El Bloque
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Specs: 5,000-square-foot bouldering gym in Puerto Rico resides in what was once a vacant space following the ravage of Hurricane Maria in 2017. The facility features 13-foot walls, along with a yoga room, a training area, a lounge, a shower stall, and a retail shop.
Walls and Flooring: The walls were built by local artist and industrial designer Freddy Idoña; other parts of the gym’s architecture were overseen by another local, Jose Miranda. The foam flooring came from the Dominican Republic but was installed by the gym’s owner, Bryant Huffman, with the help of local friends.
CRM Software: Rock Gym Pro
Website: www.elbloquepr.com
In Their Words: “This dream actually started when the first full service climbing gym [Puerto Rico] was in its last days. I always felt the need for a space like this to exist here, and as a climber, what more could you ask for? Every year I worked a little here and there to always get shut down by the idea of the immensity of the project. It all came together after Hurricane Maria passed. The perfect spot got vacant and incredibly enough I had gathered enough throughout the years to start off. I worked in the movie industry for 14 years and basically took this on like a low-budget production, making ‘movie magic’ out of nothing, and this is what came out.”
—Bryant Huffman, owner
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