[Editor’s Note: This article was drafted with the help of author Alton Richardson.]
Climb Conway
Conway, Arkansas
Specs: A new addition to the southern U.S. climbing gym scene, Climb Conway is an 8,500-square-foot bouldering facility that’s underway in Conway, Arkansas, just north of Little Rock. While modest in size, Climb Conway will soon feature approximately 4,000 square feet of modern climbing walls up to 16 feet high, with a little something for everyone. A dedicated training zone in the facility, in particular, will include an adjustable LED-illuminated climbing wall, campus board, cable machines and free weights. The new gym will also have a freestanding top-out boulder designed for youth and climbers just starting out, as well as some extra room to add additional equipment as the community expands.
“Climbing has been a passion of mine for the last seven years, and I have had a five-year goal of opening a gym in Conway, Arkansas, near my financial practice and home. I really wanted to build the style of gym where I would love to be a member of myself,” shared Jeremiah Cascairo, who co-founded Climb Conway along with his wife, Maura, who will be running the gym’s day-to-day operations.
Conway is the Cascairo’s hometown and, with three colleges nearby and a fledgling climbing community, they felt that a dedicated climbing facility would be welcomed and much needed to help bolster the local climbing scene. While climbing walls do exist at neighboring universities such as Hendrix College, for instance, Climb Conway is expected to be the city’s sole commercial climbing gym when it opens this summer.
“I fell in love with the social aspect of bouldering. Arkansas has a great deal of outdoor sport climbing, so I wanted to focus more on bouldering in order to enable climbers to develop relationships and strength that could be applied outdoors,” explained Jeremiah. “I really wanted to begin to develop a community of climbers and ultimately give them 24/7 access to a state-of-the-art climbing facility that will help take their personal climbing to the next level, whatever that may look like.”
An official opening date is currently set for June 3, and the Arkansas Climbers Coalition will be throwing a pre-opening party at the gym in late April, just before the wall installation is set to begin.
Walls: Walltopia
Flooring: ClimbMat
CRM Software: Approach
In Their Words: “I have met some of my closest friends climbing and have experienced the physical and mental health benefits it has to offer. I’m hopeful it will bring the same benefits to the young people of Conway and the surrounding area.” – Jeremiah Cascairo, co-founder
Climbing Business Journal is an independent news outlet dedicated to covering the indoor climbing industry. Here you will find the latest coverage of climbing industry news, gym developments, industry best practices, risk management, climbing competitions, youth coaching and routesetting. Have an article idea? CBJ loves to hear from readers like you!
