I have been a part-time route Setter for several years.
I first started route setting when CityROCK was in Observatory, Cape Town. Back then it was more of a thankless job, that was even more labour as most of the time the climbing-grips were very heavy. I nonetheless loved learning the art of making routes to grade and color during my time under the head route setter, David Gerbs.
CityROCK in Observatory had the longest monster traverse across the whole gym, and once I learned to do it one way, it was a challenge to see if you could do it in reverse, all the way back again. They would still differentiate between tracking (where feet follow hands) or none-tracking (where its open feet to step on), and had a really wonderful cave and arch.
I then set routes for CityROCK on its new premises, in Paarden Eiland, part-time for a year and a half. This was now the biggest gym in the Southern Hemisphere and it was again a labour of love setting sport, top-rope, and auto-belay. Bouldering has been a weaker area of mine, but under the head route setter Chevaan Patience, I learned so much of what it means to be committed to a gym and work with diligence and the utmost safety and respect.
I continue to set routes part-time for Bloc 11, and this primarily being a bouldering gym has had me on the tips of my fingers and toes, building so much more strength through my weak areas and working with the most friendly, fun and depth of talent team.
I am under the attentive guidance of the head route setter Tiffany Wells at Bloc 11. The route setting team performs four fun and fantastic route sets a week, in their two gym locations and hence there are always new and dynamic things to climb and problems to solve. A forever-changing, highly enjoyable and creative, play, learn and deep training space. Attracting and building relationships with local and international rock climbing professionals on the regular!