CWA Blog Archive-One Small Step (Or How A Close Call Changed My Routesetting Life)

One Small Step (Or How A Close Call Changed My Routesetting Life)

Pdf Summary

This first-person article shares how a close call transformed the author's approach to routesetting safety. The author opens with their deep roots in the craft: they started climbing about 28 years ago when there were no climbing gyms around, so their dad built them a little steep woody where their love for routesetting and climbing holds was born. Today they're a self-described routesetting nerd, gear freak, and hold-aficionado, passionate about every aspect of routesetting except maybe cleaning holds, loving the workout and exhaustion after a day on the rope and watching members enjoy the routes they set. As long as members are happy, they're happy. The author has also taught routesetting for almost 8 years, which they note is becoming progressively more important as the industry grows: more gyms mean more routes and boulders must be set more often, and people need to know the fundamentals of all aspects of routesetting to create great customer experiences that keep members coming back. Reflecting on Germany, they note climbing gym growth really picked up pace only in the last 15 years (the text continues toward the close call and its safety lessons). The throughline is that even a passionate, experienced routesetter can have a safety close call that fundamentally changes their approach, underscoring that routesetting safety and proper fundamentals matter more than ever as the industry grows and demands more setting. The author establishes deep credibility and love for the craft, nearly three decades in climbing, a childhood woody built by their dad, years of setting and teaching, to frame the significance of a close call that changed their routesetting life. That framing signals that no level of experience or passion makes a setter immune to safety risks, and that a single frightening incident can and should reshape how one approaches the work. The connection to industry growth is key: as more gyms demand more frequent setting, more people are setting, making it essential that everyone knows the fundamentals across all aspects of routesetting, including safety. For setters, the article uses the author's personal close call to drive home that routesetting safety deserves serious, ongoing attention, that experience breeds complacency risk, and that teaching and learning proper fundamentals is vital both for creating great climbing experiences and for protecting the setters themselves as the industry's setting demands intensify.

Asset Caption

A routesetter's first-person account of how a safety close call transformed their approach. Despite nearly 28 years in climbing, deep passion, and 8 years teaching setting, the author found a single frightening incident reshaped their routesetting life, underscoring that safety and proper fundamentals matter more than ever as industry growth demands more setting from more people.