FRANKLIN, OUR ONE AND ONLY FINNISH-SPEAKING FILIPINO, HAS DECIDED TO STRETCH YOUR BODY AND BROADEN YOUR MIND WITH HIS NEW FINNISH THEMED ROUTES.

KAIPAAN SINUA – I MISS YOU

JeaThe Finnish for “I miss you” was the first route Franklin set after his recent time away from us and it’s an ode of affection to Push and its peeps. It’s also going to keep you on your toes.

“Kaipaan Sinua is a 6a and as you follow the white holds it takes you through a range of basic movements but with options for climbers of different builds. You can cross, match, high step or, if you’re tall enough with a long reach, you can skip some of those holds. I really made it though for people to help develop skills like cross hands and high step. To succeed you should think about changing your feet around, and as you tackle the mix of holds from pinch to sloper you’ll be encouraged to switch weight from left to right and vice versa.”

YKSI KALJA – ONE BEER

“You know how sometimes you have this thing popping up in your mind over and over? Well I had promised me one beer and then bedtime at the end of the long day and the idea of ‘one beer’ kept coming up over and over as I set the route so in the end it was like the route named itself.

This is a route more about technique rather than finger or upper body strength. You need solid footwork and flexibility and the holds are a mix of big slopers and some crimpy – but good crimpy.

There is a trick to it, yes. Body movement involves switching weight and high steps but I’ve designed it so that taller climbers can skip that but for slim build Asians like me there is a high step to be done.

PERUNAMUUSI – MASHED POTATO

Clearly all this route setting is making Franklin hungry and thirsty as this next route is in honour of a particular mashed potato dish he had with wings and ribs in Myanmar.

“So it’s a 6c with a mix of pinches and slopers and again a focus on sequence and body movement. My thinking when setting routes is to get intermediate climbers to play with the idea of switching body weight in movements because they’re at that point in their development where it used to be about just aiming to get to the top but they can do that now and yet haven’t really learnt to move their body, use their feet, or do things like match both hands on the same hold.

There’s quite a bit of flexibility work too, with a big reach at one point. You see that big sloper, then after that there is a lighter green one and you need to heel hook and do a gaston so you’re splayed on the wall like Spiderman with your palm facing outwards. That’s the only really hard part of the route.”

One big thing to note is that Franklin (and the other Pushpeeps) would love your feedback on their routes, and what kind of movements you’d like to be developing in your climbing. “For example if people want more work on flexibility we can design routes for them, or if they want to strengthen their reach, well we can work on that too.”

Watch this space – You’re soon going to see a route book with feedback to let us know what works and what doesn’t for you.

Words by Steve Shipside.