Jeremy Dowsett writes for Climbing Hold Review and runs the YouTube channel called Jeremy Dowsett or NTMB. (You’ll get to know what NTMB stands for in a few moments…) He has also repped for a number of world-class hold companies; and currently reps for Project Holds and Atomik Climbing Holds.

Pour yourself a big hot coffee or a tall cold beer as this is a killer interview and well worth the read time. We not only cover Climbing Holds, Routesetting, Home Walls; but also:

World travel for climbers

Tricks to summon up super powers for that special send

Tips for connecting with Jeremy or other climbing hold companies for business purposes – you know, purchase climbing holds.

Mistakes to avoid when building a home wall

Tips for rock climbing gym owners and managers

The importance of routesetting in a climbing gym

Tips to move from beginner routesetter to excellent routesetter

Specific beta for rock climbing in Europe

Ladies and Gentlemen, please meet Jeremy Dowsett.

HCRB: What is the last good book you read?

Jeremy: “Anthony Bourdain: Kitchen Confidential” as I like to cook and I just binged watched Anthony’s show: The Layover.

On the climbing front I just re-read “Fall of the Phantom Lord: Climbing and the Face of Fear” which is a great read by Andrew Todhunter. It is about the risks of climbing and about one of my favorite climbers, Dan Osman.

HCRB: Favorite way to relax?

Jeremy: Cooking and hanging with my girlfriend and my “wolfpack” (I have three cats)

HCRB: What is the last thing you googled?

Jeremy: Camera equipment…again.

HCRB: Why is your nickname Noodles?

Jeremy: That’s an interesting one; most people don’t realize that I’m actually a Senior Level Designer by trade. Basically, I make video games as my 9-5 and Climbing Hold Review was just a side project that I started many years ago. I work for Ubisoft in Montreal and have made a bunch of games that some people might recognize… Assassins Creed / Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory / Far Cry: Primal to name a few.

Noodles came about from one of my first jobs in the industry; I was meeting my team for the first time and my boss introduced himself and everyone had nicknames, he asked me what my nickname was…I saw his screen saver was the Gorillaz and the only character I knew was called Noodles so that’s what I said. I was totally on the spot and just half froze.

It stuck and became Noodles The Monkey Boy because I climbed so much; I also have a number of monkey tattoos.

HCRB: What happened to you as a child that made you obsessed with climbing holds?

Jeremy: I learned to climb at school. We had a course where we went and climbed at a facility once a week. I loved it from the beginning (I was 11) and enjoyed it so much that I used to ride my bicycle at the weekends and some evenings after school to the wall, paid and started just traversing around the bottom of the wall. I met some older climbers who had cars and I started going outside to Southern Sandstone at the weekends and that’s where I really learned to climb

I was at this outside wall so much that they hired me at the weekends as a climbing instructor. By the age of 12, I was teaching anybody — from groups of young offenders to bank managers — and my favorite groups were the disabled. There was nothing better than getting someone with a physical impairment to the top of a climbing wall.

Now on the back of one of the walls was a 30 degree overhung wall with holds on it, I became obsessed and once I’d climbed all of the routes on there I would reset all of the holds to make harder and harder problems for me and my groups; and, then for a local climbing club

I was routesetting at the age of 12. I wanted more holds so I begged the facility to get more holds. I basically had a 50 foot, 30 degree overhung wall which led to a 12ft roof and free reign (as long as I left one easy route on the wall) to set whatever I wanted

And I did. I set some just brutal probably, at the time, 5.10+ routes and harder on that wall.

Let’s just say that I got strong pretty fast. The routesetting at that place began my obsession with climbing holds and building walls. When I ended up going into London to the Mile End Climbing Wall and saw that place, my mind was blown and then that started something special.

HCRB: Did you climb outside first or a gym? What’s the story?

Jeremy: Kind of addressed this above… but it was outside at Stubbers Outdoor Centre at school; then I became a gym rat at a local school that had an indoor wall by their squash courts with some people I started climbing with… then I climbed at Mile End a lot…

…then I built a wall at home

Stubbers was a wall made by DR Walls. It was a brick structure with rock embedded in the structure. It was outside but the holds were real rock — super fun.

HCRB: You’ve climbed all over the world…what is your happiest memory of climbing or relaxing?

Jeremy: Hahaha; one of my happiest moments was sitting in a car park in my friend’s car the first time we drove to Fontainbleau. We’d built a wall; we’d trained for months. We’d hit all the sandstone we could in preparation. We were ready

And then it rained.

It didn’t stop us. We climbed anyway, all day in the pouring rain, just finding rock and, “dude, look at this” and “oh, dude, look at this.”

And then I found a magical route…Karma that Ben Moon had climbed. I was blown away and for someone who is 15 or 16 years old, who was already obsessed with climbing going to Font, well that was amazing. Sseeing that route and just standing in the rain staring at it — well that’s when everything went into overdrive.

HCRB: What is your personal go-to technique to summon that power you need for a send?

Jeremy: Oof! That’s a tricky one; I’m a pretty calm and focused person when climbing… you don’t ever really see me going all Dave Graham or Obe Carrion when I don’t get a send. I make sure that I’m calm and I know what I’m about to attempt, I know where my hands and feet are going, the places I want to hit a particular grip and how I want to move.

If I’m tired then I’ll just walk away, and that’s a hard lesson for most people to learn…

…Just Walk Away.

There is always another day and another attempt.

But when you do see me about to send, I can guarantee that my baseball hat is hitting the ground and you’re about to see someone climb right on their limit. My climbing partners know that when the hat comes off, it is time to pay attention.

I also don’t want to hear anyone screaming at me, so much so, that at times I climb with a set of ear buds with some music playing. This is especially true when I compete. I always have music playing

HCRB: Best camping tip you can give a new person (new to camping or climbing outdoors)…

Jeremy: For climbing: check yourself. Once you climb a lot indoors and then go outdoors, you can get very comfortable and then that’s when mistakes are made. Check yourself and whomever you’re climbing with. If you see something wrong, say so, no matter if it’s a beginner or an experienced climber.

For camping: A Buff Scarf is a lifesaver for many things from a dish rag to just keeping the sun off of your head when it’s hot outside. I never leave home without one.

HCRB: Can homewall builders connect with you or only gym owners?

Jeremy: Anyone can connect with us; the more the merrier. We’re always available to answer questions.

HCRB: Describe your YT channel?

Jeremy: Me talking too much.

Probably the best place (at the moment) to see someone with an obvious passion talk about climbing holds. The good, the bad and the ugly comes out when you send me a box of holds. From big known brands to the little guys, we look at their products and give honest feedback on their product from a routesetters and buyers perspective

HCRB: Give advice to someone building a home wall / woody…

Jeremy: Steeper is better! Home walls are something that you’ll use a lot… shallow angles are fun for beginners but they get old quite quickly. Don’t cheap out on the plywood you use, get the expensive stuff as it will get ripped up with set screws and screw on holds

Also get really good t-nuts that you hammer in and then screw in. It takes a lot of time but in the long run it’s more than worth it because changing a spinning t-nut sucks

If you don’t know what you’re doing then ask; I’ve spent a lot of time designing walls and talking to people about walls for free… because they’ve talked to me on FB or have emailed me from the website.

HCRB: Which hold company gives you the most for a small budget?

Jeremy: That is a tricky one as currently the exchange rate between Europe / US / Canada is totally crap. There are a few options that spring to mind: One of them – Synrock is probably the best “bang for your buck” as they’ll send you a flat rate box full of holds. But some people don’t really dig their holds.

Holds aren’t cheap; I’d for sure look at Atomik, the NEW and old Metolius line of holds (which we just reviewed) and a few other companies. The market is generally on par between companies having the same price point across the board. If you’re a home wall owner, I’d definitely contact them and ask for seconds, which means the hold is fine but the color maybe a little funky (they’ll get chalked up anyway and you’ll never see it).

HCRB: What is a mistake that every home wall builder makes? How do you avoid it?

Jeremy: They generally don’t use their space when building correctly. I’ve done it, many people have. You try to cram in too much stuff in too small of a space and then there’s no flow. A 16ft wide 30-45 degree wall will serve you better in the long run that a wall with many many angles. It really depends upon what you’re needs are. Home walls are generally for training and to get strong to go outside. Of course, there are things like kids that comes into the mix, so maybe making a variable angle wall is a good option that will make everyone happy.

Also, have nice kickboards at the base of the wall with lots of t-nuts. It is amazing how you can change a routes grade just by changing the size and position of a few key footholds

HCRB: How do you keep your holds fresh without dangerous caustic chemicals?

Jeremy: A pressure washer and a landlord who doesn’t mind you spraying water all over the yard.

All you need is some space, a peg board as small holds like to fly away when hit with powerful streams of water. We just put the stuff on the board or into a corner and blast them.

There are other chemicals that aren’t harmful. A simple bucket with vinegar mixed with water works well. Give them a soak, a little TLC with a brush; and if you can pressure wash them…the holds will come out pretty clean.

HCRB: Which hold company has the most perks?

Jeremy: If you’re talking about a % discount for large orders, every hold company does this… most of the time when you’re making a huge order there’s a discount and maybe some extra sets of holds, a shirt or something like that.

For instance when I ordered from Metolius, not only did my holds arrive, but also there was a baseball hat, stickers and a bag of chalk. Of course, this isn’t the norm for all companies as the bottom line is the bottom line.

Some companies have “hold of the month” clubs where, for a fee they’ll send you fresh holds every month, normally at a discounted price. That always keeps your wall nice and fresh.

Every company these days has a good social media presence which is cool. The most *ahem incoming plug* up-to-date list is probably on my site on the left hand side. The hold companies are split between North America and Europe, and pretty much everyone is there.

HCRB: What is a mistake that you see big gyms make? How do they avoid that?

Jeremy: Make sure that your place is friendly and that there are grades for all abilities that change often. Just because you’re entire setting crew is cranking V10 doesn’t mean that all of the problems should be hard… sometimes the lower end routes and problems get overlooked a little

Having a friendly staff is key. It is pretty rare that someone who works in a gym isn’t happy with what they’re doing — but there are exceptions to this. Or, there are the “beta monkeys” on staff who have climbed everything and then give unwarranted advice to people who are struggling — I know a few of those.

If we wanted to know the beta, we’d ask for the beta. Sure we’re making your problem look like crap but at least we’re on the wall trying it!!

But again; set for everyone. And err towards lower or easier routes being reset more often than not because the beginners get strong fast, plateau and then have fewer routes to climb. It’s this gap in power and technique and ability to read a route that causes some climbers to feel frustrated. The leap from, say the green problems to the blue problems, is a little too hard; so there needs to be a mix of slightly easier and harder problems within those ranges

HCRB: Any secret beta for building a loyal customer base?

Jeremy: Have a “friendly comp” once in a while; nothing serious with some tunes and people climbing in teams for a few hours. Have a raffle with some free schwag from local business and some food and you’ll find people coming back time and again.

HCRB: How important is routesetting to a gym’s survival?

Jeremy: This is one of the most important things in a gyms tool box to keep people coming back time and again! Routesetting is time consuming and is an art all in itself. Trust me, it can be and will be a humbling experience when you’re learning to set.

Some gyms forget that a route is a product and that’s what the customer is paying for. It is like a sandwich and no one wants a crappy sandwich. It is totally the same for routes.

Crap routes, or more importantly a gym that doesn’t reset routes on a frequent basis will probably have less people come less often. If routes of all grades are being changed all the time, then the customer has a reason to go back to that particular gym. If there is always some new stuff to climb at their grade and new stuff that they can work on then they will more than likely return

As I like to say “set it and they will come.”

HCRB: Hold budget or experienced setter – what is more important to you?

Jeremy: Wow you’re not pulling punches are you?

Anyone can throw holds on a wall and call it a route. Anyone can throw the best holds in the world on the wall and not know what they’re doing and can call it a route. Is that garbage fun to climb? Probably not!

An excellent routesetter can take holds from a “meh” company and can and will churn out great routes and problems time after time. It is why they’re paid and it’s what they’re paid to do.

The best holds, set badly, won’t always make the best route.

Realistically it’s a 50-50…or more 25-75. New holds keep routesetters happy. Okay, It is a complete toss up. We all make “meh: routes sometimes; but having more holds is always great and new holds sparks creativity within a setter. Many gyms don’t have the budget for holds, so a good team of setters is a must. Climbers will set for free climbing, so use them.

There are new gyms opening all the time and one thing that they sometimes scrimp on is their hold budget. If I were to ever open a gym you can trust me in the hold budget would be just mental. But, then again, I love climbing holds.

HCRB: How do you help a new routesetter become an excellent routesetter?

Jeremy: One – climb a lot and don’t set above your grade. If you can’t climb it, then you probably can’t set it. Volunteer at your local gym to set routes and go through the process a bunch with setting simple routes and then LISTEN TO CRITICISM. Take notes and learn from what people are saying. If you can talk to the climbers who climb your routes; listen to what they say.

I spend a lot of time sitting and watching people climbing my problems; but I’ve also had them forerun by a bunch of setters before the public gets to see them.

To become an excellent routesetter you’re probably going to want to get certified, and that means going to learn from the best like Louie Anderson and Tonde Katiyo at the clinics that they give. And, there are certifications for this job now. Time and patience and practice is what’s going to make anyone a better setter.

HCRB: Give some beta for climbing in Europe…

Jeremy: Watch the old men…really watch the 80 year olds who are climbing where you just arrived. They’re about to burn you off in their 20 year old shoes and old harness. They’re probably smoking whilst climbing the project you want to get on. What are they doing? Because they know ALL OF THE TRICKS FOR EVERY PROBLEM / ROUTE

HCRB: What is the best climbing destination for a beginner (like bouldering V1 or V2 max) to visit in Europe?

Jeremy: That’s easy…Font. There are so many circuits there…like full on circuits that are 50+ V1 / V2 problems that will keep anyone busy for days. I used to just go there and do that some weekends, just go a climb so many problems in a day it’s crazy…there is so much climbing there that you can spend a lifetime climbing.

HCRB: Where is the best place to go for days off?

Jeremy: It depends upon where you are but I like to go find a lake or a spa and then just chill, have a bbq and swim. Something that takes little or no energy where I can be quiet and just eat and chill.

HCRB: What is the most affordable climbing destination to visit in Europe?

Jeremy: The expense is really getting there. I nearly always camped when I was going around climbing! There are no many places to climb that it’s hard to actually pick one. You’ve got the Peak District in the UK and all the areas there. Then you can jump the Eurostar and get to Font in a few hours. Then you can jump an EasyJet flight and be in Spain. The World, or in this case Europe, is your oyster.

I survived on bread, cheese and cheap wine in France bumming around from campsite to campsite for months. People are always friendly and there’s always a roof and a shower somewhere for cheap or for free.

HCRB: What is the best time of year to climb in Europe?

Jeremy: Late summer and early Autumn. It depends on the rock type. I always headed there no matter the weather and had a great time. If it rains; it rains. Who cares! Go find a cave and climb the roof. If you’re looking at the UK and grit, then you want it to be colder for sure because the friction is great. For Font and central Europe, you don’t want it to be too warm. Sweaty hands and sandstone don’t mix.

Connect with Jeremy and learn even more about Climbing Holds, Routesetting, Home Walls. His website is http://climbingholdreview.blogspot.ca. His YouTube Channel is https://www.youtube.com/user/ntmb. His Facebook is https://www.facebook.com/Climbing-Hold-Review-115080055193584

Jason Clements is the founder of and writer for HCRBeta, Hike Climb Relax: How to… He lives in Shawnee, Kansas and also runs the cell phone recycling company, Cells for Cells, which recycles cell phones to raise money for families battling cancer. You can follow Jason on Facebook or on Twitter @jasonclements.

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