Bouldering? Like, what even is that? Practice for real climbing? A boom in the late 90s put bouldering on the map and firmly established it as a legitimate sub-discipline in climbing. But how does one manage the transition and understand the nuances of these quirky pebble wrestling pad people? Cedar Wright dares to ask such a question, putting down his trad rack to get to the bottom of this bouldering thing in this week’s film, “Specimen”.
Cedar is a man interested in more than the whathow, he’s always delved deeper, into the why, the meta. Its what makes him a popular (and excellent) writer. He’s a man of words, and that’s evident in the nearly continuous voiceovers throughout the film. It’s a film thats more about the people, the ethos, lifestyle and most importantly, the process. Sometimes that’s great – Lisa Rands is articulate and thoughtful. Daniel Woods’ commentary feels somewhat more superficial, but remember that: 1) none of us are articulate at 16, and 2) your reviewer is a jaded man. There are some first ascents of iconic Rocklands lines sprinkled in there, so don’t think its all talk – the footage of Fred Nicole on Shosholoza will blow you away, especially contrasted with the beta everyone else uses.
Earnestly, this is a more character-driven flick than I generally go for, even if it’s a film about my beloved discipline of bouldering. I have a trouble getting into the mentality that motivates this film – I feel more at home bouldering than any other sort of climbing, by a large margin, so the idea of “coming to understand bouldering” seems foreign. If you are someone who struggles to understand why people would spend daysmonthsyears chaining together 8 feet of climbing, this could be an eye opening film.
Will Cedar succeed in his quest for double digits? Watch and see. The final takeaway is something I think we can all agree on.
The Verdict: Borrow It. I know I give it a hard time, but the first ascent of Shosholoza is worth it alone.
Flatirons, CO:
Tower of Power
Rocklands SA:
The Rhino
Unnamed Highball
Pinotage – First Ascent
Armed Response
Nutsa
Petite Hueco
Cedar Spine
Roof on Fire
Shosholoza -First Ascent
The Vice
Black Shadow
Monkey Wedding (no send)
Tall Cool Orange One