The Role of Volumes in Modern Route Setting
Settings in commercial climbing gyms have evolved over the years as indoor climbing has transitioned from a training tool for outdoor climbing into an entirely new sport. Volumes play a crucial role in modern route setting and can be observed in various applications within commercial bouldering gyms.
Volumes Create Challenging Feet
The most common application for volumes in route setting for competitive bouldering problems is using volumes as precarious and/or technical feet. For slab climbs, volumes are utilized as low-profile surfaces that typically require climbers to drop their heels to engage the area with sufficient tension to prevent slipping off the volume. Body positioning and slow, controlled movement are essential skills to master if a climber wants to navigate low-profile volume feet successfully. Volumes on slab frequently also create geometry on the wall that challenges climbers to perch on either side of a triangular volume, shift weight through their feet into the next move, or balance to touch a top hold that is not intended to be gripped or crimped. For climbers whose strength resides in body control and awareness, volumes on slab can be a great differentiator beyond more standard powerful boulder moves.
Volumes on slab and face walls aren’t just for ginger, delicate balancing moves. Again, in competitive bouldering, the large, flat areas created by volumes can serve as footholds for dynamic coordination moves, where a climber must run or skip across volumes to transition dynamically from one handhold to another. These coordination boulders are typically arranged so that the volumes do not provide sufficient purchase for climbers’ feet to move through the area statically. A well-set coordination boulder will force a climber to use the volumes as feet in a quick, specific crossover, kick, skip, or jump, almost as if it were an intended dance move. Unlike delicate slab volume feet, lowered heels will not help a climber. They must commit to the moves with intentional placement and cadence.
Volumes Change Geometry
Most commercial climbing gyms feature multiple wall geometries, on which setters create their routes. A few standard geometries include slab, face, overhung, and roofs, and many gyms will reference their walls based on the actual angle to the ground (for example, a 45-degree fence is a standard angle seen in climbing gyms). Setters can utilize large volumes to alter the geometry of a climb, either increasing the difficulty of a route or making holds more positive for easier moves. On an angled wall, such as a 45-degree angle, volumes can increase the overhung angle, making a hold worse and more difficult to use. However, for feet, volumes on an angled wall can create a more positive surface for purchase and allow for toes to drive harder into the wall to make better tension while overhung. In a cave, however, a volume can set a hold upright and create a geometry for better jug holds or even placements for heel hooks. In a more traditional setting style, volumes can also be used to create temporary crack features that train hand jams more commonly seen in outdoor climbing. This adaptability of volumes empowers climbers to tackle a variety of challenges.
Volumes are also a valuable tool for setters to create equitable moves for climbers of various sizes. Because volumes are linear and flat, they can be set in such a way that a move is roughly the same for two climbers of differing height. In example, volumes can be set to create knee bars - a curved shaped hold might create a geometry where a knee bar is only possible at one specific spot, thus limiting the size leg that can fit the distance - the flat
shape of a volume allows for a wedging effect that can fit femurs of differing lengths. Similarly, a volume can be a more equitable surface as a hold compared to a crip, where finger thickness could impede one climber over another. This emphasis on equitable moves ensures that all climbers, regardless of their size, feel included in the climbing experience.
Modern route setting is an art form that evolves and changes with every setter who creates a new route on a wall. Volumes are an exciting and engaging tool that makes indoor climbing a challenging experience. Their role in creating challenging climbs is what makes the sport of climbing so thrilling. What are your favorite ways to climb on volumes, and what do you wish your gym would set up more of? Let us know in the comments below!