Climbing, in some respects, is like a game of chess. Good route setting isn’t about making the holds further apart or putting smaller crimps on the wall to make it more difficult. It is instead about the creation of cryptic sequences that force specific movement.
Source: DPM Climbing
Routesetting is the process of selecting and placing a set of holds, which must then be climbed in a specific sequence, and terminate in a completing move. Routes frequently require creativity and problem solving, and come with assigned numerical difficulty, so that climbers can constantly gauge their progress against their goals.
Routesetting is very much an art, and it takes a climber of subtlety and imagination to be a good routesetter. Ganesh is the routesetter for the Nationals, and teaches the routesetting course at the Indian Mountaineering Foundation, so is a great person to apprentice with! Do come and help him set new routes at the gym over weekend evenings.
Please note that this is not an instructor led class like the others, more of a collaborative exercise, so the lesser “climb on your own” fee applies for this.