What's going on here?

Check out the video from 1:40 - 2:05.

epictv.com/content/one-day-…’ll-stop-today-not-day-epictv

It seems like he's throwing sand? to clean/create texture... and then reinforcing small holds with glue?? I've never seen anything like this. Is it common practice in cleaning a route/problem or... whats going on here?

I'm only guessing, but it looks like he was repairing a hole or something. Like maybe he pulled a bolt and was filling in the hole. And so to make sure it didn't result in just a patch of hardened glue, he added sand to make it blend into the rock and not look unsightly?

Wilson On The Drums wrote:Is it common practice in cleaning a route/problem or... whats going on here?

Check out the holds at most crags. No matter where you live, if it's a classic, someone has probably hidden a little epoxy in it.

In the case of that video, it looks like smashing "choss" off the route, and filling in old bolt holes. Without the sand, the old hole will just look like a little cement plug, with the sand, you might not notice it.

seemed like this was on a boulder though... not a route. to me it looked like he was cleaning the holds with sand? and then using epoxy to reinforce them.

Sometimes it takes creativity to ensure a route goes, without it being obvious. I'd be willing to bet you've climbed on more enhanced and modified routes than you realize. A route that manifests itself with no need for cleaning, pruning, or reinforcement isn't rare, but it's not common either. Just enjoy the climbing and all the work that was done to ensure you had something to climb that was worth climbing. Idealism is easy, putting up good routes isn't.