A Review of Sorts

I think I can speak for every climber everywhere in the world when I say that we love gimmicky routes.  We don’t want a steady diet of them, but when we see a quirky fun route used to celebrate a season, holiday, or anniversary, us climbers get stoked.  Now, there are some who may act like they are too cool to climb a 5.6 route shaped like a pumpkin, or a V2 partner climb in the shape of a heart, but those climbers are probably wearing their beanies a little too tight to appreciate real fun when they see it!  Those same cool climbers who act like their power comes from taking their shirts off are secretly dying to hop on that giant easter basket once no one is watching.

In the spirit of Christmas and the extra work route setters put in to appeal to those of us who appreciate fun, I wanted to review a few climbing-hold Christmas trees put up at different gyms over the holiday season.

Being that these routes are made more for fun than for pushing the limits of the send, I’m going to be judging them primarily based on the aesthetic.  

Tree #1 (Boulders in Cardiff)

Appreciate the effort, I think it’s supposed to be an angel on the top?  I may have gone with a star.  In terms of the route, height may be a solid advantage for this one, but if matching on the finish is the goal, it ups the difficulty significantly.  I’m thinking toe hook around the arete might be the beta.

Good looking route, interesting finish.  5/10

Tree #2 (Canyons, Frisco, TX)

Immediately love this route! The use of volumes adds dimension to the tree that goes beyond just the wall and the holds.  This tree has some Grinch-esque qualities to it.  The colors, the flow, even the star on top make this a top tier tree.  The route itself is also very nice.  A traverse starting out on the right, moving into a combination of jugs and slopers, with good looking feet and side-pulls, before heading to the finish on a pentagonal volume, plus well-placed down-climbing holds.  More than a gimmick here, this is a fun looking route!

This is an absolute beuat!!!  8.5/10

Tree #3 (Rock Out, Destin, FL)

Ummm?  That is a lot of climbing holds.  Not much to say about the route, but trying just the green/yellow/red holds would be fun.  This one is more decoration than anything, and I am here for it.  That being said, the first hold over the tree trunk looks like an elf hat.  I’ve yet to see an elf made out of climbing holds.  So, Rock Out, if you want to up the stakes next year, maybe an elf on the shelf route is in order.

Cute tree, and extra points for the star! 5/10

Tree #4 (North Mass Boulders NMB, Indianapolis, IN)

NMB isn’t playing around. This is a rally BIG route, with massive volumes on an overhang.  This one took some effort, some creativity, and some forethought.  The route looks like it would be fun even if it weren’t in the shape of a Christmas tree.  If I were NMB, I would have whoever set that route, set a new theme there each month, and if I were a climber at NMB, I would be pumped to try this one out.  I’m not sure there is much to improve upon with this route, way to come through NMB!

Indy knows what’s up!  9/10

Tree #5 (Bend Rock Gym, Bend Oregon)

Whoa!  That is a lot of holds.  It’s one thing to make a boulder route composed of holds, but this must be lose to being a 30-foot Christmas tree.  The trunk alone must be 5-feet tall.  If you look closely, you can even see colorful holds sprinkled in along the way to represent Christmas lights.  There are probably over 200 holds on this mammoth tree and a thousand ways to send.  The amount of time and energy it took to put this tree up is off the charts.  Plus, they didn’t use trash holds on this tree, these are really nice holds, meaning there probably isn’t another green route in the entire gym.  Planning and energy went into this piece.  This is more than just a route; this is a piece of festive interactive art!  We salute you Bend Rock Gym, thank you for the fun!

Can’t wait to see what comes next!  9.5/10