EP Climbing

The 2014 Grip List

Photo: UP FB
Urban Plastic

3. Urban Plastix

Urban Plastic has been in business since 2011 when co-owner and shaper Peter Juhl asked the New York-based climbing gym Brooklyn Boulders for seed money and support. Ever since then Urban Plastix has been on a tear. Their holds have quickly risen to become one of the most sought after brands in the hold room.

Juhl’s shaping is refreshing for its creativity and we applaud him for stepping away from the tried and true pro-shapers that every other company seems to be using. Of course not every hold in the line is a winner. Setters told us that UP still has a few remnants from their early days hanging around that look great but climb less than perfect.

Even with that said just about every other hold in the UP line is spectacular. Stand outs include the new Stealth line of crimps, slopers and feet which are flawless; other series to buy now are the Bumps, Bricks and the Squeeze pinches. We would be remiss if we failed to mention the amazingly well crafted Tremor pinch feature. A few setters have expressed a wish for Juhl to expand on the Tremor line; with its awesome aesthetics and great climbability we expect this to come true.

With a hold line that is still relatively small but very high quality we hope UP can keep the momentum of the previous years and move on to become one of the great hold brands in the US.

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