Kara Norton is a software engineer and former routesetter living in Brooklyn, NY. I had the pleasure of projecting China Beach with her in October, and she made super rapid progress, in particular on the top boulder problem. Kara shares her thoughts as a setter on what makes China Beach great, and we nerd out on the simulators that each of us set. We also circle back at the end to think about what people would say if China Beach were actually scanned and set in a gym.

Along the way, we hear about the first time she saw China Beach, and it really gets to the heart of why I love doing this podcast. Focusing on this one route can give us a lens to examine what we love about climbing, in its most essential form.

There’s footage of her on the route and on her simulator, which you can see if you're watching on Spotify or YouTube.

ABOUT THE PODCAST

We’ve had a decade-plus obsession with China Beach - a 5.14b in Rumney and possibly the best route in the world. This podcast series is about that route - what makes it unique and special. Video episodes on YouTube and Spotify. Hosted by Rajiv Ayyangar and Michael Penn.

SUBSCRIBE

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/66l7lJsbyteIAND8oL3t1C?si=fa92dc77a9534dce

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@chinabeachpodcast

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/climbing-china-beach-a-podcast-series-about-one-route/id1654201582

FOLLOW FOR CLIPS AND UPDATES

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chinabeachpodcast/

TOPICS

0:00 - Intro

1:23 - Going from route-setter to software engineer

4:09 - How did Kara get into route-setting and what does she like about it?

14:48 - Kara's local gym, GP81, and why it's awesome

20:34 - Q from Mia: What was it like the first time Kara saw China Beach?

29:41 - Which hold on China Beach is Kara 'friends' with?

33:54 - Video of Kara on the top section + new beta?

41:05 - Kara’s thoughts as a setter on what makes China Beach so good?

46:28 - What did people in the gym think of the top boulder problem?

48:52 - Kara's thoughts on Rajiv's Kilter simulators

55:44 - Kara's simulator of the bottom (w/ video)

1:03:45 - Projecting status - what’s next?

1:09:32 - Q from Suzie: How does Kara balance marathon training with climbing?

1:14:53 - Q from Mia on climbing culture / what CB represents to Kara

1:20:34 - What if the whole route was 3D scanned and set in a gym?

LINKS

GP81: https://www.gp-81.com/

Rajiv's Kilter simulators of China Beach:

v1: https://kilterboardapp.com/climbs/E5A60F279E4849CEADA59238769CEC81

v2 (harder):

https://kilterboardapp.com/climbs/F86ED69640C04173822686E201569215

Kaya: https://kayaclimb.com/