What is up everybody, Mani here. In this Analytic Bouldering episode I break down one of the problems I set at the Newton boulder gym in Kapfenberg (Styria) — a white 7A/+ that’s slopey, technical, and kind of slabby/vertical in the most annoying way. It’s the perfect example of how “easy looking” climbing is usually just good decisions: open doors, barn doors, dropping vs flagging, and managing momentum instead of fighting it. I show the intended bait at the start (that drop-knee vibe), and then the smoother solution I found: flagging to the left hold first so you land in the sidepull position immediately and avoid the awkward foot switch. From there it’s all about body positioning before the dynamic bump to the pyramid volume — if your body axis is set farther away from the target, you get less swing, and suddenly the hold becomes… holdable. The crux is the barn door: I demonstrate how stepping with the toe tip (not the side of the shoe) lets you “barn door your way over” the foothold without skating. Finally, you escape the sidepull prison with a left heel hook so you can release the hand and stick the weird down-facing top sloper. Stay strong and free somewhere out there.