Breakdown
Climber: Eddie Pandolfino 6’0”/-2
Wall Angle: Flat
Holds: 360 Quarters, Flathold DC9, Teknik No Shadow Tip Toes
RIC: Risk 2, Intensity 2, Complexity 5
This boulder was designed to test climbers on their body positioning, specifically their mantling ability. Complexity is highest on this boulder because the correct foot and hand positioning to navigate around the volumes is cryptic. Risk is present because of the small size and insecure nature of the footholds. Additionally, intensity is added because of the physical pushing and pressing movements required to move through the mantle.
Influence/Aesthetic:
The inspiration for this climb came from a conversation with @fegahlichris about attaching these volumes to the wall in this specific configuration. Utilizing them in this way created an incredibly high profile feature that proposed unique interaction. The feature’s size is so distinguishable that it disfigures the expected view of the wall. The boulder is completely contained to the volumes, creating a digestible but deceptive sense of scale, as it requires an abundance of movement to traverse the feature.
Hold Selection:
The 360 Quarters are special in their ability to substantially alter wall angles. In this case, putting them together allowed for a completely new angle to be formed out of a flat wall. However, the volumes alone proved to be too difficult to offer a sequence of moves. The additional screw-on holds were added to give the climber a path of least resistance without depreciating the foreign nature of the volumes.
Taking Off
Smearing the wall allows the climber to lock off their arms and gain enough height to set a right heel hook.
This creates a point that the hips can shift around, allowing progress through subsequent sequences.
Hit the Flip
The climber’s right hand continuously bumps up the line of crimps while they bring their left foot smear higher. This begins to raise their hips from underneath the volume.
Once high enough, the heel hook is swapped to a toe which straightens the climber’s knee. This gives more range of motion and stability.
The left hand is flipped to a press. This creates the upward motion needed to begin moving over the feature.
Turn it Around
As the left arm continues to straighten, the left foot can be brought up, allowing them to stand more upright on the volume.
The climber’s hands walk toward the opposite side of the volume so their body can turn to face outward and use their feet to traction against the sloping surface.
Taking the Top
The finish is positioned low so a seated position must be taken to reach down and match.
Breakdown
Placing volumes with no preconceived sequence can unlock specialized scenarios for climbers to navigate. This exploration of the unknown by routesetters reflects on the experience of the user. Climbs with alien qualities are polarizing because they push climbers to investigate unconventional movement skills and require “outside the box” problem-solving abilities. This generates a broad spectrum of reactions and opinions to the product that manifest as the results of the experiment.