Routesetting
This is a new section of our webpage and is currently under construction. Thanks to one of our climbers for the suggestion of adding this page.
Routesetting is the process of putting climbing holds on the wall to create a route or “problem” for climbers to solve. Without routesetting, you would be climbing the same thing over and over again. Changing routes keeps the climbing terrain fresh, provides new challenges for our climbers, and gives us a chance to pressure wash all of the old chalk and skins cells our climbers have graced us with.
Our setting team draws from a variety of experiences, whether from outdoor climbing or other indoor gym climbs they have experienced. The goal is to have something for everybody, knowing that there are a wide variety of body types and heights that all deserve great climbs. A setter's focus on any single route may vary from pure enjoyment to technical problem solving to furthering a specific movement pattern. From time to time a setter may focus on a certain aesthetic or competition-style route. Regardless the process is a collaborative one from start to finish, often including feedback from our members.
Schedule
We set routes weekly on Thursday evenings, alternating between the boulder area and the ropes area. Setters typically start stripping walls around 5:30pm but that can change depending on the expected difficulty of the set and sometimes because of the setters’ schedules. Competitions and similar events can also affect the schedule.
We have just updated our wall calendar in the gym and are adding the monthly set schedule to the calendar. Check out the big glass whiteboard at the based of the stairs.
Fun Facts
At any given time, there are about 120 rope routes and about 70 boulder problems on our walls.
On ropes, our setters set top down. They don’t start at the bottom of the wall and go up. Weird, huh?
Depending on the terrain (e.g. overhung) and the difficulty, each route can take between 1.5-3.5 hours to set.
Boulder routes take about half as long. Why? First, they are shorter. Second, they can be set from ladders instead of ropes, which makes it faster.
FAQs
How long does a route stay on the wall?
Based on our weekly setting schedule alternating between the boulder and the ropes, the lifespan of a rope route is about 6 months or so and for boulder routes, about 2.5 months. Times can very depending factors like competitions and unforeseen events.
How do setters come up with their routes?
Routesetting is a process and every route is unique. Setters are given grade/difficulty assignments each week. From there, they pick out their holds and form a vision of what the route will look like in their helmeted head. Maybe they get inspiration from an outdoor route? Maybe they build a climb around a particular move or movement? But that inspiration is the the basis for putting holds on the wall, spacing them out, and figuring out their orientation. They place holds, they tweak placements, they test movement. Once the route is UP, the route is tested by climber or setter - this is called forerunning. Forerunning feedback results in final tweaks to adjust the grade or maybe the route to make it match a grade.
What determines a route’s difficulty?
Route difficulty is based on a number of factors including hold type & position, hold spacing, usable surfaces, foothold placement, wall angle, route length, and difficulty of movement. For example, the same route on a slabby wall (that means vertical or sloping slightly away) will be easier than on an overhung wall (that means sloping towards), which puts more pressure on the hands to stay on wall. The total grade is the addition or perhaps multiplication of all of those factors put together.
