Route Setting for Paraclimbing. It's Orange!

Good route setting is hard man!

Good Paraclimbing setting is hard man...

It was great that a recent UK bouldering comp got a few of the GB Paraclimbers down to share their experiential knowledge with the paracomp setters before the comp... There's a lot of 'comp' in this paragraph?!

It was also great that the same comp organisers (ROCfest) changed the podium presentations for the Paraclimbing event to run alongside the presentations of the other categories instead of the scheduled plan. Another accidental win for this great event at ROCfest... Its called inclusion. It was one of the best comps I've been to and the atmosphere was awesome...

ROCfest Paraclimbers enjoying their podium

Inclusion works two ways... Awesome display of 

strength from the male and female Senior Cats. (Nice bobble hat gorgeous woman)

But here's the stuff I love about Paraclimbing: When it comes to route setting, we may need to begin to move away from inclusiveness with the route sets (in competition) and aggressively segment the setting so that it tries to achieve the following:

• Is more specific to Paraclimbing categories (upper limb, lower limb etc..)
• Highlights the category competitor's specialist abilities and athletic ability specific to their catergory
• Understands the specialist techniques currently employed and challenges the competitors to advance their techniques in example more core orientated setting...

This is an 8a in Pyrenees That I believe I could coach an upper limb Category up

 (with appropriate core and technique training)

So for instance, one might set a technical roof route with various knee bars like the above video that would test perhaps an upper limb category with one arm on both technical roof climbing but with realistic opportunities to heel and toe lock or knee bar and shift enough weight to the core and lower limbs in an athletic way to allow for the next hand movement, as opposed to forcing the climber to just get their feet up and slap to the next hold, after hold after hold until their power is quickly sapped.

The Physical Variances

So the facts are that if you have one leg, then that means you have one rock shoe and two hands. It's a study of movement in it's own right and that is what Paraclimbing route setting has to unpeel and then deliver for the most spectacular Paraclimbing  Competition events. Do this well and we get to really show what these dudes are about.

Its Orange!

BMC GB Paraclimb Team Manager: Graeme Hill enjoying
 the comp at ROCfest

I could go on about route setting in Paraclimbing for hours, but I won't,... Just set it.