The Gym Setting Blues

Got a few questions:

What’s with the very unsatisfying finishes? Most gyms have a nice jug to latch onto at the finish built into the top of the wall but I am finding small crimps or slippers tagged as the finish on many BPs and even routes.

What’s with the high feet? Is it revenge of the shorties?

What’s with the lack of scrubbing? Chalk ain’t sticky!

These are serious questions.

I'm short, and I resemble that statement!!

Climbing gyms have a feedback section I would inquire there 

If you're not flinging yourself across volumes, you're not climbing.

I thought this was going to be about the blahs you feel when you have to climb in the gym, bc the weather is bad… aren’t you in the land of milk, honey, and year-round rock climbing?

Big Red wrote:

If you're not flinging yourself across volumes, you're not climbing.

Yea, that too. I feel like I’m going to break my jaw on one of those friggin’ things. 

Sounds like your setters are lazy and don’t want to descend the rope to go get more handholds. I’ve noticed this as well, and it’s typically cause they set the route on the way up, run out of holds, and just finish the route with what they have left in the bucket on the way up…. Usually just foot jibs and the other shite holds.

New thread idea for the princess, “should autobelay setting be the new standard of ground up gym ascents?”

In my gym, the top of the wall is my finish.  Nothing feels better than finishing that 5.6+ and throwing my whole arm over the top of the wall and taking a breather.

Curmudgeon Don wrote:

Sounds like your setters are lazy and don’t want to descend the rope to go get more handholds. I’ve noticed this as well, and it’s typically cause they set the route on the way up, run out of holds, and just finish the route with what they have left in the bucket on the way up…. Usually just foot jibs and the other shite holds.

I get the sense like it’s not lazy, they are doing many of these things on purpose and I demand answers!

It’s like the Ten Commandments of setting are being broken, what’s the philosophy?

Any setters out there that can explain??

What was their reply when you asked them about this?

Big Red wrote:

If you're not flinging yourself across volumes, you're not climbing.

I keep hurting myself doing dynos. No more for me!

Gym Blues in Golden CO:

Routes are up three months+

Routes are uninteresting.  Hard equals crimp or sloper. Easy equals jug ladder. Few curious puzzles or moves.

Low angle slab boulder is not set.

The interesting thing is there are so many super strong climbers.  My guess is they don’t gym climb for fun. It’s purely a training requirement. So boring and stale routes don’t generate complaints.  

Definitely the least fun gym I have used. 

Ol A Thousand Bananas wrote:

What was their reply when you asked them about this?

Something about, and I’m serious, this is what they said, “building community”.

To add to the list, there’s no grades just colored tags, so a yellow tag could be V3 to V5 which seems like a pretty big range to me.

Live Perched wrote:

The interesting thing is there are so many super strong climbers.  My guess is they don’t gym climb for fun. It’s purely a training requirement. 

Sounds like they actually cater to the local clientele. If you just want a dopamine rush, go to a "fun" climbing gym in Cleveland or try Fentanyl.

Live Perched wrote:

Gym Blues in Golden CO:

Routes are up three months+

Routes are uninteresting.  Hard equals crimp or sloper. Easy equals jug ladder. Few curious puzzles or moves.

Low angle slab boulder is not set.

The interesting thing is there are so many super strong climbers.  My guess is they don’t gym climb for fun. It’s purely a training requirement. So boring and stale routes don’t generate complaints.  

Definitely the least fun gym I have used. 

This sounds like an awesome gym. Could I go there to, you know...get strong?

Route setters in commercial climbing gyms don't care about the customers or quality, not a whit. It's a repetitive service job; does anybody get truly interested in making sandwiches at Subway? No real difference. 

WF WF51 wrote:

Route setters in commercial climbing gyms don't care about the customers or quality, not a whit. It's a repetitive service job; does anybody get truly interested in making sandwiches at Subway? No real difference. 

Sorry, but setters are like any one else doing a customer service job. Some enjoy it, and put effort in, some don't. I only know setters at 4 gyms in 2 states, but they all put a disproportionate amount of care and pride into what they do, for what we are willing yo pay them. 

Nice job painting with a brush so wide you got the whole barn in one swipe.

Too bad it was the wrong paint on the wrong barn.

Best, Old lady who worked service one way or another for 50 years....and cared.

Adam bloc wrote:

Sounds like they actually cater to the local clientele. If you just want a dopamine rush, go to a "fun" climbing gym in Cleveland or try Fentanyl.

I'd love to know where the "fun" gyms in Cleveland are....air bnb's/hostels don't count

A “routesetter” reached out and told me that the crimp/sloper finish comes from comp setting and it is to separate the field with one last hard move.

Comps are the worst thing to happen to setting since dualtex