crusher

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BASE FILE 2015

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Text about what we did here

SUGGESTED USES:













































OVERALL BUILD

• Number of holds:
• Type (Bolt / Screw Ons):
• Price per hold (set price divided by number of holds):
• Color:
• Bolt placement:
• Sanding:
• Hollow backed:
• Soft back (Rubber backed):
• Texture:
• Set size:
• Versatility:
• Pre-drilled screw holes:
• Shaper:
• Weight:
• Where can you get them: 

WHAT ARE THEY MADE FROM:

PACKING / SHIPPING:

RATING:
Noodles:

Chris:

PROS:

• YADDA

CONS:

• YADDA

Review > Blank Slate & Atxarte's POWERBOARD

So a long time ago Blank Slate (our favorite doesn't bolt onto anything home training device) sent us a couple of hangboards for us to try. Hang boards take a long time to review; you need to have them in a program where you're training and using them in the correct way otherwise you can just write any old rubbish and misinform people (not that way we do it over here!!)

That being said this review has taken a long time, longer than usual because we were kind of taking a break after many hard years of charging. Today we're looking at the Powerboard and it's something a little more for your intermediate climber than for a beginner, the other board which we'll look at in the next review is something more for the beginner climber

Lets look at the board:

Whats interesting about the brand Atxarte is that they primarily sell their holds through Amazon or ClimbingHolds.com, but if you want this board you have to get it through Blank Slate. Mind you the board was made for use with the Blank Slate system as it mounts to their t-nut pattern so that's the reason why :) This does seem like a pretty shotgun approach to selling holds but they're in the market if you can find them, it also seems a little strange that these people aren't cross branding a little to sell more product. (Just to note if you search Atxarte Climbing the first link is to climbingholds.com and it takes you to a stupid page... go search via brands, ho ho Atxarte isn't even listed on there in the drop down so just go to the main brand page and then you can see the holds (honestly that website is utter crap))

Also another thing to note is that if you search Atxarte on the Blank Slate website NOTHING comes up so you have to go a search a little if you want to own this board... yes it's a pain in the ass, and no we're not branding experts BUT if we're finding it hard to find the item then something should really be done about the sites!!

Back to the board....

This board was made to train power and it does what it was designed to do pretty well; we didn't notice any huge power gains but we did notice that we were cranking down a little harder than before and what's more important we were pulling harder and our fingers weren't trashed!!! This board is super friendly on your skin AND on your fingers which is huge.

SUGGESTED USES:

If you go to this webpage on the Blank Slate site (http://blankslateclimbing.com/products/the-powerboard) you can see the board and a little training regime. We're not showing the entire routine in our video when Noodles is talking about the board we're just showing what we've been doing with it other than the routine as they suggest it... what we do is what we call "Around the Worlds" which is a single pull up on each hold, alternating with the people that are playing and then when it gets back to the first person we do two pull ups... repeat until everyone has failed three times and you have the winner (Chris won many times on this board)

This board is great for dead hangs, nothing on it is so small that your fingers are going to complain the next day!!!

Here's what the Blank Slate website has to offer and the training program:

I designed this Powerboard with one thing in mind, optimizing power and endurance!  

The rounded balls were designed for warming up and long endurance hanging. They were also designed to assist in the rehabilitation of torn hand and finger tendons because there is minimal strain on the tendons. Every hold on the board has ample space to practice open, closed, and knuckled up crimp positions. The rounded holds are designed to isolate fingers, simulating one, two, and three finger pockets. 

The holds are also designed for tendon rehab, not forcing the hand into the closed crimped position. These rounded holds are incut toward the back of the board, thus making it easy to replicate the closed crimp position. The Powerboard has many pinch options. The most difficult of the pinches are located on the outside of the board. The board also features gastons found on the outer sections of each hold. 

Recommended and proven POWER training program: 

First, one must find how long one can hang on the rounded balls. Simply warm up by hanging for a few seconds and repeat 5 times. After resting, hang for as long as possible, or until failure. This will give you a good idea of your maximum hang time.  

This max time will be decreased in time the smaller the holds you hang on. Do the same on all the holds on the board to find your max hang time. Once you have established your max, you can customize your training for the type of holds with which you are interested. Note- it is always a good idea to train your weakness, thus making yourself stronger and less prone to injury. Also, it is extremely important that you cycle from power to endurance. This will help you to avoid a plateau. I have used this method of training to break through many grade barriers. 

Here is a training example: 

• Warm up on balls- hang on balls for 10 seconds (repeat 5 times) 
• 1st crimp row- hang on crimps for 20 seconds (repeat 5 times) 
• 2nd crimp row- hang on crimps for 15 seconds (repeat 5 times) 
• 3rd crimp row- hang on crimps for 10 seconds (repeat 5 times) 
• REPEAT using pinches 
• REPEAT using gastons

It's a simple program but it does seem to work pretty well; we didn't have huge power gains but we were a little stronger... mind you our endurance program needs some work :(

The board was designed by: Anthony Chertudi
Price: $89

OVERALL BUILD

This board is a surprise; it's from a little company and it's actually pretty kick ass... why?

The texture overall is awesome, its grippy but not kill your skin brutal and then there's the simple shape of all of the holds... they're simple and they're just great to hold onto, this is actually one of the best shaped boards out there!! And well lets put this one out there, the balls are amazing to hold onto... yes we said it, this board has great balls lol

It mounts up easily onto the Blank Slate, when we first saw the board the washers and bolt holes looked a little sloppily placed, but they are straight and they're in the right place to get the board up easily. Be warned though you will need to put the bottom two screws in as the board does have a tendency to lift from the Blank Slates surface when you're pulling on the bottom holds; which is a slight shame as it would have been nice if this board was just bolt and play

Adding a slight hollow back was a nice touch, its a little rough but in the end it shaves you on some shipping weight

The board has six screw holes and two bolt holes; so you can mount this board normally if you don't actually use a Blank Slate, it would be nice if the holes were pre drilled rather than you having to do so yourself. Thankfully the board does come with all of the hardware needed to get it mounted to wherever you want to put it

WHAT ARE THEY MADE FROM:

Urethane

PACKING / SHIPPING:
Awesome!!

RATING:
Noodles:
Atxarte... hmm wonder what that means:

It's the name given to a beautiful narrow pass between the Aitz-Txiki and Alluitz Peak and actually means "between crags"

How apt is that?

Right; lets get down to the nitty gritty of this whole shebang; do I like the board?

In some cases yes and in others no, like I said in the video is that the pinches are a little hard to use and I don't really like them, also having to dump a couple of screws into your board isn't the greatest but I guess that happens :)

What I like about the board is its simplicity; all of the holds are well shaped and are ergonomic. This board does build power if you use it the right way that's for sure. It's simple, it's clean and those ball slopers are just awesome!!

It's not a beginners board by any means but if you've been through a few cycles it's a good one to have in your quiver!

Chris:
Noodles beat me to the meaning of the name... again!!

I love this board because i've been able to kick ass on it every time I run past the office; I train most days and being at CHR HQ and getting in a quick workout is awesome for me. I've used this probably more than most of the people (mind you I'm not always at the office) and I've never had a problem with it at all!!

The balls are to die for and most of the holds are well formed and you can hang around all day and not worry too much.. I like it and am planning on stealing it for my apartment as soon as I can

1. 
   

PROS:

• Super hand friendly board
• Best ball slopers on a board so far
• Mounts to a Blank Slate or can be screwed on

CONS:

• It's Henry Ford: only comes in one color... red
• No pre drilled screw holes

BDV

Name: 

Jace W. (or J depending on who I’m talking too)

What do you do?

Well, by day, I fix airplanes at my local airport with a handful of other salty mechanics.

In my free time I climb and design volumes.

You contacted us with this (https://www.scribd.com/doc/252266638/100-Deg-Rail-Triangle) which is a manual for creating volumes... why?

I finished making the manual a few days ago and instantly thought of you guys as a good place to start spreading the word.

My opinion, your reviews are practical and to the point, and its probably best to ask the group that's been doing reviews for 7 years.

You're giving it away for free? Why?

Well, climbing has given me so much in my life, so many great stories and true friends. It only seemed right that I give back in my own way.

Story time, I was out climbing at the local crag about 2 years ago. As I approached the wall, it hit me I completely forgot my harness. No spare, no webbing to fashion a harness out of, no options but to call it a day.

Just as my rather disgruntled partner and I where about to head out, the local rock hero (will remain nameless) rounds the bend heading back to the parking lot.

I go all deer in the headlights and try not to stutter when talking to probably one of my greatest idols.

Meanwhile, my partner explains (with expletives) why we are heading back. Without even a second thought or prompt, (local rock hero) stops and pulls out his personal harness and hands it to me, with instructions to drop it off at his house in town at the end of the day. By this point, you could have mistaken my voice for that of a pre teen I was so excited. It was a great day and we got lots of great climbing done.

That act solidified in my mind that I have been the recipient of my fair share of good climbing karma, so I better start paying it back.

So if this manual answers any questions to someone trying to build a volume or just figure out how to get started, then it was all worth it.

Besides, I love designing these things.

It's a pretty full on manual: What was the impetus to make it so through?

At the end of the day I would feel much more validated if the manual could be used by all skill levels of craftsmen and craftswomen to build not only the volume I describe but to use the knowledge to build other cooler and bigger pieces.

How many iterations have there been?

Sigh* I think about 12 that haven’t ever gotten further than my laptop. But public manuals, this is the only one we have ever put out. Its almost funny, I look at the older versions of this manual and its like looking into a super dry stack of raw data with no pictures.

Will there be more in the future?

Absolutely! This manual and others will be published by Big Deal Volumes, as part of the DIY series.

As of right now, the next planned manual should be in final draft some time in mid February of 2015.

If someone has questions how do they contact you?

To BDV directly is best. BigDealVolumes@gmail.com

We handle everything to do with our volumes through that email.

Review > Etch > Big Stuff

Etch is one of the companies we're been trying to review since we began this little roller coaster ride that is CHR!; they began in 2004 so they've been around for a while... there have been some ups and downs and at one point we thought that they'd actually gone away for good... our worries were unfounded and they're pouring some of their classic shapes for all to enjoy again

If you don't know Etch or have never climbed on their shapes you may actually recognize one of their ads:

 "Only mother nature makes better shapes" is their tag line so lets dive in and see what we're playing with this time:

The Big Wurm (6XL Feature)

 Hueco Flake (3XL)

The Egg (5XL)

Erosion (4XL)

Yup; we're playing with the big guys; we'll look at the smaller sets at a later date! Like Noodles said in the walk through it's like playing with the Dirty 1/3 Dozen; whatever we're going to set is going to be very spicy to say the least.

Out the packaging all of the holds are pretty well as you see on the website; the colors are bold and nice and solid and the holds all have a heft to them that will work out your arms when you're hauling them up a ladder. All of the shapes are bagged up and they have tags and a bar code so if you're not setting right away you can check you've actually have what you ordered. We didn't go ripping into the bags right away, no sir, we kept a couple of them still in their wrappers (we did feel them through their plastic wombs for sure) so when Noodles actually sat down and recorded the walk through you'd be able to see his reaction as he took them out.

Sometimes its like Christmas with us a holds :)

As per usual we decided to take the holds to our little test center and to put them on the wall for the monthly comp... hmm four large holds, two are slopers and the others are massive jugs; then add the fact that the wall is overhung and you end up having what we set... we had to add in a few other holds to make the moves actually do-able because if they weren't there no one was ever going to be able to climb... so under cling to under cling to slopers to sloper match and finish on the Teknik Talon.

Two things because immediately apparent. The Egg (that the boss remembers from way back when) we knew was going to be hard... we liked it so much that we actually used it on two comp routes that day the intermediate and the advanced routes to be exact and it spat off 99% of the climbers that touched it... the surprise was the Erosion! It has a dimple that a sloper jug on it's underside and we thought that once people hit it then the route was just going to be over... hahaha nope. The Erosion is much harder than expected; we totally underestimated how hard it was to grab and match that guy (our bad)

Both routes were completed that evening, the intermediate route saw a handful of assents; the advanced route only saw two people get to the top. If we were setting a comp then that is near perfect setting as we'd have split the field in qualifiers!!! Since the routes have seen a lot of traffic and the holds are holding up very very well

SUGGESTED USES The Big Wurm (6XL Feature):

This is a hold that you can just chuck to all day long, make massive side pull routes and basically have fun with; there aren't any angle problems with this guy because it's so incut that anyone can hang onto it for days! The steeper the better as far as we're concerned with this hold

SUGGESTED USES Hueco Flake (3XL):






If anything this hold is more of a jug than anything else, set it as a sidepull and yeah it's a nice Hueco flake for sure! Dynos to this guy are a little tricky as it could do with a slightly more rounded lip to it's gripping area... again no angle constraints because you can loose two hands in this hold easily

SUGGESTED USES The Egg (5XL):












Evil has a name and it's egg shaped; this is probably one of the hardest slopers you'll come across on even a shallow angle. If your hands are like bear paws then on the steep routes you'll be able to wrap and just pinch this hold... this is a classic Etch hold and man it'll make you work wherever it's placed

SUGGESTED USES Erosion (4XL):







This was a shape that surprised us; it looks easier than it actually is! The subtle sloper jug allows it to be used on steeper walls but if you're setting a match then be careful with the moves you're pulling at it will go above the grade of what you're setting quickly.

OVERALL BUILD ALL OF THE HOLDS IN A BREAKDOWN FORMAT:

• Number of holds: 4
• Type (Bolt / Screw Ons):
• Price per hold (set price divided by number of holds):
• Egg: $80
• The Wurm: $90
• Erosion: $70
• Hueco Flake: $60
• Color:
• Egg: Orange
• The Wurm: Yellow
• Erosion: Dark Green
• Hueco Flake: Yellow
• Bolt placement: All holds have a well placed bolt hole
• Sanding:
• Egg: good but it seems like it jumped the sanding belt and was nicked
• The Wurm: Very good for a shape this size
• Erosion: A little off
• Hueco Flake: Awesome
• Hollow backed: Yes all four
• Soft back (Rubber backed): No
• Texture: All the holds have very good grip but not too much to kill your skin
• Set size: From 3XL to 6XL 
• Versatility:
• Egg: Fair, its an evil sloper
• The Wurm: Awesome, put it wherever you want
• Erosion: Great, Trickier than you think
• Hueco Flake: Awesome, roooooooof jug!!
• Pre-drilled screw holes:
• Egg: No
• The Wurm: Yes two
• Erosion: Yes
• Hueco Flake: No!
• Shaper: TBC
• Weight:
• Egg: 9.9lbs
• The Wurm: 9.3lbs
• Erosion: 7.42lbs
• Hueco Flake: 4.22lbs
• Where can you get them: http://www.etchholds.com/

This is always the hardest part to write! Noodles is a bloody fan boy and well everyone likes these holds... so we'll do what we do and we'll break it down for you!

There is an inconsistency with set screw holes in what we have; some holds have them and others don't, it's kind of the done thing for anything from medium up to have at least one set screw hole (some gyms won't buy holds without a hole!) and the fact that the hold that will spin the most (the Hueco Flake) doesn't have set screw holes is a little strange. Maybe they're still pouring from the original molds where set screws weren't as common, who knows.

The sanding overall was pretty good, a few little ahem moments here and there but nothing so bad. It is apparent that the Egg when being sanded got nicked a little on the inside (nothing that would compromise its strength) but enough that Noodles points it out and then talks to himself about what it could have been; its a shame as it's one of those small details that we're going to notice

All of the holds have a good weight to them; maybe in some cases compared to other new people out there they'll be seem as too heavy; honestly they're built strong and to last!

Color-wise; the only one we didn't like was the Erosion, the green is very dark and it'd be hard to match between other holds that you may have at your gym and we suggest they look at the pantones that have become some what of an industry standard and then tweak it from there. But the color goes all the way through and doesn't bleed out towards the edges.

On the texture front these holds don't need that much brushing over time the texture is there and doesn't rip your hands to shreds after repeated hours of climbing. The Egg and the Wurm have dual texture which is a nice embellishment upon them; with the Egg it's a nice touch and does allow some shallow matches where the texture and dual texture meets, with the Wurm is makes people think twice about using it as a huge foothold... problem is you can as the texture is dimpled and it doesn't really stop you (it really depends upon how you're setting). With that said the Wurm does have a nice break just below the jugged area where you can catch a crimp and then bump your hand which is a very nice touch

As usual it sounds like we're going a little overboard with the negatives... we're not; we're just saying what we're seeing when we review holds. Now... what is good about these holds is they were on the 2014 Grip List of holds to buy; yup. Etch maybe an older company but they're still putting out products that people want to climb on! Remember this list of from climbing peers so to even get on there is an amazing feat!!! All of holds carry a 30 day no BS return warranty which is a nice thing to have when you're buying holds that you may not know 

Pricing; well when we look at it... The Wurm for $90 really? That's cheap considering the size of it! The Hueco Flake maybe a little over priced but overall they're bang on the money if a little cheaper than you'd expect

All of the holds climb really well, the Hueco if you're launching at it maybe a little sharper than we'd like but the rest are great!! They all feel like old friends... but they're new holds fresh from the factory 

WHAT ARE THEY MADE FROM:
Urethane

PACKING / SHIPPING:
Awesome all holds bagged and tagged

RATING:
Noodles:
Fk yeah!
FK YEAH!

I honestly thought that Etch had gone the way of the Do-Do; and they did disappear for a long time and that made me sad... and then I get a message on Facebook about reviewing their holds, was I ever going to turn down that offer? Nope, no sir I've wanted to get my grubby mitts on some of these holds and give them a good going over for a long long time!

Why?

Because Etch is one of the long(er) running companies out there and they have some what we call Classic shapes. You see the Egg on a route or the UFO aka the Orbship on a route then you KNOW EXACTLY what you're in for... and that is probably a hard time. I used to compete in the UK in the Southern Bouldering League and when I saw these holds I always wanted to get onto the route to test my mettle so to speak and tested I was. Way back when when I started this site I talked to Etch about getting holds but it never really panned out... then like I said I get a message out of the blue

What better reason when coming back from a 2yr (still ongoing) injury to get out train and get ready for the challenge of some Etch holds?

Setting with the big guys (and we do have smaller guys as well) was a challenge that we set outselves; we wanted to come back with a bang and we wanted to really see what a comp setting would do for these holds. It wasn't a disappointment, I  was there filming and everyone that tried the routes walked away worked but happy, when the comp ended you could see people getting back on the wall and going back for more, there were discussions about the Egg especially. You could hear people talking about how to grab it, where to grab it, what to do with the move and I was happy to see and hear this; I spoke to a bunch of people and despite them not knowing the brand they all liked the holds... so that's bloody good news from a reviewers POV and for Etch themselves because they made a mark very quickly

As always it comes down to would I buy these holds?

If I take my fan boy hat off then yes, there are many Etch holds i'd buy! With the big big stuff being so cheap I'd grab a bunch of it (probably 4XL and above) it's the price of the smaller (not small / medium etc) XL's that put me off a little... I can get teh BIG stuff for an extra $10 / $20 then i'd go that direction first and the 2XL / 3XL stuff later if I needed it.

I'm happy Etch is back pouring holds again and you should be too! They're shapes that most people should look at and purchase

Chris:
ETCH.... hmm. I remember that company from the adverts with the lady in them. That's how I know them. I'd never seen or held their shapes, I'd never had the chance... mind you i'm almost the same age and Jeremy maybe I didn't travel enough :)

The first thing I noticed with these holds is the weight, they are heavy... but we're a little spoiled where we see a lot of products from a lot of companies so we do see super light stuff. These holds if you don't drop them from high up will stand the test of time, we're talking the weight of the Boss (nah) but with better material for sure!! These things are bomb proof!

Climbing on the routes as we set I was happy to find that the holds climb extremely well, better than I expected for sure; I was pleasantly surprised by the feel of them. It's a hard thing to explain feel but these holds just feel good, they're comfy and the texture reminded me of grippy velvet lol

Now would I buy these holds?

Yes; but someone else is hauling the big stuff up the ladder. I'm looking forward to out next Etch review with the smaller shapes we have because they look amazing, Noodles won't let me even take them out of the bags yet. I'm excited by Etch

PROS:

• YADDA

CONS:

• YADDA
•