The craft of routesetting

功作 (Kosaku):

  • "功" (ko) means achievement or merit.

  • "作" (saku) means work or making.

We believe in good climbing, we like pushing, we like teaching, we like sharing. In an IFSC competition or in a climbing gym, we want to transform grabbing plastic holds on a wall to conveying emotions and memories. Climbers are at the heart of our Why’s and What’s.

Who are we?


  • When I started setting I had one goal in mind: set with as many people as possible in as many places as possible. This philosophy brought me to work with some of the best route setters in the world. It made me travel, set, teach and climb on 4 different continents, work for the IFSC, set with the best and worst material there is.

    Over the years, I’ve developed a strong vision for route setting and nowadays try to share it, hoping to inspire more setters to explore new ideas and play more.

  • I’ve started setting in 2007, when setting was not a real job, you were getting at best a membership for free. Since then, the whole industry changed, I’ve been fortunate enough to witness these changes adapt and learn from them.

    It gave me opportunities, I became the head routesetter for a gym chain, teaching new routesetters our vision and our values. A few years ago, I decided to expand my horizon, left everything and started contract setting, for competitions, teaching workshops and routesetting internationally.

What we offer:

  • We like teaching and we like creating workshops that caters to what you need. With a wide range of topics like volume usage, world cup boulder, easy and interesting circuits, failure and communication. We are interested in all facets of route setting and we like to talk (probably too much) about it.

  • Competitions, training camps, Opening sets, etc… We are always interested in bringing something different, trying ideas and adding more variety. We like to ask questions and are looking to create the best climbing we can in a safe, inclusive environment.

  • Looking for a feedback about your space, how to improve the climbing you offer or find a vision for your future space. We are excited to help with Professional team development, building a diverse and cohesive routesetting team and how to take care of your routesetters.

  • Plan it

  • Design it.

  • Share it

  • Try it.

  • Build it.

  • Craft it.

Contact us.

Thank you for considering reaching out to us. Whether you have questions about our routesetting services, are interested in collaboration opportunities, or just want to drop us a line, we welcome your inquiries.

We'll ensure to respond to your message promptly. We appreciate your interest and look forward to hearing from you.

You can also contact us on Instagram: @SetKosaku