Episode 117: Form and Function with Ayo Sopeju
Ayo Sopeju is a competitive climber, head setter at The Minneapolis Bouldering Project, and an artist who takes the utmost care with his work. This care carries over to all that he does - setting, conversation, everything. I wanted to know where the intersection of his detailed art and his setting happens, and how the calmness and flow he exudes can coexist with the competition mindset.
At Ayo’s suggestion, we sat down for a conversation in a workspace at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. It turned out to be maybe the most appropriate place we could have chosen.
Kris sits down with shaper and setter Roy Quanstrom, of Tension Climbing to talk about his latest holds and more.
Andy Leung believes in setting for growth of the community.
Taylor Fragomeni shares lessons she’s learned from routesetting and coaching as a female.
On race, mentorship, tough conversations, and making art.
Ayo Sopeju is a competitive climber, head setter at The Minneapolis Bouldering Project, and an artist who takes the utmost care with his work.
Shaper/setter Tonde Katiyo has put quite a bit of thought and care into his craft. He approaches it with both a pragmatism and creativity that often don't exist together.
Routesetting is hard and hard on the body. Jonathan Brandt has continued to improve as a climber while simultaneously running the setting crew at Climb Nashville.
We all like to call climbing an art form, but very few of us take it to the high degree that Jason Kehl does.
Professional setter Chris Danielson is the absolute go-to guy for any big comp or gym consulting project.
Adam said: ...my gym sees a very minimal effort in route setting. Do you have any suggestions as far as conquering these stagnant plastic doldrums?
I realized not long ago that it was quite difficult to set problems for myself that are at or above my limit.
A climber since 1994, Kris was a traddie for 12 years before he discovered the gymnastic movement inherent in sport climbing and bouldering. Through dedicated training and practice, he eventually built to ascents of 5.14 and V11.
Kris started Power Company Climbing in 2006 as a place to share training info with his friends, and still specializes in working with full time "regular" folks. He's always available for coaching sessions and training workshops.
Our very own coach Jess West provides valuable insight as to how setters can smartly and safely train for their goals.