[Head Routesetter Dustin Curtis is in Atlanta this week as part of the routesetting team for the US Youth Nationals competition. He shares what's going on leading up to the comp]
So: day 2.
The way things run here is so different. I set for Canadian Youth Nationals earlier this year and it's so far from equal. I've never seen a route fore-run so many time. I took a whole day to set one qualifier route, Female B category by the way, (that's 14-15 years old) After a setter finishes a routes, he/she is expected to fore-run it once, make all tweaks necessary (which usually ends up being at least 10-12 spins or swap-outs) then you get a partner to climb it, then make the tweaks that they've suggested, then you climb it again, make the tweaks, then the head setter climbs it, suggests tweak, you make the tweaks, and then you climb it again to make sure, finally, you're done, except if it's a semi-final or final, then you have to mark it and string it, which involves marking the hold with its orientation and then stripping it, putting it on a string of holds in numerical value to how high it is on the wall and marking the bolt hole with an ear plug with a numerical value equivalent to that hold. There's so much attention paid to the fore-running and checking of quality of routes. It's such a different feel to setting here. Attention to aesthetics, whether a hold is right-handed or left-handed, what the route looks like, how it climbs overall, NO CRUXES at all, no height dependents. I'm so amped, I'm learning so much. The route setters are so critical about what they want, and are unbending in their determination of providing a sequence that is unique, inventive, creative and enjoyable. You can never fore-run enough.
