I have never seen any listed CRITERIA for choosing the "Route of the Year". What were vetters actually looking for in a route for it to qualify as a potential "Route of the Year"? Was there any criteria in the first place, or was a route chosen simply because the vetter liked it or applied their own personal criteria? Mr Grumpy has outlined some possible criteria, but is this his own personal criteria or is it the vetters agreed criteria?
Without stated selection criteria, it would have been useful to have at least a summary of why the successful route was chosen.