Breakdown

Climber: Eddie Pandolfino 6’0”/-2

Wall Angle: 5° Overhang > Flat 

Holds: MW Volumes, eGrips Bubble Wrap  

RIC: Risk 2, Intensity 3, Complexity 4

• The concept of this boulder stemmed from giving the climber a difficult sequence to solve. Complexity is ranked highest because of the subtle nature of navigating the volume stack. The absence of holds for direction requires the climber to be adaptive while climbing. Intensity is moderate because the lower section of the boulder is physical due to compression and body tension, while the top involves a focus on finger strength. Risk is low because of the secure nature of the movement, but the sloping foot placements on the volumes can result in slip-ups if not weighted properly.

Influence/Aesthetic:

• “Hanging” volumes have become a more prevalent routesetting aesthetic in recent months. The initial inspiration for this came from creating a stalactite that extended past the end of the wall’s surface. Combining the volumes in this way creates a feature that looks unnaturally suspended from the wall. The additional unstacked volumes help to optically flatten the dimension of the stalactite and blend it back into the wall. The second half of the boulder visibly contrasts the first, with a more linear sequence progression. However, functional themes of footwork and body positioning tie the sections together.

Hold Selection:

• These types of boulders would not be possible without the use of volumes. For this particular instance, the volumes were manipulated to give selective grabble surfaces that can only be used if approached from the right angle. Their large surface areas also serve as high-profile footholds to be used later in the climb. This allows for the top holds to be quite sloped because of how far the climber’s hips rest away from the wall.

Down Under

• The climber swings their left foot up to gain traction against the sloping start hold, with their right foot coming up to toe hook and anchoring the hips.

• Their left hand moves to the bottom corner of the volume to bring their chest in, so that they can begin moving towards a right hand-foot match.

Reverse It

• Once the right hand is gained, the climber can tension both of their shoulders and release the constriction of the toe hook.

• The left hand comes out from underneath the volume to allow the body to rotate around the right hand.

Slotting In

• The climber’s weight shifts into their left foot to compliment a left-hand cross to the slotted volumes.

• Their right hand comes up to grab the side of the lower volume, squaring the torso and shoulders to allow their feet to swap.

• This brings the climber’s right hip closer to the wall, which keeps their weight underneath their right hand when gaining the next ledge.

Shifting Gears

• Stepping their left foot in allows the climber to shift their hips farther right to begin generating more tension through their right arm.

• The climber tracks their left hand in to assist in generating momentum over their left leg as the right arm comes to fully lock off.

Tic-Tac

• The climber’s hips center and their right foot comes up to smear; this creates slight compression between the feet and allows the left foot to raise.

• Weight is shifted rightward by the right hand bumping and the left knee extending to keep the climber’s hips beneath their hands.

Taking the Top

• The climber places their right foot to smear on the volume while bringing their left foot up to the ledge. This prevents the climber’s weight from falling too far rightward when moving to the sidepull.

• Weight shifts up and over the climber’s left leg as the shoulders engage and pull upward.

• The upward shift opens the climbers hips for the right leg to come up, moving the climber’s body high enough to finish.

Final Thoughts

This has been my favorite version of the volume stacking I have created so far. This is the first time the composition of the volumes has a sense of visual absurdity. It looks like something that should not be climbed but draws the climber in to think about the possibilities. Although the volumes were a success, I was not pleased with the top of the boulder. I felt like although it fit in with the slow, complex themes, it was too visually distant from the bottom. In the future, I would like to plan farther ahead for this and save enough volumes to not have to supplement in as many plastic holds. Resources are hard to manage with these types of boulders, especially when only specific volumes can be used in this particular way.