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How to set a climbing route

“Setting a Route”… What does that mean? Setting a route/boulder is a bit like giving someone a puzzle to solve. The setter, who invents or designs the route, is challenging the climber to find the solution and complete the route.

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French design

Outdoors, on a crag or boulder, the ‘setter’ chooses a natural line based on the available holds and on the possible movements. With the advent of indoor climbing, setting became about placing a series of holds to create a logical and pleasant route to climb.

Even far from nature, setting still has a lot of charm.

“The most important thing is to provide the climber with vertical emotions”

says Chloé Minoret in an interview that served as a framework for this article.

Indoor setting implies a lot of creativity and is more about intuition than method. The setter can be likened to an artist who draws movements using holds, communicating emotions to the climbers.

The text below sets outs the fundamentals of route setting, to encourage the apprentice setter and give him/her the opportunity to create. It is particularly suited to clubs, teachers, home wall owners and anyone wishing to discover the setter’s art.

1. Start by defining the project 

Before starting the project, it is important to analyze the aspects that will have a direct impact on all the subsequent steps.

  • Who will be climbing on it? Schoolchildren/club members/private individuals
  • What type of wall? boulder/lead/speed
  • What grade? French grades run from 3 to 8 in ascending order of difficulty
  • What profile? Slab, vertical, arete, dihedral, overhang, roof, ceiling.

Ideally, routes should be refreshed at least once a year. You will need to allow time resources for stripping an existing route or routes, cleaning the holds and then the actual setting. There are two approaches: either refresh regularly, section by section, or do the whole structure in one go, once a year.

 

2. What do you need?

This may seem like stating the obvious, but for a start you’ll need some holds to set with! Our product range has all sizes as well as all types of grip. Each hold can be gripped differently and belongs to one of the categories shown in the diagram below:

Volumes are also a good idea, as they add relief and variety to the setting. Our catalogue includes all sizes, from XS to XXL.

The setter has different tools and equipment at his/her disposal to optimise his/her work environment, reducing the physical effort required and preventing awkward postures. Equipment should be suited to the type of venue:

For bouldering:

  • 12V or 18V impact screwdriver for intensive setting sessions
  • Screwdriver bits
  • Hexagonal allen keys for occasional setting
  • Storage pouches for easy access and carrying of hardware and tools
  • CHC and VBA screws of suitable sizes
  • An extension ladder whose ends must be padded so as not to damage the wall or mats.
  • Climbing shoes to try out the movements
  • Gloves and safety goggles to protect yourself from flying hold splinters

photo

On a lead wall:
the same material as for the block, plus the following:

  • A bucket that you will fill with holds and hoist with a rope and a block pulley
  • A helmet when working at height, whether on a rope or a cherry picker.
  • A rope climbing kit: self-braking descender, harness, semi-static rope, jumar clamp

 

3. Get organised

The preparatory phase before setting is essential and will determine what comes next. It’s important to think things through before getting down to the nitty-gritty. There are several stages

1- Place volumes, taking the profile and relief into account. The more overhanging the wall, the more prominent the volumes. They can be arranged randomly or aesthetically. Safety first: there should be no risk of the climber falling on to it, or of the rope rubbing (and fraying) on the volume.

2- Visualise the line of the route or problem on the wall. It can be a straight, vertical line, but it is more interesting to have an orientation that is suited to the profile and volumes. In general, the steeper the overhang, the more physical and difficult the climbing.

3- Choose holds that suit the required grade. In general, the more the handholds are hooked and the more the foot holds are prominent, the easier the climbing. Routes/boulder problems can be set with holds of the same colour, or using a coloured label system, to indicate its grade. You will also need to take the size of the climbers into account. Children need small holds with good grip.

4 – Select the required number of holds to suit the climbers’ age. Add on an extra 20% of holds, to leave a selection margin.

  • 6 holds/metre for children aged 4 to 6
  • 4 holds/metre for children aged 6 to 12 (up to 1.5m)
  • 2 to 3 holds/metre for adults

5- Choose a style: endurance and/or technical and/or physical. Holds will be arranged differently for the different styles. An endurance route requires more moves and therefore more holds; a technical route requires more precision and balance and calls for small holds; a physical route has fewer holds, they are further apart and less ‘hooky’.

6- Use the right screws in each hold to make setting easier

7- Choose your setting process: on a ladder for bouldering, in a cherry picker (they are expensive to rent, it’s an important budget consideration) or on rope for lead walls.

8- Set out a safety zone around the wall to keep climbers out

4. Create movements

And now, the heart of the matter: creating a route/problem. It’s quite daunting to be faced with a blank wall, and tempting to put up a ‘ladder’ style route for the sake of convenience. From a learning point of view, this is counterproductive. Climbers’ progress may stagnate, especially in a school environment. For beginners to add to their gestural skills, they need to be able to try a variety of movements. Chloé Minoret says that “Nice, varied routes give pleasure and enable progress.” High-quality setting creates a virtuous circle: enjoyment leads to progress.

So how to place the holds?

Experienced climbers can call upon their own gestural skills. They can create a route/problem intuitively, by visualising the hold and the profile.

Novice setters, on the other hand, are inexperienced and do not necessarily know how to position the holds. The repertoire below details all the traditional moves. You can also enrich your gestural repertoire by watching climbing videos or by climbing.

A route/bouldering problem consists of a series of basic movements (grouped/unbundled, developed) with variations. The variations are obtained by placing the holds off-centre and rotating them, testing the climber on a movement that he/she doesn’t master yet. The more difficult the grade, the more variations there will be, in order to provide a more diverse gestural palette. This is what will make the route special.

Basic moves:

Basic variations:

This type of movement can be performed by beginners. It adds technical diversity to the basic movements.


Basic foot techniques:

Don’t skimp on the footholds, so the climb is more about technical skill than strong arms. Remember foot holds can become hand holds. Foot holds can be used in different ways.

Overhangs:

Overhangs mean you need to climb side on, so you can keep your arms straight, which is less tiring. This requires outside edge foot placement, and rolling around your shoulder as much as possible. Overhang setting therefore involves offsetting the feet in relation to the hands. If the hand holds are on the right, the foot holds will be on the left but not too low, so the climber can stay bunched.

5. Test the setting

After setting the route/boulder, it should be tested, to make sure it meets the requirements. How? Climb it while checking the following criteria:

  • Consistency: is there a particular movement that is much harder than the others?
  • Grade: does the difficulty level match the desired grade?
  • Reach: is the distance between the holds right for the target size?
  • Readability: are the movements understandable and logical?
  • Safety: Avoid holds under the quickdraws, and the rope rubbing on a hold or volume. Make sure there is a good hold for clipping, a good final hold, and ergonomic grips, to avoid injuries.
  • Profile: is the slope of the wall suited to the grade?

The best idea is to have someone else test it out. If the route/problem is too hard for you to climb, you can carry out the individual movements rather than trying to link them all together, with the help of a rope.

If the route/boulder needs adjustments, there are several options:

  • Add or remove certain holds
  • Move the holds closer or farther apart
  • Use bigger or small holds
  • Change the type of hold/grip
  • Adjust the grade if you think it’s still a great route/problem!

6. Beginner to Advanced grades

Generally speaking, making a route/problem harder means moving the holds further away, and making the holds themselves and/or the amount of grip smaller. You can also twist them to give them a more complex orientation. These modifications will require the climber to use more strength, technique (balance, placement, accuracy), flexibility and endurance. Here is a non-exhaustive list of movements that are the reserve of advanced climbers: Drop-knee/ Flag/ Hand-to-foot/ Dervish/ Toe-hook/ Dyno.

Modern climbing comes with a new range of movements that go far beyond the classic ‘grab and pull’. The holds are bigger, volumes have come into play and allow the setters to be more inventive. It’s 3D climbing, and it requires more compression, core strength, coordination and explosivity. The movements are more aerial and gymnic: Run & Jumps / Step throughs / Double or triple dynos for example.

Conclusion

Setting should serve to get people to enjoy climbing while improving, thanks to nice routes / boulder problems with varied and technical movements. And that includes for beginners, even if it is tempting to provide them with basic setting. Climbing has the immense privilege of providing a lot of pleasure and fulfilment, and setting should make that the case for everyone.

If the setting project seems too ambitious, don’t despair! You could still call in a professional.