The Birth of the Bouldering Bus

We are constantly asked about how the bouldering bus came to be and it is such a good story, we thought we'd share it here. Christin, the creator of the amazing bouldering bus, writes about how the idea came to be and how the bus was created from there: 

So … how did the bouldering bus come to be?!?  The idea was hatched on a hike with family and a climbing friend in the mountains over thanksgiving.  We laughed about it and then moved on.  Or, so I thought. About 6 weeks later, Ken (my husband) called me from work at lunchtime. “I need you to drive me somewhere – oh, and bring a check book.” “Somewhere” was the Cumberland County School Transportation Office. One of his patients worked there and assured him there was a whole fleet of retired buses for sale. A half hour and $2500 later, we were the proud owners of a 1986 Ford School Bus, Bus # 380!  Ken, with the help of his friend Rolf, removed all of the seats, welded a steel frame onto the inside of the bus, attached textured wall, drilled over 1000 holes, attached climbing holds and installed gym foam on the floor.  What was once a really silly idea was now a really silly reality!  We left the bus behind in North Carolina when we moved to Colorado, but once I joined the board of the Women’s Wilderness Institute in Boulder, I knew the bouldering bus belonged there.  

We are so excited to bring the bus back to Boulder and we will be having a Welcome Home Party for the bus on October 26th! Stay tuned for more details. 

From the road, 

Christin, Jamie, and Lori