Jason Kehl is one in just a handful of independent pro-shapers today that isn’t just carving grips, but is re-shaping the way people climb indoors.

For the past 8 years Kehl has been carving holds with an abstract, even absurdest sensibility. His imagination has brought us everything from the pocked corpulence of the huge Happy Fun Ball to the intergalactic early shapes of So Ill.

Yet through it all Jason has somehow managed to convince setters and climbers that his shapes feel not like laboratory novelties, but secret rock morphologies that only he knows about.

Routesetter.com caught up with Jason and found out what he thinks of modern hold shaping and what his dream gym would look like.

How did you get into carving foam?

I had done a small amount of shaping for my friend’s company in Spain, Ritual. Then when I was hanging out in Salt Lake during the whole Pusher, Cordless, S7 movement I got my “big break”. I was always hanging out in the shop since I was sponsored by them, it was just a matter of time before I convinced them to let me do some shaping for them and they were psyched.

Who are you shaping for now?

Revolution , So iLL and Etch.

When you sit down to a new piece of foam do you know exactly what you’re going to carve or does it come more spontaneously?

It depends on the style of hold, but most of the time I have a rough ideal of what I am going for and it just takes shape as I head in that direction. With larger specialty holds I will usually draw out what I am thinking and shape it to look just like that, this is helpful when your trying to get the most usability out of a hold.

How do you feel about the state of modern hold design?

I think its going in a good direction, as long as people are willing to try new things. I think it gets boring when everyone is copying each other just so they have a popular style in their line, like the granite holds for instance.

In what direction do you feel shaping will go in the coming years?

Hopefully more abstract stuff, combining art and climbing and not trying to mimic the rock but create a new style of climbing.

Do you like creating shapes that are more real rock or abstract?

Abstract for sure, climbing on rock outside is great, but I think when you try to recreate that inside it just becomes painful.

What do you think it takes to make a signature piece - like the old school “Boss”? And do you think you can do it?

I think it’s about making something that’s different than all the rest, something fun that you won’t forget. I’d like to think that I’m trying all the time, I just recently reshaped the Boss for Revolution, its a bit more positive so its better on the steeper angles.

Do you have an overarching philosophy in regards to climbing design (shaping, setting, wall architecture)?

I would prefer it if you went into the climbing gym and it was like you were stepping into a cartoon.

If you want to see more of Jason’s art and pick up a dope t-shirt then visit his websit, cryptochild.com

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