5 ms·

When did the setter worship start? The gym I go to, Brooklyn boulders in somerville ma, has pictures of the setters and little bios hanging on the walls... for

When did the setter worship start? The gym I go to, Brooklyn boulders in somerville ma, has pictures of the setters and little bios hanging on the walls... for sure it is a creative process but give someone a bucket of holds and an hour and you'll have something that is fun. A gym I used to go to used to let pretty much anyone set, just had to ask. I think this explains the rating "deflation" where there aren't really any V0s because there is so much pressure to be known as a "hard" setter? Or possibly the dedicated setters are so experienced they don't remember what a V0 actually is? Either way I've found it to be an issue when trying to introduce climbing to novices.

famousactress 11y ago
I think the importance of the setter isn't as interesting until V3/V4 and above. V0 is a ladder with a couple missing rungs, no one's forgetting how to set those. I also don't think there's pressure to be a "hard" setter, it's just very challenging to set really interesting routes in harder grades that are accomplishable and don't have loopholes/workarounds. If anything the pressure is to be really creative and challenging at any grade (realistically above V2 or so).
nathancahill 11y ago
I've climbed on well set routes and poorly set routes. At higher grades, good setting makes all the difference between an enjoyable, hard challenge and something I never want to try again. I like the recent trend at most gyms to let members rate routes on a 5-star scale. You start to recognize good setters and climb their routes first. I wouldn't call it "setter worship", but good setting is something I can appreciate.
- dmurdoch 11y ago
  I really like the rating idea, any idea if people just rate the setters they like really well? I go to a smallish gym and all the regulars know all the setters so this probably wouldn't work for us.
  - nathancahill 11y ago
    I live in Boulder, so there's no such thing as a small climbing gym here. As far as I can tell, people rate the routes. IMHO, the ratings end up being really accurate, one gym (Movement) even uses three significant digits.
rryan 11y ago
Hm, odd that you mention V0 as an example of deflation because at most gyms I've been to V0 is an example of grade /inflation/. In the Hueco V-scale, V0 is supposed to be equivalent to 5.10 in the Yosemite Decimal System. But not a single gym I've been to sets V0s that are as hard as 5.10. Some gyms introduce a "VB" grade for beginners but their V0 is typically not as hard as the 5.10 they set on ropes. I've always chalked this up (heh) to a need to make an enjoyable "first climb" experience for new climbers (who are typically messing around on boulders to see if they like it before learning to belay). If you start bouldering and can't even do the easiest problem in the gym then it's unlikely you're going to have fun and come back. Unfortunately this leads to disappointing (and in some cases, dangerous!) first outdoor experiences since you try out a V3 and get absolutely shut down because your gym's whole rating system is biased by 1-3 grades.
- dmurdoch 11y ago
  I've experienced what both of you are saying. Some gyms I go to have exclusively hard stuff that is accurately related in relation to outdoors, and then others have had crazy inflated rates. I find mainly lead routes inflated though. I don't think any 12a 5.12a I've lead inside was really a 12a.
jlittel 11y ago
Brooklyn Boulders will at times feature photos of many of it's employees, so not sure it's just a cult of route setters.
madisonmay 11y ago
Fellow BKB Somerville member here! Whaddup!
legohead 11y ago
my climbing partner and I pay attention to the route setters. we have a couple favorites in the gym and a couple we don't particularly enjoy. our favorites are chosen mostly because their grades feel right, and their climbs are fun. I see two problems that setters fall into: 1) make it super hard technically/hard to figure out, or 2) really easy technically, but you have to be the Hulk to get past it. someone that can balance those issues makes a good setter.

famousactress 11y ago

I think the importance of the setter isn't as interesting until V3/V4 and above. V0 is a ladder with a couple missing rungs, no one's forgetting how to set those. I also don't think there's pressure to be a "hard" setter, it's just very challenging to set really interesting routes in harder grades that are accomplishable and don't have loopholes/workarounds. If anything the pressure is to be really creative and challenging at any grade (realistically above V2 or so).

nathancahill 11y ago

I've climbed on well set routes and poorly set routes. At higher grades, good setting makes all the difference between an enjoyable, hard challenge and something I never want to try again. I like the recent trend at most gyms to let members rate routes on a 5-star scale. You start to recognize good setters and climb their routes first. I wouldn't call it "setter worship", but good setting is something I can appreciate.

dmurdoch 11y ago
I really like the rating idea, any idea if people just rate the setters they like really well? I go to a smallish gym and all the regulars know all the setters so this probably wouldn't work for us.
- nathancahill 11y ago
  I live in Boulder, so there's no such thing as a small climbing gym here. As far as I can tell, people rate the routes. IMHO, the ratings end up being really accurate, one gym (Movement) even uses three significant digits.

rryan 11y ago

Hm, odd that you mention V0 as an example of deflation because at most gyms I've been to V0 is an example of grade /inflation/. In the Hueco V-scale, V0 is supposed to be equivalent to 5.10 in the Yosemite Decimal System. But not a single gym I've been to sets V0s that are as hard as 5.10. Some gyms introduce a "VB" grade for beginners but their V0 is typically not as hard as the 5.10 they set on ropes. I've always chalked this up (heh) to a need to make an enjoyable "first climb" experience for new climbers (who are typically messing around on boulders to see if they like it before learning to belay). If you start bouldering and can't even do the easiest problem in the gym then it's unlikely you're going to have fun and come back. Unfortunately this leads to disappointing (and in some cases, dangerous!) first outdoor experiences since you try out a V3 and get absolutely shut down because your gym's whole rating system is biased by 1-3 grades.

dmurdoch 11y ago
I've experienced what both of you are saying. Some gyms I go to have exclusively hard stuff that is accurately related in relation to outdoors, and then others have had crazy inflated rates. I find mainly lead routes inflated though. I don't think any 12a 5.12a I've lead inside was really a 12a.

jlittel 11y ago

Brooklyn Boulders will at times feature photos of many of it's employees, so not sure it's just a cult of route setters.

madisonmay 11y ago

Fellow BKB Somerville member here! Whaddup!

legohead 11y ago

my climbing partner and I pay attention to the route setters. we have a couple favorites in the gym and a couple we don't particularly enjoy. our favorites are chosen mostly because their grades feel right, and their climbs are fun. I see two problems that setters fall into: 1) make it super hard technically/hard to figure out, or 2) really easy technically, but you have to be the Hulk to get past it. someone that can balance those issues makes a good setter.