah yes, also what is key is to try and keep your feet on! Body tension is key!!
I'm going to give my fingers a rest then I might try this challenge!
30 day? That’s not even proper 10 sessions if you take the rest required for such a maximum effort climbing.
I strongly suspect is a bit of both, the moonboard is probably sandbagged but if you're used to commercial gym grades in the UK, yeah those are soft (as they are in many places)
Great vid, love how you covered the stages of moonboarding. I tried moonboarding in my first month of climbing and I also couldnt get off the ground, and the more I tried the better I got.
I related so much to the acquisition of the secret "body tension".
+ that home gym is immense
This is fantastic! I love following your journey, I have been obsessed with climbing just like you and I am on the same journey since I started 6 months ago. I also tried moonboard for the first time a couple of weeks ago, I struggled for four sessions to finally send “The Wam Up Problem 6a+” (talk about sandbagging) on the 2019 moonboard. I would love to see more of your moonboard projects so that I can climb along side with you here in Sweden. Great video as always!
Love the channel and your videos! Your footwork has gotten so much better from when you first started climbing!
hi mike, your vids got me into bouldering, just wanna say thanks.
This video was right to heart...I've been able to climb 5.12-'s at the gym but I can't do a V3 on the Moonboard (fixed at 40degrees). Exact same scenario as you Mike. The gym is getting a new Kilter board that can have the angle changed, so I'm going to copy your trials and start at about 20degrees and keep making it steeper from there until I can do the route at 40. Thanks for the tip!
I’d be very interested to see you do videos on more boards. I’m very new to climbing and they all look so intimidating to me… this video really helped explain what this board is for and how best to approach it. Full marks 👍🏼
Wild how a tiny bit of success can suddenly make you such a better climber. Definitely experienced the same feeling myself on my climbing journey more than a couple times.
absolutely. Loving it now! Thanks for watching!
Really cool! Never heard of it before. Well done for not giving up, that looked hard as hell!
The satisfaction from sending moonboard benchmark is so addictive 😂
It pushes you to explore more and more
Absolutely agree!
the moon board is just highlighting a lot of weaknesses in your climbing all at once - and like you said, it is a specific style that you really need to learn. The main things I noticed missing were 1. you were hopping on the board with NO PLAN - you didnt know where any of the feet were and you had no plan for what sequence you wanted to do. This is very common because I think people assume that because there are lights it will be easy to read. 2. Your footwork and body tension on bad feet is lacking a lot, and the moonboard punshies that. The good news is climbing on the board for a few months will greatly improve your climbing. Remember to stay postive and keep postive self talk... you cannnn do the move.
Keep on with the moonboarding! It elevated my climbing so much! 💪
Great video Mike! I'm learning how to climb (not quite as good as you), and struggling to finish a V0 on the Kilter board was illuminating lol
You can do it! 💪
I’ve trained a lot on the 2016 moonboard, it definitely reflects outdoor bouldering grades more than indoor climbing. High intensity, crimpy, short climbs with little room to do anything other than the intended beta.
As someone who has tried boarding only a couple of times and got disheartened and deterred this video really helped
Thanks Mike!
Please I would love for you to try the other boards as well!
Great to hear!
Board climbing has its own inherent skills and techniques that are unique to gym problems for sure. Nice work and perseverance.
I'd love to see you try climbing the Tension Board 2! I climbed on almost every board on the market when I was picking out my homewall, and the TB2 was by far my favorite
I think there's only one in the UK sadly
@@fuzzybee3788kendalwall and font borough
This is THE climbing video I need the most!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I'm just at the point where you are in the beginning of the video. Been climbing for a little over a year (obsessively so) and have now started scheduling one MB 2024 session per week. So far I have gotten over the initial shock at least, now it's on to ticking the first climb.
best of luck! Try "Refuge on Top". I found it the most doable.
There isn't a more universal experience than a climber trying a training board for the first time (and getting absolutely shutdown).
Keep at it consistently and you WILL start to get comfortable on it (and hella strong)
Love it. Looking forward to the kilter video!
Amazing video and great effort! I used to be exactly as you and now I’ve built a moonboard in my garage and love it as a training tool. You will get very strong very quickly if you consistently mix in a moonboard session every couple weeks at least from the start!
hopefully I start seeing results!
My gym has a tension board, new gym just got a TB2. When i started i was a v5/6 gym climber, amd i had to start at v3.
At this point though I've climbed more V7 & 8s on the tension board than on commercial sets. Its just a whole new style of climbing to learn.
The best part of your video was seeing how well amd precisely you were moving off the moon board because of it. Well dome! You'll be leading 7b in no time.
Recently been loving moonboard. Got my first v7 benchmark on it the other week 💪🏽
Totally been there and after a year recovering from two consecutive A2 pulleys, I'm now back there again ;) Be careful with the board obsession.. Its addictive and it will lead to injury if you don´t pace yourself. Talking from experience;)
noted! thanks for watching!
Wow great job, let us see more of board climbing! 🤩
Subbed over this video, you really captured the many stages of moonboarding experienced through trying to match your climbing up to benchmarks. I own a mini-moonboard, and the benchmarks on it are beyond humbling. I don't know if the hardest climb I've ever done was on a moonboard, but I'm positive the hardest moves I've ever done are.
Thanks for the sub 🙏 how is the mini moonboard?. I've been measuring up the garage...
@@MikeBoydClimbs The OG set is IMO the hardest of any moonboard benchmark wise. There are finishing matches that will have you crying in the shower. I ordered the new set so we'll see how the 2024 blue holds are for the mini, but I'm sure it will be a different style and likely much easier. I was worried about the blue holds not feeling like a moonboard, but it has to me as I've climbed the full 2024 board over the last month. if it's just for you I'd say do the mini, but if it's going to be climbing with friends/roomies then go full screw in spray wall.
Mike, the video where you tried climbing for the first time was a major trigger for me to go try climbing myself, thank you for that 😁
And now this video is the trigger to go try moomboardong for the first time! I totally related to the notion that the moonboard is where the stronger boulder bros hang out 😂
Great to hear! Good luck with the board. Stay injury free!
Holy schmolly ... First time watching one of your video. I am impressed by the quality and transparency. Will be back :)
Wow, thank you!
Nice to see you finally try moonboard! I'd say the benchmark "Moon Girl" is the easiest benchmark by far
A grade can’t be “sandbagged” if it’s done by consensus. Good job on hitting the benchmarks, just remember that it’s a training tool for your fingers mostly so over use can lead to injury. Fun video I’d watch one on tension or grasshopper for sure.
So, in our climbing gym the grades are pretty on par with the moonboard. That said, almost no one but the super strong get past V4, and there are a lot of people who struggle on V0s at our Gym. When I started, if something was V0+, it was out of reach.
Even if it wasn't on part, it shouldn't have been. Feels like there needs to be an extra two grades at the beginner level at points.
Sounds like a sick gym! Mines the same way. Super Old school, concrete walls, setters are outdoor crushers etc. No parkour, no massive holds etc etc. Definitely the best gym in the area for getting properly strong for outside.
Make sure you try the 2016 set if you ever stumble upon it, many of the holds on it are just so nice, especially a lot of the OG yellow holds feel just amazing to hold and pull from and most of them are actually way better than they look. Btw I think it is more of a getting used to the holds thing that makes the board feel a bit stiff at start. People who grade them know all the holds and easy moves perfectly and have perfectly refined beta for holding and moving in between them, while new climber has to figure it all out. I climb usually in 6B-7A range and I'd say the moonboard grades at least on the 2016 set are more or less in line with the grades at all the 3 gyms in my town. Maybe now after 3 years on the moonboard, it is perhaps even starting to reverse where I'm probably even more likely to climb some benchmark of a grade on MB than smth similar style and grade on gym because I'm this much more used to holds on MB aye. But then again some of the benchmarks are also sandbagged. Pretty sure I've seen smth that was a 6B+ benchmark for like 5 years got eventually moved to either like a 6C+ or 7A lol, to climb ALL the benchmarks of a grade is crazy hard because of all the sandbagged and personal weakness ones.
Awesome video, and well done! The Moonboard is hiiiiighly addictive. It's so much fun even though it doesn't have the colors and stuff like indoor bouldering, but I think it is because it feels a lot more like climbing outdoors. The grades are hard, the holds are bad and tension is needed. And yes, I get it, outside is way harder blablabla but you get my point 😁
Thanks for watching! It definitely feels like outdoor climbing which is where my love lies! I think that's why I like it so much
@MikeBoydClimbs my pleasure, your takes on climbing is a lot more relatable for me since I'm also fairly new but I still haven't tried outdoors climbing. I really need to make it happen! Keep up the awesome work 🤙
Loved the video Mike great effort. One thing I noticed when you first got on the moon board in the home gym at 10.24 you do a couple feet swaps. You need to learn to keep that left foot on and go to the next foothold with the right then up with left again instead of swapping feet. It will make the climb more fluid and efficient.
Then notice you done it at 12.21 and it made that move easier and smoother
15.47 was just climbed so well. Well done mate
And by the end of the video..you can see the difference in your climbing !!
Now that you have a moonboard obsession I think you're about to get seriously strong. Once I was bitten by the bug that is when I saw real progress and gains. 2019 IMO is super friendly compared to 2024, I love that set.
I also think I prefer the 2019
I find that with moonboard especially there is alot of off angle tension. ex. on your send go where u kept falling on that under cling because you were reaching straight up for it. but on the send your body is ever so more leaning to the right helping keep tension in your whole body and making it easier to get a good grip on the under cling. As an injured board climber, its exciting to see you get into it. both moonboard and kilter are very different in styles and can be so much fun to climb
can't wait try kilter and tension boards! Thanks for watching.
Definitely a unique style of climbing is the moonboard, lots of body tension. Nice video 👍
thanks!
As a board lover, stoked to see this haha
Another awesome video Mike, 🤩 loving your work and I too am becoming obsessed with boards! I totally agree with you that it's due to the fact that you have access to 'classics' at your local gym. The impermanence of a boulder set is a bit deflating sometimes.
Totally agree that the moon board v4’s are harder than most gym v4’s but what I found was that once I started using good board technique and knew the beta inside out, they felt like a top end of a v4 should feel. I guess they are also set by really strong climbers and that tends to mean v3-5 can be sandbagged.
I have a theory about 2 sets of climbers the self deprecating climber who sends something and thinks, ‘ah wasn’t that hard, I give it v4’ - and the super confident climber ‘that’s awesome, I’m awesome that’s v7 for sure. Perhaps a reflection of different mindsets from around the world?
definitely the mindset is an interesting component. I go back and forth between the two!
I would recommend you try a tension board! one of the best boards of mixed styles
You definitely have pinch strength! Exactly what I lack the most. Great video!
shame about my footwork! Everyone has weaknesses...
After having climbed a few routes on the Moonboard, would you still say it's as sandbagged as you initially though?
Important to note that it's not always true that a problem made less steep will be easier.
Changing the angle changes the direction of gravity which can make positions/moves stretched or cramped when at less steep angles.
I feel you mike! It took me a bunch of sessions to just get my first climb on the moonboard (2019 set). It is hard! And it sometimes feels different to other climbing, with this "feet follow hands" concept, which you don't have on the kilter or tension board (were you have actual footholds!).
Following up to my own comment 😅. Would love a video on your honest comparison as an intermediate climber between moonboard and other boards with actual feet!
One the best videos yet!
very sweet of you to say. Thanks for watching!
kilter board is definitely my favorite of the group. you should definitely try some kilter..I have logged over 700 different v4-7 on kilter it is definitely addictive as you say, last year I made a goal to go and do every single jimmy webb kilter problem that he set up to my limit, I did it because he is soo much taller than me that I knew it would force me to adapt, it took me several months but I did most of them, still got a few to tick off and at different angles as well..lol..addictive, but makes you sooo strong. Great video.
what do you like about the kilter vs the moonboard? Thanks for watching
@@MikeBoydClimbs The moonboard is arguably the worst climbing of the big 3 boards, especially the older sets, the newer ones are slightly better. They just don't have a lot of different angles and the feet tend to all be the same. The TB2 is my favorite board and I feel like the most versatile. Has crimps, slopers, pinches and varying feet that can be used from a ton of different angles so it allows much more variety and transferable skills than the straight on pulling that the moonboard excels at.
@MikeBoydClimbs kilter holds I like better and the app seems to have many more boulders and routes also I love how the kilter has really amazing boulder problems at almost all angles not just 25 and 45 degrees
Great progress! I’m noticing a habit of readjusting on almost every grip. Just something to be aware of, and maybe something to work on improving!
yeah when it's steep I can't stop! Need to fix it
if you want the opposite experience and you would like an ego boost, definitely try out the kilter board! It's quite fun and friendly, easier to follow with the lights and some fun big dynamic moves. Plus with the extra width you can get some cool longer problems with more sideways movement. Board climbing is great! :)
Need an ego boost! It's on the list!
Started moon boarding again yesterday! Proper humbles you for a few sessions
tell me about it!
i think a video on the kilter would be amazing to watch, its pretty much the opposite to the moonboard. forgiving holds and every climb is at least 2 grades softer than on the wall
I feel you’ve had a very normal Moonboard introduction. It feels absolutely nails until it doesn’t. If you come back to those same V4 benchmarks in a year I bet you’ll say “yeah that feels about V4”.
The board is very prone to causing finger injury’s though so you need to be careful. I’d recommend looking into “Emil Abrahamsson’s, No Hang Protocol” it’ll help strengthen your tendons and generally keep you’re hands in good condition, plus you’ll likely see a massive overall finger strength improvement in like 30 days. Maybe that would make a good video 🤷♂️
Anyway, loved the old videos, and loving the climbing channel! ✌️
Awesome video, i felt exactly the same the first time on the moonboard :) cool to see that you like it that much now
glad others feel similarly. Thanks for watching!
I feel like this is a universal experience when trying the moonboard for the first time: picking the most repeated climb then failing to climb it because it is so hard.
Kilter can be a lot more beginner friendly going down to V0, but even then the low grades are definitely sandbagged, even the jugs are just okay. Apparently though in higher grades it becomes reversed and airbagged (holds only get so bad?)
And before people comment on this - I climb indoors at V6-7, outdoors I climb 3-4 with one soft 5 lol, and I struggle on Kilter V2
Very interesting. I must try!
In my mind the moon board is just a training tool, it’s not so much about sending the problems, it’s about applying maximum effort, improving body tension and technique as well as developing your problem solving ability. I love it, despite my lack of sends 😂
totally. Thanks for watching!
@@MikeBoydClimbs Keep up the great content! Absolutely loving it!
Been curious about this myself! Would love to see your perspective on spraywalls, as I find them 100% intimidating myself...
I'll try it next, perhaps!
I experienced a very similar feeling when i started on the kilter board, felt good seeing I'm not alone. On kilter- I haven't had any issues with the app personally
need to try the kilter! The moon app is beyond belief bad
If mike dont watch out hes gonna become a strong climber.. 💪
Those look like winter warmer socks when you're wearing your finales.
Joking aside, I want to get into board climbing but I'm really struggling with the angles, even with 30 degrees it's basically impossible. I don't understand how you managed to do it at 40 degrees as a board climbing newbie. Was it really just trying it lower angles and then progressively increasing the angle? The problem is that most gyms don't have a moonboard with an adjustable angle though. Do you think you would have pulled it out the bag still if you didn't try the climbs at lower angles?
I think I would of still been able to eventually get some benchmarks, but much slower without the articulating board. If I was you, I'd start by using any feet you can rather than sticking to the problem exactly. Then if you have an issue, make it easier by changing the problem slightly to suit your needs. Next, ignore the final match and just get to the top. Then you can start doing things properly step by step. Stick with it and watch those pulleys!
Well done Mike! You managed to keep that "OK, I'm done making Climbing videos" promise to your viewers on your main channel, for 12 whole days.
Or was it just a plug for this B-channel?
Or are you saying board climbing is not real climbing? If so, welcome to the climbing community, you're definitely one of us now!
hey mike i practise bouldering now thanks to your video's thank you very much
that's awesome to hear!
Body tension only works when you place your feet well and then actually use them. This is a weakness viewers and guests in your videos have pointed out. Seems the MB gave you a reason to follow through on that advice. You’ll turn your footwork into a strength soon enough. Good work.
Give board climbing like 3-5 good sessions and you'll get the hang of it. Need to get the specific timing, movement and holds figured out then it becomes much more fun. The sag and pop from the hips and really driving through your feet are vital for board climbing. Learn those and you can reach an extra 2 rows before cutting.
With the 2024 moonboard, I noticed a lot of the early V4 benchmarks weren't all that creative with their starts and basically all had the 2nd move to the same hold that is just far enough away that it is a jump from the kickboard but the starting hands are really high and awkward making it a bit of a shut down move when you are new. This is the exact move you were both falling on with that first problem of the video Once you learn that specific move, it seems like it magically unlocks like half the v4s on the board.
As for the grades. I don't think the MB is overly sandbagged, a bit at time but for the most part it is a similar amount of effort to the outdoor boulders I have done. Like all climbing the grades are subjective and all over the place. There is a bit of a "macho vibe" with board climbing at times that comes with sandbagging but I do think the board community as a whole doesn't want to sandbag, they are just wanting more realistic grades to outdoor instead of the frankly soft gym grades. (IMO gym grades start becoming better around v6/v7 but below that they are super soft)
Hey, someone learned to use his feet properly and has some body tension now.
Well done!
Moongirl is another v4 benchmark that's a good one to try on the 24. It was my first one.
"working on an app on the phone that always works flawlesly with no buggs"
👀
Would love to see you try other boards too!
Being at a similar level, it's more inspiring to see someone fighting the board haha!
Coming soon!
I had the same experience when I first started the moonboard, but I do think the early grades are super sandbagged, but worth getting them. Some of the v6-7 moonboard climbs I find easier than the v5s.
body tension, lower body flexibility, foot technique : All of this must be your first goal for training.
thank you mike boyd.
No problem!
@@MikeBoydClimbs i'm very satisfied, seeing you freely enjoying your hobbies and lifestyles.
I feel like it's always going to feel like the grades are sandbagged when you approach the grades from an indoor bouldering perspective. Yes, the climbs feel hard to begin with, but that is because of the soft grading of indoor gyms to entice people into climbing. Further more, it is a lot harder to add tension when you can't apply enough pressure through your hands and feet because of holds that you can't hold onto so I think as finger strength, applicable finger strength and body tension progress, the moon board starts the feel slightly more doable.
A lot of times lower grades for indoor gyms don’t engage fingers the way board climbing does and it takes time to adapt to those demands.
The Kilterboard is a much better introduction to board climbing. It goes down to V0 (realistically a V1-V2 gym) Board climbing puts an intense strain on your connective tissue, and learning board technique on better holds will help you avoid injury and transition to other boards easier.
Hey mike, good video, what grades would you say your working at atm?
Mike, definitely try Kilterboard. It'll feel like a revenge for the moonboard 😉. Grades at lower angles (below 40) are absurdly soft. At 40 and over seems to be more fair
can't wait!
Board climbing, especially 40 degree plus, is SO focused on tension and finger strength, including dynamic movement and HARD deadpoints. So different from modern bouldering.
But it's such a great training tool, and you really get a lot of milage out of it. Good times!
I did a normal bouldering session today and was surprised just how different it can be from the board. The slab caught me out!
Its a much better training tool for outdoor bouldering. The board style is so extremely similar to my local area's bouldering style (New River Gorge) that it's wonderful.
Try the kilterboard, I think it is much better, especially for newer climbers. The moonboards holds are sharper and harder on the fingers whereas the kilterboard is easier on the body and I don't think the grades are 'as' sandbagged as the moonboard.
Everyone thinks the moonboard is a grip strenght check to get started, when it's really an L-sit check.
Nope body tension comes more from your lats the core has surprisingly not thaaat much effect. Just like the front lever its mainly lat strenght
As one of said “boulder bros” who hangs out under the boards, I resent you calling it a scary place.
We might be power screaming our way up something hard, but we’re also some of the most welcoming people you’ll ever meet. It doesn’t matter if you’re attempting to tick your first ever bloc on a board, or your 50th VHard, CLIMBING IS HARD. And we’re all in there to get better, and we know you’re trying.
This is genuine, to everyone who’s looked at the board and the bros hanging out by them, chatting shit and power screaming, come ask if you can try something, we’ll always welcome you. At least that’s the case in every gym I’ve ever been to
facts, we all started at falling of the v4s haha
My joke was perhaps a little in bad taste. Every self proclaimed boulder bro has always been more than happy to help me up much easier climbs and enjoys chatting shit. I might even be transitioning to a boulder bro myself...
@@MikeBoydClimbs become the boulder bro you were born to be. Embrace the dark side
Haha my local has a board called the woody and it's just ridiculously stiff. I have been trying it for 3 months and finally got the "warmup" easiest climb on it. Would really like to try a moon board
If you tried most overhung v4s outdoors you’d find them similar to moonboard problems. The issue isn’t that board climbs are sandbagged, the issue is that gyms are soft (in order to retain weaker/beginner customers).
Welcome to the jungle. One advice from a moonboarder since 2009: be extremely careful not to overuse and to stop the session as you start feeling sloppy or tired. Pulleys, wrists and elbows will be grateful. Other than that, keep pushing and be consistent!
thanks for the advice! got a few little tweaks already that I need to watch
I train at school room so use moonboards all the time and would say moonboard grades translate best to outdoor grades especially in the peak district
I still think it's really cool when I see my local climbing gmy in a vidio ahah
1:20 "App that always works flawlessly" 😂 Not sure if tongue-in-cheek or serious haha.
Definitely tongue-in-cheek lol
You forgot one more fab aspect of the boards: they unable the user to route-set, with all that can teach about climbing, weaknesses and so on.
To be honest with you Mike, its mostly that indoor gyms are soft, not that moonboard is sandbagged. Sometimes its even a bit easier than the outdoor boulders. There has been an inflation in indoor gym grades thats there to motivate begginer climbers to progress quickly trough the grades, but you cant use them as a real proxy to outdoor climbing. Especially in bouldering gyms the inflation is always present, lead climbing gyms, depends where.
I think moonboard is quite your style. It is quite powerful and you are a strong climber.