ClimberMayJune2020

http://www.climber.co.uk may–jun 2020 29

Is it harder to set for women
or men?
Neither – the level of difficulty required
between the genders is almost the same
at the top level. Experienced setters
know how to account for morphological
differences between genders: height –
obviously, finger/hand/foot size and
so on so there isn’t really any difference
as regards the demands on the setters.

Does being a co-owner and main
setter at The Climbing Works
enable you to experiment with
your setting and then take the
good ideas onto the big stage?
Yes. The Climbing Works is my
laboratory. I’m very lucky to have
a very good team of setters to work
with – setting with these guys makes
the job fun and we have a good laugh,

which is why I am still working as a

setter after all this time. I love setting

days and can’t wait to get to work.

If you love your job, then you’re

bound to produce good things.

Before turning to the Tokyo

Games, what has been your

number one setting experience

to date?

Setting the 2016 World Championships

in Paris was pretty special – an amazing

final in front of a monster crowd. I set a

jamming crack in the final – you had to

turn upside down and hang from two

foot jams in a crack in order to grab a

minging pocket in a roof, finishing off

with some spicy insecure laybacking

up an arête (you can find a replay of

this on the IFSC YouTube channel).

Who says I get my ideas from gritstone?

TOKYO GAMES

So then, let’s come to Tokyo

Games themselves. Firstly,

congrats on your appointment

• what an absolute buzz?
  Yes – I’m pretty excited to get the job.
  It came out of the blue a little bit –
  I was winding down my career as an
  international setter as I have been doing
  that job for 23 years and I’m not getting
  any younger. I think the IFSC wanted
  an experienced (older) chief setter to
  oversee the young whipper-snappers
  on the setting team so they asked me.

Tell us a bit about the Tokyo gig

if you can, how many other setters

are involved for the bouldering and

how long will you have to get the

setting done?

Apart from me, there are three other

setters for the bouldering. Manu Hassler

from Switzerland, Katja Vidmar from

Slovenia, and Romain Cabbessut from

France. We will be out in Tokyo for

three and a half weeks for the Games,

but our setting time is limited to around

five days at the start of the trip, then we

have a break before the event itself

which happens a week or so later.

You’ve incorporated jamming at

previous comps which has really

bamboozled some competitors.

Is it fair to say that they should

have done their homework and

be up to speed with jamming in

case you set any at Tokyo?

Yes. It’s a climbing comp at the end of

the day and I’m more than happy to

make sure we test all the competitors

climbing skills – even the subtle art of

the hand jam. All the competitors are

aware that I have a reputation for a

slightly unconventional setting style –

they have all climbed on my problems

before and I’m sure they will be

prepared for this.

Will the powers that be dictate

the style of blocs you have to

set for Tokyo or will you have

a free hand?

The choice of styles will be mine and

my teams; we have a free hand.

Do you have any input into the

design of the comp wall that

will be built for the games?

No – the wall design was finalised

months ago before the setting team

was decided.

The setting team are always under

tremendous pressure at interna-

tional events – how are you going

to ensure the standard is just right

for Tokyo?

There is no sure-fire way to ensure

the standard is right. The route setters

always use their experience to make

an educated guess, based on all sorts

of factors: weather conditions, the

condition of the athletes, how tired the

climbers might be at particular points

in the competition, what effect the

lighting will have on conditions and

the pressure of the audience etc.

The list of things we need to consider

is huge. It’s never an easy job, but the

Olympics is a big deal so we will try our

best to nail it. Shouldn’t be too difficult

• there will only be millions of people
  watching on TV, so no pressure...

When you started setting all those

years ago, did you ever think that

you’d finish up doing anything as

prestigious as head setter for the

inaugural Olympic Games?

Absolutely not.

Is there any truth in the rumours

that the ‘hamster wheel’ will

be shipped out for the Olympic

Games

Aaahh – the hamster wheel (or Infinity

Board as it is formally known) won’t

be in Tokyo I’m afraid. This technology

will be available for UK climbers first

of all. The Infinity Board is undergoing

testing at The Climbing Works in order

to gain its CE certification a little later

on this year. Only then can it be

unleashed on an unsuspecting public.

A stamina training device so effective,

it made Jim Pope nearly chunder.

Watch this space... n

IntervIew – Percy BIshton