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Boyce Bouldering Park in Pittsburgh set the stage for a new generation of outdoor enthusiasts when they opened a park solely for the purpose of practicing and perfecting bouldering skills and techniques a couple months ago. The 6,000 square-foot stretch of man-made boulders is carved into the edge of the city and is just fifteen minutes from downtown. Anyone looking for a bit of practice or a new hobby is welcome to come and try their hand, only needing to bring a pair of sneakers.

The free outdoor experience is designed to bring adventure to all, and does a pretty bang up job, as the boulders sport more than 100 problems ranging ing difficulty from VB to V10+. Plans for problems to be reset twice a year by seasoned setters will provide endless challenging opportunities to cultivate a love for climbing.

The idea of Boyce Bouldering Park is part of a $4.7 million project inspired by a 2020 Pennsylvania Environmental Council study, which addresses the issue of the lack of accessable outdoor recreation around the area. As a result, the bouldering park was born alongside a pump track nearby to encourage the communities outdoors-y pursuits without having to travel miles away.

Dean Privett, a local gym owner, consultant and experienced setter made the biggest impact on the way the park developed and functions today. Privett, having been in the climbing industry for over 13 years, designing climbing facilities across the world, caught wind of the project and immediately wanted in.

The setter convinced the county to turn away from constructing a 30-foot climbing tower, to instead focus on bouldering, which would be more affordable, accessible and would cater to far more adventurers.

“My goal was to provide Pittsburgh with a diverse palette of climbs from incredibly experienced setters,” Privett told Climbing Magazine. “So we set in a traditional commercial climbing gym methodology, maybe with a slight emphasis on fun over difficulty; we wanted to have things up there that would challenge people so they would come back.”

Privett knew that making sure the park was accessible to all would be key in bringing the community together and bring a fresh view on how invigorating getting out and solving a problem can be.

"My philosophy here was really to introduce people to it as physical problem-solving and not as a physical challenge,” he added, “to hopefully create that hook-line-and-sinker feel of having an enjoyment for solving a puzzle.”

This philosophy is sure to catch on and it will be unsurprising when this kind of recreational establishment trends across the U.S. Bringing this vision to life is sure to change the way parks are designed and the added perk of being free of charge will encourage more and more people to give climbing a try.


This article first appeared on Outdoors on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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