Asetus goes Ladeo
This week, just as the dust from our previous gig in Helsinki had settled, we were already on our way to Ladeo — Lahti, Finland. They had just hosted an open comp the weekend before:
36 qualification boulders
Finals for men and women
Four days of setting
Around 80 competitors
Their setters were understandably exhausted, so we were called in to help. The mission? Set 24 problems to fill Ladeo’s Room 2. Like always, we were SYKED!
After a grueling six-hour drive, Toni and I (Jaakko) arrived at Ladeo late Wednesday evening. Visa Malinen, the owner, setter, and jack-of-all-trades, welcomed us alongside their second setter, Tony Hannukainen.
The next morning, after one tweaked finger from the previous evening and checking out their boomerang and bonsai collections, we got to work. The first day went like it usually does when you’re setting in a new gym: your brain is overflowing with ideas, and everything feels fresh. All 15 boulders flew onto the walls with ease.
The second day started like the first: a couple of espressos, some chit-chat, and sore muscles. Now that we’d gotten to know the wall angles and holds the remaining nine problems went up even faster. We spent the rest of the day testing, tweaking, and cleaning up.
Breaking the Routine
During those two days of setting, I started thinking a lot about routines. Should we stick to them, or is it time to break them?
In Lahti, like 90% of my setting days, I followed my usual process:
Start with coffee.
Keep short screws in my front pocket and long ones in the back.
Pick a spot on the wall and grab some volumes and holds for the grade/style I’m aiming for.
Arrange the volumes and develope the route around it with the inspiration provided by the shapes slowly emerging from chaos.
After some tweaking, the boulders worked great. And like always, the customers trickling in seemed to enjoy the climbs. But something still felt off. Even though everything went as planned, I couldn’t stop thinking: Have I gotten too set in my ways? What’s the next step I need to take to level up as a setter?
The Quest for Improvement
All the countless problems I’ve set this year alone have taught me a lot. But this can’t be the end. As a setter, you should always be on an eternal quest for improvement and self-reflection.
Now, a couple of days later — after hours of tossing and turning in my head — I keep coming back to the word routine. Routines are essential; they make your job easier and give your work consistency. Your personal routines also make your boulders unique, but there is a tipping point, when the problems stop feeling special — they become just your boulders. Sure, they might still be great. To a new customer, they could even feel fresh and exciting.
Still in route setting, your fire to keep going comes from within. But in the long run if you are not happy and having fun, it will eventually show— even if the customers don’t notice it right away.
The Takeaway
So next time you find yourself wondering, Why am I not satisfied with climbs that customers still seem to like? — break the routines. Push yourself to create something new and special. That’s what route setting is all about. I guarantee it won’t go unnoticed.
Until next time,
–The Asetus Crew