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derpy
Mar 14, 2013, 7:08 AM
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Registered: Mar 14, 2013
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I'm a newish climber. I mostly boulder at a smallish local indoor wall. The problem is that they only reroute every three months, and they include more routes at higher grades than at newbie ones.
There are usually a handful of routes I can do quite easily, then another handful that take me a few weeks of work to get. But by about two months in I feel like I've done all the routes I have any hope of finishing, and there's nothing left for me to do except to try to improve my technique on old routes, or see how far I can get on routes that are just way beyond me. I do occasionally finish one that didn't seem remotely possible when it first went up and that's THE BEST feeling, but the first few weeks when there's more to do and lots more apparent progress are much more fun and motivating.
Any ideas for how to get more variety/make the most of what's there? I do climb elsewhere about once a fortnight, but it's not really practical to try to do that more frequently.
Things I already try to do:
* Practice old but hard routes until they're easy
* Find one powerful move I can't do and work on that
* Traverse round and round until I peel off the wall, sometimes getting a friend to make it more difficult by eliminating holds
* ?? That's the end of my inventiveness.
It's hard to beat that feeling of actually completing a route! I feel much more like I'm making progress, and much happier with my session if I've actually finished something new. And by the end of three months that's quite a rare achievement...
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viciado
Mar 14, 2013, 7:40 AM
Post #2 of 11
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Registered: May 9, 2003
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Just a couple of old ideas:
1) Are there enough holds to make up your own routes? There is no rule that says you must use only the routes designated by someone else. Just look at the wall and use your imagination!
2) +1 or +3 are good for making up routes with a friend or two. One person starts with a move and the next copies it and adds a designated number of moves which the next person copies and adds their own. As the route grows, it gets harder to repeat (or should). +1 is good for 3 or 4 people. +3 is good for one or two, but can get very long very quickly. The sequence ends when no one can complete the "route" and you start over.
You could also look under training and technique. There is a thread on "games" that may end up helping you make up new routes.
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meanandugly
Mar 14, 2013, 11:43 AM
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Registered: Oct 20, 2004
Posts: 306
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We have a similar problem at our local gym. They use to allow pretty much anyone to set routes (within reason), but now one person essentially sets all the routes. The owner allows this because this single route setter was setting the most routes and demanded that all setting must go through him or he would not set anymore. This person sets decent routes, but they all feel pretty similar and they only get set when he has the inclination and time.
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derpy
Mar 15, 2013, 3:33 AM
Post #4 of 11
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Registered: Mar 14, 2013
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Viciado: There are definitely enough holds to make up new routes, but I've never really tried. Looking at the wall and working out how to climb something, and predicting how hard or easy it's going to be is something I'm really poor at, so I'm not sure I have the faintest idea how to come up with an entire route that I can remember and is challenging just by looking at it. But probably that's something you develop with practice and I should just suck it up and learn :)
I really like the sound of the +1 game, I'll suggest it this weekend maybe. The bunch of people I go with all find different things hard so we'll probably end up with something suitably frustrating for all involved.
Meanandugly: I really like the place, they at least change the routes on a set schedule, and they're nice and varied. They just concentrate on the higher grades I think. Oh well, one day.
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dindolino32
Mar 31, 2013, 11:24 PM
Post #5 of 11
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Registered: May 3, 2008
Posts: 150
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Try adding a hold, or some specific footchips at the cruxes of the routes that are too hard for you. Don't make it too easy though.
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derpy
Apr 8, 2013, 2:36 AM
Post #6 of 11
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Registered: Mar 14, 2013
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Thanks dindolino32, that was a much more effective trick than I would have expected. After trying routes with varying added 'cheating' hand or foot holds for the bit I was stuck on, I was able to get much closer to doing the 'real' move than I had managed by just trying it over and over.
I haven't actually managed to finish anything new by doing that yet, but it was a lot more fun and interesting than just trying the same impossible-seeming move repeatedly and failing in the same way...
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shockabuku
Apr 9, 2013, 6:37 PM
Post #7 of 11
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Registered: May 20, 2006
Posts: 4849
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Elimination. Easier with bouldering and done in a group where each person gets a turn making a hold of their choice "off route". "Off route" holds accumulate IF the person who called it off can do the route without it. If you can't do it, you're out. Whoever lasts the longest wins. You could modify it for routes.
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climberdude17
Apr 12, 2013, 12:05 PM
Post #8 of 11
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Registered: Apr 12, 2013
Posts: 17
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campus board rocks!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVCDp2qG0NU
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derpy
Apr 23, 2013, 5:54 AM
Post #9 of 11
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Registered: Mar 14, 2013
Posts: 18
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Happy news, I got one of those bursts of improvements which mean I'm now working on the next grade up and there are suddenly twice as many routes to play with! Hooray :)
Thanks for the help everyone, it really helped to change things up a bit.
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Gdog42
Apr 26, 2013, 10:11 PM
Post #10 of 11
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Registered: Apr 18, 2013
Posts: 30
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Haha, we have the same problem at the tiny gym I go to! What makes it even worse is that the ropes have been removed for replacement but the new ones haven't arrived yet (2 weeks and counting...). Only 2 of the ropes were good after the inspection so we've only had 2 up for now. 
What we like to do is get a laser pointer and designate the only hand-holds that the climber is allowed to use when bouldering across. They can use anything for feet; the objective of the game is to get to the next hand-hold while only using the previous hold. It's insanely fun and addicting. It also improves your skill by forcing you to do unfamiliar but controlled moves to get to that next hold.
You can also use the laser to point to a hold you're trying to describe to someone up on a rope, that way you don't have to say crap like "it's blue, shaped like a bone, by your knee, etc." You can just point to the damn thing. Same deal out on the crag. Handy to have. 
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Alimali
Jul 1, 2013, 12:28 AM
Post #11 of 11
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Registered: Aug 24, 2012
Posts: 27
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When I get bored I make up my own problems. I just get on the wall and try to do things that are a bit beyond what I'm able to do, and keep trying until I can.
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