[rikschennink]

+1 from me. I always find it very challenging to speak to strangers, but not at the Boulder gym. There's just so many opportunities to start a natural conversation:

- new climbers asks you for advise

- you can ask a new climber if they'd like some technique tips

- you finally top your project and someone commends you for it

- someone tops your project and you ask them for advise

- you're trying to top a boulder on a new set and are solving it with others

- you're _constantly_ in the gym so staff starts talking to you

[jsharpe]

I love when I'm climbing alone and working on something really hard for me and some random people just start cheering as I get near the top. :)

[LandR]

Man, I've been bouldering now at my gym for maybe 18 months and I can count on one hand the number of times I've spoken to someone.

A lot of people on their own have earbuds in too,and clearly don't want to be spoken to.

I had one time where I asked someone for some help, he then went and did the route and shrugged and said it's easy in a really condescending manner.