Scattered at my feet and all over the floor were old, dusty, greasy holds that had bore witness to thousands of college students throughout their lives. Many of them were prone to spinning at inopportune times, and some of them would soon break in half. This was the plight of an average climber setting average routes for an average climbing competition. Standing around me in the sea of nasty plastic, were my fellow gaggle of mediocre wall staff, half-heartedly attempting to eek out some sort of inspiration laying in the filthy holds on the floor. It’s often maintained that route setting is a sort of sublime art form. The ability to physically force movements out of an athlete is something that real rock doesn’t afford, and yet, the artistic ability I had thought I possessed had left me. So in turn, routes were set on the basis of “This one feels cool I guess,” culminating in a lot of “5.8’s I guess.” In other words, a competition crafted perfectly for the every-day climber. The best kind of climber.

Thanks to Mountain Khakis for their sponsorship of UW-Stevens Point 2010 climbing comp.