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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