Video Inspiration #1

A lot of the time, it doesn't take much to spark inspiration for setting. I get a lot of my inspiration from watching other climbers - through media, in person outside, or playing add-on in the gym. In that spirit, I'll be uploading videos of routes in our gym(s) here, that have fun or noteworthy moves. I'll try to include one harder move and one easier move in these kind of videos.

Here's a video that has two sequences for inspiration.



The first sequence is a moderate problem. The goal was to set a rose-through on a steep wall. Originally I got this idea from Andy Mann's photos of Nagual V13. I also wanted to set a hard swinging barn door as the climber came out of the rose.

Things to watch out for if you try to set a similar move:

- Roses are easier to set in concave terrain (dihedrals), but this one was actually on convex terrain. The rose lockoff was deep and could feel shoulder-tweaky.
- The hold to rose off of should be the minimum size and angle to reduce the likelihood of a match. In the end, this particular sequence wound up being matchable (although it could still be altered, it would start to make the problem harder and the rose tweakier..)
- I used a heel hook sequence just before gaining the rose hold. The size of that hold as a foothold also offered some assistance for matching.
- Ideally, you would traverse into the rose sequence with a big move, giving the climber less to work with in terms of big feet.
- For the feet, you want a gap or smaller feet under the rose hold itself, with a lot of feet under the target hold. Because this wall was convex, I found the move actually felt easier if I flagged my left foot away from the wall. In concave terrain it's natural to stem for a rose move (which makes it feel substantially less awkward.)

The second sequence is on an easy route, about 5.8, on an arete. When setting less difficult routes, sometimes it's easy to forget that simple things make a big difference to new climbers. Being able to pull different directions on holds and learning about plumb lines is a crucial lesson.

Things to consider for this move:

- Do as much as possible to make sure foot movements stay necessary. If the next left hand move is too small, it gets easier and easier to not use the right hand undercling.
- Aesthetics matter. This move in particular uses two similar holds (Gingivitis, by So Ill) It looks nice, and it's a subtle hint to the climber.
- This move would be just as good to try on a hard route. Small, simple sequences like this are enjoyable and encourage natural movement.

I'll post more cryptic and unique moves in further videos, but I intend to always show an easy move with a hard move. After all, the bell curve of your climbers aren't doing V8s - and easy moves can be just as interesting.

If you have any thoughts on setting these or similar moves, post 'em. In the meantime, happy setting!