The IFSC recently announced the appointment of Volx Climbing as the new IFSC Certified Speed Hold Manufacturer. Volx, based in France, specializes in the production of climbing holds and volumes which the company describes as “inspired by nature, pure movement and design.”
According to the IFSC Speed License Rules, certified speed climbing holds are the only holds accepted for speed world record attempts and the certified speed hold manufacturer is set for a period of two years. Volx replaces previously certified manufacturer Planet’Roc, which held the official designation for two terms (since June 2015) before declaring bankruptcy in early 2019. Speed holds purchased from Planet’Roc from 2015 onwards will continue to remain valid as certified speed holds.
After Planet’Roc won the designation in 2015, the new certified speed holds differed from previous versions. The company applied a unique thermoforming technique during the production process in order to ensure more rigorous reproducibility. As a former sub-contractor of Planet’Roc, the IFSC assures that certified speed climbing holds of Volx will not differ from the current version:
“This appointment aims to ensure the continuity of hold quality and supply for major Sport Climbing events over the coming year, thus also safeguarding the needs of our athletes and Member Federations. As a sub-contractor for Planet Roc, athletes can expect no difference in the production and quality (shape and texture) of Speed Holds produced by Volx Climbing.”
Volx speed holds can be purchased by completing the pre-order form. The order form includes an option to purchase speed holds in other colors than red. While not valid for speed world record attempts, the colored holds are produced with full compliance to certified speed hold specifications.
Long-time Climbing Business Journal readers will quickly notice—if they have not already—that the CBJ website has been completely redesigned to improve the user experience and accommodate CBJ’s ever-expanding offerings. Users now have quick access to what is trending. They are also able to navigate categorized gym projects with greater ease and peruse CBJ’s extensive back catalog of articles like Gyms & Trends and Grip List awards.
With the new website comes several recurring features. These include Behind the Desk, a new series that profiles members of the gym industry. Recent interviewees for Behind the Desk include Danny Bulkhead, General Manager at The Circuit in Tigard, Oregon, and Kristina Ericson, Events Coordinator at The Cliffs Climbing and Fitness in New York.
Another new addition to CBJ’s regular content is a roundup of routesetting educational opportunities. Roundups will be published as additional clinics get announced. CBJ will also be increasing and expanding its coverage of new gym construction projects and developments.
Scott Rennak managing the isolation zone at ABS3 Championship at Berkeley Ironworks. Photo: ABS
Climbing Business Journal’s staff is evolving too. Founder Mike Helt recently left the journal, although he still maintains a consultant role. Taking over the publisher role previously held by Helt is Scott Rennak. Rennak has extensive experience in management, marketing and branding within the climbing industry. He has worked with a wide range of gyms and brands, including The Spot, Kilter, Colorado Mountain School, Boulder Rock Club, and the Mountain Games in Vail. Rennak has also held positions on the boards of USA Climbing and the Flatirons Climbing Council. He began as a routesetter, gym owner, hold manufacturer and event organizer. As the founder of the American Bouldering Series, Rennak is considered one of the forefathers of the modern American competition climbing scene.
Yet, even with all the exciting changes and updates, Climbing Business Journal’s focus and aims have not changed. The journal continues to keep its finger on the pulse of the climbing industry, and the staff is committed to delivering the same business-related news and stories that have always been at the core of the journal.
Like you, I love climbing. The business of climbing, talking about climbing, and particularly the act of climbing. It’s hard to pinpoint precisely why we love climbing; we just do. Our reasons for loving climbing are diverse as we are.
As I take the helm at CBJ, and after working in climbing gyms since 1997, I’m struck by how much the business of climbing has changed. Writers have examined how climbing itself has changed, how indoor climbing drives the growth, and how many of today’s climbers will never touch rock. Climbing has become accessible all over the country to people of all backgrounds. It’s 2019 and practically anyone can become a climber.
Now that climbing is mainstream, I believe we’ve entered the third era of the business of climbing. The first defined our culture with Yvon Chouinard’s piton-powered-vanlife. That era bred the largest brands in the business, the icons Patagonia, Black Diamond and others, who made products for enthusiasts to use in wild places of the world.
Fast forward a few decades to the second era, arriving in the early 90s with people like Chris Warner and Mark Melvin and the visionary first climbing gyms. They had no idea that their businesses, Earth Treks and Touchstone, respectively, would be among the largest players in rapidly growing industry. They just saw the demand for climbing, and provided high-quality alternatives to the rock.
Another few decades brings us to today. Recently we got our first coast-to-coast chain, serious capital is making plays, Olympic medals have begun flowing, and Coca-Cola is sponsoring climbers. There are over 50 brands of climbing holds sold in this country, and over a dozen wall builders for your next gym. Almost 8 million people are expected to climb this year in the U.S..
Which all adds up to… we’ve made it. All of us who have worked in this business for much of our lives, we were right. Climbing is awesome, it’s an incredible activity that can make your life better. It has always deserved to be mainstream.
And so now I believe it’s time for our industry to grow up. Every business needs to address their responsibilities to customers and community. As an industry we must address our impacts, increase our professionalism, improve accessibility, and use climbing to uplift the communities in which we operate.
As business leaders, we carry the most weight from that responsibility. We are the ones both producing more climbers and also harvesting returns from those climbers. Our profits directly derive from more climbers. More impacts, across our communities, are the intangible social and environmental result, and noone forces us to pay for them. But we can choose to do so.
We can choose to lean into our responsibility, to work towards:
Creating inclusive and open environments, because everyone deserves the chance to climb in a place they are comfortable.
Driving our customers to learn and adopt low-impact methods when venturing outdoors.
Investing in our employee teams and treating our workplaces professionally.
Harnessing the power of climbing to improve the communities we touch.
Climbing won. It’s huge now. And so is our opportunity to help. I hope you choose to.
Thanks for reading CBJ,
Scott Rennak
Publisher & Editor-In-Chief
Climbing Business Journal
P.S. In case you’re looking for ways to support our climbing community, we’ve recently added a new directory for climbing non-profits. I encourage you to pick one and donate your next raffle proceeds.
Scott Rennak helps with the first set of The Spot Bouldering Gym in Boulder Colorado in 2002. Photo: The Spot
Behind the Desk… is an ongoing series that profiles people influencing and advancing the industry in gyms across the country. This month, CBJ heads to Music City, USA, to talk about the Hotter Than Chicken competition, one of the most unique gym events ever. What started as a joke competition in 2016 (in which participants had to eat spicy chicken tenders right before climbing) has since grown into an annual tradition that sells out and draws 250 competitors from all corners of the nation. The festivities also include a gigantic block party with food, drink, music from a DJ, and, of course, the consumption of a lot of hot wings by all. This year’s event takes place on August 3, 2019
Name: Jonathan Brandt Title: Routesetting Director at Climb Nashville Location: Nashville, Tennessee
CBJ: Competitors come from as far away as Denver and Milwaukee for this event. What is the secret to growing a competition beyond its local/regional base?
BRANDT: In 2016 we created something fun, weird, and authentic meant for the Nashville climbing community. Attendance doubled in years two and three. Now we’re in year four and selling out the comp with half the competitors traveling from outside of Nashville to compete. Honestly, I’m not sure how it has grown to this size other than through lots of psych and staying true to ourselves and the nature of the comp. Anyone who has been to Hotter Than Chicken (HTC), talks about it. I think the psych we’ve built around the event is contagious. Sure, we send out flyers, email blasts and social posts, but the most effective mode of marketing we’ve experienced is word of mouth… create something unique and people will talk about it.
Jonathan Brandt in the flow at Climb Nashville’s Hotter Than Chicken. Photo: Climb Nashville
CBJ: Black Diamond is one of your sponsors. Can you offer any advice to other gyms about how to get sponsors for their competitions?
BRANDT: Everywhere you look someone is hosting a competition and asking brands for favors and swag, but how many of these competitions are doing something different to stand out? Part of the appeal for sponsors is reach and brand recognition, but I think they also want to attach their name to something influential and unique that will make waves in climbing communities. The relationship between Black Diamond and Climb Nashville is more of a partnership than a sponsorship. Instead of calling them up and asking for cash and swag, we work together to make HTC something great that represents both brands.
CBJ: You mentioned that the comp began in 2016 “as a joke.” When was the moment that it became not just a joke?
BRANDT: The Climb Nashville routesetting team would go eat lunch at Hattie B’s (our hot chicken supplier), and then return to the gym to forerun boulders. It was always a miserable experience climbing with hot chicken in the belly and we laughed about making others share in our misery. We first ran HTC in 2016 with 60 competitors. I realized how much people love suffering and that we were on to something big when attendance doubled in 2017. Then in 2018 when it doubled again, brands started coming to us with ideas on how they could support the comp. Oh, and the Mayor of Nashville, David Briley, came out and declared the day “Hotter than Chicken Day” in perpetuity.
This year, we’re selling out the comp and have a huge Open finals round complete with lights, FX, and a DJ on top of a volume set by some of the nation’s top routesetters. I guess I’m still trying to wrap my head around how big this thing has become.
Jonathan Brandt keeping the crowd informed at Climb Nashville’s Hotter Than Chicken. Photo: Climb Nashville
CBJ: There is a charity component to the comp with Second Harvest of Middle Tennessee. How did that idea for a partnership come about?
BRANDT: I was stopped at a red light in Nashville one day last year and there was a guy on the street corner asking for change. I didn’t have any cash to give him, but I had a box of HTC swag—so I hooked him up with a hoodie and a t-shirt. Driving away I thought about how many people come and chow down on copious amounts of chicken every year while there are people out there struggling to feed themselves. Right then I made a commitment to give back through HTC. For every chicken tender eaten at the comp, Climb Nashville will donate four meals to Second Harvest. Now, competitors not only eat to win, but they eat to provide meals for those in need.
This is the first year we’ve partnered with Second Harvest, but they’ve been amazing to work with, shared the psych for our event, and are making a huge difference in middle Tennessee. We are looking forward to growing our relationship and making an even bigger impact in future years. We are also partnered with the Southeastern Climbers’ Coalition and will donate 100 percent of beer sales to help preserve climbing areas in the Southeast. Many of us at Climb Nashville cut our teeth climbing on Southern sandstone and care deeply about others sharing in a similar experience.
CBJ: Is there a way for people who can’t make the trek to watch the action or at least find the results?
BRANDT: People can watch the event on Climb Nashville’s Instagram page (@climbnasville) and stay up to date on event details on the HTC Instagram page (@hotterthanchicken). Next year we hope to go big with a full production livestream so everyone can watch the exciting and exceedingly gross final showdown.
Specs: 35,000-square-foot facility with bouldering, rope climbing (50-foot walls), and speed climbing (10-meter wall). A training area includes hydraulic Kilter and Tension boards, as well as a separate space for outdoor, multi-pitch, and adaptive climbing instruction. Additional amenities include a yoga studio, 6,000-square-foot space with fitness equipment, locker rooms with showers and saunas, communal workspaces, and an Apogee restaurant next door (with coffee, beer, and pizza).
Development Word of Mouth: “RoKC was dreamt up in 2013 by co-founder Andrew Potter during his second tour in Afghanistan. He realized that he didn’t want a career in the military, but still wanted to serve the community by doing something he was passionate about. Being an avid climber and realizing that Kansas City deserved a great gym, he decided that he could serve his community through climbing. He contacted his brother Frank and they got to work planning RoKC.” —Alex Gromacki, RoKC Marketing and Event Coordinator
Black Diamond recently announced that 70 employees would be let go from its headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah. The massive round of layoffs, which will reportedly reduce the equipment manufacturer’s personnel in that state by more than 20 percent, are part of a “multi-year strategy” to shift the company’s operations from in-house manufacturing in the United States to manufacturing in other countries. As a result, carabiners, crampons, and several other hardware items will be produced overseas.
Black Diamond’s President, John Walbrecht, spoke to Amelia Arvesen for SNEWS about the announcement and said that although it is more profitable “in some cases” for the company to manufacture equipment overseas, there were other aspects influencing the major decision—including potential access to technology that facilities overseas possess.
Walbrecht noted that Utah will remain the company’s main headquarters, even with the aforementioned shift to more international manufacturing. The 62 remaining employees from the manufacturing division have been assigned new roles at the company.
Behind the Desk… is an ongoing series that profiles people influencing and advancing the industry in gyms across the country. This month, CBJ heads to Central Oregon to talk about the fate of The Circuit Bouldering Gym in Tigard. Several months ago, the gym was at risk of closing due to eminent domain laws (specifically regarding a proposed railway line). However, thanks to some recent rallying by the Tigard climbing community and a subsequent unanimous vote by a planning committee, the railway line will avoid the gym.
Name: Danny Burkhead Title: General Manager at The Circuit Location: Tigard, Oregon
CBJ: What’s new and noteworthy at the gym these days, aside from this exciting news about the gym being saved?
BURKHEAD: Over the last couple years, we’ve remodeled our three current locations. Bathrooms, new gym flooring, retexturing/painting…. It’s important for our customers to see this and their membership dollars getting put to use. More recently, we’ve installed a MoonBoard and a Tension Board. Within the next the couple months we’ll be installing a second Tension Board as well as expanding our fitness areas. The timing of these improvements comes from maintaining a competitive edge, not just against the other climbing gyms in the area, but against yoga studios and regular weight gyms. The climbing gym industry these days has to offer more than just climbing, it’s what customers have come to expect.
But the more exciting reason for the recent improvements is prepping for our fourth gym to open located in Bend, Oregon, come November. As like most families expanding, you can’t neglect your other children, it’s not fair for anyone. The oldest should get as much as love as the newest addition. We knew that we would be busy with our Bend gym, so we put in a lot of hard work on the other three locations.
CBJ: When the Tigard gym was wrapped up in the whole eminent domain issue, you mentioned staying active in the community and in community politics. How can a gym do that without alienating a certain portion of its patrons? Any advice? In other words, what’s the recipe for being a good community neighbor?
BURKHEAD: We’ve been a member of our local Chamber of Commerce, which is great for getting know the feel of your surrounding community and happenings, political or otherwise. Joining a local Chamber of Commerce also comes with the benefit of networking: ‘You scratch my back, I scratch yours.’ This was one of the very reasons why one of our neighbors reached out to tell us about the potential eminent domain issue. We ended up making a coalition of sorts with the other surrounding businesses. And to add to that good neighbor feel, many times we give our neighboring businesses discounted/free passes and invite them to our customer appreciation parties.
Photo: The Circuit Tigard
CBJ: You have indicated that gyms must be willing to change. Can you elaborate on that and maybe give an example or two? How is running a gym now different than it was, say, five years ago?
BURKHEAD: Climbing gyms today versus even five years ago are completely different. Climbing is more popular than ever and with that more climbing gyms are being built. Customers have started to become accustomed to gyms with yoga classes, fitness classes, training apparatus, showers, saunas, and even bars! Owners and managers should be willing to always try to improve and change their facilities but also their operations. Myself, like most other managers, face a diverse amount of challenges. I never expected to become fluent in eminent domain law/procedures, but that’s what it took to help us fight this. On a daily basis, we need to have knowledge in human resources, marketing, labor laws, OSHA, accounting…and with that knowledge, we try to adapt to any situation. But sometimes you just don’t know what to do and those are the times you need to ask for help, lean on your team/employees, change a policy/procedure, dive into learning a new topic, be willing to admit that you don’t know or were wrong…to make yourselves better.
CBJ: Aside from visiting The Circuit, what are four or five must-do things in Tigard?
BURKHEAD: Our three current locations are based in Portland and the greater metro area. Tigard is a beautiful suburb of Portland. Just down the street from our Tigard location is Bridgeport Village, which is an awesome outdoor shopping complex with live entertainment year round, good dining, and a ton of other shops. Near our Portland locations, swing into the massive Powell’s Books, which covers an entire city block, or head up into the hills to visit Portland’s Japanese Garden for some quiet meditation. For something just over an hour away, take a hike up on Mt. Hood or head to the coast for a quick surf session. There’s always something good to be found here!
The Boulder, Colorado-based Climbing Wall Association is currently seeking participants to take part in its 2019 Indoor Climbing Survey. The survey is being headed by Dr. David P. Carter, an Assistant Professor at the University of Utah, and Dr. Ryan J. Gagnon, an Assistant Professor at Clemson University. The objectives of the survey are to get a thorough report on the current indoor climbing community. Research will encompass demographics and behaviors, as well as consumer preferences and purchasing habits in a gym setting. Participants will receive a free copy of the eventual report. The survey’s sign-up page can be found here.
The Climbing Wall Association has also launched a series of events around the continent under a label umbrella, the 2019 CWA Meetings program. The training opportunities include a workshop on management and operations facilitated by frequent CWA Summit speaker Chris Stevenson, routesetting workshops at Gravity Vault locations in Hoboken, New Jersey, and San Francisco, California, as well as workshops and lectures on structured programming facilitated by the Headwall Group. More information about upcoming CWA events can be found here.
The American Alpine Club recently released an extensive analysis of the entire climbing industry, known as the Climbing Report. The detailed chronicle, which can be accessed online at the link below, explores not only demographics of the climbing community, but the community—and the industry’s—impact on the larger American economy and the environment. Statistics included in the report range from the average ages of climbers (65 percent of which are between 18-35 years old) to the portion of outdoor climbing areas that exist on land managed by the federal government (57 percent). Climbing, on the whole, pumped $12,450,000,000 into the economy in 2017.
Of particular note to the indoor industry, specifically, is that indoor climbers make up more than half of the entire climbing population, and more than four percent of Americans climbed indoors last year. Also, the Climbing Report presents statistically less than one injury incident per 1,000 hours of participation at climbing gyms—which is less than the average injury rate for other facility-based fitness activities such as CrossFit.
To gather data and create the report, the American Alpine Club had help from a number of other non-profit organizations: The Access Fund, Climbing Wall Association, American Mountain Guides Association, USA Climbing, USA Ice Climbing, United States Ski Mountaineering Association, Outdoor Industry Association, The NPD Group, The Colorado Fourteeners Initiative, Brown Girls Climb, Latino Outdoors, Colorado Mountain Club, and Paradox Sports. The full report can be downloaded here from the American Alpine Club.
Specs: 24,000-square-foot climbing facility on Broad Street in Newark’s downtown area, part of a larger mixed-use development of Walker House in the historic NJ Bell building. Of note is that it will be the first “climbing wall facility” in Newark, according to developers. The gym will include 15-foot-high bouldering walls, as well as 27-foot-high walls for various roped climbing. The gym will offer adult and youth programs. Additional amenities will include a weightlifting and cardio-equipment area, as well as regularly scheduled group fitness classes (yoga, boot camp, etc).
In Their Words:“We are excited to bring rock climbing to Newark, especially during a time when the city is going through such significant change. Each new development brings a new element that helps reshape the city’s identity and sense of community. Rock climbing is not only a fun and challenging sport, but it’s also a social experience with a strong community component. We hope that Method can be a place that brings Newark together and be a small part of the city’s new identity.” —James Chi, operator
Have news you would like to share? CBJ would like to hear about your new gym projects, openings, closings, moves and new owners. Please drop us a note with the details.
