Quick Setting Update + Setter Board

Sorry for the short update, but for all who are interested (or just tired of the constant snow/wet cycle Colorado has been in) this week we set the Left River and Right River. An inventory graph of current problems up in the whole gym is posted next to the setting closet. In addition, there are graphs posted for each wall, a few notes on setting, and some bad bolts and bad t-nuts that you can examine if you want to better understand why we don’t hand out wrenches.

Enjoy the new problems, and if you’re looking for used holds don’t miss The Spot garage sale on Friday!

 

Quick Setting Update + ABS Nationals + Red Point Holds!

The New Left River. Notice Carlo trying some of our new problems on the left side of the photo. He’s been on the road since June, but due to upcoming ABS Nationals, a bunch of America’s best climbers are in town to earn their place on the World Cup team for Vail this summer, and many have come into the Spot to get that last bit of climbing in before qualifiers on Friday.

Speaking of ABS Nationals, it is in Colorado Springs (fairly close) and USA Climbing has been making a big effort to put on a really good show. It is definitely worth driving down to watch or, if you have time and want to really experience what it takes to put on our National Climbing Team Selection event, volunteer! Register to compete, see the running order, find a hotel, sign up to volunteer, see the schedule, and more: ABS Nationals Homepage

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Reset Update + Red Point Holds!

Today Connor, Jay Jay, Ian Powell, and I added a bunch of problems to the River. Pic of the Left River above, here are the new Middle and Right River:

I have no idea what that flare is. Check out the cool new blue/tan line up the arete!

The climber on the far right is actually on the problem I am about to tell you about.

On our River fill-in today we got two bunches of exciting new holds for you to check out. One set I’ll tell you about tomorrow, but for today, check out the:

 

Two purple screw-ons from the Golf Ball Mini-Jugs set that we haven’t tried yet, two green mini crimp/pinches called Commudum Pinches, two cool green angled pinch/slopers from the Tusk set, and three orange rounded jugs that they call Ergo Jugs but that I’m dubbing “Big Paws”

 

Another angle

We got our tester box of these around one and immediately put them on the wall. You can find them on the purple problem on the far right river. We will do a blog review of these, so climb on ‘em and let us know what you think!

A few of the new Red Point Holds

Check out Red Point’s Website - Red Point Climbing Holds Home

That’s all for now. Setting again tomorrow, probably adding to the Font. Enjoy!

Quick Setting Update

Hi all. No pictures today, but we thought you’d be glad to hear that we added even more problems to the Font and River walls yesterday. There is a good spread going on now of all grades, so get in there and enjoy! Next week…the Dojo!

Quick Setting Update! + Cool Flying Trailer Pic

Cool.

I didn’t have any pics of the walls, so you’re getting this cool flying caravan instead.

Today, Tuesday, October 30th we added a bunch of problems to the River and Font boulders. We got even more new holds, so prepare for some awesomeness. We will add more to those two walls tomorrow, and I’ll update if there’s anything extra to note. Also, the setting board has an accurate graph of the problems in the gym again, as I think we’ve got the computer problem sorted out. Next week we’re on to the Dojo!

See you at The Spot!

Setting Update 4/10 and 4/11 2012 + Jon’s Amazing Shot

Ok, so yesterday Jon, Danny, Carlo, Nic, Jonny, Carlo, Jay Jay, and I stripped and reset the back of the Hueco boulder.

The highlight of the day was when, right before lunch, Jon threw a roll of tape at a So Ill horn I’d bolted on near the top of the Hueco backside dihedral. He was standing by the benches, and somehow magically hit the shot. Here is where he was standing. You can see the roll of tape on the wall above and right of his right (viewer’s left) hand.

Today (Wednesday) Jon, Danny, Carlo, Jonny, Nic and I stripped and reset the left river. Glorious problems now abound, including Jon’s stemming testpiece of dark green just left of the central arete and his squeezing testpiece, also dark green, on the far left of the wall. The boys also added a volume to the far left side to spice up the little overhang.

Enjoy!

Quick Reset Update + An Interesting Solution

Reset Update

So in the last week we’ve reset the River, Dojo, Hueco, and today the Beach. Tomorrow is the Font, and it’ll be open around four pm. We’ve set a ton of problems of literally all grades so come on in and finish those comp projects and try out all our new lines as well.

 

An Interesting Solution

A popular problem at the Gladiator Finals was the intermediate on the slab. This problem consisted of two big footholds low down on the wall that you could either perch on or jump off to reach the big yellow HRT volume. From there one had to smear on the wall or jump to a large yellow Ruckus cone hold and then mantle off the volume to finish on top of the slab. A few people mantled on the volume without using the cone at all. I almost set the problem that way, but I added the cone to make the boulder a mid-intermediate instead of a low advanced. In any case, this young woman found an interesting solution to the “how-to-get-to-the-cone” problem:

Ok, so she's got the volume. Now how to get to the cone?

Ok, so maybe try a heel up?

And rock. This does not look super comfortable...

Yes, it did work. Apparently she does yoga. A lot. Nice job on finding an original solution to this boulder problem!

Setting Update for 5.17 & 5.18

It was my first day back in the Spot in over 3 months, and as over 1/2 the crew is out of town (Jon, Carlo, Jonny and Nic to Colombia and J-Jay to Spain), it was left to Danny, Garrett, myself, and guest setter Gabor Szekely to reset the right river and do some fill-in on the left.  We put up a new volume on the right side and a set a ton, so go in and check ‘em out!  It certainly beats sitting around in this rain.

See the hold above?  Ours is neon pink.  Go find it on the river and have fun working out Danny’s two problems that cross it.  On one the crux is matching.  The other?  Well…you’ll have to get creative.  Enjoy!

Gladiator Finals Reset Update

As usual after a big competition, the setters spent the week resetting as quickly as possible so you will have a ton of new stuff to climb on.  Some of us were tired, some of us were sore, and some of us were a little goofy, but we got problems up on the whole River wall, the whole Dojo, the whole Hueco, and the whole Beach.  Tomorrow the Font may see some problems, depending on the outcome of tonight’s Beta session.  No, really, it just depends on everybody’s busy schedule.  Anyways, here are some pictures from the last four days:

On Monday, Carlo dropped a wrench on his face.

On Tuesday, Jon got back from the tradeshow and brought Danny a backpack with his picture on it from their mutual sponsor Revolution. We made him wear it all day.

Then Jon set a very creative start to a boulder in the right dojo.

Danny solved the problem another way, but Jon didn't really fit...

Carlo had to try it out as well...

Then Carlo became a "happy baby chalk bucket" which Jon had to try out. Nic watched with amusement from a hold bucket.

When we got back from lunch we found that somebody made their own very rugged parking spot.

Carlo sporting new Verve 4-way stretch camo Xeno pants while Danny foreruns the Beach.

Danny demonstrating the correct spotting position while Jonny does Carlo's technical blue 5- on the far right beach.

Left River

Right River

Right Dojo

Left Dojo

Hueco Front Scoop

Hueco Front Small Scoop

Hueco Back Scoop

Left Beach

Left Middle Beach

Right Beach

Enjoy!

The Hold Review has begun + Gladiator Finals coming soon!!!

The Urban Climber/Spot Hold Review of 2010/2011

The great Spot/UC hold review of 2010 has turned into the great Spot/UC hold review of 2011 (cause it took that long for all the holds to come in) but they did finally come in and so last week Carlo and the crew put company-specific problems of brand new grips up on the Left River wall for you to help us test out.  The goal is to put together the most comprehensive and useful climbing hold review ever done by a climbing magazine, and we need your help.

Here’s the deal: each company-specific (i.e. all the holds on the problem are from one company) problem in the review will be found on the Left River wall and clearly labeled with the hold company.  Because we set multiple problems with each company’s holds, the problems are also numbered so it will be easy for you to tell us exactly which problem had that sweet fat pinch or tricky Font sloper that you liked so much.  Climb some problems, give us your opinion, and if you review at least 5 company’s holds you might even win a prize!

Pick up your review forms at the Front Desk or on the left side of the Left River wall (by the garage door).  Questions can be posted to this blog, or emailed to Jackie at  spotsetters@gmail.com.  Thanks!!!

A quick personal note:

It was my intention, and still is, to post about each company that is taking part in the hold review individually upon receipt of their holds.  Unfortunately, before we had received all the holds my grandfather’s lymphoma progressed I had to leave Boulder to get home to see him before he passed.  This is also why the blog updates have been more or less non-existent of late, so, sorry, but I should be back in action with regular updates again soon.

Gladiator Finals are coming up!

Spot in time for the Gladiator Finals, which will be held on Saturday, January 22nd, and will include a sweet jousting rig in addition to the normal Spot comp amenities of great new problems, exciting finals, a huge raffle, and free Wahoo’s tacos and Avery beer.

Highline/Highball Resetting Update #1 + A Silly Headdress

Monday

As usual, we began our reset on the river granite wall.  Jay Jay was in school, so the team for Monday was me, Carlo, Jon, Jonny, Garrett, Danny, and guest setter Gabor Szekely.

 

Gabor  |  GS

Gabor has been a route setter on and off for several years and has also climbed up to 5.14d, onsighted up to 13d, and bouldered V13 outside.  He occasionally competes as a member of the Hungarian National Team (his home country, though he was raised in the US) he got 18th at last year’s Vail World Cup.

 

New right river

We set some 40 boulders on the river wall, 1 spot to 5+ spot.

 

New Left River

Tuesday

That’s right folks, we reset the Dojo!  Carlo, Jon, Jonny, Garrett, Danny, me, and guest setter Connor Griffith (who just got back from Switzerland with Carlo and Jon) covered the Dojo in problems including several juggy climbs out the roof of varying difficulties and, on the left bulge, a slightly-easier simulator of a V13 from Black Mountain called Bang-On.  Here are some pictures of the wall and the beginning of the simulator.

Connor Griffith | CG

The New Dojo

Bang-On Simulator start hold

Kelly McBride showing how strong you have to be to climb the Bang-On Simulator.

Headdress

We stripped the stickers off the wall as we set the new problems on the Dojo.  You may have seen some of ‘em stuck on ladders or in designs on our foothold bucket.  Today I made a headdress out of some of ‘em.

Me modeling version 1 of the headdress

Jaime wearing Version 2 at the Front Desk