Boulder mat
A Boulder mat or crash pad ( Engl. For Protective padding ) is a thick padded mat, comparable to a soft exercise mat that when bouldering ( climbing without climbing ropeat a low height or up to the jump height). It should protect against injury in the event of a fall. It is foldable and equipped with carrying straps for easier transport. It has either one or two fold points. By arranging these fold points at an angle, penetration at these points down to the floor should be prevented. The internal structure consists of several (usually two or three) layers with different degrees of hardness. The top layer is hard and serves to distribute the force in hard falls. It ensures that it does not penetrate the surface and thus prevent it from hitting the ground. Underneath there are one or more soft layers to minimize impact speed.
Since every mat has to meet minimum requirements, the quality of mats from different manufacturers is comparable. The main differences are in the areas of application for which the individual models are suitable. Important factors are in particular the size and number of layers.
Basically, a distinction must be made whether it is a boulder mat as a crash pad or a mat for a boulder room, as the requirements are different here.
Easy handling does not play a role for use in a bouldering hall, the resilience is of greater relevance here. Due to frequent jumping off the wall and walking on the mat, it is subject to high stress at certain points. For this reason, a high quality foam core is required. Mats for stationary use are manufactured according to the DIN 7914 standard .
When setting up the mat, it is important that the upper area is very firm in order to prevent ankle twisting during controlled landings on the feet. The lower area of the mat is made of soft foam so that the surface impact is cushioned downwards.
When it hits the mat, the foam is compressed and the air in the foam is compressed. Good ventilation of the mat is required to dissipate the compression pressure. Metal eyelets are often used for this purpose in crash pads. Large bouldering mats have a strip of mesh fabric over at least two sides.
There is no standard for the construction of boulder mats (as is common with soft floor mats for school sports). However, with a ceiling height less than 3 is recommended meters a mat height cm of at least 20, a mat height cm at a height of about 3 meters of at least 30th The structure consists of about a third of hard foam on top and two thirds of soft foam on the bottom. When using several mats next to each other, they are firmly connected to one another to prevent them from slipping apart. In addition, all cracks are covered so that you cannot slide your feet in (risk of injury).
The basic projection of the boulder wall as well as a drop shadow of at least 2 meters must be covered with damping materials. Of course, if boulder mats are made correctly, the slope of the wall is also taken into account.
Individual evidence
- ↑ DIN EN 12572-2: 2009 Artificial climbing systems - Part 2: Safety requirements and test methods for bouldering walls . Beuth Verlag , Berlin 2009, p. 24 .
