Metro Rock’s New Head Setter
Dave Wetmore is the real deal. After routesetting for 14 years, creating and operating the best unsanctioned competition series in the country and sending V14 (Big Worm), he has now signed on to be MetroRock‘s full-time Head Routesetter.
MetroRock is a venerable climbing gym with two locations in the Boston area and a third opening in Burlington, Vermont in the spring of 2015. Setting for such a company is a milestone for any setter, but 27 year old Wetmore is no ordinary routesetter. He knows how to let’er rip and get things done.
He, along with fellow MetroRock routesetter Josh Larson created the Dark Horse bouldering series which is known for its flashy and uber-creative boulder problems and has quickly become a stop for any pro climber trying to make his or her mark on the comp scene.
Wetmore also took it upon himself to become a USA Climbing Level 4 National Routesetter. He now regularly sets for SCS Youth National Championships and has set for the Outdoor Retailer tradeshow comps.
The Climbing Business Journal sat down with Wetmore to find out whats next for MetroRock’s newest Head Routesetter.
World’s First Underwater Gym
Brooklyn Boulders will become the world’s first climbing gym to operate underwater. The gym will be built under Pier 57 which is a long-abandoned former shipping and passenger terminal that spans about a half-million square feet at West 15th Street in the meatpacking district in Manhattan, New York.
Brooklyn Boulders which operates gyms in Brooklyn, New York and Boston, Massachusetts is one of three lead tenants for the $200 million project which includes a beach club to be operated by prominent hotelier Andre Balazs, and fashion retailer Opening Ceremony.
The new climbing gym will take up about 20,000 square feet in the airtight concrete caissons that support the pier and provide occupiable space below water.
The New York Times is reporting that developer, Youngwoo & Associates, has rebranded Pier 57 the SuperPier, a term used in a 1952 article in Popular Mechanics magazine that detailed its construction. After the original Pier 57 was destroyed by a fire in 1947, it was rebuilt as a shipping and passenger terminal for the Grace Line. The builders eschewed the wooden piles that supported most piers, and instead used three caissons, enormous concrete boxes. The hollow boxes were poured in a diked basin upstate, then towed, floating, down the Hudson River to the pier site.
The boxes now form the pier’s basement, which Youngwoo has leased to the company Brooklyn Boulders for a climbing gym.
“The space down there is really cool — it is cold year round and you can feel that you are underwater,” said Lance Pinn, a co-founder of Brooklyn Boulders.
The company is also in talks to build an ice-climbing wall outside. “So not only will we be the only underwater climbing gym in the world and the only fully dedicated climbing gym in Manhattan, but we could have the only ice-climbing wall in a major American city,” Mr. Pinn said. The project will be completed by 2015.
Mr. Pinn’s only competition in New York is Chelsea Piers, a large upscale athletic club with 11,000 square feet of climbing which is located at Pier 60, a tenth of a mile from the new SuperPier.
CrainsNewYork.com is reporting:
Andre Balazs, developer and operator of the hugely successful nightlife High-Line area venue and hotel the Standard, will install a roughly 30,000 square foot facility on the building’s second floor that will house a pool, spa and outdoor terrace. Opening Ceremony meanwhile will have a series of shops installed in modified shipping containers, the first of what Youngwoo & Associates is planning will be an array of tenants who use the containers or “Incuboxes” as space for their stores. Opening Ceremony, which operates a shop in Soho, is setting up a temporary 16,000 square foot space at the pier for Fashion Week from September 5-12. According to sources, its permanent store will be of similar size. The waterside complex, which is undergoing a gut renovation by Youngwoo costing millions of dollars, will be ready for permanent occupancy by 2015 the company said. The deals are not yet signed but the tenants have all signed letters of intent and are expected to complete the transactions in the coming months. The roof of the two-story pier will be an open public space that will be used for film screenings during the Tribeca Film Festival. Youngwoo & Associates has spent months since it won approval to redevelop the pier in April bringing the long-forgotten property back into the public’s consciousness. During the summer, it installed several food tenants in the space to draw from the 18 million or so yearly visitors that pass by the pier along the adjacent Hudson River Park that spans the waterfront on the West Side.
DeWalt Impact Review
The DeWalt 20 volt impact driver has quickly become the go-to tool for professional routesetters. On the National setting circuit there are so many DeWalt impacts around that one might think the crew is sponsored by DeWalt (sadly, not true). National Chief Routesetters Chris Danielson, Mike Helt and Jeremy Hardin all use the DeWalt.
In fact Jeremy Hardin, who may be the most efficient setter in the country — he has the distinction of setting the fastest World Cup boulder problem in American history with a time of 25 minutes — uses one every day in his role as Head Setter of Sport Rock Climbing Centers in Virginia.
Hardin says, “I use it everyday, stripping and setting about 200 feet per day, usually all on one charged battery. That’s either 20 routes per week or 75 boulder problems.”
Key Features
The 20 volt DeWalt impact comes in at only 2.8 pounds but delivers an impressive 125 ft-lbs of torque. The machine speeds along at 2800 RPM which translates to about 1 – 2 seconds per hold attachment. If you use it for stripping alone it would be worth the cost. The DeWalt cordless impacts are available in 12v, 18v and 20v. The 12 volt is plenty strong for light duty setting (once a week or less). Though pushing numerous set screws through the wall will quickly tire the little guy out. The ergonomics of the entire line is superb, well balanced and perfect for work at height. The 18 and 20 volt feel and perform basically the same, so for your best value go for the 20 volt. One of the best features of the impact is the ability to plug in a 1/4″ hex bit with one hand; there is no need to pull back the quick connect coupling before inserting the bit. With this feature it is safer to change bits on a ladder and should result in fewer drops from height. The battery capacity on the DeWalt is as good or better than other impacts popular with setters (e.g. Makita, Hitachi). A 30 minute charge will completely refresh the battery allowing for no down time. The 20 volt battery comes with an on-board charge indicator which allows for the routesetter to determine how much juice is left before jugging all the way to the top of the wall. We would be remiss if we failed to mention the 3 LED lights that surround the driver, allowing for a clearer view of the t-nut. This feature is great for those dark corners and making sure the bolt is going in straight. It’s also good for late night disco parties! The 12 volt’s lighting is better than the 20 volt but who cares, we don’t set in the dark anyway. From myfixituplife.com:“The tool’s adjustable power settings are something I never thought I’d like as much as I do. While an impact driver typically delivers ground-poundin’ power and see-ya-later speed, it’s not always the right tool for smaller stuff like setting hinges—especially those with tiny screws like cabinet doors or piano hinges. That doesn’t stop me from using them for this work, but I have to try really hard to go really easy on the trigger with other tools. With the DeWalt, I can both dial down the setting and the triggering as needed, making this micro work a snap—and making the DCF 895L2 nearly an omni-tool on my projects.”Although we don’t have much use for piano hinges we do have a need to save those weak t-nuts and aged wood in older facilities. The power-down settings can also be used for older, brittle foot holds or for work with inferior strength Philips-head screws. The low setting is 950 RPM and 500 inch-pounds of torque. The middle setting is 1,900 RPM & 900 inch-pounds of torque, and the high setting is 2,850 RPM and 1,500 inch-pounds. The 20 volt impact is the first of DeWalt’s line to utilize “brushless” technology. Instead of us trying to tell you what brushless means check out toolguyd.com for a complete breakdown. From Makezine.com:
It turns out that the main difference for end users is that the motor uses electricity more efficiently and lasts longer before burning out. Usually a motor has metal brushes touching it, and those motors add heat and friction during use, draining the battery and reducing motor life — the driver has 150% more motor life than competing brushed drivers, according to DeWalt. Brushless motors also have more torque per weight and per watt than brushed.
Design Flaw
Is the tool perfect? No. The DeWalt seems to have a recurring problem with the front housing, which can become loose. This is a problem heard from many setters that use the impact on a day to day basis. In fact Hardin says, “The only problem seems to come from a snap ring in the ‘chuck’, I’ve had this happen twice, about once a year. It’s a cheap $11 part but the down time during repair can be awhile. I abuse the hell out of the drills though, from using the back as a hammer to working on heavy truck equipment, to dropping it off ladders and such. We’ve even dropped one off a ladder 35-40 feet directly onto concrete and the drill just shrugged it off like it was nothing, it actually got better with the fall! We call it ‘turbo drill’ now and it seems faster than a normal one.” To alleviate some of the down time from this housing problem is to take the tool to an authorized DeWalt dealer for a replacement or repair, which will typically be done while you wait.Summary
The possible negatives do not outweigh the positives of this tool, and for a retail price of $199 at most big box hardware stores it’s hard to pass up the opportunity to set faster and have more energy at the end of the day. Choosing to add an impact driver to your setters toolbelt can be an intimidating proposition. You’ve heard the rumors about blown-out t-nuts and hours spent behind the wall after an inexperienced setter came through with an impact. We’re here to tell you that those rumors are completely true. Impacts require a fair level of experience to be done properly. But like every tool worth having, a little training can go a long ways. For the true professional that wants one tool to rule them all there can be no doubt the the DeWalt 20 volt is the machine of choice.Video Beta
Many gyms are turning to Facebook and Twitter to help climbers get excited about coming into the gym. But sometimes it takes a bit more than a witty quote or a cool picture to pique climbers interest. One gym trying to rise above the din is the Source Climbing Gym in Vancouver, Washington where co-owner and head routesetter Hans Kroesen and his business partner Michael Larry have started making YouTube videos of new climbs to entice members into the gym.
Kroesen says, “not only do the videos inform the community about new bouldering problems but we also find it engages our members and gives people incentive to come climb the new routes.”
The Source Climbing beta videos show one of the gym’s routesetters climbing a recently set boulder problem or route. The routes are not the hardest and may not have the coolest moves but as Kroesen says, “We felt that a video of a setter climbing one of the problems would showcase the wall, so we pick what we feel is the classic line on the wall regardless of the grade in order to get our community psyched.”
Kroesen and Larry wanted to broaden their internet presence beyond the typical social media outlets that most gyms use. By making videos they not only create more compelling content for Facebook but also create a presence on YouTube, which is the fourth most visited website on the Internet.
“We encourage our climbers to share their experience and if the beta worked for them” said Kroesen. This method of interacting with his members allows for a true conversation, something that is sorely lacking in social media. In fact Entrepreneur Magazine recently showcased the 12 biggest mistakes business make with social media. Number nine on the list is ‘Thinking that simply having a Facebook page and a Twitter account means they’re doing social-media marketing’. According to Jayson DeMers, from AudienceBloom, “A successful social-media campaign requires engagement and dialogue with your audience, and that doesn’t mean one or two “updates” a week. It means participating in discussions and ‘humanizing’ your brand. This is what builds brand loyalty, authority and credibility.”
Not only does making videos grow your online profile, which can be hard to quantify, it can directly grow your revenue. Kroesen says, “So far we have had an increase in member and day pass participants on the day we post these videos.” Kroesen added that the gym has also seen benefits from showcasing experienced climbers on their routes and boulder problems: “Our technique classes have had a significant boost from climbers wanting to learn how to climb more efficiently, so we feel the video of a good climber displaying proper technique has made an influence.”
Creating videos for the Internet does not require fancy professional camera equipment. All modern smart phones come with video cameras that can easily capture internet-quality footage of your gym. Then spend a little time getting to know video editing software such as iMovie for Macs or Video Maker for PC. Post it up on YouTube and then share the heck out of it on Facebook, Twitter and on your gym’s website.
Video is a compelling way to grab the attention of your members, and any gym not taping into this advertising stream will find themselves missing out on memberships and instruction fees.
Below is one of the beta video The Source produced for their members.
Maine Gym Approved
From The Forcaster
New Hampshire-based Evolution Rock & Fitness hopes to build a 13,000-plus-square-foot climbing gym in Portland that will absorb the staff and membership of the established Marginal Way Maine Rock Gym. Evolution founder and general manager Hilary Harris on Monday said her organization is partnering with the 19-year-old Maine Rock Gym in the 65 Warren Ave. venture, which would be Evolution’s second, joining a similar facility in Concord, N.H. The Portland Planning Board was scheduled to hold a public hearing on the project Tuesday night. “Portland is just a fantastic market for having a climbing gym like this,” Harris said. “It’s a population that we feel is really progressive and that would support a climbing gym like this. … Maine Rock Gym is going to close down their existing facility and their membership will be moved over to Evolution.” Maine Rock Gym is at 127 Marginal Way. The gym’s owner, Scott Howard, said Monday the current facility is 2,800 square feet with 24-foot-tall climbing walls. In addition to more than quadrupling the square footage, Howard said the new gym will offer 42-foot-tall climbing walls and space for myriad other fitness activities, such as yoga. “The new facility is going to be a first-class facility, and we’re ready,” he said. “We need more space … We’re definitely moving up into the forefront of where the climbing industry is right now. It’s something we’ve wanted to do for a long time. It’s a tough project to put together, and that’s why the partnership with Evolution worked so well. It’s a very good team we’re putting together.” Howard said all of Maine Rock Gym’s staff and membership will be brought into the new facility. The new indoor rock climbing gym would be built on what is now a paved parking lot associated with the former Lifestyle Fitness gym on Warren Avenue. The Lifestyle Fitness facility is being rented by a martial arts group, according to the Evolution application, and no longer needs the more than 83,000 square feet of parking area there.
Climbing Team Breaks Guinness
The Climbing Society of Texas A&M – Commerce recently earned some serious bragging rights. The received official notification that that had broken not one, but two Guinness World Records for indoor climbing.
On January 18th, 2013 the climbing team spent 6 hours climbing non-stop to take the record for what Guinness calls “The greatest vertical distance climbed on an artificial climbing wall in six hours“. The team climbed 12,340 m (40,485.6 ft) beating the previous record of 5,308.8 meters.
Thats not all, the team also won the Guinness Record for “The fastest time to climb the height of Everest on an indoor climbing wall by a team” with a time of 4 hr 24 min 33 sec. The previous record was 9 hours 58 minutes and 55 seconds.
The team consisted of 12 members of the Climbing Society at Texas A&M University-Commerce: Andrew Dahir, Hunter Joyce, Kathryn Cotsakis, Will Lain, Dustin Lux, Luke Raper, Deric Moore, Jake Gadberry, Rory Curtin, Dax Havrilak, Tyler King and Austing King.
During the six hours each member of the team climbed the 45 foot wall over 90 times. That’s more than 4,050 feet for each climber. The four ropes that were used to break the records had to be retired at the end of the event. The fastest single climb up the wall was just under 5.2 seconds, achieved by multiple climbers.
From Guinness,
“We are delighted to confirm that you have successfully achieved a new GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for Greatest vertical distance climbed on an artificial climbing wall in 6 hours (team). We would like to congratulate you on your record-breaking achievement. You are OFFICIALLY AMAZING.” – Guinness World Records
Climber Choked While Lowering
Earlier this August in Milton Keynes, England a 9-year old girl was left dangling from her helmet as she was lowered by an auto-belay system. The incident happened when the child’s helmet caught a hold as she was descending the wall, which left her choking and struggling to free herself.
The portable wall operated by Josh Maye, of Josh Maye Mountaineering, was located in Middleton Hall, a shopping facility located about an hour northwest of London. The shopping center has confirmed an investigation is ongoing, and Mr Maye’s climbing wall has been ‘shut down’ as a result.
The mother of the girl said, “I think the attendant was slow to respond. He attended to her helmet first and attempted to ‘un-free it’ but she was still choking, so I called to him to ‘lift her body up’ so she had a chance to breathe. It was all very frightening.”
Mr. Maye has apologized for what happened, saying an incident of this kind had never occurred in his business before.
He added that the girl was less than 10 feet from the floor when the incident happened and that the situation was resolved in less than a few seconds.
Mr. Maye responded, “Obviously with any activity there is an element of risk, which is what makes such events so popular. Unfortunately, on this one occasion the climber caught her helmet on one of the holds on the wall when descending and I feel that my actions were the quickest, safest and most effective at that time. Since then we have amended the Risk Assessment for the wall to now include caught helmets as this type of incident has not happened before. My staff have now been briefed on how to deal with such an event, if it were to happen again, in the most efficient way possible.”
It should be noted that even though this accident happened on a portable wall it could certainly happen on any wall involving auto-belays and helmets.
Read more at Milton Keynes Citizen
Member Contests
Getting members into the gym during the sunny days of summer has always been a challenge for climbing gyms. But if there’s one thing that has the power to lure customers inside it’s the power of the prize.
A recent article from iClubs.com highlights the many ways health clubs are enticing members into their facilities. The article states:
Whether the prizes are nutrition bars, water bottles, free tanning or personal training or even a month free membership, the prizes can be relatively inexpensive and will be appreciated by members. All it takes is a little creativity and some effective marketing to entice members to take part in a contest or special promotion. These contests and incentives will encourage your members to come to the club, get results and more importantly, refer their friends and family.Some climbing gyms are already using these tools to garner attention and create customer loyalty. One example is Pure Bouldering Gym in Colorado Springs which is offering a free punch pass for their 300th “like” on Facebook. While we all like “likes”, they may not lead to getting people through your doors. Offering fitness-based contests is a great way to get new climbers excited about climbing and keep long-time members excited about that night’s session. One example that has been used by recreation centers and as a fund raising strategy for special events is a “climb Everest” contest. Climbers compete against each other to see who can climb the height of Everest (29,029 feet) first. Because this type of contest is not about how hard one climbs but is about how much one climbs, it’s a great way to get new climbers into the gym. If Everest is a bit too intimidating, other climbs like Half Dome (8,839 ft) and El Capitan (7,569 ft), or the total height of all the climbs in your local crag would work as well. Another fitness-based contest many gyms have used is the “first ascent”. The contest goes like this: once a route or boulder problem has been set a prize is given to the first person to come in and “send” the route. All grades should be represented and different prizes can be awarded to male and female participants. This contest is especially good after a competition when spectators have seen many competitors trying the route, have all the beta and are excited to jump on the “Finals” routes. Make sure to post on-going results in the gym and encourage members to post their results on social media, which will keep your members engaged and may entice new customers into the gym. As far as prizes go, the most enticing may be cold hard cash. The Durham Climbing Centre in the UK set a special problem with a £50 ($76) bounty. They even created a video of pro-climber and routesetter Gaz Perry sending the project, giving the beta to all those interested in giving it a try. Not only does this get people psyched about going into the gym to try the route themselves, it creates a buzz in the gym as climbers and spectators eagerly wait to see who will claim the bounty. Also remember to keep an eye on your current annual and monthly memberships. Pulse Climbing in Australia teamed up with a local gear shop last summer to offer $650 worth of climbing gear to one lucky customer that signed up for a membership in the month of June. Offering gear or technique class as a prize to customers that sign up for a membership can be a great incentive for those day-pass climbers to take the plunge into a monthly or yearly membership. Some gyms may be reluctant to give prizes to get people into their gym — isn’t this a cheap trick that is only used by struggling businesses? In a word: no. Humans have a deep-seated desire for games and contests; according to CNN more than 50% of Americans gamble or play the lottery. The psychological power of contests has been used by businesses in every sector, including the health industry, to create excitement about their company, attract new customers and rev up their existing customer base. With these types of contests, it’s a win-win for your gym.
French Setter Remakes Seattle
The Seattle Bouldering Project in Seattle, Washington is America’s largest bouldering-only climbing facility. Like many gyms in the US their routesetting program was good, but nearly two years after their grand opening the routesetting program felt a bit stagnate and needed some updates, perhaps with some help from an outside source. But unlike most other gyms the SBP owners were determined to do something about it.
So, earlier this year co-owners Andy Wyatt and Chris Potts put a world-wide call out for a new Head Routesetter. After interviewing several US-based routesetters with good credentials they still felt like they were not getting the caliber of setter they wanted. That’s when Tonde Katiyo showed up. After reviewing Katiyo’s resume — which includes stints on several World Cup setting crews and numerous gigs helping to train national teams in Asia — and holding several lengthy interviews over Skype, the partners decided to fly Katiyo from Paris to Seattle. This would be an on-the-job interview to that entailed setting a local on-sight comp with the SBP routesetting crew.
After the comp the owners knew they had their setter, and Katiyo was excited about the opportunity. But a very big obstacle stood in their way: red tape. To hire an employee from overseas requires thousands of dollars in fees and relocation costs. On Katiyo’s side he needed to get married to his long time partner to pave the way for her and their toddler daughter to join him in the US. None of this was easy but the owners and Katiyo worked through the immigration process and in February 2013 Katiyo and his family moved to Seattle to become Seattle Bouldering Project’s newest Head Routesetter.
Luckily it seems that the effort is paying off. “Tonde has an amazing vision for what he wants to do here. There’s also a lot that he wants to do here,” says Wyatt. From building hundreds of new volumes to eliminating tape on the boulder problems to adding circuits, Katiyo has started to implement a number of radical changes to the routesetting program. At first the members didn’t know what to make of all these modifications, but it seems that the owners and Katiyo have found a way to remake their gym while keeping their customers happy.
Check out this original video from Climbing Business Journal to learn what Katiyo has in store for the Seattle Bouldering Project’s routesetting.
Video correction: In the video we state that Seattle Bouldering Project is 25,000 sq feet. In fact it is 35,000 sq. feet.
USAC Routesetting Clinics
USA Climbing Routesetting has just announced the fall schedule of setting clinics. A much anticipated Level 2 clinic will be held at Climb Iowa in Des Moines, Iowa November 3rd – 5th. This three day clinic covers on-sight competition routesetting along with advanced movement theory and comp organization. Setters must apply to attend this clinic and with only 12 spots open it is sure to be very competitive.
The USAC Setting website states that, “we expect many applications, so please only apply if you have significant competition routesetting experience, and a sincere interest in setting for USAC Championship level competitions in the future. ” Basically this clinic is for setters that are looking to turn their skill into a possible career.
Also announced are two public Level 1 clinics. The first will be held at Upper Limits in St. louis, Missouri September 14th – 15th and instructed by National Chief Setter John Muse. The second Level 1 clinic is at the venerable New England gym Metrorock in Boston, Massachusetts October 3rd – 4th. This clinic will be instructed by International Routesetter Chris Danielson.
Both Level 1 clinics are open to the public but do have a few prerequisites like, 6 months routesetting experience and the ability to forerun 5.10 & V3. These clinics provide, “instruction for new and experienced routesetters alike, giving individuals an opportunity to learn and practice fundamental routesetting skills valuable for commercial and competition routesetting. ” One day is spent on boulder specific setting and the second on route specific setting.
USAC Routesetting is the US’s only organization offering routesetting instruction and sanctioned certification. To learn more about the program or to register for any of the clinics go to Usacsetting.net.