Erik Heldmann

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PERSONAL DETAILS

Hey, I'm Erik Heldmann, 26 years old, and I live near Frankfurt. Since 2020, I've been working as the head route setter at the "Studio Bloc" climbing gyms, and I also work as a freelance route setter, traveling beyond the borders of Germany, mostly for competitions.

Some of the highlights of my route-setter career so far include:

- Traveling to Hong Kong in 2023 as the head-setter for the "Hong Kong National Selections."
- Setting routes for athletes from over forty nations in the finals, semifinals, and qualifiers of the "Studio Bloc Masters."

For me, being a route setter is not just a job. It presents new challenges every time, and no day is the same. It also allows me to interact with climbers from all over the world and stay up to date with the latest trends.

When I'm not building new "problems" on the walls of a climbing gym, I usually spend my free time in the high mountains of the Alps. In mid-2023, I was able to achieve the feat of climbing all the 4000-meter peaks in the Alps, making me one of the youngest people to do so. In this project, the focus was not only on reaching the summits but also on the journey itself.

For instance, I was able to climb some mountains via rarely traveled routes. One highlight was definitely the "Peuterey Integral" as well as the "Picco Luigi Amadeo," which I ascended via the Piller Rouge.

Even though I successfully completed the project "82ofthealps" in 2023, the mountains will continue to draw me in. There are still plenty of peaks to explore.

ROUTESETTING

In 2018, I started route setting. Initially in the lead climbing area, with the goal of creating my own projects. However, over time, I specialized in boulder route setting. In 2019, under the guidance of Robert Lux (formerly Heinrich, IFSC Chief Setter), I continued to develop and professionalize my route-setting skills.

Since the beginning of 2021, I have been coordinating the entire route-setting process as the head route setter at the "Studio Bloc" bouldering gyms. In addition to "regular" route setting, I am responsible for all tasks that come with being a head route setter (customer feedback discussions, organization and training of the route setting team, training new setters, ordering holds, and more).

I have also made a name for myself as a freelance route setter beyond the borders of Germany. I am often traveling to competitions. Some highlights include:

- Chief-setter at the "Hong Kong National Selection" 2023 (Hong Kong)
- Studio Blocmasters Finals/Semi-finals 2023 (Germany)
- Chief-setter at the Sao Rock Competition 2023 (Portugal)
- Setting routes for the "Deutschlandcups" in several locations, as well as the 2023 finals (Germany)
Full list...

Even though I have already had the opportunity to set over 5000 boulder problems, I still thoroughly enjoy challenging climbers with new obstacles. It is important to me to provide both professional athletes and beginners with a special experience.

Through constant exchange with international athletes and route-setters from around the world, I am able to stay up-to-date with the trends in competition and commercial route-setting and implement them accordingly.

As a route-setter, it is a special privilege to be able to give back to the climbing community and ensure that people can continue to engage in the greatest of all sports.

Mountaineering

Since my earliest childhood, I have always spent my vacations in the mountains with my family. The fascination for the mountains gripped me here and has never let go since. After focusing on sport climbing for some time, I started to concentrate more on mountaineering again in 2017. In 2017, I climbed my first 4,000-meter peak and spent the summers primarily in the Western Alps from that year on. For 2021, I set myself the goal of climbing the remaining 20 out of the 48 4,000-meter peaks in Switzerland. After a beautiful summer in the mountains with great tours like the Schreckhorn-Lauteraarhorn Traverse, I climbed the Aletschhorn, the last 4,000-meter peak in Switzerland. From that moment on, my main focus shifted to the project of climbing all the 4,000-meter peaks in the Alps.

However, due to a knee operation at the end of 2021, this goal was momentarily uncertain. Because of a long rehabilitation break, I started the mountain season in 2022 a bit late.

Nevertheless, I managed to climb an additional 30 4,000-meter peaks in the same year.

Highlights included the Grandes Jorasses Traverse, the Aiguille Verte via the "Grande Montet" ridge, and the "Teufelsgrat" on Mont Blanc du Tacul.

By the end of 2022, I still had four summits left:

- I climbed "Les Droites" in June 2023 from the Cuvercle Hut.
- The 2 summits on the Peuterey Ridge. The Peuterey Ridge is considered the longest ridge in the Alps when crossed as we did with the Aiguille Noire (Peuterey Integral). This tour was certainly one of, if not the most demanding tour I have had the opportunity to climb so far. On the first day, we climbed to the summit of Aiguille Noir and bivouacked there. On the second day, we rappelled 400 meters from Aiguille Noire and traversed the "Dames Anglaise" and the "Aiguille Blanche de Peuterey" (one of the two missing 4,000-meter peaks on the Peuterey Ridge) to reach Col de Peuterey. We spent a stormy night there and ascended the "Grand Pilier d'Angle" (the second missing 4,000-meter peak) the next day. From there, we continued to Mont Blanc.
- The last remaining 4,000-meter peak was the "Picco Luigi Amadeo." We climbed it via the "Bonatti-Ogioni" route on Piller Rouge. Also located on the south side of Mont Blanc, this tour was characterized by absolute solitude, brittle rock, and a sharp snow ridge. It was a perfect conclusion to the "4,000-meter Project." It was even more beautiful to be accompanied by "Epic TV," who filmed this ascent.

With the completion of this project, a long-held dream came true.

Let's see what's coming next 😉