Rock Climbing - Jackie

My Dilettante Life

This week's interview is with Jackie Hueftle, a professional rock climbing route setter - that person who decides where to put those brightly colored rock "holds" that you see on a climbing gym wall. In addition to her trailblazing work making rock climbing more inclusive and diversifying route setting itself, she also co-owns a small business that makes the actual rock holds themselves. We talk about the ins and outs of working in rock climbing - a field that is exploding in popularity and recently debuted at the Summer Olympics - and what it's like to shape the profession of route setting as it develops, alongside the demands of running a small business during a global pandemic.