Culture

Art Seen: The choreography of climbing

How Seattle's rock wall designers make boulder decisions

Art Seen: The choreography of climbing
Photographer and climber Austin Siadak tests the moves on a new route at the Seattle Bouldering Project. 
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Matt M. McKnight

When you step inside a climbing gym, you are immediately surrounded by colorful plastic holds, but who decides where each goes? A team of setters at the Seattle Bouldering Project, featuring Chad Walker and Lauren Lyon, pulls back the curtain to reveal the hidden inspiration and motivation for creating aesthetically appealing climbs that challenge the mind and body.

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Matt M. McKnight

By Matt M. McKnight

Matt is formerly a visual journalist at Crosscut, where he covered a variety of political, social and environmental issues around the Pacific Northwest. Before Crosscut, he was a news photo editor at