Inside USA Climbing’s Routesetting Program – Jeremy Ho

Today’s guest is Jeremy Ho, who many  know as JHo, one of the most recognizable names in the U.S. setting community. Jeremy has worked in the climbing industry since 2007, primarily as a routesetter, and has been a National Routesetter with USA Climbing since 2012. He now serves as USAC's National Routesetting Program Manager, helping shape education, pathways, and standards across the country. Previously, Jeremy was Director of Routesetting at Touchstone Climbing and Sportrock Climbing Centers, and he has set events ranging from USAC Team Trials and Open Bouldering Nationals to Bouldering World Cups and North American Cup Series competitions. Jeremy and host Holly Chen dive into leadership, development, and the realities of building a sustainable national routesetting pipeline in this episode.

General Topics Covered

• Leading a national routesetting program and stepping into a national leadership role
• Clearer USA Climbing pathways and clinic structure
• Representation, access, and underrepresented setter initiatives
• New prerequisites and partnerships (PRS clinics) to better prepare setters before entering USA Climbing clinics
• Youth competition difficulty and long-term athlete retention
• Bottlenecks and what really moves setters forward in the USAC pipeline
• Crew selection, team cohesion, and why soft skills matter at high-level events

Show Notes

• Find Jeremy Ho on Instagram 
• USA Climbing Routesetter Resources 
• USA Climbing Routesetter Pathway
• Amy Stone Foundation

Closing Notes

If you’d like to nominate someone as a guest next guest, have a topic you want to see us tackle or have questions, we’d love for you to reach out. You can find our pitch form here.

The Impact Driver podcast is a production of the Climbing Business Journal. Today’s episode is sponsored by Rúngne, Approach, Essential, Onsite and Flashed. It was edited and produced by Holly Yu Tung Chen, Megan Cheek, Scott Rennak and Joe Robinson, and our theme music is by Devin Dabney.