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Routesetting at Creation
Routesetting is obviously very important to us. We pride ourselves on setting at least 20 routes every week, some weeks we have set as many as 33 routes.
We want every visit to Creation to feel different and we appreciate that there is nothing worse than climbing the same old routes time and time again. Our routesetting rota is checked everyday to ensure there is a good spread of routes
on slabby, vertical and overhanging walls.
With sixteen staff taking it in turns to routeset we can ensure that there is sufficient different style with the routes set.
We are adding six new lines during April and May 2007 which will open up a further 20 routes, on top of the 150 we have up at any one time and over 60 boulder problems, including those on the Moon Wall and traversing warm up wall.
Find out who works at Creation and what their role is by clicking here
How do we decide what route to put up?
We have a Routesetting Manager who's job it is is to ensure that we have a workable rota system for all the routes at the centre.
On a daily basis the Routesetting Manager will walk the centre and ensure that there are no matching coloured lines next to each other, and that similar coloured holds are not set. i.e White and yellow on the same line (from above after they have been chalked up a yellow hold will look white).
The manager selects a set of holds from our stock and tells the routesetter which route is next in line to come down and which colour to re-set with.
Of course, we don't always get it right! - Around competition times when we might be running out of holds we may bend these rules slightly to ensure that we are still setting a good and varied spread of routes for each visit you make.
How do you design a route ?
We get asked this question quite a bit. It's really down to the individual who is routesetting. Obviously some people have more of a flare for putting up an interesting route. We try to avoid a boring plod straight up the wall and make the route wander around so that you can use an array of techniques to scale the wall.
We occasionally get comments that a route is reachy, however most reachy routes have been set by our shortest staff members. They usually have a particular method in mind for you to complete the route, if you hav'nt mastered that technique then it makes the route feel harder than it actually is.
Grading is very subjective, and any grade that we assign a route is only a guideline. It may well turn out easier for the tall, and harder for the short, or even vicaversa.
If you totally disagree with one of our grades then just come and tell us, we don't bite! - We will reappraise the grade if necessary.