By Chris Danielson

Dictionaries define spectacular as: “dramatic;” “impressive;” “sensational in appearance or thrilling in effect.”

With the realm of climbing movements so vast and any particular sequence inspiring it is hard to imagine how to define some moves as spectacular, and others not. But for the most part, we just know spectacle when we see it.

In competition climbing, but also in everyday gym setting, we are always pushing ourselves to create spectacular movement. Fun to watch, fun to climb, and, as a setter – a challenge to create.

Indeed, setting a spectacular sequence can be incredibly difficult. A big dyno is one thing, and I am certainly a fan of setting dynamic movement but I have always found that creating interesting and exciting sequences that do not always involve big jumps, can be a painstaking but very rewarding endeavor.

In the past few years, I have worked with a fair number of novice and intermediate setters, and most are primarily interested in learning how to improve their ability to force specific movements.

Even more so, setters want to have some fun applying those skills in competition setting. I have always felt the realm of movements is nearly limitless, like climbing, routesetting is a lifelong learning process.

Bearing in mind that tightening the bolts on each new set of moves is like a fresh experiment that might explode in your face – I have often tried to come up with fun moves, in competition, in instruction, or just at home training – that have “spectacular” as the goal. The more you experiment, the better you refine your knowledge of the tools and your expectations of the results.

During a recent routesetting clinic at the new Hangar 18, I set a boulder problem to use as an example for how to force intriguing and challenging movements. Here’s a video of the problem, and below are some further thoughts on how I got there.

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Three key holds:

1. A non match-able jug pocket for the right hand: Old Voodoo Dual-Tex Grip
2. A small pinch for the left hand: e-Grips Mini Water Tufa
3. A monstrous jug finish for the toe-hooks: Climb-It Weathered Sandstone Flake

This problem has some introductory moves that get the climber into the roof, where two different, but connected, forced sequences follow.

The first is a move I really love to set, that I call, for lack of a better phrase, a “campus lock-through.” From there it moves into a feet-first double toe-hook finish. So, naturally – the question for those interested, is how did I get there? It is a challenge, as is describing the process concisely… here it goes…

To begin with, in order to force the lock-through the generating hold the climber is moving on and around (right hand) must be both positive enough to lock off with one arm and not match-able.

Next – the hold the climber is moving to (left hand) must then be far enough away that the climber cannot reach it simply with his foot on the holds below but it also must be small enough that the climber cannot easily swing and catch the left hand with a straight arm, monkey-bar style move.

One reason the “lock-through” is the desired move for success in this sequence, is that the left hand is so bad that you must grab the hold from a point of relatively controlled movement (the “lock” part of “lock-through”), rather than from a dynamic or aggressively swinging position.

A second reason the “campus lock-through” works is incredibly hard to explain but very important to the sequence, and that is, the degree of rotation of the right hand.

When reaching comfortably off of the left hand undercling pocket at the base of the roof, rather than grasp the incut right hand as a standard “undercling” grab, the hold is rotated such that the climber wants to grasp this hold with the hand turned and reaching out (as when reaching a hand out and pointing at the horizon) rather than reaching in like an undercling (as when beckoning a friend toward you).

As with much in the game of routesetting, if the handhold is not oriented at just the right angle – the move is probably not going to go the way you intend it. In this case, if the hold were turned slightly, and the climber were able to comfortably grasp the right hand as an undercling, with the direction of pull facing in a direct line toward the finishing jug – he may simply have the momentum and power to jump straight to the finish.

Now back to the small left hand hold. As mentioned, for the first sequence to work well this hold should not be too positive. But as the climber moves into the next sequence – the toe-hooks – there are other reasons that this is important as well.

This hold has to be just good enough to grasp and then allow the use of the body’s core strength to bring the feet up, but cannot be so good that the climber could grip hard on it and potentially let go with their right hand, with a possible campus jump to the finish.

Furthermore – if the climber were somehow able to get their left hand in the jug pocket (this is in fact possible, and with more work could have been eliminated by some minimal changes to the lower section), if the small pinch is too good, they may grab it with their right, and have an easier time generating for a dyno to the finish, rather than using the forced toe-hook sequence.

And finally, the finishing hold. This is the least complicated selection in terms of hold type, because it simply has to be a massive jug with a good edge that both feet can toe-hook.

However – location is everything. If this hold were inches to the right or left, it might change everything. A few inches higher, too far out of reach for the feet. A few inches lower, the climber might have an easier time jumping to the finish rather than toe-hooking.

In the end, a very tall climber, or powerful jumper, might indeed be able to jump to the finish, depending on which hand they can get in the jug pocket. But if for the majority of climbers the easiest sequence is the one you intended to force the climber to do, then you have done your best.

After all, there is only so much you can do when Chris Sharma might dyno past the roof sequence altogether.

In the end, this was a fun challenge and I learned some things. Did I succeed in the goal of creating a “spectacular” climb? I guess that is up to the spectator, and perhaps other climbers. But even more questions follow, depending on other goals and challenges…

Would it work for on-sight competition?

Does it get harder as it goes? Is it fair? And perhaps always the most nerve-wracking… Will they figure it out?

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