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.