Breakdown

Climber: Eddie Pandolfino 6’0”/-2 

Wall Angle: 45° Overhang

Holds: Flathold Damage Control Crimps, Teknik Thugs  

RIC: Risk 1, Intensity 5, Complexity 1

• The concept of this boulder stems from wanting to test climbers on a certain grip type at a high level. Intensity ranks highest because the crimps are small and the movements between them are intense. Finger, shoulder, and core engagement must be maintained between every move or the climber’s hips will drift too far from the wall causing a fall. Complexity ranks low because there is little nuance or beta variation. There is a slight element of risk due to the slightly dynamic nature of the finish but not enough for it to greatly affect the percentage of success on the move.

Influence/Aesthetic:

• There was little aesthetic inspiration when setting this boulder. The day that this was set was a filler day, so there was little space to maneuver these holds through the preexisting climbs. I have been enjoying setting shorter, more concise boulders recently, so I took this as an opportunity to extrapolate on that. I wanted to capture the feeling of a Moonboard climb, powerful, short, and with no filler. 

Holds:

• The Damage Control crimps would normally be incredibly difficult to grab on this angle because of their small and clean edge with no lip. By stacking the crimps on top of each other, the angle of the wall slightly decreases making them slightly better. This maintains the basic properties of the holds without needing to put them on a volume to improve their quality substantially. This helps to keep the movement pure and focus on grip strength as opposed to body positioning or technique. 
  

Less is More?

I’ve been thinking about this boulder quite a bit recently. Although there isn’t much to it in terms of visual substance, it raises questions as to what are the valuable qualities of indoor climbs. Generally, commercial setting tries to ease users into the experience, regardless of their ability level. Problems often have multiple moves of a lower difficulty level before or after a crux to prevent immediate failure. Conversely, board climbing (Moon, Kilter, Tension) offers a more concise challenge with definitive difficulty barriers. This often correlates with more success when climbing outdoors. “Benchmark” boulders in a commercial setting are often met with confusion as climbers tend to think of board-style climbs as separate entities. I’d like to weave more succinct boulders into our commercial sets in the future to hone in on a more varied final product.