The Short Beta series on CBJ helps youth coaches support the core clientele of a competitive youth program: the climbers on the team and their parents. Originally published on The Short Beta website, the essays in this series cover myriad topics that are relevant to youth climbers and their families, from the non-physical side of climbing to redpoint/onsite comp formats and isolation. We encourage you to read, print and share these resources with your team; all we ask is that you give proper credit when doing so.
Intro by Naomi Stevens
This season’s Bouldering Divisionals wrapped up last weekend in the U.S., but there’s still plenty of youth climbing competitions on the calendar to get psyched about and prepare for. Many important competitions, such as USA Climbing’s Regional and Divisional Championships, use the Onsight—also referred to as Isolation—competition format, which requires athletes to stay in Isolation, or “Iso.” Because only select individuals are allowed to enter Isolation with the athletes, it is important for athletes and coaches to understand the rules for Iso, as well as strategies for using the time wisely. Below is a summary of general rules, tips and common practices for surviving Iso—written by Silas and Jason Chang and originally published on The Short Beta website—that can help the youth climbers on your team get ready for the big day.
Iso: What It Is and How to Survive It
Authored by Silas and Jason Chang
[Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this article was first published on The Short Beta website in 2019.]
Isolation a.k.a. “Iso” /eye-so/
In order for onsight climbing competitions to work, climbers must not see the climbs or anyone climbing on them until it’s their turn. In other words, they have to compete without having seen or heard other people’s beta (the sequences and solutions for a particular climb). Competitions achieve that fairness by having athletes check into an isolation area, where they have no access to internet-connected devices or people who have even seen the climbs.
Here’s the crazy part: For events like USA Climbing’s Youth Regionals, each division can have up to 26 participants, with about 4-6 minutes of climbing per athlete, which results in some athletes getting stuck in Iso for multiple hours. If you have an 8-year-old youth D climber, a long isolation with no parents can be very challenging.
Let us be your guide on how to help the youth crushers on your team survive Iso and be ready to climb even after multiple hours.
Iso Open/Close Times
With an onsight competition, climbers usually have a one-hour window to get to the isolation area. If a climber is one of the first ten climbers to be called, they should aim to get to Iso toward the beginning of the check-in window. If a climber is toward the end of the running order, they do not have to be in Iso immediately. IMPORTANT: Do not be late. If you show up after Iso closes, you will not be allowed in. This rule is strict, yes, but it’s there to protect the integrity of the onsight round. Give yourself some buffer time.
Call Times
Every climber in an onsight competition climbs at a certain time in the comp. A running order for that competition is usually posted a couple days before the comp. On the running order next to the climber’s name will be a call time, which is the time that the climber needs to be ready to leave Iso and climb. There will usually be a clock in Iso, so that you can keep track of time. A useful tactic is to write the climber’s call time on their arm with a sharpie or pen and make sure they know where the clock is. IMPORTANT: If you miss your chair time, that’s it, you’re done. Pay attention.
Climbing Gear
Check to see if your climber has their climbing shoes, a full chalk bag and—if it is a sport climbing comp—a harness. You don’t want to be climbing in a comp with rental gear! Personal brushes are not currently allowed, so maybe take them out of the bag.
What athletes will want to have in their bag is a first-aid kit. If climbers get scraped up badly enough during a comp and are actively bleeding, the judges will hold them from climbing until they can self-patch that wound. So, be sure your climber packs a blowout kit. Get a ziplock and fill it with an assortment of bandaids, as well as some skin-friendly cleaning wipes. They’ll have to seal that leaky flesh wound fast to get back on the wall in the time they have left.
Food & Water
Once the Iso running order is released, you will know how long and when your climber will be in Isolation. If a climber is only in Iso for an hour, you may only want to bring some light snacks. If a climber is in Iso for more than two hours, or is in Iso around lunchtime, you might want to pack some more substantial snacks or even a full meal. Also, coaches will say to give them healthy food, which is good, but don’t give them unfamiliar things they won’t eat. Lastly, put it all in sealed containers to keep chalk off food. And hand sanitizer is always a must.
Clothing
Athletes should always know when and where they are climbing and what the temps might be like. You don’t want them wasting energy trying to keep warm. Bring extra layers for warming up and keeping warm between climbs.
Games
Often a climber will be stuck in Iso for multiple hours. This wait leaves a lot of time for playing games and hanging out with friends. The best games are fast and compact because they will be more portable, and ones where players can switch in and out of the game quickly if they need to start warming up. Some suggestions include Exploding Kittens, Uno, Resistance, Sushi Go or classic playing cards. Some climbers bring kendamas, Rubik’s Cubes and hacky sacks to keep themselves occupied and burn time. You could also make them bring their homework…
Reading
If a climber prefers to find a quiet corner and read, have them bring a good book.
Banned Electronics
Communication in and out of Iso is always prohibited because someone could relay pictures of the competition routes for climbers to preview, resulting in an unfair advantage. Therefore, all electronics with internet connection are not allowed. An iPod without internet capability is allowed for warming up, but you are forbidden from listening to music while you are climbing the competition routes. I guess this sentence should be obvious, but no walkie talkies, cans on a string, smoke signals, etc.
Warming Up
A climber should start warming up around an hour before their climb time and stop 10-15 minutes before their call time. A coach will usually handle warm-up climbing, but it helps to be ready to warm up. (This part really differs from climber to climber, so try and tailor warm-up routines based on practice performance.)
Mental Game
Everyone’s style of competing is different. Some people need to be actively climbing to be less nervous, others need rest and concentration. In the end, if an athlete is not sure how to approach it, encourage them to treat the comp as if it were a regular climbing day and to have fun with it. If you love dynos, try to do some in Iso to get your psyche up. Do what makes you smile, while also being ready for the styles that you find less fun (*cough*slab*cough*).
Buddies
If you have a younger or less experienced team climber in Youth D, find them a buddy to hang out with, or make sure a coach is going to be there to keep tabs on them. The younger kids get pretty squirrely.
Packing Up
Around 5 minutes before a climber’s call time, they should pack up their bag. They need to have everything packed by their call time, because once they exit Isolation, they are not permitted to re-enter the Iso area. If you forget your sneakers, you’re not getting them back until every last climber has cleared out of Iso.
Final Thoughts
And lastly, here’s some advice for new competitors:
From Emily, Female Youth B competitor:
“Iso is like eating healthy. At first it’s a new, fun experience, then it gets kind of boring and you have to spice it up. But afterward, you feel really good about what you accomplished. So…
Emily’s 10 Ways to Make Iso Spicy!
1: Just because you’re in isolation doesn’t mean you have to be isolated. WOOOO TEAM!
2: Bring lots of games.
3: Bring lots of food.
Uhh, that’s it. I guess it’s only 3 ways to make Iso spicy. Wait, I can make four:
4: Be sure to check 1, 2 and 3.”
Thanks, Emily!
From Asher, Male Youth B competitor:
“Get on the wall from time to time, and hang out with friends to keep from getting stressed out.”
Good stuff, Asher.
This one’s from us:
“If you make lots of friends at your gym and others, then every Iso will be a party!”
From Amy and Camden, climbing moms:
“Climbing tape, bandaids, nail clippers, back-up climbing shoes and pen/paper (in case you want to take notes if they do a route preview).”
From Lily, Female Youth C Competitor:
“The climbing essentials: deck of cards, snacks, water and a positive attitude!”
Definitely that last one.
