Joey is the co-founder and owner of his own hold company, called Ocelot Grips, out of Oregon. But Ocelot Grips is the end product, or at least the current end, of many, many years of Joey working in the industry as a hold shaper. He has designed and shaped holds for a lot of different brands over the years. He gets into his story in more detail in this episode, but he also offers some fascinating insights on his artistic philosophy for shapes and how that works in conjunction with his philosophy for functionality in shapes. Because hold shaping is like routesetting in that sense; it’s partially an artistic craft as well as a utilitarian or commercial craft. Art, commerce, functionality—it's all wrapped up in the life of a hold shaper. And, as a longtime shaper and setter, Joey is a great guest for riffing on all of those finer points of the craft.

General Topics Covered

• Introduction and Industry Status
• Joey's Background and Entry into Climbing
• Oregon's Significance to Hold Shaping
• Hold Design Philosophy and Learning Experiences
• Aesthetics vs. Function in Hold Design
• Founding Ocelot Grips
• Current Work and Future Plans

• Ocelot Grips
• Ocelot Grips Instagram: @ocelotgrips

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And thank you Devin Dabney for your music!