Boone, North Carolina’s first indoor climbing gym, Center 45, LLC, is set to open in early Sept. thanks to the support and dedication of the High Country’s climbing community, spearheaded by three Appalachian State University graduates report High Country NC
The bouldering gym, which was originally called Sender House and now named after a famed bouldering area near Blowing Rock, will be the first climbing facility in the hip folksy Blue Ridge mountain town.
Although the High Country area has some of the best bouldering opportunities in the Southeast, local climbers argue that with the Boone region being considered a temperate rainforest, there needs to be an indoor outlet for the community to utilize, according to the group’s website.
“Local climbers need that place to train and meet when there’s bad weather,” co-founder Chris Grasinger said in a March interview. “We need a place to touch base and interact with each other.”
Support for Center 45 became clear after a viral Kickstarter campaign in March of this year. Although the campaign didn’t meet its goal, the Kickstarter was shared in the climbing community locally and beyond, helping to spread the word to key investors.
Currently, the group is hosting another crowd-raising campaign on Indie GoGo with a goal of $10,000 to help pay for the finishing touches on the gym.
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