The Altruist (V13/8B)

Carlo just finished off a longstanding project in Eldo at the PB boulders in the Flatirons and has called it The Altruist. He says there’s a video coming soon. Here’s another shot of the line.  Nice job Carlo!!!

Loved it?  Go download it for free here! - Park Life – Yosemite Bouldering | Louder Than 11

Carlo in a strange position

If you’ve ever hung around the Spot while we’re forerunning you’ve probably noticed that Carlo has a pretty unique climbing style. Not the offwidth-corner-reverse-body-stem shown above, but one that involves a lot of pinching and jumping around on huge slopers. The key word in that sentence is jumping, and Carlo does a lot of it.  Why? Partially because he’s often disadvantaged by height, but also because he has recognized that for his body type and specific strengths, technical momentum-based movement is an efficient way to succeed on many problems where brute strength would fail. Recently Peter Beal tracked Carlo down to find out more about what exactly he means by “momentum-based movement” and what he sees for the future of climbing. Read the interview here:

The Bouldering Book: Interview With Carlo Traversi

They have some sweet looking features, like this, the Bib Fortuna

A new hold company has been added to the lists!  Buuda holds, out of Mexico. According to their website they are high quality machine-measured polyurethane with a 5 year warranty. They are shipped from Laredo, Texas, so they are shipped domestically to those in the US and Canada.

buudaholds.com  ~  sales@buudaholds.com  ~  877.430.2808  ~  México

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We do not yet have any personal experience with these holds as we just found out about them but taking a look around their website I have seen several sets and holds that look pretty awesome.  Shapers include well-knowns like Louie Anderson. Has anyone else used them yet?  What do you think?

Dunes XL

Erosion Set

The Volcano by shaper Pedro Calzada

Team Vertical World

The head coach of the gigantic Team Vertical World of the Seattle Vertical World Gyms (there are 4 of them now!) has also been a longtime climber, competitor, and setter. His name is Tyson and he’s a pretty cool guy. Over at Climbfind we’ve published an article about him. Check it out!

Climbfind Heroes – Youth Climbing Article #4 Part 1 – Tyson Schoene

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Urban Plastix

urbanplastix.tumblr.com  ~  contact via website/facebook  ~  Brooklyn, NY, USA

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Click the logo to see their site.

Setting Battle in the Bubble 2010. Click the photo to read the article on Hold and Volume Attachment

Basic Hold and Volume Attachment – Theory and Tools « The Spot Route Setting Blog

This and other similar articles can be accessed via the “General Setting Info” page or dropdown menu.

An illustration from Setting Ergonomics from Routecrafter

Our buddy over at routecrafter.blogspot.com has written a nice little article explaining (indirectly) why the easy problems at The Spot are so much more awesome than the easy problems at other gyms.  Actually, it’s just about jug use and edge radius in general, but it’s definitely worth reading if you’re a setter, if you’re a climber, if you’re a shaper, or if you’ve ever wondered just what makes some holds more comfortable than others. Heck, it might help you examine your own climbing or setting and make some improvements, and it might also help you give some helpful feedback to the setters at your own gym if they’re setting uncomfortable V0′s and V1′s. Click the photo or this link to read more: Route Setting Tips and Techniques: Ergonomics of Setting, Part 1.  We’ve also added a link to the article to our “General Setting Info” drop-down menu. Enjoy, and be on the look out for more useful articles from Routecrafting and the Spot Setters soon.