Today’s episode of the Impact Driver Podcast welcomes Zoey Grinstead (she/they), Los Angeles-based routesetter and Queer Crush founder, to the recording studio.
In a sport that prides itself on counter-cultural roots and community values, the gap between that identity and lived reality for many climbers is still very much worth talking about. The question of who belongs in routesetting—and who feels like they don’t—has arguably never been more urgent. Zoey brings a grounded, no-nonsense perspective on identity, community, and creative expression in routesetting to this week’s conversation, as she and Holly Chen discuss all these topics as well as tips for fostering inclusion.
Zoey is a routesetter at Touchstone Climbing in Los Angeles, where she has been part of the team for nearly 15 years, starting as a belay staff member before finding her way to the setting closet. With over a decade of setting experience, Zoe has worked in commercial and competition settings alike, including notable events like Death Moth in 2026 and multiple Women Up competitions. She holds a USAC Level 2 certification and is a former president of Queer Crush, a nonprofit dedicated to holding space for the queer community within climbing. Beyond the gym, Zoe is currently a student.
General Topics Covered
- How Zoey found her way into routesetting (from wilderness therapy kid to full-time setter)
- Queer Crush: what it is, how it started, and why Zoe got involved
- Affinity spaces in climbing: what they are, why they matter, and what they offer that the broader community doesn’t
- Routesetting as a relative bubble: is our profession more inclusive than the broader climbing world?
- Tokenization in routesetting: how to recognize it, and how to push through it
- How setter identity and body type shape the climbing on the wall (and why diverse teams can set better gyms)
- Practical ways to support marginalized setters and help them feel at home, from offering the fiberglass to donating to affinity organizations
- The setting bag confessional: what’s always in there and never gets used
Show Notes
- Find Zoey Grinstead on Instagram
- Touchstone Climbing and the Woman Up Climbing Festival
- Keep Them Sketched Out – Impact Driver Podcast with Claire Kawainui Miller
- Death Moth Climbing Competition
- Queer Crush Climbing
- Routesetting and climbing affinity spaces: Bolt & Revolt Setting Coalition, Brown Girls Climb, Cruxing in Color, Flash Foxy
- USAC Routesetting Resources: Path of a Routesetter (updated), Routesetting Level Prerequisites
Closing Notes
If you’d like to nominate someone as a guest next guest, have a topic you want to see us tackle or have questions, we’d love for you to reach out. You can find our pitch form here.
The Impact Driver podcast is a production of the Climbing Business Journal. Today’s episode is sponsored by Rúngne, Climbing Wall Association, Cascade Specialty, Trango and Rock Gym Pro. It was edited and produced by Holly Yu Tung Chen, Megan Cheek, Scott Rennak and Joe Robinson, and our theme music is by Devin Dabney.
