This revised and updated edition of a classic climbing text – The Boulder: A Philosophy for Bouldering – is an enlightening book of inspirational thoughts on the art of bouldering. It revolutionizes the way we think about this unique sport, bringing it into conversation with disciplines as varied as architecture, dance, skateboarding, painting, parkour, martial arts, and gymnastics.
Reading it will enrich your experience of climbing and encourage you to appreciate the natural physicality and artful play of bouldering, often described as the poetry of mountaineering.
Foreword by John Gill.
"At last, here’s someone who sees bouldering as something more than just a sporting challenge, who looks at this art from various points of view, with all their complexity and contradictions."
--Amazon reviewer
"Loved it. It's just the type of literature about climbing that I'm hoping will pop up more over the next few years."
--Amazon reviewer
The Craft of Bouldering
"...today, you rarely see much literature and reflection coming out of anyone. That just changed." -- Andrew Bisharat
"...today, you rarely see much literature and reflection coming out of anyone. That just changed. Francis Sanzaro stopped what he was doing and took the time to reflect on bouldering and what it means to him and why he does it. The result is his impressive new book The Boulder: A Philosophy for Bouldering. In it, he presents some of the most thoughtful and interesting writing I’ve ever read about this sport.
Andrew Bisharat, Editor, Rock & Ice Magazine
"Finding a climber who perceives bouldering as a moving meditation, or one who values form and style far beyond difficulty, is a daunting task . . . bouldering needs its own analytical literature. In this book, Francis Sanzaro takes a significant step in that direction.”
John Gill, Godfather of modern bouldering, author
"A brilliant book that everyone interested in moving over stone should read . . . highly recommended!"
– Udo Neumann, author of The Art and Science of Bouldering
" . . . This book will confirm what we know already: that there is a lot more to bouldering than meets the eye."
– Dave Flanagan, author of Bouldering Essentials