The 2014 Grip List

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Photo: ETCH FB
ETCH

9. ETCH

The old ETCH can be described in three words: would’ve, could’ve, should’ve. When ETCH came on the seen in the early 00’s they where one of the hottest brands to hit the walls. Their holds such as the Big Worm, Heuco Flake and just about every hold in their line were at the top of every setters favorite hold list. They were known for their smooth, simple shapes and their slogan “Only mother nature makes better shapes” was not too off the mark.

After the company moved from Baltimore (ETCH once stood for Earth Treks Climbing Holds) to Utah and teamed up with ClimbingHolds.com the brand started to stagnate and released very few new shapes, although those shapes were still really, really good. Their original holds were still available online, but the brand was effectively dead.

But after a 3-year hiatus ETCH is coming back! They plan to double their line by spring of 2014 and as ETCH’s new owner, Justen Hawks tells CBJ, they will “trim the fat so to speak on the existing series.”

Their return is one of the most anticipated events for routesetters in the coming year.