Setting routes and boulder problems

In a commercial rock climbing wall environment, routes and boulder problems should be viewed as one of the main products a gym offers. Like food at a restaurant, quality will determine how people feel about your facility. Even the desperate to climb will lack motivation when faced with a bad "buffet".
What follows is a basic guide to setting routes and boulder problems. It describes a style of setting that uses ladders and is often much quicker than setting routes move by move on a self belay. We'll explain how to build a "skeleton" of your route first and then show you how to add "meat" and then fine tune your creation.

The SKELETON
1. Choose an approximate grade that you would like to end up with and think about what type of climbers will be on your rock climbing wall. This will help you determine what types of moves and sequences are appropriate. Now draw an imaginary line the route will follow from start to finish. This can range from subtle movement from side to side, to tricky traverses that really wander. Straight up is BORING, however make sure you don't go to crazy with your line or people will be swinging all over the place. As the route gets closer to the anchors, cut back on this sideways movement to prevent violent pendulums and interference of the top-rope set up. Be sure to consider how a climber on your route will affect/be affected by climbers on neighboring routes.
2. Using duct tape and ladders, layout the line on your rock climbing wall with right and left hand positions from start to finish. Don't worry about the feet for now. As you tape up the route think about what styles of moves you can have to attain the next climbing hold. By styles, I mean a combination of two key elements; Grip type (crimp, sloper, pinch, pocket ...etc) and the associated move (side pull, under cling , gaston, lock-off...etc) the upper body will do. You can "mime" the movement to help create these different sequences and get an idea of what is an acceptable distance to the next climbing hold. Try to lay out a line that has many transitions from hold to hold, rather than long pulls. This will get you more individual moves per vertical feet and big bonus points for technical quality. "Party trick" moves like dyno's and figure 4's are better left to boulder problems. Be sure to include a variety of grip type and movement. A route that has a little bit of everything will demand a broader range of skills from each climber and will give your rock climbing wall more character.
ADD the MEAT
3. Now it is time to select the climbing holds for your route and make your moves work nicely. Choosing the right holds is critical. There are many things to consider when digging through your stock of holds for the best shapes. The two most important factors are size and grip type. You need to select the size of holds that will keep your route in the range of the pre-determined difficulty/grade. An important element of a great climbing wall route is its level of sustained difficulty. No one likes climbing 3/4 of the way up a flowing 5.9 just to get spanked by a 5.10d crux! As mentioned before, you also need a variety of grip types, so include a few from each style. You should also pay attention to the aesthetics of different shapes. Colors and textures will affect how people feel about your creation. Grab 10 to 15 more holds than you think you need and lay them out at the base of your rock climbing wall with the proper bolts in them. Now start attaching your climbing holds to the taped skeleton from bottom to top. Choose the holds that will work best for each intended move. When trying to force sequences, remember that it should make sense for a climber to do it the way you intended. Reward a climber by giving them a slightly better hold to grip when they get in the right position. Punish them for skipping sequences by choosing climbing holds that are oriented to be right or left hand specific. Remember, there will always be a dough-head climber who on-sights routes 3 grades harder than what you have set and will skip stuff. Consider your sequence a success if it is easier to do the move the way you set it, rather than to skip something.

ADD the FEET (skin?)
4. Footholds and their placement can make or break a quality route. Remember that some of the best climbers in the world have amazing footwork and a indoor rock climbing wall is a great place to develop it for the rest of us. Don't rush this part. Start by grabbing your foot chip bucket and pull out a pile of climbing holds that will work with your desired grade. Bolt them up and throw 'em in an empty chalk bag. Once again "mime" each move of your route on the ladder and add tape and foot chips where you need them. If climbers use the footholds in the correct order, they should be able to maintain a balanced position and flow from move to move. Remember that there may be some shorter climbers on your route and we all know that reaches SUCK! So add extra feet if you think they're required. Although you may not get the feet perfect this way, the foot chips will be in the general area and when you tune the route you can make the necessary adjustments quickly.

Hair and Make-up
5. O.K., Now it's time to finish things off and tune your route. Grab your shoes and warm-up enough to handle your creation. Many setters agree that it is best to tune your route all at once rather than move by move as you set it. This will help you judge the routes consistency and level of sustained climbing. It's also WAY FASTER and will help you stay motivated throughout the setting process. Setting routes move by move as you climb often burns out this motivation 3/4 of the way up a rock climbing wall, and leads to rushing the final moves. When tuning there a many things to consider and a few ascents may be required. Start by simply climbing your route from start to finish. Assess the route's sustained difficulty, taking note of where moves suddenly feel much harder, or easier, than the preceding sequences. Generally the route should flow nicely without to much range in difficulty. Many competition route setters like to slightly and steadily increase the level of difficulty as the climber moves higher. This can demand more focus on technique as a climber tires. Letting routes get to easy as they continue is poor practice. Get your wrenches back out and make the necessary adjustments to the orientation, placement or size of climbing holds to make things feel right. That means smooooth. Even powerful sequences should look controlled when done properly by climbers. I often find that rather than switching a handhold that feels to big or to small, I can adjust the size or placement of a foot chip with more success. It also makes people pay more attention to their feet. Remember that even if they fall, a climber who usually climbs routes at the grade you are trying to set, should be able to do all the moves without feeling stumped by any one section. After making these adjustments and testing them out, it is time to make sure that there are no climbing holds out of reach for shorter climbers. I don't mean KIDS! Unless your rock climbing wall caters to them, in which case you would have been setting with them in mind from the start! There are a few ways of checking routes for reachy moves. If you are taller (5'10" and up), climb the route and try to reach each climbing hold with your elbow. Remember that short folk can use higher feet and compact themselves into tighter spaces, but those "feet" need to exist. If you are a little shorter than 5'10", use your mid-forearm for the reach test. Shorter than that? You probably don't have much to worry about it. I'll often get the shortest climber around to run up the route to see how they do. Sometimes they can just reach holds, but because of the climber's orientation, they may not be able to move off it. This is common with "iron cross" and "gaston" type moves, so be careful.

Watch others.
6. Just because the ladders, wrenches and climbing holds have been put away, it does not mean you cannot make anymore adjustments to your climbing wall. Watch how a variety of climbers move through your sequences. If many people are falling in the same spot, you've got a major crux. Are people always skipping a certain sequence? They have probably found the smartest way through he route. Ask climbers what they think of the route. You will learn a lot by this and future routes will benefit from it.

Setting BOULDER PROBLEMS.

Boulder problems are a little easier to set than routes because most of the work can be done without running up and down a ladder. Fill in the base of your indoor rock climbing wall with boulder problems, and take full advantage of wall real estate. Bouldering uses the same skeleton & meat approach as with full length routes, but keep your climbing shoes on and test out moves as you go. As mentioned, roped routes feel better when a variety of movement, holds and grip styles are used. However, Boulder problems are often more fun when set with a theme in mind. For example, setting a problem using only climbing holds such as sick slopers. If you want to get stronger at a particular skill, there is no better way than to set a problem which demands it. Deadpoints and Dyno's are better suited for boulder problems as well. Just be sure the climber's safety is considered with regards to how they will be oriented when the fall. Getting really twisted high on a problem is a recipe for a busted leg or tweaked back. Missing a season of climbing is not worth it!!