Five minutes with … SendLAB.

Thanks to Thara Supasiti for taking the time to answer some questions

What services does SendLAB provide?

SendLab provides both coaching and route-setting services to any and all indoor bouldering gyms.

Could you please tell us a bit about your background in climbing and training, and about the history of SendLAB?

I first started climbing toward the end of 2009 when I needed an outlet from my PhD. I deep-dived into traditional climbing and, since then, have progressively migrated toward sport climbing and bouldering. During this time, I developed a love for exploring movement, which sparked my interest in route-setting. I have been route-setting on and off for around 5 years now, and have been working in the climbing industry for about 4.

As I started to challenge myself more in climbing, I came to realise that climbing more doesn’t necessarily make you a better climber. While quantity is important, it is quality that counts. This message was really driven home to me after suffering numerous injuries, especially from my poorly thought out training programs. So, with this in mind, I started to read about what athletes in other sports do to train to see what I could adapt to climbing. One of the most important things that I took on board with my training is the idea of having a climbing ‘practice’, instead of a ‘work-out’. That is, instead of fatigue-seeking, I seek quality. I like to think that I’m a much stronger climber now because of this.

I started SendLab as a vehicle to not only share my thoughts on training, but also, after having seen so many people getting injured (including myself), I wanted to try lower the risk of injury. Over time, SendLab’s focus has shifted toward route-setting as I have become more and more curious about movement.

What are your plans for SendLAB, both during lockdown and for the future?

As I haven’t been able to train people or route-set during lockdown, SendLab has started taking a look at something new. It’s a secret for now …

Contacts and social media details?

FB: https://www.facebook.com/sendlab.climbing
IG: https://www.instagram.com/sendlab/
WWW: https://www.sendlabclimbing.com/