wait longer for new routes that
they can climb. Setting grade
ranges, especially when setting hard routes, is not the most
efficient way to use individual
setters’ strengths. Setting around
other routes on the wall makes it
difficult to use or move volumes
or large, feature-type holds.
At the University of Minnesota
climbing gym, we reset sections every Sunday and host
one climbing competition each
semester to help rearrange all
the holds. I have found this to be
a good balance, but there is no
perfect solution, and I am always
trying new things. Play around
with route turnover to find what
works best for your gym.
Setting often allows new setters to
get the requisite practice for skill
development. Many setters at college climbing gyms are students
with little or no prior experience.
Student setters generally have
two to three years at the gym. For
example, if a climbing gym resets
at the beginning of each semester
and for one competition each
year, the average setter will have
16
only six to nine opportunities to
set in his or her college career. If,
instead, a gym sets some routes
every two weeks during the
school year, setters will have 28 to
42 setting opportunities. The more
often routes are turned over, the
more experience setters develop,
which leads to higher quality
routes.
Setting Assignments
During each reset, creating route
assignments maintains the gym’s
grade distribution. This can be
as simple as making a list of the
grade and quantity of routes that
need to be set and letting setters
select the routes they want. On
the other end of the spectrum,
managers may choose to assign
each setter specific routes with
a desired grade and style. Setting assignments can be a tool
to change setting culture and
develop skills. Experienced setters
and strong climbers generally
choose to set hard routes, while
newer setters are left to set the
easy routes. In terms of the gym’s
quality, easy to intermediate
routes are the most important,
AORE Outdoor Insider | Fall 2015
because they see the most traffic
and affect the learning of newer
climbers. By assigning experienced setters a mix of easy and
hard routes, managers can establish the importance of setting for
the gym’s users rather than setters’ personal interests. Similarly,
setters gravitate toward styles of
routes that match their strengths.
This is not how one learns to be
a better setter. If, for example,
a setter usually sets powerful
routes on overhangs, assigning
the setter a technical route on a
vertical wall will push him or her
to try new things and develop a
repertoire of movements. Still,
maintaining the gym’s grade
distribution is the most important
outcome of setting assignments.
Route Grades
There are three options for communicating route difficulty to the
users at a climbing gym: specific
YDS of V-Scale grades for each
route, grade ranges, and circuits.
Specific grades: Every route
in the gym has a specific grade
assigned to it, just like you would