Petr Andrla
professional route-setter, versatile sport climber and boulderer
ABOUT PETR
I work as a professional route setter for indoor climbing gyms. When I'm not setting at climbing gyms across Europe, I spend all of my free time in crags.
Besides climbing, I enjoy playing the guitar—especially while relaxing at the crag.
SHOOT A QUESTION
- Warm up or warming up by climbing? Warm-up is a must - I'm not 20 anymore.
- Coffee or matcha? Espresso.
- Climb in silence or with music? Silence in the crags, rock music in the gym.
- Pull ups or hanging? Neither. I'd rather be sitting in something hard that's a challenge just to find out the beta.
- Favourite snack in the crags? Pasta and a big pile of vegetables.
- Lead or boulder? Lead.
- Alone or with group? Just the two of us. It's a bit harder to get good photos that way.
- Static or dyno? Static for photos, dynamic for climbing. But I guess you weren't asking about ropes, haha. So definitely dynamic—it saves energy.
5 QUESTIONS FOR PETR
1. What's your biggest f**k up in your climbing life?
After setting routes, I was climbing through them all. I'd already sent every route and started untying. Then I remembered I'd set one more on the other side of the gym that morning. I moved the rope over, grabbed the holds and made the first move—only then did I realize I'd already untied about three quarters of my figure-eight knot. So never skip your safety check!
2. If you could pick anyone from the climbing history or the present climbers, who would you love to go climb with and why?
I'm happiest climbing with my Danuška. As for climbing legends, we bump into them every day at our home gym in Bratislava. But I'd love to see Igor Koller climbing the classic Dolomite route "Via del Pesce" in football boots.
3. What is your dream line?
I don't really have a dream project right now. If I see a route that looks interesting, I just give it a go because I'm curious about the moves. Once I've climbed it, it loses a bit of its mystery.
4. What's your favourite part of being in the Rafiki team?
I enjoy how diverse and international the team is. And it's been great watching the brand evolve over the years—I've been with Rafiki for a long time, and it's made a huge leap forward.
5. What's your advice for the climbers of all levels?
Stop overthinking and put in the work! And if you feel like you've hit a plateau - shameless plug - give coaching a try. Having someone else's perspective can be incredibly valuable.
