Breakdown

Climber: Eddie Pandolfino 6’0”/-2

Wall Angle: 45° Overhang 

Holds: Cheeta BoomJumps, Flathold Superstar, Teknik Crickets  

RIC: Risk 1, Intensity 4, Complexity 2

• The objective of this boulder was to create a multitude of movements in a small space. Intensity is ranked highest because the climb revolves around navigating constricted positions. The climber uses strength and body tension to expand and contract through a small space. Complexity comes into play through footwork and body positioning. If the lower body is not used correctly to maintain tension, the engagement of the upper body will fail. This encourages discovering micro-beta through multiple attempts. Risk is low because the movement is generally static with secure foot positions.

Influence/Aesthetic:

• I took aesthetic influence from @yossiclimbs for this set. He has posted a few boulders to his Instagram that play with cluttering the middle of the wall with holds and producing movement through compact clusters. Overloading the middle of the wall helps to draw the climber’s gaze and creates an impression that the climb is all one “piece”. This makes the boulder feel and look intentional; there are no superfluous holds or movements on the climber’s path to the top. The constricting nature of the holds helps to produce tighter movement, which can help with size equity. 

Hold Selection:

• Most of the holds chosen for this boulder are slightly sloping fiberglass holds. The open-hand nature of these holds makes it difficult to grab them with incorrect body positioning. This helps to prevent beta breaks and encourages climbers to use body positioning to take advantage of the holds’ directionality. The large surface area of the holds gives climbers the ability to adjust their hands and feet to positions that are advantageous to their body sizes.

Up and Away

• The climber places their hand on the left start hold and jumps to establish their hand on the right start hold.

• The compression between the two hands tensions the climber’s shoulders, allowing them to bring their left leg up and begin shifting their hips right.

Crossed Up

• The climber’s left leg straightens in conjunction with the release of their left hand to propel their body for a deep left-hand cross.

• This position twists the climber’s hips away from the wall. A right toe hook is placed to keep the climber’s hips from falling too far outward as the right hand unwinds to the next crimp.

Fancy Footwork

• The right toe hook is released and moved to a high right foot. This provides stability for the left foot to come closer to the body’s midline and swap with the right foot.

• The high left foot creates more tension against the right shoulder. This releases weight from the left hand, allowing it to move higher.

Fast Hands

• The climber’s left foot is walked slightly higher to set a center point for the hips and to allow weight to shift over as the hands move upward.

• Transitioning through the underclings moves the climber’s body leftward while straightening their torso, alleviating weight from their left foot.

Slam Dunk

• The climber swaps their legs to a right drop knee and a left flag. This brings their right hip close to the wall.

• This applies more pressure against the right-hand undercling and shortens the distance the right hand needs to travel upward.

• Once the climber gains the high right hand, they can walk their feet back through the midline in order to reposition them under the hips.

Taking the Top

• The climber’s right foot comes high to allow a slightly higher right-hand grip on the finish hold.

• Placing a left heel keeps the climber’s hips inward. The opposition between the left and right foot strengthens core tension, letting the left hand come up to match.

Final Thoughts

This boulder had a bit of contention about its grade after having members climb on the set. Certain users felt it was up to two grades easier than the one we proposed. During the forerunning process, nailing grades can be difficult due to fatigue, missed micro-beta, or lack of proficiency in a certain style. This climb stumped our crew members during forerunning so we proposed a high grade. Although this climb was challenging for us at the time, members thought otherwise. Grades are a guideline; routesetters have the same strengths and shortcomings as any climber and these can affect how a climb is graded. While we do our best to provide an accurate outline of difficulty for everyone that comes into the gym, it is not a perfect science because we are human.