Vertical Endeavor’s Route Setters Tell All…
Vertical Endeavor’s route setters are hard at work bringing you tons of new climbs every week at your favorite climbing facilities. Take a glimpse behind the scenes into the minds of the creators and curators of your favorite climbs! If you see a route setter in the wild give them a high five and thank them for all their hard work!
How long have you been climbing? How did you get into climbing?
Terra- I’ve been climbing since September 2020. My friend introduced me to bouldering and I became obsessed!
Avery- I’ve been climbing for around six years now, I started my first year in college where I climbed on an art wall. All my early projects were trying to do all natural routes.
Andrew- ? I have been climbing for around 12 or 13 years. I got inspired from watching videos of climbing, especially from Dan Osman and his scary dino on a free solo climb. No thanks on that.
Grey- 7 years & living an hour and a half from red river gorge babyyy.
Craig- Since 1999, Boy Scouts.
How long have you been setting? How did you get into setting?
Terra- Started in September of 2023. My friends all did it, it seemed like something I would like, so I emailed Craig and bothered him a lot until he let me on the team!
Avery- I started setting around six months after I started climbing, so it’s been about five years now. I just felt like setting was a natural extension of more ways to enjoy climbing.
Andrew- Combined, I have been setting for about a year. I set a little on my own small wall and then got a chance to set at the local university wall.
Grey- 3 weeks here at VE & got into setting thanks to my friends Bri & Shai at climb so iLL.
Craig- Since 2008, my dad and I made a home wall.
Favorite gym to set at?
Terra- Probably VE Bloomington, they have such a bougie hold room.
Avery- I enjoy TCB.
Andrew- Definitely TCB where I spend most of my time at.
Grey- Bloomington (the gym I don’t normally set at 🙁 ).
Craig- TCB.
Favorite style to set? (Holds, wall angles, styles, etc)
Terra- Crimps and pockets, outdoorsy, love a roof, steep, compact positions.
Avery- I enjoy setting techy stuff at 30-40° the most. I’m super into accurate heel hooks and improbable-looking body positions.
Andrew- I’m a vertical kinda climber, so vertical or slab is where I like to be. I prefer crimps and doing high feet when it gets reachy. Anything static and high on body tension.
Grey- V4 dynamics comp moves aka v3s Craig doesn’t cut feet on.
Craig- Outdoor simulators on steeper angles.
Favorite gym to climb at?
Terra- TCB! I love the 2016 moonboard.
Avery- Probably have the most fun at St. Paul.
Andrew- TCB and Saint Paul. B2 at Saint Paul is always a way to get beat down and stronger. TCB has a great vibe and a lot of frequent climbers.
Grey- The moonboard at TCB hehe & all the sets at TCB.
Craig- TCB.
Fun fact about yourself?
Terra- I love doing speed puzzle competitions, and I’m pretty good at them!
Avery- My long term goal is to move to Ticino or Southern Germany someday!
Andrew- I spent 17 years working in service departments of Motorsports dealerships.
Grey- I dirtbagged in red river gorge for 2 seasons & worked at the zipline and RedPoint. Also I can make the sound of Perry the Platypus :p.
Craig- I can reach jars that are on high up shelves, but usually can’t open them.
Favorite hold set
Terra- Flathold damage control 🥰.
Avery- I really like the bubbly crimps/pinches that flathold makes.
Andrew- I really like the Nomad crimps. Super comfy and grippy.
Grey- I love a so iLL baby head.
Craig- Ooh fatty curled pinches from teknik.
Favorite wall or feature at Vertical Endeavors
Terra- I have a love/hate relationship with all of them, but I do enjoy setting B1 at St Paul because it feels like a playground.
Avery- The campus board.
Andrew- Definitely the arch and snake at TCB.
Grey- Anything but the barrels at VES but for real the slab wall at VEB
Craig- Endeavors. 15 degree over hang lead wall at VEB.
Go to climbing/setting snack
Terra- Sour gummy worms!!!!!!
Avery- Anything that will damage my tooth enamel.
Andrew- Macaroni and pizza. But no one knows that, especially not Craig.
Grey- ABC cookies & kombucha.
Craig- Terra’s gummy worms.
One tip for people climbing at Vertical Endeavors on your routes?
Terra- Don’t skip any of the holds! It’s more fun to climb what I worked hard to put on the wall instead of skipping moves. Climb to climb, not just get to the top 😜.
Avery- I’m not that tall, so if you think a move is reachy, you probably need to try a different approach.
Andrew- Sometimes it isn’t a bump but a cross over move.
Grey- Drop yo knees.
Craig- There’s probably going to be a hand flip.
Favorite YouTube climber/climbing channel
Terra- Sofya Yokoyama!
Avery- Tension makes some pretty inspiring stuff that gets you psyched to try hard.
Andrew- Eric Karlsson is always my go to. Especially the older videos of just Eric and his friends trying hard.
Gray- They/Them is my favorite film on YouTube by Patagonia! A good story with a STRONG climber.
Craig- I really only troll the gram for yossiclimbs and bpump.
Check out the Vertical Endeavor’s route setting schedule here!
Climbing is dangerous, it involves inherent and other risks and cannot be eliminated. The information presented here does not describe all of the risks associated with climbing and is not intended to replace or supersede expert instruction and training.
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