Breakdown

Climber: Aika Watanabe 5’2”/+1

Wall Angle: Flat > Corner > Flat

Holds: Flathold Borderlines, Dimension Triangle 1, Dimension Triangle Flat Side, Dimension Rails

Regionals Info:

  • This boulder was set for a USAC Regional Championship event. Competitors are climbing within the USAC competition format. There are 4 boulders in the round and each climber has 4 minutes to attempt each boulder with no prior knowledge of it. Points are awarded for reaching the zone hold and achieving a top of the boulder. Attempts are also tracked to serve as another separation metric. The category that climbed this boulder was Male/Female Youth D (ages 8-11). Results for this event can be found here and more detailed information about the format is available in the USAC Rulebook.  

RIC: Risk 4, Intensity 2, Complexity 4 

  • The assignment was to set a moderate difficulty boulder that rewarded proper balance and methodical climbing. Risk is ranked high on this boulder because of the nature of all of the feet being volumes; they are slightly sloped and give no indication as to where proper foot placements are. The volumes also help to increase the complexity of the boulder by giving climbers multiple options, but no definitive path to the top of the boulder. Intensity is present because of the constant tension needed to maintain foot and hand positioning on the volumes.

Aesthetic/Influence:

  • This boulder did not have a specific movement in mind. Instead, it had a specific theme. I wanted climbers to spend time trying to solve a puzzle while climbing the boulder and for things to not feel as they may appear. The large volumes at the bottom of the climb were placed first to materialize a potential sequence. Smaller volumes were added around the larger ones to solidify a path of least resistance. The yellow fiberglass holds were used to contrast the volumes and serve as visual “checkpoints.”

Hold Choice:

  • The main use of the volumes on this boulder was to exaggerate the angles of the wall. This creates a pseudo-slab climbing experience on a wall that would otherwise not support it. Many of the volumes had to be positive enough to be used as feet as well as hands, which greatly influenced volume choice and positioning. The fiberglass holds introduce variety, but also keep with the theme of being slightly sloped and requiring specific body positioning to utilize.  

Getting Started

routesetter undercling
  • Aika begins the boulder by pressing weight into her feet through the opposition created by the undercling start hold.

  • She shifts weight over her right foot by bending her knee; this allows her to gain the next right hand.

  • Her feet are walked up to bring her body in line with her right hand, and bringing her right foot to the next volume prevents losing balance.

Trust the Foot

shift weight routesetting
  • Aika places her foot on a smaller volume that is stacked on the larger one; this provides a higher profile foot but it cannot be fully weighted until she shifts weight rightward.

  • She begins shifting right to grab the far volume. Gaining this allows her to pull her weight over her right foot and stand up.

  • Her left foot is brought higher to maintain tension when bumping her left hand to the next sloping volume.

  • Failure to maintain compression during this movement will cause body weight to be pulled too far rightward, resulting in a fall.

Watch Your Step

  • Aika’s left foot coming higher allows her to move to the next, more positive volume.

  • Bringing her right foot up moves her body under her left hand. Her rightward positioning allows her to reach the finish hold but she is not in a position to match it.

  • Gaining the higher right hand allows her to walk her feet through to the higher volume and square her body between her hands.

Heels Up Toes Down

heel hook finish
  • Aika requires tension on her left foot to match the finish because of its rightward direction and positioning slightly past her right foot.

  • Heel hooking the highest volume allows her to release weight from her right hand and prevents her from swinging too far rightward while matching the finish.

Final Thoughts

This boulder was able to get definitive separation in the male and female rounds. Most competitors were unable to do the boulder first try, but subsequent attempts generally saw improvement. This rewarded adaptable climbers with high problem-solving ability. Although there is a definitive sequence, climbers of different sizes and strengths are able to make slight adjustments to their approach because of the multitude of usable surfaces provided by the volumes. This combination of mental and physical challenge is crucial in splitting competitors throughout a round of competition.

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