Fall Flash Fest Route-Setting Frenzy

Get pumped folks! ClimbMax's premier climbing competition, Fall Flash Fest (FFF), is coming right up! It'll be on Saturday, October 15 - which means there's now less than two weeks left before this event. Keep in mind that pre-registration ends this Sunday, October 9. Pre-registering gives you a five dollar discount off the registration cost, and assures you'll get a FFF t-shirt. The entire gym will be reset for this comp, and there may even be a little surprise addition for it... Register early here!

All those new routes mean that we've already begun setting like mad. But, you might ask, how do we reset the gym over a period of weeks and still keep it climbable in the meantime, without giving away the problems that will be put up for the competition?

Well, the process begins with setting a great route. This includes "forerunning" the route - when a bunch of folks (who will not be competing) climb it, and make any suggestions to the setter. Then, the route is taped and a map of it is made that shows which holds go where. Finally, the holds and bolts get taken down, get boxed up, and set aside in temporary storage. There the pre-set, boxed climbs will rest until the time comes to use the maps to re-set the routes (exactly as they were originally set!). In the meantime, the rest of the climbs in the gym are left up, until the time comes to strip down everything unrelated to Fall Flash Fest!

Keep your eyes peeled for the signs of pre-set FFF routes! Also, look out for any surprise additions in the next few days...

Is this thing on?

Long time no talk, blogosphere.

Well, a lot has changed since we last talked. There's a brand new staff at climbmax now! Feel free to welcome the new crew with open arms. (just don't squeeze too hard, you guys are strong)

We've been hard at work making the gym nice and clean for you in anticipation for the fall. Keep your eyes out for new carpets and new paint jobs.

FIght Against Cancer Climb-A-Thon

We are really excited about this event and hope you will be too. Please help spread the word.

Join us on Saturday May 28, 10:00am-5:00pm.

How it works: Registered participants seek pledges and climb as many designated pink routes as many times as they can in the gym on May 28 from 10am to 5pm. They add up their total number of feet climbed to determine their donations.

The entrance fee is $20.

This event is part of the Mountain Sports Festival, and goodies for participants will be generously supplied by R.E.I Asheville.

Register and find more information here

Problem of the week: Episode 5

Climbmax problem of the week --episode 5 from david sharratt on Vimeo.

Problem of the week: episode 4

Problem of the week episode 4 from david sharratt on Vimeo.

Problem of the Week: Episode 3

Watch Chelsea as she floats up a steep problem. Tried it yet?

Climbmax Problem of the Week - Episode 3 from david sharratt on Vimeo.

SAUCI - behind the scenes

Thank you and congratulations to everyone who competed in the final S.A.U.C.I this past Friday. A big congrats goes out to ASU, who won the 2010/2011 overall title!

We will get full results posted soon. Until then here is a little stop motion video showing what goes into setting up for one of these events.

SAUCI behind the scenes from david sharratt on Vimeo.

Problem Of The Week

Episode 2:

Climbmax Problem of The Week from david sharratt on Vimeo.

Problem Of The Week

Here is the first episode of ClimbMax's Problem Of The Week. Watch as Taylor cruises his current favorite problem in the gym.

These episodes will feature local climbers climbing their favorite problems. They aren't necessarily the hardest or newest, just ones that our climbers really like.

Climbmax Problem of the week episode 1 from david sharratt on Vimeo.

New Session of After School Club and Team

We appreciate having these young climbers as part of ClimbMax. They are motivated and know how to have fun!! I think we can all learn something from them.

To celebrate a new season, here is a video of one night's session of team this past winter.

Climbmax Climbing Team Winter 2010 from david sharratt on Vimeo.

Video Highlights from Fall Flash Fest

A quick little video from last weekends action -- make sure to check out the finals towards the end.

Fall Flash Fest 2010 from climbmax nc on Vimeo.

Fall Flash Fest

This weekend!!!

We have already set more than half the routes, but they are hiding in boxes in a closet. We can't wait to get them back up on the walls. They seem particularly inspired this year -- we look forward to seeing what you think. You can also expect some fresh new holds on display this weekend, thanks to our friends at Element, So Ill, and Pusher/Revolution.

S.A.U.C.I.

The fall S.A.U.C.I was a great start to the series. Thanks to all the teams that made it out. If you are a college student and you didn't compete -- you missed out! The good news, for students and non-students alike, is that the routes are still up.....but not for long.....everything is coming down 11/12 for the Fall Flash Fest.

Climb Up So Kids Can Grow Up

We are excited to be hosting this event. With just a of bit work -- and a lot of climbing we can raise money that will make a difference. Join us at Climbmax on October 8th for the Climb Up for Kids Climb-A-Thon. 100% of all funds raised go directly to those in need. This is a Climb Up So Kids Can Grow Up charity event, led by the American Foundation for Children with AIDS (AFCA). AFCA is a non-profit organization, providing critical AIDS medications, medical equipment, nutritional supplements, and supplies in Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Uganda and Zimbabwe. For more information: www.ClimbUpSoKidsCanGrowUp.com and www.helpchildrenwithaids.org

Stop by Climbmax for more detailed information. Basically, participants will be asking friends, family, co-workers, etc. to pledge a dollar amount per pitch climbed. The more you climb, the more money you raise! There is a $5 participation fee. Participants may also choose to make donations themselves in lieu of getting pledges. So, join us, and climb for a good cause.

S.A.U.C.I 2010/2011

S.A.U.C.I. or Southern Appalachian University College Invitational is a long time favorite -- and perhaps the first collegiate climbing series in the Southeast?

This year's season will kick off on Friday October 15th, 6:00-10:00pm. S.A.U.C.I is a bouldering series, and competitors can compete as individuals, or as a team. We will have fun problems for ALL abilities, and the atmosphere is always fun and motivating.

One of our goals with this series is to promote regional collegiate climbing. Entry fees are kept low; we understand that not all students can cough up $30 to enter a comp.

New for this year: we will be awarding a series champion, based on combined results in all three S.A.U.C.I. events -- cash purse and the S.A.U.C.I trophy.

Start training, and mark you calenders; we hope to see you and your teams!

Series dates:

October 15

January 28

March 18

After School Programs!

Everyone at Climbmax is getting excited for our after school programs! We have two programs going on this fall, a club and a team. The club program focuses on creating a fun and educational environment for kids to explore climbing. The team program is for youth who are interested in building on their strengths ands improving on their weaknesses as climbers. The team is a goal oriented program for young adults who already have some climbing experience.

For adults that may be concerned about getting their egos beat down by the kid crushers, the schedule for the after school programs are posted on our calendar.

Update!

The cave is reset!

Ok, this update is a little late. The cave has been reset for almost 2 weeks, but if you didn't know, now you know! We'll continue route saturation through the next week until the next area reset.

So, what else is new at Climbmax?

You can expect to see some old faces at the gym soon. Dave will be back from his crushfest in Wyoming and Bethyn is returning from her summer vacation.

Comp season is almost upon us. Stay tuned for information about our upcoming bouldering events.

We also have some ridiculous promotions going on for students. $150 for an all exclusive entire semester pass. That is some wacky waving inflatable arm waving madness.

That about does it. By the way, I'm pretty sure I saw a leaf that was orange on the way to work today...

Turret reset

Howdy everyone.

First off, I want to welcome back Cameron and Flannery from their month road trip. It's good to have you guys back.

Yesterday, the stripping and screwing crew did a full reset of the turret.

We got psyched and moved around some of the volumes around and also added a new small volume. There are a ton of new problems up, from 2 dots to 8(?) dots.


We had a bunch of great people setting problems for us yesterday. The crew consisted of Cameron, Dave, Nate, Rob, Josh, and Flannery. Expect a diverse style in the setting, and look forward to more problems as we continue a soft fill of the turret.

On an aside, I'd like to take a second and explain what you can expect out of the setting crew for the foreseeable future:

1. Consistency in resets. We know nobody likes to climb on the same stale problems for months on end, but it also sucks when you're so close to sending a problem and then its stripped without warning. That's why Climbmax is going to be sticking to a set schedule for our resets. Every two weeks an area in the gym will be stripped and reset. During that two week period the setting crew will continue setting in that area until it's full. Then we'll move onto a new area, do a full reset, and spend the next 2 weeks doing a soft fill there.
If you haven't checked out the Climbmax calendar yet, click the link at the top of the blog. You'll find our setting schedule there, along with other various events Climbmax is hosting.

2. Diversity in style. Setting is hard. Setting outside of your own personal style can be even harder. That's why having multiple setters with different strengths is important to providing varied styles of routes. We're going to try really hard to provide you with setters of different skill sets, abilities, and styles.

We'll be continuing to tweak our setting philosophy. If anyone has suggestions for us, feel free to drop us a comment on the blog or tell us in the gym.

See you in the gym or on the rock.

-Josh

CORE!

Climbmax will be hosting a screening of Core on July 16th at 8pm.

CORE goes to the heart of climbing. Join an international cast of the sport's most dedicated athletes as they stick it when it matters most. Shot in 35mm Ultra High Definition, get ready to see every detail of some of the nastiest pieces of rock ever climbed.

Tickets are $6.00 a person and all proceeds will go to the Carolina Climber's Coalition. Join us on the 16th and get PSYCHED watching Core with fellow climbers.

CORE Official Trailer from Chuck Fryberger on Vimeo.

BOULDERMAX

Bouldermax, hosted as the climbing element in the Mountain Sports Festival was a great event -- thank you sponsors, competitors, and spectators.

The event began with an open redpoint format bouldering competition. Competitors mingled, climbed hard, tried hard, spotted, and cheered each other on for 3 hrs, on 50 new problems ranging from V0 - V9. People really seemed to being enjoying themselves and giving it their all.

The route setters watched the field during the open competition, and then quickly set 3 finals problems on an outdoor wall constructed for the event. Their performance on these 3 problems would determine the results for the top 6 finishers in the advanced category, and the top 3 in intermediate. Each climber would be given 4 minutes to try to crack all 3 problems.

With a crowd forming the climbing began. The crowd grew quickly and let themselves get drawn into the climber's efforts. Before long the courtyard in front of Climbmax was filled with screaming spectators.

Here's a short vidoe of some highlighted climbing:

Bouldermax 2010 from climbmax nc on Vimeo.

A big thank you to all our sponsors, first and foremost: Black Dome --Asheville's full-service outfitter and core climbing store. Also a special thanks to: Mountain Hardwear, REI, Native, Patagonia, and Evolv.