On this episode of The Impact Driver Podcast, host Holly Chen sits down with Nickolas Gagliardi to get us thinking about USAC events as routesetters gear up for the upcoming youth competition season.

Nick started setting in 2015 in St. Paul, Minnesota. While that beginning was only ten years ago, Nick experienced the industry when many setters were still getting paid by the route and boulder, specifically: $7 a boulder, $11 a top-rope route, $15 a lead route and $26 for setting the roof. From there, Nick moved to Colorado where he set at the Earth Treks gyms—now Movement—before he finally landed in Portland, Oregon. Now, Nick is a USAC Level 3 routesetter and the Director of Setting at Portland Rock Gym. When he’s not setting, Nick is often climbing outdoors, playing video games, and trying to get better at Go.

• The history of Portland Rock Gym’s Beaverton location, designed with setters and competitions in mind
• Key elements of a competition-ready gym
• Communicating with members about hosting USAC competitions
• Preparing to host Youth Nationals
• Lessons learned from hosting Youth Nationals—and what could be done differently next time
• Managing relationships between in-house and guest setters
• Setting novice routesetters up for success in their first competition
• Professional development opportunities for experienced competition setters

• Find Nick Gagliardi on Instagram
• Portland Rock Gym
• 2025 Youth National Championships at the Portland Rock Gym, Beaverton
• USA Climbing Routesetters
• USAC Boulder QE Setting Guidelines and Top Rope/Lead Guidelines
• USAC Rulebook
• You’re Stronger if You’re Honest: Behind the Wrench With Abby Wilson
• More: other episodes of The Impact Driver Podcast that look at competition team dynamics:
  • Setting the Tone: What Makes a Space Feel Good? – CBJ Podcast with Jesse Safford
  • No One Sets Alone: Collective Authorship – CBJ Podcast with Ruth Jang
  • “You Can Strip My Boulder.” – CBJ Podcast with Blake Green

If you’d like to nominate someone as a next guest, have a topic you want to see us tackle or have questions, we’d love for you to reach out.

The Impact Driver podcast is a production of the Climbing Business Journal. Today’s episode is sponsored by Kilter and Bold Climbing. It was edited and produced by Holly Yu Tung Chen, Megan Cheek, Scott Rennak, and the team at CBJ. Our theme music is by Devin Dabney.

Today's podcast episode features an interview with gym founder Eric Hires. Eric is the co-owner of Stone Climbing, the first location of which opened in St. Augustine, Florida, several years ago. Now, there's a second Stone Climbing gym that is quickly approaching its grand opening in Jacksonville, Florida. Eric talks with host John Burgman about the development and the construction of both those gyms. The new Stone Climbing gym that's about to open in Jacksonville is a 16,000-square-foot ground-up build, with boulders and roped climbs.

The focus of this conversation with Eric is on the challenges (and opportunities) inherent in opening a gym in a place like Florida, which certainly has some gym climbing history but doesn't have an outdoor climbing heritage per se. John was also curious to get Eric's insights on the lessons he learned from opening that first gym…and how Eric is applying those lessons to the opening of a second gym. So, keep listening to hear how jotting something down on a barroom napkin was crucial in the creation of Eric's gyms in Florida.

• Introduction to Stone Climbing
• Climbing and Surfing Communities
• Origin Story of Stone Climbing
• The Bar Napkin Connection
• Ground-Up Construction vs. Retrofitting
• Second Location Development
• Creating Beautiful Spaces

• @stoneclimbingco

Thank you Approach and Strati for your support! And thank you Devin Dabney for your music!

On this expansive episode of The Impact Driver Podcast, host Holly Chen brings on two setters—Nat Vorel and Mia DePaolis—to talk about paraclimbing and parasetting, diving into fundamentals and tips that any setter can put into practice.

Nat Vorel is based in Oklahoma City and has been climbing for ten years, paraclimbing for around five of them. They are a four-time National Champion and have five World Cup podiums. Nat started setting five years ago and turned freelance recently. Nat has set for a variety of competitions, from local qualifiers and citizens comps to paraclimbing comps. They have a USAC L1 setting certification and an AMGA Single Pitch Instructor certification for guiding. Climbing and setting aside, Nat is a costume designer and would like to shout out their three tabby cats, whom they love dearly.

Mia DePaolis is the Head Routesetter at Central Rock Gym in Randolph, Massachusetts. She has been climbing for over twenty years and setting for ten of those years. After hearing from some local paraclimbers, Mia began to run an annual paraclimbing comp, the Randolph Rumble, at CRG. She is a USAC Level 3 routesetter with only one more national event to go before obtaining the next level. She is also a certified sports nutrition coach. Outside of climbing and setting, Mia worked as a beekeeper for many years and continues to love bees.

• Who are paraclimbers and what are the competition categories?
• Debunking common myths and assumptions about paraclimbers
• Fundamentals of setting for paraclimbers
• Are there distinctive tones or styles in para routes/boulders?
• Paraclimbing introduces creative techniques and beta
• Paraclimbing competition basics: safety, format, scoring, time, local to world stage
• Building and educating a robust volunteer parabelay community
• The future of paraclimbing and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games

• Find Nat Vorel on Instagram
• Find Mia DePaolis on Instagram
• Central Rock Gym
• USAC Paraclimbing and USAC Parasetting Clinics
• IFSC Paraclimbing
• Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes
• Randolph Rumble, Central Rock Gym’s annual paraclimbing competition
• Para Climbing Set to Make Paralympics Debut

If you’d like to nominate someone as a next guest, have a topic you want to see us tackle or have questions, we’d love for you to reach out.

The Impact Driver podcast is a production of the Climbing Business Journal. Today’s episode is sponsored by EP Climbing and Trango. It was edited and produced by Holly Yu Tung Chen, Scott Rennak and the team at CBJ. Our theme music is by Devin Dabney.