As a routesetter and climber of 12+ years, I’ve seen gyms go from taped routes to monochromatic, moves get more compy, holds get bigger and bigger (more like gigantic and huge), the rise of fiberglass, and the increased popularity of volumes. Don’t get me wrong, I love volumes, but sometimes they can be overwhelming, a lot of options are just so big and positive, they overtake the wall. Call me old and cranky, but I wasn’t a fan of volumes at the start (in my defense I wasn’t a fan of monochromatic setting in the beginning either), I felt like they were a crutch in setting, like a repetitive feature on the wall that got used again and again, I felt like the novelty of volumes was quickly lost on me.
I was wrong, volumes are an amazing way to add more depth to your wall, allowing you to transform large sweeping walls. They allow you to set featured climbs that mimic the outdoors, or dial in the perfect run and jump comp style boulders. Today’s volume selection is vast and wide, from small to utterly gigantic. While volumes allow you to vastly angle and features of your wall, I think the most impressive thing in volumes today isn’t the drastic changes, but the subtle. Enter the Low Pro Large and Extra-Large Triangle. So low profile you might not even notice, this volume only rises 4” from the wall.
In a world of bigger is better, the Low Pro challenges everything we know about what a volume can offer. Let me propose an analogy, volumes are like being hot or cold, when you are warm there are only so many layers you can take off, while being cold you can keep adding more layers. When you have a large positive volume, there is only so much you can do with it (being warm, you can’t shed the layers), often times it has positive edges and provides enough friction to be used with or without holds, this can be awesome, but it has its draw backs. When you have subtle, low-profile volumes you can add to it, to adjust the difficulty and complexity (being cold, you can add more layers). With a low profile you have a base to build from, and dial in complexity and difficulty.
Let’s go to the slab, where the Low Pros excel. On slabs, most volumes on the market today are going to provide an amazing place to stand, while the Low Profiles will be quite challenging. A height of 2.25”/large 3”/extra-large, and a wide base provides a very gradual slope blurs the line between volume and wall smearing. Volumes are great for feet because they offer more complexity. When you have a foot chip or a handhold, you are holding up a sign that says, “Stand here.” When you choose a volume, you are giving the climber a feature they must discover for themselves. They find the sweet spot for their height and what the move demands. Volumes can also save you from having to place a ton of feet, instead of catering foot holds to both tall and short climbers, one large volume can consume the same space of several feet and bridge the gap between heights.
So where does the Low Pro Triangle thrive? The Low Pro will make a powerful addition to any slab wall. Feet can make or break a route or boulder, at one extreme, feet that are too positive will drastically lower the difficulty or force you to set more risky movement (jumps, coordination, etc.). Or large volumes allow you to stand further from the wall and lean your weight into the wall, the greater this angle the greater the advantage. At the other extreme no feet and smearing against the wall will limit movement and the holds you can use, since smearing requires you to drive your feet into the wall, you must position your hips out and away from the climb. This is where the Low Pro Triangle thrives, their limited extension from the wall keeps your body closer to the wall, and being more positive than a smear, lets you set more challenging holds and movement.
The Low Pro Triangle is not just for advanced climbers, when paired with positive holds it can be a great tool for teaching people how to smear, the low pro offers a feature that is still challenging, but drastically easier than just smearing against the wall. Aretes and dihedrals, the Low Pro Triangles are a fantastic way to challenge and offer more variety to climbers in corners. Even the smallest holds around corners (aretes) or in corners (dihedrals) can become quite positive, but the intensity jump of having no holds can be quite substantial. The Low Pro Triangles can help bridge this gap and offer more variety to intermediate climbs on these wall features.
The Low Pro Triangles will quickly become an asset to any routesetter looking to add more footwork intensive slab, variety to their walls, and varying intensity to their volume line up. The advanced technology of Nicros texture adds a layer of robustness to the life of your volumes as well, chalk and rubber easily brushes off, insuring whether its the first attempt or the hundredth, you can be confident in your grip!
