Bored Brits have literally been climbing the walls during coronavirus lockdown by taking part in a new viral craze of turning their homes into BOULDERING courses. Keen climbers, who have been left stuck indoors due to the pandemic, have been setting up their own DIY climbing walls and obstacle courses at home. Makeshift climbing centres have been springing up in people's living rooms, garages and cellars made from everyday items such as Jenga blocks and wooden pallets. Some are even practising on the exterior of their properties as they come up with unique ways to hone their skills and keep fit during lockdown. The incredible results are being shared on social media with wacky "Home Bouldering" videos quickly taking the internet by storm.Both professional and amateur climbers can be seen scaling the walls of their homes and moving from room to room and even up stairs without touching the ground. Participants believe the trend could now rival previous web crazes as it bids to become the new Planking, Ice Bucket Challenge or Harlem Shake. Engineer Zak Aston, 29, of Littledean, Glos., has been taking to the exterior of his home to practise his climbing before posting his exploits on Instagram. He said: "I think this craze has taken off because climbers are a pretty eccentric bunch.
We are always looking for something new to scratch the itch. "When the lockdown started, people just took to training in any way they knew how. "Eventually, videos started to circulate online of pretty well-known climbers doing routes inside their own homes and I guess people took notice."I started looking at their own situations and thinking, 'Can I climb that?
Well let's try it anyway.'"A lot of my friends have all been trying new climbs and keep sending videos to each other, it's great fun."Andy Hemsted, 70, from Sutton Coldfield, West Mids., scaled two flights of stairs in his home, without touching the floor, 26 times to raise over £1,000 for Oxfam.The grandad-of-three believes climbers will always be looking for things to clamber up and the lockdown has enhanced their imagination. Andy, who has been rock climbing for 30 years, said: "I think climbers are hoping that when lockdown finally finishes that they'll still be fairly fit. "It is also just our imagination.
When we are stopped from climbing on rock or indoor walls, we're looking at other possibilities."I've climbed in the Dolomites and Snowdonia, but the bannister will have to do for the time being. "Houses always have different bits and pieces you can hang off."Jake Tomlinson, 30, from Stafford, has created his own climbing wall by screwing in Jenga building blocks into his garage exterior. The freelance outdoor education teacher, who has travelled the world pursuing the sport, came up with the ingenious idea in an attempt to keep costs down.He said: "I think I was missing the actual movement of climbing and I wanted to build something along the wall. "I found Jenga blocks are a really simple and cheap way to train.
You just screw them on and they are quite small but fun to climb. "It means I can practice my footwork as well as trying to get stronger arms, fingers and back and actually replicate climbing a bit more accurately."I think climbers just like the training aspect of home bouldering.
When this is over, people want to have maintained their fitness."As a sport, it also lends itself quite nicely to being able to train at home, whether that would just be hanging off the doorframe to people building more elaborate kinds of overhanging walls and obstacles."Daniel James, 29, from Gloucestershire, has been posting Instagram videos of his homemade climbing wall after transforming his parents' cluttered cellar into a gym.He said: "My parents never did anything with the cellar and it is just the storage room and an area for rubbish. "I've always kind of had my eye on it since I started climbing.
While I've got very little to do it seemed like a pretty good opportunity to make some use of that. "It only cost just under £100.
The climbing holes you can spend as much as you want.
People spend thousands and thousands on their walls."There are all kinds of training tools and devices that you can use to stay in nick but the best way of doing that is simply having access to a climbing wall." One web user called Laetitia, 39, who uses the Instragam handle mini_climber, has also been taking part in the videos after constructing a climbing wall at home. The primary school teacher and mum-of-two said: "I love the energy and the strength required to climb, it's so much fun.
My passion for it just grew over time. "I was missing it, so I decided to try and build my own wall at home using panels and bits of wood."I'm really enjoying the process of building and evolving until lockdown ends at least.I can get big bits of plywood for under £40 and that's half the wall done. "Climbing is never-ending, it's limitless.
It's a dance and if anyone enjoys dancing, then this is just vertical dancing.
My wall definitely occupies my days."The home bouldering trend has not only swept the UK and climbers worldwide have been sharing their efforts on social media. Regina Woolfe, an office administrator from St Paul, Minnesota, USA, has also been using household obstacles to practise her climbing. In a video she posted on Instagram the 27-year-old is able to get into her attic just using one of the door frames under the hatch. She said: "I think this craze has taken off because climbing is in a climber's blood.
If we're alive, we're going to climb."Paris Hadjisoteriou, 28, from Nicosia, Cyprus, is able to clamber around the exterior of his house by clinging on to any available ledges. In a Facebook video posted on April 27, he resembles a real-life version of Spiderman as he moves up the wall of his house.He said: "This craze has taken off I think simply because of desperate times, desperate measures.
People will make do with whatever they can."Although this pandemic has so many tragedies and downfalls, it has forced us out of our comfort zone and encouraged us to explore our creative side."In his home country of Nepal, Saman Shrestha is a national climber, climbing coach and callisthenics trainer.The athlete, who has represented his nation in the Climbing World Cup, posted a video on Twitter last week where he is shown hanging from a low ledge in his apartment. He is able to move around the room from the small wall, no more than a few feet off the ground, without touching the floor. Saman, 30, from Kathmandu, said: "I think the craze is taking off because climbers have such active lifestyles. "We are constantly seeking something new to climb and explore different challenges. "Since people cannot go outside we need to do something to keep our body fit and also give us something to focus on."
Bored Brits have literally been climbing the walls during coronavirus lockdown by taking part in a new viral craze of turning their homes into BOULDERING courses.
Keen climbers, who have been left stuck indoors due to the pandemic, have been setting up their own DIY climbing walls and obstacle courses at home.
Makeshift climbing centres have been springing up in people's living rooms, garages and cellars made from everyday items such as Jenga blocks and wooden pallets.
Some are even practising on the exterior of their properties as they come up with unique ways to hone their skills and keep fit during lockdown.
The incredible results are being shared on social media with wacky "Home Bouldering" videos quickly taking the internet by storm.Both professional and amateur climbers can be seen scaling the walls of their homes and moving from room to room and even up stairs without touching the ground.
Participants believe the trend could now rival previous web crazes as it bids to become the new Planking, Ice Bucket Challenge or Harlem Shake.
Engineer Zak Aston, 29, of Littledean, Glos., has been taking to the exterior of his home to practise his climbing before posting his exploits on Instagram.
He said: "I think this craze has taken off because climbers are a pretty eccentric bunch.
We are always looking for something new to scratch the itch.
"When the lockdown started, people just took to training in any way they knew how.
"Eventually, videos started to circulate online of pretty well-known climbers doing routes inside their own homes and I guess people took notice."I started looking at their own situations and thinking, 'Can I climb that?
Well let's try it anyway.'"A lot of my friends have all been trying new climbs and keep sending videos to each other, it's great fun."Andy Hemsted, 70, from Sutton Coldfield, West Mids., scaled two flights of stairs in his home, without touching the floor, 26 times to raise over £1,000 for Oxfam.The grandad-of-three believes climbers will always be looking for things to clamber up and the lockdown has enhanced their imagination.
Andy, who has been rock climbing for 30 years, said: "I think climbers are hoping that when lockdown finally finishes that they'll still be fairly fit.
"It is also just our imagination.
When we are stopped from climbing on rock or indoor walls, we're looking at other possibilities."I've climbed in the Dolomites and Snowdonia, but the bannister will have to do for the time being.
"Houses always have different bits and pieces you can hang off."Jake Tomlinson, 30, from Stafford, has created his own climbing wall by screwing in Jenga building blocks into his garage exterior.
The freelance outdoor education teacher, who has travelled the world pursuing the sport, came up with the ingenious idea in an attempt to keep costs down.He said: "I think I was missing the actual movement of climbing and I wanted to build something along the wall.
"I found Jenga blocks are a really simple and cheap way to train.
You just screw them on and they are quite small but fun to climb.
"It means I can practice my footwork as well as trying to get stronger arms, fingers and back and actually replicate climbing a bit more accurately."I think climbers just like the training aspect of home bouldering.
When this is over, people want to have maintained their fitness."As a sport, it also lends itself quite nicely to being able to train at home, whether that would just be hanging off the doorframe to people building more elaborate kinds of overhanging walls and obstacles."Daniel James, 29, from Gloucestershire, has been posting Instagram videos of his homemade climbing wall after transforming his parents' cluttered cellar into a gym.He said: "My parents never did anything with the cellar and it is just the storage room and an area for rubbish.
"I've always kind of had my eye on it since I started climbing.
While I've got very little to do it seemed like a pretty good opportunity to make some use of that.
"It only cost just under £100.
The climbing holes you can spend as much as you want.
People spend thousands and thousands on their walls."There are all kinds of training tools and devices that you can use to stay in nick but the best way of doing that is simply having access to a climbing wall." One web user called Laetitia, 39, who uses the Instragam handle mini_climber, has also been taking part in the videos after constructing a climbing wall at home.
The primary school teacher and mum-of-two said: "I love the energy and the strength required to climb, it's so much fun.
My passion for it just grew over time.
"I was missing it, so I decided to try and build my own wall at home using panels and bits of wood."I'm really enjoying the process of building and evolving until lockdown ends at least.I can get big bits of plywood for under £40 and that's half the wall done.
"Climbing is never-ending, it's limitless.
It's a dance and if anyone enjoys dancing, then this is just vertical dancing.
My wall definitely occupies my days."The home bouldering trend has not only swept the UK and climbers worldwide have been sharing their efforts on social media.
Regina Woolfe, an office administrator from St Paul, Minnesota, USA, has also been using household obstacles to practise her climbing.
In a video she posted on Instagram the 27-year-old is able to get into her attic just using one of the door frames under the hatch.
She said: "I think this craze has taken off because climbing is in a climber's blood.
If we're alive, we're going to climb."Paris Hadjisoteriou, 28, from Nicosia, Cyprus, is able to clamber around the exterior of his house by clinging on to any available ledges.
In a Facebook video posted on April 27, he resembles a real-life version of Spiderman as he moves up the wall of his house.He said: "This craze has taken off I think simply because of desperate times, desperate measures.
People will make do with whatever they can."Although this pandemic has so many tragedies and downfalls, it has forced us out of our comfort zone and encouraged us to explore our creative side."In his home country of Nepal, Saman Shrestha is a national climber, climbing coach and callisthenics trainer.The athlete, who has represented his nation in the Climbing World Cup, posted a video on Twitter last week where he is shown hanging from a low ledge in his apartment.
He is able to move around the room from the small wall, no more than a few feet off the ground, without touching the floor.
Saman, 30, from Kathmandu, said: "I think the craze is taking off because climbers have such active lifestyles.
"We are constantly seeking something new to climb and explore different challenges.
"Since people cannot go outside we need to do something to keep our body fit and also give us something to focus on."
