Race to the Bottom: The Lowest Lowballs
Unlock this article and more benefits with 25% off.
Already have an Outside Account? Sign in
25% Off Outside+.
$4.99/month $3.75/month*
Get the one subscription to fuel all your adventures.
- Map your next adventure with our premium GPS apps: Gaia GPS Premium and Trailforks Pro.
- Read unlimited digital content from 15+ brands, including Outside Magazine, Triathlete, Ski, Trail Runner, and VeloNews.
- Watch 600+ hours of endurance challenges, cycling and skiing action, and travel documentaries.
- Learn from the pros with expert-led online courses.
*Outside memberships are billed annually. Print subscriptions available to U.S. residents only. You may cancel your membership at anytime, but no refunds will be issued for payments already made. Upon cancellation, you will have access to your membership through the end of your paid year. More Details
Highball bouldering is scary. Just look at this kid. Like him, we’ll oftentimes size up a boulder, think, Psh, that’ll be a cinch, and then find ourselves halfway up praying for dear life.
While there may not be any atheists on highballs, that’s no reason to forsake bouldering entirely. There are plenty of normal sized boulders around.
And if those scare you, too? Well, might be time for you to delve into the world of lowball bouldering.
[Also Read The Glorious Inanity Of The Girdle Traverse]
There are plenty of great, short and low-to-the-ground boulders out there. And for the most extreme low-ballers, it’s a race to the bottom—a pursuit for the tiniest, puniest, least consequential rocks out there that are still in some fashion climbable. We’re talking about boulder problems that give the phrase “pebble wrestling” a whole new meaning.
With that, here’s a look at some of the smallest lowball boulders we’ve found.