CWA Blog Archive-Routesetting Industry Data Survey Why You Should Contribute

Routesetting Industry Data Survey Why You Should Contribute

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This sponsored piece from Vortex Routesetting rallies gym workers to contribute to its relaunched Routesetting Industry Data Survey, then in its final stretch before findings are presented. Vortex is Foxman McCarthy-James and Justin Wright, who first began formally collecting routesetting data in 2019 while traveling for competitions and guest setting. The origin story is relatable: everywhere they went, setters were having the same conversations, how many boulders are you setting a day, do you have a lift, who washes the holds, does the gym provide equipment, how much are you paid, do you have healthcare. Realizing everyone was asking the same questions, they decided to build a platform to answer them. The article situates the survey in a lineage of routesetting research. Vortex wasn't first: Cody Grodzki debuted his Tick Tape Tighten Survey in 2016 with a 2018 update, examining factors influencing setter compensation across regions, and Vertical Life's Routesetter Magazine ran surveys focused on team demographics. As the industry expanded, these efforts sparked a public conversation about where professional routesetting was headed and where the community wanted it to go. Vortex's distinct goal is a dataset with broad layers that illuminate the many forces shaping routesetting program structure. Compensation is one piece, but the survey deliberately reaches beyond pay to capture the fuller picture of how setting programs are built and run. The pitch to readers is participation: contributing helps build data that informs routesetting department decisions nationwide, benefiting the whole profession. The throughline is that professional routesetting improves when it's guided by shared, comprehensive data rather than isolated anecdotes, and that the people doing the work are the ones who can make that data representative.

Asset Caption

Sponsored by Vortex Routesetting: a call to contribute to its Routesetting Industry Data Survey. Founders Foxman McCarthy-James and Justin Wright built it after hearing setters everywhere ask the same questions about pay, equipment, and workload. The goal is broad data that informs routesetting decisions nationwide, and they need responses.