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Antero’s experience as a routesetter at Klagenfurt’s Europe Cup
Boulderkeskus’ routesetter Antero Lindholm got the chance to be a part of the routesetting team at the European Cup of bouldering in Klagenfurt. The competition was held at the end of May in Klagenfurt, Austria. Antero got the chance to participate in the competition’s route setting through IFSC’s (International Federation of Sport Climbing) exchange program. Here are some of Antero’s thoughts of the trip!
You set problems at Boulderkeskus weekly. How did the route setting for the European Cup differ from the daily setting at your home gyms?
– The route setting process didn’t really differ from the competition setting back home. First of all, it’s really important to know who the problems are being made for so that the difficulty can be adjusted accordingly. There weren’t any big differences in the route setting processes, but the importance of effective teamwork is emphasized in a new environment and when working with new people. The ‘language’ of route setting is pretty universal among routesetters.
How much time was reserved for the routesetting?
– Time had been set aside for route setting from Monday midday until Thursday evening. I was in the group which focused on setting the women’s qualifier, semi-final and final problems. Friday and Saturday were competition days.
Men’s last final route. Photo: Antero Lindholm
How hard were the competition problems?
– Pretty hard for sure! It was something that I was pondering before the competition. I was a part of the team which was setting for the women competitors and it was still possible to participate in the testing process of the problems. The advantage in competition route setting, from a routesetter’s point of view, is that the competitors’ climbing time is limited to 4 minutes. In addition, the difficulty of the problems can be created by adding some elements to the climb that demand delicate movement or challenging coordination moves instead of just movements that require pure power. The best climbers learn different movements very quickly so in order to create variation between competitors, one has to create diverse problems. From a physical aspect, the hardest women’s problems were about 7B+/C.
Did you get any new insights into route setting from your trip?
– The importance of teamwork was especially emphasized when time was short and everything was new. I would say that working with other people is one of the most important things in route setting and it’s at the forefront of both competitions and and everyday doing in order to achieve a good result.
The newest problems set by Antero and the rest of BK’s routesetting team can be found at your nearest Boulderkeskus! See you at the gyms!
Header photo: Tuomo Lankinen (Antero climbing in Taivaskallio, Helsinki)
Women’s second final route. Photo: Chris Rainer
Women’s second final route. Photo: Chris Rainer
The competition gym Boulderama in Klagenfurt. Photo: Antero Lindholm
Antero had time to go and enjoy the nature and bouldering in Zillertal. Photo: Antero Lindholm