Recently Routesetter.com put out a request to join the Global Advice Panel. We had an unprecedented amount of applicants so it’s only taken us two weeks to bring together six highly qualified people.

This group will answer your questions, dispense sound advice and hopefully provide thoughtful opinions every month. The people I’ve asked to join the panel range from a world cup climber to a volunteer route setter. They also span the globe from Sweden to England to Canada and of course America.

Here are the results of the Global Advice Panel search and a profile of the panel members.

Audrey Seguy – “I’ve been the Managing Director of The Castle Climbing Centre for over 2 years. The centre is one of the busiest in the UK with 10,000 – 12,000 visits per month. We have 96 top rope or lead lines and about 600 square meters of bouldering. We have a core team of 8 boulder setters and 12-20 route setters not including guest setters such as Steve McClure and Gaz Parry.

“I’ve been competing since last year in the Bouldering World Cup. Last year was my first season and I did fairly well with 2 sixth place finishes (Hall in Austria and Fiera in Italy). I also competed in a few International Masters events (Melloblocco, Tout a Bloc in Argentiere and La Colmiane). I’m the current British Bouldering Champion. This year I’ve competed in all the IFSC Bouldering World Cups so far and will hopefully also be doing a few international masters events and defending my title at this year’s British Bouldering Championships.

“I’m competing for the USA at the moment (I’ve got dual US and French nationality, but have been living in London for 6 years) but will hopefully be getting British citizenship soon. I guess you could count passport collecting as one of my hobbies…

“I try to visit other walls on a regular basis to see what other centres are doing and to get some ideas for our centre and try to get outside and boulder as much as my hectic schedule allows. Despite the notorious English weather, I’ve had some good days on the gritstone this year and being in London I have easy access to venues around Europe (7-8 hours to Font door-to-door!)

“I love the creative aspect of route setting and watching other people enjoy my problems. I also think that it is an important part of my job as a manager to understand and be competent in tasks that I ask others to do.”

Charlie Lamb – “I am a USAC-certified setter at Metrorock in the Boston area. I have been climbing for 6 years and setting for about 2.5 years. As a USAC (co-) Regional Coordinator for the past 5 years, I have overseen the organization of four Divisional championships and helped set at two of them. I have judged at the last four difficulty and bouldering Nationals. I am the manager of the International Rock Climbing School, Team Waimea Youth Climbing Team. I am on the USA Climbing Appeals Committee. I set for the pleasure of seeing people enjoy my routes as well as to improve my own climbing.”

Charlie will represent the volunteer voice on the panel.

Johan Andersson – Age: 27. From the southern most part of Sweden. Johan started climbing in 1992 and entered the comp circuit in 1996. He has been setting for Swedish national comps for the last 5 years.

Johan says, “I love to build problems that are technical in a body positioning kind of way where you really need to watch your hip placements.” You can see Johan in the Swedish bouldering film, Tjugo på Kjuge.

Ty Foose – “In addition to the fact that I know how to speak English and love to give other people my opinion like it’s gospel (both important elements to submitting to an advice column), I have been a setter for 18 years, set for over 25 National level comps, shaped over 3000 handholds, designed the walls and helped create operations for several climbing gyms (including The Spot, of which I am one of the owners), and have taught several route setting seminars.”

Louie Anderson – Has been climbing for 33 years (A4 walls, 12+ crack, 5.14 sport, V11 bouldering). Setting for 18 years and a designer and builder of climbing walls for 12 years. Louie is perhaps the most prolific hold shaper in America. Carving for multiple companies with over 3500 shapes commercially produced.

He also is the author of the only printed resource for route setters and forerunners: The Art of Coursesetting. Read an interview with Louie here.

Chris Larson – Is the manager and head route-setter at Crag X Climbing Gym in Victoria, BC, Canada. In addition to his duties there, he co-owns and operates Nice Climbing Holds, and is a member of the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG).

He’s also on the board of directors at the not-for-profit, community climbing gym: Boulders Climbing Gym. He has been setting as he says, “mostly ‘commercial-style’ routes for over 10 years, and has been pouring and shaping holds for 7.”

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