EKOS

Humans can't hover, we aren't just floating in space, they are touching the Earth. 🟩EKOS (which is inspired by the concept of "Ecosystem", since the "eco" is Greek for home or environment).

EKOS refers to the environment—the surroundings in which a task is performed. It is distinct from the Klimber and the tools one uses. EKOS is composed strictly of tangible materials.

Solid elements like rock, wood, plants, and the plastics used in modern climbing holds constitute these materials. Air and rain, while present in the environment, are not considered materials in this context. These materials collectively form the specific setting for the activity: the climbing wall at the gym, the outdoor crag, or the competition stage.

The environment is the fundamental physical reality that the Klimber interacts with using their body and tools, providing the context and potential challenges for the LABOR or a Klimber's BETA.

EKONs are the elements of EKOS, all of which possess texture—qualities such as smoothness, roughness, sharpness, wetness, or hardness. These materials may also deform under stress, such as flexing holds in a climbing gym. Whether these materials are natural, like earth-formed rock, or artificial, like human-made plastics, they can share identical textures.

Texture is critical because it directly influences movement (MOTOR) and pathfinding (VIA). Friction, for instance, a direct result of texture, is necessary to keep a contact point stable. While actions (Aktions) can be performed on even the most slippery surfaces, the success of the movement depends heavily on understanding the material properties. Surface characteristics—geometry, texture, temperature, friability, and malleability—are all aspects of the EKOS that dictate how we interact with it.

It is essential to consider one's experience of the EKOS because these material properties determine what actions the environment allows (affordances). Functionally equivalent materials—for example, a hollow or solid hold that flexes identically—are experienced the same way and afford the same Aktions, making their internal structure irrelevant to the labor at hand.

Climbing conditions, primarily weather and temperature, significantly affect difficulty; sending a route in humid summer weather is substantially harder than in optimal autumn temperatures. These conditions directly influence the environment (EKOS), which setters manipulate to force specific Aktions. Setters use familiar hold shapes, or the natural features of rock surfaces and sites, to guide movement. The orientation of a hold is always relative to the Klimber's position.

Tools are part of LABOR, they extend an athlete's body to perform Aktions on EKOS.

• Hammer
• Clothing
• Carabiner
• Rope
• Harness
• Helmet
• Belay Device

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🛠

• Overhang isn't Ekos, it's VIA