These four homewalling experts represent over 100 years of combined experience with many aspects of climbing on artificial walls. Thank you Louie, Jackie, Kenny and Scott for your contributions to homewalling and climbing!
Frequently Asked Questions:
Louie Anderson
Louie Anderson is one of the pioneers of the American indoor climbing industry, having shaped holds and designed climbing walls over a four-decade career. Anderson is also one of the preeminent American routesetters. In the early 2000s, he published The Art of Coursesetting, and then updated and re-released that text under a new title, Fundamentals of Routesetting, in 2014. The book is considered a must-read for career routesetters. Through his clinics and Setter Showdown events, Anderson works to elevate the profession of routesetting. As a shaper Anderson has worked with many brands from the early Radwall through to modern brands like Kingdom and his own Legacy Ascension.
Jackie Hueftle
Jackie Hueftle is the co-owner of Kilter and Urban Plastix and has been routesetting since 1998. She co-founded the Routesetting Institute, is a member of the CWA Routesetting Committee, is a USAC Level 4 Setter, and has been a speaker at industry conferences including CWA Summit, The UK’s Women’s Climbing Symposium, and ISPO in Germany. As a Junior, Hueftle competed for the US World Team in Europe and Asia and as an adult went on to coach youth teams and set several USAC Junior National Championships. In addition to over 20 years of commercial setting, including several years at Head Setter at The Spot, she has served as consultant for gyms and brands, judge and organizer for competitions, and writer for publications including Climbing, Rock and Ice, Route Setter, and Climbing Business Journal. Hueftle’s first homewall was born in 1999.
Kenny Matys
Kenny Matys is the President of Atomik Climbing Holds, which he founded in 2002. Matys is a hands-on executive consulting daily on climbing wall builds, product design, and production. Matys started climbing in the late-1980s and worked his way to climbing on a professional level in elite competitions such as the IFSC’s World Cup circuit and the X Games. Matys competed and routeset in over 110 competitions during his career and was a nationally certified routesetter by the American League of Forerunners (ALF). Publications have aptly described him as “part of what could be called the ‘first wave’ of the popularization of the sport in the United States.” Matys’ first homewall was born in 1989.
Scott Rennak
Scott Rennak is the Publisher of Climbing Business Journal and Homewaller. Rennak has been active in many corners of the climbing community since he was first an instructor and guide at a Boy Scout summer camp in Indiana in 1996. He is the founder of the American Bouldering Series, which he sold to USA Climbing in 2005. Over the years Rennak has helped launch and grow many projects, events and businesses in climbing including Climb Time of Cincinnati, Crater Holds, Kilter Grips, Boulder Climbing Community, The Spot Denver and most recently Homewaller. He has helped hundreds of small businesses grow through marketing and events, and provides consulting and marketing services through Reach Climbers. Rennak’s first homewall was born in 1995.
