Adjustable cracks, that is hand cracks that can be changed by the customer with a push of the button have been a dream for gym operators and climbers for years. But the mechanics behind taking a crack sized for fingers and expanding it to fist size have not been invented…yet.
So one enterprising gym owner decided to make his own. Michael Lambert, Owner of Evo Rock in Portland, Maine loves crack climbing and wanted to share his passion with his members. But during the design phase of the gym which opened earlier this spring, he was talked out of it by Cort Gariepy, former CEO of Rockwerx and current head of business development for Evo Rock. Gariepy told Lambert, “That in his experience, cracks have limited utility once members climb them a few times. They also can’t be cleaned very effectively, which is, shall we say, important.”
Lambert is an experienced craftsman and had already made prototype modular volumes that when placed next to each other formed a crack. So for him it was easy to let go of the idea of permanent built-in cracks in his gym.
“My prototype crack volumes had a mounting plate with horizontal ovular holes for finding randomly placed t-nuts,” Lambert said. Because of the randomness of t-nuts in commercial climbing walls he found the mounting system and adjustability to be less than desirable.
7″ bolts through horizontal slots in the volumes themselves. Handholds (often no-shadow style) act as washers and mostly hide the slots from view. Photo: Lambert
“However, with a speed wall, the spacing is standardized, so suddenly the design could be greatly simplified. Now it’s easy to adjust it, or to open it up to install holds in the crack itself to create constrictions,” he said.
Although not customer adjustable the crack volumes have become quite useful and popular with members. A unique aspect of the crack volume system is the ability to take small sections down to the bouldering area and offer hands-on training. Lambert did just that, “in the form of three boulder problems of different crack sizes,” he said. “I hosted a clinic where folks could try them out while I stood next to them offering feedback.”
Lambert said, “If somebody wants to be the best climber they can, they should try different things. With this system, we can throw anything we want at them.”
Paul Robinson tests out the DUMBO Boulders. Photo: Boon Speed.
The newest large scale outdoor climbing structure is popping up under the Manhattan Bridge in New York. The boulders dubbed, the DUMBO Boulders, will be run by Cliffs Climbing + Fitness and are located in the newly renovated Brooklyn Bridge Park in New York.
The Walltopia-built boulders could be North America’s largest outdoor bouldering facility.
From press release:
“DUMBO Boulders will open in spring 2016 and welcome climbers of all abilities with routes ranging from beginner to advanced. The Cliffs will manage the new facility, bringing its expertise in operating premium climbing facilities to DUMBO. This collaboration between The Cliffs and BBP will add another dynamic element to this vibrant neighborhood and provide unique access to a sport not typically available in urban communities. Day passes will be $9, and DUMBO Boulders will also offer a substantial amount of free programming for afterschool programs and school field trips.”
“We’re thrilled to be partnering with The Cliffs to add bouldering to the Park’s diverse array of programs,” said Regina Myer, President of Brooklyn Bridge Park. “Perched under the majestic expanse of the Manhattan Bridge, bouldering at BBP will be unlike anywhere else. We look forward to welcoming climbers of all levels this spring.”
“We’re excited to team up with Brooklyn Bridge Park to offer a truly unique and exceptional outdoor bouldering experience,” said Mike Wolfert, owner of The Cliffs. “Climbing is a fantastic addition to this world-class park. It offers a fun fitness challenge to people of all ages and abilities.”
Walltopia announces an investment in Momentum Indoor Climbing
As established climbing gym operators look to expand the reach of their brands they are searching for partners that are aligned with their growth strategy. Also, they need partners with deep pockets that can invest in their multi-million dollar expansion projects.
Two companies that seem to have found that alignment is the Bulgarian climbing wall manufacturer Walltopia, and Salt Lake City-based climbing gym operator Momentum Indoor Climbing. These two companies will soon join forces when Walltopia finishes a major deal to buy equity in the expanding climbing gym company.
This is not the first time Walltopia has made an investment with one of their clients; they have interest in Sender One in Los Angeles, California, plus other gyms in Canada, Russia and beyond. For the most part these investments have been small and haven’t had any major implications for the industry as a whole. This new partnership with Momentum, however, may signal the start of a new era for the rapidly growing North American indoor climbing market.
Alignment
Walltopia was founded in 1998, but didn’t enter the US market until 2007, when they built the climbing walls at Momentum’s first facility in Sandy, Utah. The two companies continued a traditional client-contractor relationship for Momentum’s two other facilities in Utah, and Walltopia was also selected as the wall builder for Momentum’s latest project, a new climbing gym planned for Houston, Texas.
Despite Momentum’s steady growth, they are still a relatively small climbing gym operator. To continue growing in the competitive US market they found they needed outside investment from someone they trust. For Jeff Pedersen, the CEO and Founder of Momentum Climbing, Walltopia has earned that trust.
Since Pedersen met the charismatic CEO of Walltopia, Ivaylo Penchev, almost a decade ago at an outdoor retailer conference, the two executives have worked well together and have come to consider each other good friends.
This made the decision to take cash from Walltopia an easy one. “We have an aligned vision on how to grow the sport and we find it very easy to communicate and work together,” Pedersen told CBJ in a phone interview. “We’ve always been aligned even though we haven’t been connected in any formal way. And for whatever reason we see eye to eye on many things, it’s a good fit.”
Photo: Momentum Indoor Climbing – Sandy
This alignment is critical, as a large investment in Momentum could mean the founders have less autonomy in the direction of their company. This dilemma looms over any business looking to bring in outside investment; what is more important, growth or control? For Momentum, the answer, for now, is growth.
“The Momentum founders and owners have a decision to make and that is: would we rather retain control at the expense of slower growth, or are we willing to take some amount of risk that goes with the other path, and be able to seize opportunities that we see in front of us,” Pedersen said. “And I can tell you that it wasn’t difficult for me because I’m not actually trying to control anything … I’m just trying to create a network of gyms through strategic partnerships and I don’t know how I would do that by also being extra safe and keeping control over all aspects.”
Having a shared sense of synergy and the ability to leverage their collective skill sets is, for Pedersen, more powerful than any amount of funding. “Anyone that’s trying to grow their brand is looking at it that way,” he said. “People aren’t just looking for money, they’re looking for strategic value for the future.”
The final details of this investment deal are still being hammered out between the two companies and their attorneys, so the particulars, such as how large of an equity stake Walltopia is buying, are still unknown. Penchev indicated that the exact percentage wasn’t a key driver in Walltopia’s decision to invest. “It is possible that we will buy more than 50%, but in the end it’s not so important,” Penchev told CBJ in a Skype interview from Bulgaria. “We do not need control in Momentum. It depends mainly on them. We do not search for control. We do not want to manage such a business, otherwise we will lose our focus.”
Going Vertical
Vertical integration, where a firm invests in its upstream suppliers or downstream buyers, is not unusual in the larger business world, but in the climbing industry this type of deal is exceedingly rare. It has the potential to make a lot of money for those involved; It also could ruffle a lot of feathers. In an industry with only a few major climbing wall manufacturers, this partnership could make other climbing gym developers uncomfortable.
The most obvious downside for Walltopia is that gym developers may be cautious to hire a wall builder that is connected to another gym operator that might be a direct competitor. Developers almost always reach out to wall builders very early on in their planning process for a new location, before they have even finalized a real estate deal, and well before they publicly announce their project. There is concern that Momentum would have access to insider information about the expansion plans of climbing gyms around the world.
Another issue is the actual or perceived issue of preferential treatment for Momentum gyms. With a finite amount of engineers, project managers and installers, it’s not unreasonable for gym developers to worry that Momentum projects will always get the most qualified team, and priority treatment if there are delays.
Despite these issues, almost all the operators we talked to for this story are taking a wait-and-see attitude towards this deal.
In fact, Wes Shih, co-owner of Sender One, told CBJ he wasn’t concerned about Momentum getting preferential treatment. “I don’t anticipate this happening but if there ever comes a point where they were to put their own projects first in the cue of construction, well that’s different, we’ll go find someone else to build our walls,” he said. “But I don’t see that happening in the near future.”
Penchev outside the Walltopia factory Photo: Guy Martin for Bloomberg Businessweek
When asked about these potential conflicts Penchev acknowledged that some Walltopia customers might have concerns about the deal, but seemed to wave them off with assurances that building walls would always be Walltopia’s priority. “We are manufacturer of climbing walls, Walltopia will always be manufacturer of climbing walls,” he said.
Walltopia as a whole and Penchev singly have invested in a wide array of companies across a mix of industries. Several climbing related companies, including climbing hold maker HRT and Safety Engineering, which specializes in safety equipment for indoor climbing facilities, as well as several others that specialize in adventure course products like Funtopia and Rollglider. There are also a number of companies connected to Penchev further afield from climbing, including the urethane lab Composite-X, a reverse auctions platform called Auxionize, and a ‘molecular quantum modeling’ company called Quantacea that is involved in the pharmaceutical industry.
But Penchev has no plans or desire to get into the business of operating climbing centers. He stated emphatically, “We do not want to run climbing gyms. This is not our business. We are ready to invest here and there if the opportunities are good, but we will not run climbing gyms.”
The fact that Walltopia does not want to operate climbing gyms is, for Penchev, sufficient proof that investing in Momentum is not a threat to other gym developers.
“So in fact, we are just investors,” Penchev said. “Yes, look, maybe someone will start to think of us as competitors. Some people, but they will fast understand that we are not competitors. I’m just not interested in managing climbing gyms. We do not have knowledge about this. We are not a company for managing climbing gyms. This is so clear to me. We will never start a business that we’re not experts in.”
Walltopia rendering of Momentum Indoor Climbing – Lehi
Gym Building Machine
The climbing industry and climbing gyms in particular are experiencing a bull market and are looking to use whatever strategic assets they may have. Some gyms are pushing forward with a franchise model thinking they have solid operations that can be scalable, while others are hoping to gain a stronghold by saturating their local market.
Momentum is focusing instead on creating a superior development team and building the treasury to make their rapid growth possible. Walltopia and other investors are part of this team and have contributed to the company’s growing war chest. “We’re building a gym building machine,” Pedersen said. “We’re working very hard on the team and there’s a lot of hard work going into building systems, and building strategic partnerships that we think will allow us to move much more quickly in the near future.”
Part of that future is the entry into the potentially lucrative Texas market. Momentum announced plans to open a large facility in the tony suburb of Katy, on the Northwest edge of Houston, sometime in 2016. In their 3-year strategic plan they hope to build 15 – 20 new climbing facilities across the US, potentially becoming the first ‘nationwide’ climbing brand.
By teaming up with Penchev and tapping not just into the Bulgarian’s wallet, but also his strong executive skills, Pedersen hopes to move Momentum forward much more quickly than before. “Ivaylo is really fast, and that’s part of why he’s successful. A lot of times, many times, I wish I was that fast, but I’m just not and my company isn’t,” Pedersen lamented. “We are trying to build our brand quickly and take advantage of opportunities that we see, but we’re a bunch of rock climbers and by nature, we think very carefully about what we’re doing.”
In a recent Bloomberg Business article profiling Penchev and the companies he and Walltopia co-founder Metin Musov have created, Penchev describes himself as a serial entrepreneur. As opposed to many business professionals, he is more honest about this capitalistic side of himself and why he does it. “Maybe this is greed. I don’t know what this is. It’s greed and fun,” he said.
Greed and fun will get a person only so far in business, but Penchev also believes in helping others. This is good news for Pedersen and the rest of the Momentum team.
“As a young man, only my personal achievements used to make me happy. Now it’s not like this. I am old man now,” the 45 year old Penchev said. “I am a little bit wiser than before. I am not ruled by my penis anymore so much. Not primarily by my penis,” he laughed. “I consider people from Momentum as friends. When Momentum makes a success, I will feel I am part of this success. This type of satisfaction is more and more important to me lately. I enjoy when I help some of the people to achieve something.”
This article has been edited to clarify Walltopia’s subsidiaries and Penchev’s personal investments.
USA Climbing survey
USA Climbing, the national governing body of competitive climbing, recently released their annual State of the Sport survey. in partnership with Clemson University, the survey results will help USAC understand the economic benefits of competitive climbing, how the sport is growing, climber behaviors, and what the organization can improve upon.
USA Climbing is growing! With this growth there is a continuing need to better understand the people who work with and are served by USA Climbing. This survey will help USAC to understand and serve our members and stakeholders better. You will be asked a series of questions relating to your demographic information, your thoughts and behaviors relating to climbing, and outcomes you may have achieved as a result of climbing.
The biggest gathering of climbing industry professionals is about to get even bigger. The 10th annual Climbing Wall Summit, a 4-day conference put on by the Climbing Wall Association is moving from its long time home at the University of Colorado in Boulder. The next Summit will take place May 17th – 21st, 2016.
The University location has roughly 9,500 square feet of exhibitor space and has sold out the last two years. In fact, last year organizers turned away 7 companies that wanted to show their wares. The new location will be just up the road in Loveland, Colorado at the Embassy Suites Hotel, Spa & Conference Center. The new space will have roughly 28,000 square feet just for exhibitors. CWA Summit
In addition to the larger space, all conference workshops, presentations, roundtables, and parties will be held at the hotel under one roof. All this space will allow for more networking between gym owners, managers and other industry professionals, which, anecdotally, attendees say is one of the best aspects of the Summit.
Lauren Papineau, Event Manager for CWA, tells CBJ that one of things they are most excited about with the new venue is the increase in networking opportunities. “The attendees haven’t necessarily had the time with the professional people in the industry that they’ve wanted. This will give them the opportunity and space to do that.”
The CWA understands this need for more networking opportunities and has plans to offer scheduled time and space for folks to get together. One way they’re doing that is by hosting the closing ceremony party which has historically been at The Spot Bouldering gym in Boulder, but will now be held at the Embassy Suites starting directly after the last session ends. Papineau said that the party will be, “A really great opportunity for everybody to get together and talk about what they learned or what they’re excited about.”
Papineau and the CWA also want to get all attendees into the same room more often. In the past the only time this happened was during the opening ceremony and keynote speaker. One way they hope to do that is with TED talk style presentations. “We want to get a lot of important people up on the stage and have them talk about specific topics,” Papineau said. This goes along with another focus of the organizers which is to bring in successful business people from wide ranging industry groups to speak on specific subjects. “We want to get people that have been really successful in their different areas of expertise to discuss up on the stage so people can hear how they’ve been successful and about their failures,” Papineau said.
The CWA team has a few other surprises up their sleeves which they are not quite ready to announce, but that promise to add value to all those who attend. Overall, Papineau wants to position “The Summit as a place where people in the community can come together and talk about climbing and celebrate climbing and all just be in the same room.”
The CWA is currently taking proposals for pre-conference workshops, regular Summit sessions and product presentations. If you’re interested in presenting at the CWA Summit please visit the event website for more information.
A Colorado climbing school took climbing to new heights with what they claim to be the “highest climbing wall in the world”. The Denver Climbing Company recently floated up to 4,000 feet in a hot air balloon and then dangled a home-built climbing wall off the side.
Lead Instructor for the school, Daniel Krug who built the wall, reported on Facebook that there was only a rope for repelling down to the bottom of the wall and then climbers soled to the top. He also wrote that, “all climbing ended in falling.” But not to worry, everyone wore a parachute.
Climbing gyms all over the country are building better facilities when it comes to wall design, floor plan and flow. They’re also building more sustainable buildings with the help of roof top solar panels. Here’s a quick look a few notable examples:
In Golden, Colorado Earth Treks put up 200 solar panels that are producing more than 61 KW of peak power (or 7200 KW hours monthly). Their efforts even won an award from the city of Golden.
Earth Treks – Golden roof top solar. Photo: ET
Also in Colorado is Movement Climbing located in Boulder which put up enough solar to cover 80% of their usage and in their Denver location they added 170 kW solar panels.
Movement Climbing roof top solar panels. Photo: Movement.
The Front Climbing Club went “green” in 2010 with their new solar panels which are updated daily on their website.
The Front Climbing solar output graphic.
Upper Limits in downtown St. Louis installed roof top solar panes to provide electricity for their operations. In the first 8 months alone, the solar panels produced over 22,200 kW of electricity, which is the equivalent to the amount of energy it takes to power 171.11 computers for 1 year or the pollution an average passenger car emits over 6.72 years.
Competitive climbing teams around the country are known for super dedicated kids that crush plastic in their local climbing gym. But teams are not just about one-arm strength and speed climbing. They are also at the forefront of crag stewardship and are taking a leading role in teaching young climbers how to take care of their local climbing areas.
One such team is the Sierra Climbing Team. The 30-member team is an independent non-profit based in Reno, Nevada and coached by the “Mayor” of Reno/Tahoe climbing, Brian Sweeney. Sweeney recently took his team to clean up a local boulder that had been attached by graffiti thugs. He wrote about the project in a recent blog post for the padding manufacture and team sponsor Flashed.
As Head Coach of the team, Sweeney wrote that, “It is my responsibility to teach them not only how to climb, but how to be good stewards of our community.” So, in that spirit, he rallied the climbing team kids and their parents to do their very own crag clean up day at a local boulder. This boulder has a long history as a local crag. John Bachar soloing the off-width on the Truckee Boulder.
Unfortunately, due to its proximity to the town, this once pristine circuit has become a party spot for wannabe taggers and people who apparently really enjoy breaking beer bottles. Photo: Sierra Climbing Team.
“To remove the paint we used an amazing product to remove the paint called “Elephant Snot,” which is biodegradable and as non-caustic a product as we could find. In case you were wondering, it looks exactly like one might imagine elephant snot to look. We simply scrubbed it on and sprayed it off. I can’t explain the addictive satisfaction of watching the paint wash off to reveal the stone below and yet still leave the lichen.”
All and all the boulder took 3 passes to get everything off and the difference is staggering. Along with the graffiti removal, we also picked up a bunch of trash and about 5lbs of broken glass. Photo: Sierra Climbing Team
The Access Fund has a great resource for others looking to spruce up their local crag.
“I am convinced that through modeling behavior and taking the time to educate others, we can greatly impact our local community. We all are capable of making a positive impact in our communities. You don’t have to rely on an organization or big event to do something. Responsible habits and the simple act of picking up someone else’s trash is enough to positively impact our areas and community.”
Rope access, OSHA, Work at Height, Work Positioning, Fall Arrest System; these terms are now showing up in conversations about routesetting and the implications of how they impact professional and part-time routesetters are becoming an important topic in the world of setting.
A paradigm shift is taking place as setters begin to realize they aren’t just climbers with cool tools, but rather professional ‘high access technicians’ that also happen to be climbers. New schools of thought and training are bringing ideas such as releasable anchors and rescue plans into climbing gyms.
One company that is pulling climbing gyms into the work at height world is Petzl, which has always had one foot in the professional/industrial world and one in the recreation/climbing world. With the help of the Climbing Wall Association, Petzl has begun leading rope access courses for climbing gym operators. These classes, along with an increase in awareness from the setters themselves, are bringing new skills and new tools into the climbing gym.
The Problem With Knots
The Petzl GriGri is as ubiquitous in a routesetter’s tool kit as it is at the sport crag. Since its inception, the GriGri has been the go-to tool for work positioning while on rope, allowing the setter to work “hands-free”. The ease of use and the fact that the GriGri is already used in climbing gyms on the customer facing side makes it by far the most popular setting tool across the country, and perhaps the world.
There’s only one problem. The GriGri is not designed as a hands-free device. “The way the GriGri is used for routesetting is what we would consider a misuse of the product,” said Rick Vance, Technical Director for Petzl.
While using the GriGri setters often tie a stopper knot every ten feet or so to prevent a ground fall if the rope was to become unweighted and the setter started to free fall, which can happen while setting. (However, it’s also not uncommon for routesetters to skip this safety step.) Though these knots will most likely keep a setter from hitting the ground in the case of a fall, it is still not technically approved by Petzl or by the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA). According to OSHA any free fall while working suspended must be under 2 feet, which would require a tie-off knot every two feet. Vance told CBJ that Petzl recommends tying off the GriGri right at the device for a no-fall potential. This is rarely, if ever, practiced by setters and is quite inefficient for a setter that is constantly moving up and down their rope.
Proper Petzl tie off technique. Image: Petzl
The GriGri and other “assisted braking” belay devices, such as Trango’s Cinch, are amazing tools for climbers. But the problem for setters and gym owners is that neither are designed for hands-free use and could land a gym owner in hot water if there was ever a workers comp claim or lawsuit.
“You’re at a disadvantage if you’re defending an accident claim … if you’re using products outside of manufacturer’s recommendations you definitely have a lot more explaining to do that’s for sure,” Vance said. He went on to say, “We can’t say gyms shouldn’t use or can’t use the GriGri. But I don’t think it’s the best tool for the job.”
If climbing gyms continue to use assisted braking devices for routesetting it’s important that all routesetters are trained the proper way to ascend the rope and which knot techniques to use. It’s also important to document the training that setters go through; the old saying, “If it’s not written down, it doesn’t exist” is very relevant in this realm.
Rig Up
There is an alternative to using an assisted braking device contrary to manufacturer’s recommendations. A tool that allows routesetters to work on rope on a piece of gear that allows the user to use both hands for work.
The Petzl Rig and others like the CMC Sparrow, are designed for hands-free positioning. Classified as descenders, but can be used for both ascending and descending, these tools come with a simple lever that “locks” the rope without the need for tie off knots. When shopping look for the European certification for locking devices: EN 12841 type C (the GriGri doesn’t have it).
Routesetters are quickly coming to the realization that working at height is serious business and gym owners are getting clued in to the liability of having workers dangling from ropes 40 feet off the ground. Not to mention the dangers lurking behind the wall! Setters such as Ward Byrum, Head Setter at Earth Treks in Maryland have already made the switch away from the GriGri. “I saw nothing wrong with the GriGri but once I switched to the Rig it changed my expectations,” Byrum told CBJ.
Byrum didn’t so much list the safety merits of the Rig as much as its efficiency and comfort. “I find it is a lot smoother for both pulling slack and lowering. The wider, longer handle is amazing for lowering with the extra weight of setting buckets. So basically the Rig is superior in every way,” Ward said.
By far the GriGri is still the most popular rope ascender with many setters, who mention the cost and the weight of the Rig as the reason they haven’t switched over. “Our hurdle has been the cost of purchasing them (we are a smaller gym if you compare to some other companies),” said a setter that wished to remain anonymous. “It’s also hard to justify the need for them when we have had zero failures with our GriGri’s (we do tie backup knots in our work lines).”
Many setters CBJ talked to for this story shared this sentiment. ‘Why change when there’s been no accidents?’ Indeed, setters have a very good track record when it comes to accidents and incidents. And setters, like most climbers, have a high risk tolerance when it comes to falling, which is why routesetters have been comfortable using gear designed for belaying for rope access.
The change that is creeping up on the industry may not come from setters, who love their fast and light equipment, but from owners and managers who have a low risk tolerance when it comes to keeping their employees safe and out of the court room. But setters should not turn their nose up at the new wave of rope access techniques. Most new access gear is more comfortable and efficient than what they’ve been using anyway. The cost is higher than other climbing gear, but it’s still cheaper than a hospital visit and less burdensome than a lawsuit.
More To Come
A few other aspects of typical rope access that you may see in climbing gyms in the very near future are:
Employer provided gear, aka Personal Protective Equipment
OSHA requires that employers determine if PPE — such a ropes, harnesses, and ascender/decenders — should be used to protect their workers from a fall. PPE for working at height is pretty obvious yet many gym employers still do not provide PPE for their setters and hardly any provide training on how to use it properly. By law, employers are also required to monitor and track the condition of the PPE used in their facility. This means keeping a log of when the equipment is used and when it is examined for damage and when it’s time to retire it.
Safety Equipment
Other protective gear that is becoming more common in a climbing gym:
Helmets – Especially for workers on the ground.
Eye and Ear protection – To keep setters out of the ER to get rusted metal shards ground out of their eyes and to prevent long-term hearing loss from prolonged exposure to noisy impact drivers.
Full body harness – Standard in high access work but disdained by climbers and setters. They’re surprisingly comfortable and makes rescue much easier and safer.
Setting buckets that are designed and tested to haul large loads at height. (And no, it’s not your Homer bucket!)
Rescue Plan
Rope access training is less about access and much more about rescue. Any employer that has staff working at height or in confined spaces is required to have a rescue plan. A rescue plan can be as simple as calling 911, but gyms should make sure that the local responders have the skills and equipment to perform high angle pick-offs. A friendly visit to your nearest fire station may be in order. Rescue plans for setters working in the front of your wall can be quite simple but will require training; These systems are called releasable anchors. They allow a dangling unconscious person to be lowered from the ground by an employee. Our Canadian friends adopted this years ago! Rescue plans behind the wall require a bit more preparation but can be quite simple with the right gear and planning.
As with all rope access and climbing techniques, gyms should get professional instruction before attempting or implementing.
