A short look into the endless possibilities of taping combinations in route-setting, and the reasons for taking the extra time to make your routes POP.

What's the first thing you notice about a route or boulder problem on real rock? Though its a bit repetitive to say so, to me its is the LINE itself. Not the setting, not the grade, not the individual holds, but the entire LINE.

I firmly believe that a lot of the factors involved with making inspirational routes compelling outside, are also transferable to the indoor climbing experience. For me, setting routes that are aesthetically pleasing to customers (and myself) is quite logical; if a route is BEAUTIFUL, people will want to climb on it.

"A route on plastic cannot be beautiful!" I beg to differ. Watch any major World Cup event and many of the routes and problems are comparable to iconic minimalist paintings by Piet Mondrian or Wassily Kandinsky in their simple elegance and basic aesthetic appeal.

While many climbing gyms already use color-coding holds to guide their setting, I've been testing the limits of creative tape usage to compliment sets of color-coded holds. Setting routes with color combinations that POP is an easy way to drastically improve the artistic appeal of your climbing walls. Not only that, but it will be easier to differentiate between routes of similar hues in close proximity and each route will take on a character of its own. Whether looking for extra inspiration on your woody or setting commercially at a climbing gym, try going crazy with taping schemes and enjoy the sexy results!

cheers.