EP 242: Molly Beard
October 7, 2024
Molly Beard was the first female L5 routesetter in the US. We talked about what climbing gyms were like in the 90s, how she got started in routesetting, learning the language of movement, getting her L5, dealing with misogyny, staying up to speed on setting trends, how to have longevity as a routesetter, budgeting your body dollars, advice for young routesetters, and much more.
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Show Notes:
Related Podcast Episodes:
EP 188: Joey Jannsen & Rich Breuner
Molly’s Links:
Nuggets:
00:00:00 – Intro
00:01:34 – The Murder Room
00:06:01 – How I met Molly 15 years ago
00:10:02 – Molly’s background
00:12:50 – Climbing gyms in the 90s
00:14:45 – The language of movement
00:20:54 – Becoming the puppet master
00:29:14 – Routesetting in the 90s
00:32:35 – Getting paid to set routes
00:34:36 – The power of climbing
00:35:49 – Getting her L5
00:44:53 – Facing misogyny in routesetting
00:51:21 – The progression of routesetting
00:57:57 – Staying up to speed with the trends
01:00:54 – Coordination
01:02:34 – Specializing in lead
01:04:55 – Youth comps & the next generation
01:06:50 – Longevity as a routesetter
01:12:10 – A tide shift
01:18:29 – Molly’s current job & recent injuries
01:22:08 – An evolving relationship with climbing
01:24:49 – Finding separation
01:35:20 – Body dollars & Jiu-Jitsu
01:39:10 – Moving to Hood River
01:43:06 – Advice for young routesetters
01:47:25 – Where is climbing going?
01:52:14 – Splitting the field
01:56:17 – “Be less judgemental.”
02:01:52 – Wrap up & EXTRA teaser