Redpointing 2.0: Sticky Pointing
Most climbers use the same redpoint process regardless of the relative difficulty of the project, and put little effort towards adjusting it to meet the demands of each individual challenge. Breaking it down through the lens of a chess game, the redpoint process generally consists of three phases:
The Opening:
Bolt to bolt the project to the top.
Generally try (if not complete) all the moves by the first time they touch the chains
The Middlegame:
If the route feels extra hard, bolt to bolt a few more times until the moves are dialed
On middle tier routes, sometimes The Middlegame is omitted entirely
The Endgame:
Begin redpoint goes.
Often realize that the beta from The Opening doesn’t flow as well as they thought it would, or realize that it isn’t as ingrained as they thought it was.
Make some minor adjustments immediately after a fall and try again.
Inch the highpoint higher until they eventually send.
A lot of climbers see some level of success with this process when they first begin “real” redpointing (where they are actually learning beta and trying routes that take longer than a day to send), but this process has some notable gaps that reveal themselves sooner or later:
It ingrains a habit and expectation of falling at the same spot as you inch your highpoint towards the chains. Generally this spot is the crux and where you most need upward momentum.
It doesn’t allow the athlete to learn how sections fit and flow together before they start trying to perform.
It is difficult to make progress on projects with very distinct cruxes (where sending is just a matter of getting through one distinct section from the ground) as the climber keeps falling at the same point.
Because of the bullets above, climbers often have difficulty with bigger projects (longer than five days) because your highpoint often stalls at a certain place.
Most of these issues don’t show up on short projects (the 2-4 go range), which is why a lot of climbers can get quite far without really understanding the important points of the redpoint process - the sticky points.
Sticky Points are sections that are key to successfully sending a route.
They usually involves technical and redpoint cruxes, but may also include one long move after a pumpy section or a tricky but relatively easy section guarding the chains. These are areas where you should devote the majority of your attention and establish a habit of sending.
Sticky Pointing is the process of dissecting a route by identifying your sticky points, focusing efforts around those sticky points until you have hit your key links and then ultimately sending the route.
The main differences between the average redpoint process and Sticky Pointing lie in the intent the climber carries in The Opening and The Middlegame.
In The Opening, the climber isn’t trying to just do all the moves, they are spending the majority of their energy on getting a clear picture of the route. They are looking for cruxes, rests, changes in character, sections where they’ll want to speed up/down, pumpy sections, sections that have difficult to remember beta, etc. All of this should culminate in identifying the route’s sticky points and key links - sections of the route that are indicative of success, generally because they combine important sticky points or span difficult sections. These will vary based on the climb and can look like anything from “3 bolts of hard climbing between rests” to “from bolt 2 to the top.”
Only once the route picture has been clearly defined can the climber transition into The Middlegame. The Middlegame should be a deliberate series of attempts that are focused on learning and refining beta and tactics around sticky points and key links. The goal is to learn and validate the best way through those sections - not to send. It’s likely that you can dig deep and use inefficient beta to “send” some key links, but that isn’t going to help you combine them into a cohesive redpoint.
The real value here is that as you expand links around sticky points you will be trying those hard sections with progressively more fatigue, gradually uncovering inefficiencies and (most importantly) repeatedly succeeding at the hardest sections of the route. Rather than jumping from trying a hard section with no fatigue to trying it with all the fatigue you’ll have from the ground and trying to decipher why you failed, you are gradually adding stressors in a way that lets you see the weak points. Further, you are developing a habit of succeeding on those sections rather than a habit of failing. Having that expectation of hitting a hard move because you haven’t missed it in a dozen goes will pay huge dividends when you get there on a redpoint go.
Uncovering inefficiencies and repeatedly succeeding at the hardest sections of the route.
Once you’ve sent your key links (and ideally expanded them so that they overlap with one another), you are ready to move into The Endgame. Every sport climber should be familiar with the tactic here - go in fully rested and give it all you have from move one through either the chains or a fall. You’ll likely find that the hard sections may not feel easier, but more fluid - you will still need to try hard on those, but your body knows what succeeding on them with fatigue feels like. As you progress in The Endgame you shouldn’t abandon your efforts to refine your picture of the route. You may uncover new sticky points that you missed previously and those may prove surprisingly difficult. A good rule is that if you fall in the same spot three times, you’ve moved on pre-maturely and you need to re-visit The Middlegame.
Just as bullet chess and standard chess demand different strategies but still require the same fundamental understanding of chess engrams, applying sticky pointing to climbing games will create different outcomes, but they should all come from a solid grasp of the fundamental route tactics.
The redpointing strategy laid out above isn’t ineffective because the climber had a very short middle game - this may be the smart move on a short project if the climber is able to accurately analyze the route from the beginning. However, most people who are employing that strategy have no concept of the middle game that they are breezing over. They aren’t dissecting routes and identifying sticky points.
Sticky pointing for a long project may look like:
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Bolt to bolt the project to the top.
Your goal is not to do all of the moves. Stick clip, french free, whatever is necessary to get to the top and understand how this particular route is composed.
Create a picture of the climbing on the route and dissect it. This may involve writing it out, or you may be able to do it just by talking the route through with your belayer.
You’re looking for cruxes, rests, changes in character, areas you’ll be pumped, areas you’ll have a hard time learning beta, etc.
Define your sticky points and key links
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Bolt to bolt the project. The goal isn’t to go to the top each go, it’s to build links around your sticky points.
These will likely start as the 5-10 moves that you identified as “tricky” and then expand in both directions.
Eventually, these links will grow into your key links and eventually, they should begin to overlap with one another.
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Redpoint burns.
If you fail in the same spot 3 times in a row, it’s likely you missed a key link and should return to The Middlegame.
Sticky pointing for a 2-3 day project may look like:
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Bolt to bolt the project to the top.
Your goal is still to develop a picture of the route, but it is expedient to also attempt all the moves.
Create a picture of the climbing on the route and dissect it.
This may involve writing it out, or you may be able to do it just by talking the route through with your belayer.
You’re looking for cruxes, rests, changes in character, areas you’ll be pumped, areas you’ll have a hard time learning beta, etc.
Define your sticky points and key links
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Attempt your key links immediately. See if you read the flow correctly or if there is additional friction that you weren’t expecting.
If you make your key links, consider expanding them before redpoint goes. Building an expectation of success on difficult sections shouldn’t be underestimated.
If you found additional friction, reconsider your key links.
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Redpoint burns.
Sticky pointing an onsight would look like:
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Examine your route from as many angles as possible.
Create a picture of the climbing on the route and dissect it.
You should do this explicitly, even if it’s just talking to your belayer.
Create a gameplan for your attempt
Pay specific attention to where you will change pace, where the rests/cruxes are, where the route changes, where you can stop/slow and reassess your route picture
Specific beta should be the last thing you include in your gameplan.
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These are blurred for an onsight attempt, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t attempt to refine your analysis.
Middlegame - Use stances and rests to re-assess the next section of climbing.
Endgame - Once you leave the rest/stance, the analysis is over and you should be in the Endgame mindset.
Next time you’re sport climbing, pay attention to your process - it may even help to right it down for each go. Have you identified the sticky points? What are your key links? How are you approaching your middle game? Remember, regardless of the style you are attempting to climb in, a clear understanding of the route and its component parts will be far more helpful than inching to the top on determination alone.
