I walked into the Tennessee Bouldering Authority in the summer of 2000. A smaller scale bouldering gym, TBA became my home for many years. With small walls that focus on training power, the thing that I like a lot about TBA is the really great focus on community. The owners would coach us in the gym during the week and take us out bouldering to LRC, Rocktown and HP40 on the weekends.
Hats off to Luis Rodriguez, Eric Pittman and others for building the base that really lead to the growth of climbing, especially bouldering, in Chattanooga. Luis, you set the bar high man! I hear news of a sick new steep wall just built by the guys at TBA. Go check it out!
When I moved to Denver, I quickly became an active member at the Denver Bouldering Club (DBC.) This gym has many similarities to TBA. Abbreviated title. Cool bouldering walls. Sense of community. I think of it as TBA, but a little bigger.
A few weeks ago I accepted a position working for Thomas Betterton, owner of the DBC. This will include many odd jobs around the gym, cleaning, front desk work, etc... The time I have on my hands is allowing me to fully embrace aspects of the climbing world that I only had small amounts of time for in the past. Along with the other small jobs, I am very excited to continue working as a route setter.
I have been spending as much time possible learning how to set different styles of moves. Analyzing different body positions, compressing, opposing, balancing. Once I started to do some research I got really excited about the endless possibilities I have as a setter.
Check out this site for lots of helpful insights and tips to use while setting.
Excited to start working on a couple other projects also, especially a climbing video focused on climbers that fly under the radar here in CO. Making plans for traveling to Joe's Valley, the Southeast, and Hueco over the next 6 months or so. Psyched!!
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| Another reset on the 45 wall at the DBC |
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| Setting at the DBC (photo: Betterton) |
More on the way!
- JG
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