March madness at
Exposure is currently underway. The guys over at Exposure are doing things a
little differently this time around. Upon paying your five dollar entrance
fee to compete you are given a score sheet to record your performance. The
sheet divides scores by the four problems and the four weeks of
competition. The classes of climbing are Novice (v0-v2) Intermediate (v3-v5)
Advanced (v6-v8) and Elite (v9+). The scoring is based on an honor system in
which you record your attempts on a problem and have a witness initial. This
isn't the most accurate account of performance but it’s a member comp in which
fun is the inferred intent.
After warming up on some unfamiliar none comp problems (the yellow
v3 dyno to mantle set by Stan Borodyansky being my favorite) I was eager to get
on the actual competition problems set by house setter pro Chris LoCrasto.
Novice and intermediate problems were set well; they were fluid with an appropriate crux. These gave beginner members a challenge while crowding the cave with climbers wanting a flash. The flow of flashing and sending came to a dead halt after attempting the advanced problems. These are as the name suggests, advanced, and can be subjective to height. Frustrated at the sight of taller people sending these height favoring problems I moved on to the Elite problems.
The difficulty grew exponentially from the previous advanced class. The crimps were smaller, the technicality was harder, and the strength required was exhausting. After attempting the Elite problems in the cave and on the prow numerous times my hands and fingers felt raw, like if I had been climbing outdoors for a day and was in need of Climb On© . This was a feeling that seldom comes when pulling on plastic in air conditioned gyms so I welcomed the pain with a smile. I'm looking forward to the next three weeks to see what Exposure has in store for its faithful members.
Novice and intermediate problems were set well; they were fluid with an appropriate crux. These gave beginner members a challenge while crowding the cave with climbers wanting a flash. The flow of flashing and sending came to a dead halt after attempting the advanced problems. These are as the name suggests, advanced, and can be subjective to height. Frustrated at the sight of taller people sending these height favoring problems I moved on to the Elite problems.
The difficulty grew exponentially from the previous advanced class. The crimps were smaller, the technicality was harder, and the strength required was exhausting. After attempting the Elite problems in the cave and on the prow numerous times my hands and fingers felt raw, like if I had been climbing outdoors for a day and was in need of Climb On© . This was a feeling that seldom comes when pulling on plastic in air conditioned gyms so I welcomed the pain with a smile. I'm looking forward to the next three weeks to see what Exposure has in store for its faithful members.
In conclusion:
- Quality of this week’s boulder problems where high,
that being creativity and difficulty were main focal points.
- Subjectivity was an issue in the
advanced category and can be frustrating to smaller
climbers.
- Elite class gave the feeling of climbing outdoor.
- This is the first set of four so look forward to the next
three weeks if you didn't perform as well as you hoped this
week.
- Free beer = we all win!
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