Ep. 18 - Industry Banter, Oct '17
Tyler talks with Kellen Tapley and Max Summerlee about whatever they feel like: in this instance, Asana's new multi-tex holds, and belay gear culture in Ontario.
Production is abysmal in this hastily-thrown together episode, but I'll be back to normal next week. Thanks for your patience.
Ep. 17 - The State of Wood with Will Anglin
Wood has been making a comeback over the last few years, championed by companies like Beastmaker in Europe and Tension here in North America. Will Anglin is one of the boys behind Tension, and he talks with me about his own personal history with wood grips, the unique struggles of working with wood, and the benefits you can only get from a well-sanded grain.
Will Anglin in front of the Tension Board. Courtesy of Tension Climbing.
Enough different colours for monochromatic setting? Courtesy of Tension Climbing.
Kilter fam trying out the new lighting on the Tension Board at the Tension shop. Courtesy of Tension Climbing.
Ep. 16 - Climbing Medicine Symposium
Yasser El-Sheikh is a long-time sport climber who became a plastic surgeon that specializes in hand, wrist, and nerve surgery. This past summer, he organized North America's first climbing medicine symposium in Toronto, Ontario. He shares his history attending symposia in Europe, what it took to create this event, and what's going on in the climbing medicine scene.
Yasser El-Sheikh with symposium attendees. Photo courtesy of Will Johnson.
Yasser and guest speaker Sasha DiGiulian. Photo courtesy of Will Johnson.
Conference speakers and attendees. Photo courtesy of Will Johnson.
Ep. 15 - ONE OF US: Kaleb Thomas
He discovered climbing as a teenager in the secluded Canadian province of Newfoundland, and it sent him on a whirlwind journey across Canada and abroad to finally land him setting the 2016 Imst Lead World Cup in Austria. Kaleb walks us through the journey, and shares the setting knowledge he gained along the way.
16 year old Kaleb at Wallnuts Climbing Centre. Photo courtesy of Susan Redmond.
25 year old Kaleb at Kletterzentrum Imst. Photo courtesy of The Circuit Climbing Magazine.
Kaleb's "one good problem" at True North Climbing's 2012 Tour de Bloc event (green tape) Photo courtesy of Walnuts Climbing Centre.
Ep. 14 - The State of Plastic with Ian Powell
Legendary hold shaper Ian Powell answers my questions about the past, present, and future of plastic climbing holds: the transition from polyester to polyurethane, the economy of holds, helping Europe catch up to North American quality, and how 3D printing could be used to improve holds today.
UPDATE: This episode was edited at 6:30pm EDT, at Ian Powell's request, to remove a hypothetical anecdote that Ian worried might be detrimental to Kilter Grips. Plastic Weekly has no obligation to edit an interview that was recorded knowingly and willfully, but in the interest of keeping a good relationship with a respected, experienced, and influential industry leader like Ian, about 40 seconds of audio was removed. It's a good thing I like him. The edit does not remove or change any information.
Ian (left) back in the Straight Up days. Photo courtesy of Chas Fisher.
Designed by Ian in the 1990s for e-Grips. Small holds for heavy polyester resin. Surface texture added to reduce volume, using less material and reducing costs.
Designed by Ian in the 2010s for Kilter. Polyurethane allows holds to be hollow-backed with a very thin construction, making huge holds light enough to be feasible. Features a thin, gradual tapered edge that would easily chip off if made of brittle polyester resin.