Vortex Routesetting and Consulting, founded by Foxman McCarthy-James and Justin Wright, recently launched a Routesetting Program Data Survey to collect updated routesetting statistics and information for the industry. The survey includes questions about routesetter compensation, workload, the wall stripping process, and more. “We want people to feel comfortable sharing information, so we always redact any identifying information in our reports,” states McCarthy-James. “We are not looking to put anyone on blast—just looking for overall trends.”
In addition to making the results available “to individuals and companies looking to answer specific questions,” McCarthy-James notes the Vortex team wants the collected information to be easily available to the public, as well, and is planning to share information through avenues like the CWA Summit, CBJ, and the Vortex website. McCarthy-James and Wright presented at the past two CWA Summits, sharing some of their initial research in 2022, and downloadable slides from both presentations are available for free on their website. Now, the Vortex co-founders are hoping to keep that data up to date and expand upon their findings through the latest survey.
“This project is ongoing,” McCarthy-James says. “We hope that our findings provide climbing gym owners, managers and routesetters with the tools they need to structure a routesetting program that reflects the priorities of their community. The data we gather from this survey allows us to provide analysis to those looking to stay competitive in the current market.”
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