[Branded Content]
Climbing gyms around the world have been working hard to weather the global COVID pandemic, including Chris Sharma’s gym in Spain. Sharma currently operates a full-service climbing, yoga and fitness facility in Barcelona, and a second gym is under construction in Madrid. Temporarily closed since March, Sharma Climbing Barcelona reopened in June with a number of extra safety measures in place, from hand washing to reservations.
“Another thing that’s really helped is the inclusion of auto-belays in our gym,” says Chris Sharma in a new video. “At that point I had no idea that TRUBLUEs would also be a tool in helping distancing in our gym. With the unique circumstances we’re in, we’ve been able to use TRUBLUEs to do just that: we can space people out. And when people are making appointments to come in and their schedules don’t match up with a partner, we’ve got TRUBLUEs there for them to get in climbing.”
Watch the full video to learn more about Sharma’s journey through this period and ways the gym is keeping its community climbing―and safely.
This story was paid for by the sponsor and does not necessarily represent the views of the Climbing Business Journal editorial team.
Behind the Desk… is an ongoing series that profiles people influencing and advancing the industry in gyms across the country. This month, CBJ chats behind the desk with artist Phil Lewis, who paints elaborate patterns and illustrations on climbing walls as part of a collaboration with Eldorado Climbing. Lewis’ colorful wall panels measure 42’’ x 42’’ and feature t-nuts, ready to be installed in any gym. Could Lewis and a few other professional artists be leading the way toward a new industry trend of high-quality artist/wall company collaborations? CBJ wanted to get Lewis’ thoughts and find out.
Lewis (pictured) lives in Boulder, Colorado, and says his love of physical activity—outdoors and indoors—is shared by many in the Boulder community. That passion also influences Lewis’ artwork. All photos courtesy of Phil Lewis / Eldorado Climbing WallsName:Phil LewisTitle: Artist/Collaborator with Eldorado Climbing WallsLocation: Boulder, Colorado
Instagram: @phillewisart
CBJ: I suppose a good starting question would be: Do you have a climbing background?
Lewis: I don’t really have a climbing background, but I do have a serious love for nature. I grew up on the north shore of Lake Tahoe…hiking, biking, snowboarding, wakeboarding, scrambling the massive boulders along the shoreline, etc. Spending my formative years in such a pristine mountain environment really taught me the value of being outdoors, and these themes have carried through into my artwork all these years later. It’s also why I love living in Boulder so much. There is a shared love for physical activity, both outdoors and in, that most folks who live here appreciate. There are hundreds of miles of trails right out the backdoor; it’s an incredible place to be.
CBJ: So how did you connect with Eldorado Climbing for the climbing wall panel collaboration?
Lewis: It was through the intertwined communities of yoga, climbing, art, music and overall joy for life that we found each other. Boulder County is home to many entrepreneurs, and there are many people feeling similar flows. We are all building things that we are truly passionate about. When Mike Wedding [Senior Director of Sales at Eldorado Climbing] reached out to me about combining my artwork with their custom panels, it felt like an incredible opportunity to create something special together.
Lewis’ climbing panels based off of the Flatirons, a fixture of Boulder, Colorado.
CBJ: Tell me a little about the process of painting the climbing wall panels. How do you decide what to paint, and what’s the timeline?
Lewis: For this project we chose pieces from my catalog that feature the local geography. Using the Flatirons felt unbelievably appropriate. There are many climbing routes all over these rock formations in real life, and I thought it would be a cool idea to climb up the rock faces depicted in the artwork on the panel itself. Another piece, Red Rocks, features a world-famous local amphitheater in Colorado comprised almost entirely of rocks. It also felt like a great fit for these climbing wall panels. Arise is a compilation of many of my pieces from the past few years that were put together to create a totem of different animals. The title of the piece itself felt like a great match, to literally arise up the face of the panel as you climb.
Two of the other pieces, Frequency and Remix, were a little more abstract…we wanted to go with something that was fully symmetrical, so you could combine as many panels together as you wanted to create a seamless installation. I also wanted to focus on color schemes that embodied rocks. The designs themselves are pretty psychedelic and captivating. I thought it would be fun to get lost in these images as you’re making your way up the wall. I feel like they could provide more of a freestyle route, just flowing with the image in less of a particular direction.
A rendering of Lewis’ Redrocks climbing panels on display.
CBJ: I think gym climbing walls are a unique canvas, in that people are physically interacting with the art. Does this influence what you paint on the panels?
Lewis: Creating art and art-products that people can interact with has been a major focus of mine over the course of my career so far. At the core, I still love to make big art pieces for a wall at your home or office, but there’s so many other applications that can have a much wider reach.
I make all kinds of things like puzzles, coloring books, golf discs, hats, yoga mats, apparel, phone cases, engraved water bottles, stickers…the list really goes on and on. When you have art on something that you can carry with you, or wear, it has a way of enhancing your daily life. The people you interact with get a chance to see your choices for expression, even as you simply walk down the street. A super-colorful bandana, or psychedelic phone case, can be a conversation starter. It goes beyond simply sharing expression and becomes more engaging when you are physically interacting with the artwork.
For example, my puzzles or coloring books—by putting the pieces together, or coloring in the pages, you are actually participating in creating the artwork. This is what was so attractive to me about the climbing wall project. By having artwork on the panels, people can actually—physically—engage with the line-work and patterns. Climbers can pick a line up different color segments or around certain elements. I think it provides an opportunity to be more creative with the routes; there’s just so much more to work with when the surface is visually dynamic.
However, going back to the beginning, when people are not actually climbing on it, it’s still a giant piece of artwork on the wall! Especially when viewed from a distance, I think these panels will be eye-catching and entice people to get closer to them. I’ve always really appreciated patterns and details, and when you really dive into my work, you can notice more and more within each section. I imagine climbing these, with your face 6 inches from the art, will provide an excellent opportunity to dive deeper into the artwork, and hopefully deeper into the climb.
Arise is a prime example of Lewis’ colorful and intricate painting. “Especially when viewed from a distance, I think these panels will be eye-catching and entice people to get closer to them,” says Lewis.
CBJ: Over the years, a lot of gyms have painted their wall panels in various ways. But there are still a lot of gyms that just have plain-colored walls or very basic, utilitarian paint designs. Do you feel like climbing walls are fairly untapped places for artistic expression?
Lewis: Absolutely! I think it’s similar to the rise in popularity of murals in recent years. Many business and property owners are realizing the impact that artwork can have on an establishment. Artwork creates a vibe and sets a tone in a really powerful way. When you see the value of adding artwork to your space, people will recognize that immediately—and notice that conscious choices have been made to enhance the environment. I can totally see the same thing happening with climbing gyms… this is another awesome opportunity for large-scale artwork.
Share your story
Are you leading a climbing gym or brand through this unprecedented period? Or, do you work in the industry and have a story that others could benefit from hearing? If so, please contact us and tell us about it.
Bouldering at Vital Climbing Gym’s Bellingham, Washington, location. Photo courtesy of Vital Climbing Gym
An investment group called Crux Collective recently formed and announced its launch. The collective offers “capital, operational support, and marketing and branding insights” to climbing gyms, according to a press release. In essence, the collective provides “strategic business…guidance” to climbing gyms around the country.
The trio behind the collective are Kevin Goradia, Grace Nicholas and Alejandro Navarro. The same executive team previously found success growing the Crux Climbing brand with multiple gym locations in Texas. The collective is also an evolution of Crux Consulting, which formally launched in 2017 after Crux had been silently working with gyms in the U.S. and Mexico.
“Climbing is inherently a social sport, and we believe that climbing gyms should reflect that sense of community,” said Goradia. “Until now, gyms looking for capital have been forced to turn to corporate entities that could dismantle the gym’s foundational staffing and operations. We invest in gyms with a strong team and culture, serving as an advisor to help sustain and scale their businesses while honoring the integrity of their core visions.”
Coupled with the announcement of the collective’s formation was news that it will invest $2.9 million into Vital Climbing Gym in Brooklyn, New York, and Long Beach Rising in Long Beach, California.
Climbing at Long Beach Rising, which together with Vital in Brooklyn will see $2.9 million invested into the gyms by Crux Collective. Photo courtesy of Long Beach Rising
Grayston Leonard, founder of Long Beach Rising, was quoted as saying: “Long Beach Rising has a purposely small footprint to ensure we capture our members’ needs, something larger gyms frankly can’t do. We created a space for young professionals to work remote, build relationships with each other and feel safe. We will use funding from the Crux Collective to expand our offerings and ensure that our space remains representative of our members and their lifestyles.”
David Sacher, co-founder of Vital, stated, “Climbing gyms bring people together—and we need that now more than ever. Climbing gyms started by catering to a niche customer base, but have evolved into important community hubs for the neighborhoods we operate in. We are excited to provide not only great places to climb, but places where people can build lifelong friendships, skills and memories that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.”
This week’s HWOW was born mid-Covid and lives in Tash Elwyn’s garage in Saint Petersburg, FL. This professionally constructed mini-gym offers 4 different angles, including a 90-degree overhang. Check out past HWOW here.
When did you build your wall?
May 2020.
How long did it take you to build?
One week.
What did your workdays look like when you were building? Highlights/lowlights of the process?
This project began May 14th and the first phase (the 90-degree wall) was finished a week later. I planned to do the framing myself and then using wall panels I purchased from Eldo Walls, but I quickly concluded since I have a day job it was better to outsource this work to a handyman with framing experience. The work was pretty nonstop the first week. The only lowlight of the process was waiting patiently to be able to begin setting the wall and start climbing.
Not including holds and padding, how much did it cost you to build?
About $5k.
Can you tell me a little bit more about your cost structure? Did you do any budgeting beforehand?
I didn’t do any budgeting beforehand, but fortunately a lot of the cost was years behind me. I began buying holds 7 years ago with the good intentions then of building the wall while my kids were younger. Life got in the way until COVID when the inability to go to our local gym, Vertical Ventures, led me to dust off those long ago purchased holds, order the wall panels and get going.
Did anything in particular inspire your wall design?
We have garage doors on both the front and rear of the garage so out height and angles had to plan around where the doors open up to the ceiling.
Had you thought about building a wall prior to the virus? Any particular builds you saw online that helped you DIY?
See above for how long I’d been thinking about this. Some of the builds that inspired me came from the Home Climbing Wall Forum group on Facebook. It’s a very supportive, friendly group with lots of good home wall examples.
What was the most difficult aspect of the design and build?
Building it around the garage doors
How’d you end up building around the garage doors? Anything you had to alter to accommodate the moving doors?
One of our biggest challenges is that our old 1923 garage has garage doors that open up to the ceiling on both the front AND rear of the garage. Great for cars because you can pull straight through like the fire department but not so great for a home climbing wall because we couldn’t use the ceiling and were somewhat limited on height as a result. The handyman we hired is a former military engineer though and is a whiz at precision and he was able to measure, measure, and measure again and build the wall in such a way that it uses every inch as best as possible. He’s now working on phase 2 which is to add a ceiling/cave to climb on which is quite a feat given it can’t attach to the ceiling and has to fit under the garage door but still permit cars to use the garage. We also are building another 90-degree wall on the other end of the ceiling and a campus board ladder on the back of it. This second phase will all hopefully be finished by the end of this week. We just need the last 4 panels from Eldo Walls to arrive any day now (they are in town and about to be delivered).
Who did you hire to do the framing and installation? Did you assist them at all?
I hired a local handyman to do the framing and installation. This was a his first climbing wall, but he’s really talented and has kept his sense of humor and never batted an eye when I said, ‘can you do this, what about that?’
Did you make any mistakes along the way or choose to re-do any aspects? What would you do differently?
Even though the only sketches of what I envisioned building were in my mind and never on paper, there’s nothing we’d do over. If I had to do something differently, I would’ve built it a long time ago!
What is your favorite aspect?
Climbing with my 19-year-old daughter and 16-year-old son
How often do you guys use the wall? Do you think you’ll still use it as much when all of the gyms open back up?
We use the wall 3-4 times a week although it’s a little warm in there during our humid Florida summers. I do still think we’ll use it for quick late night or early morning climbs as a complement to returning to our local gym, Vertical Ventures, to continue climbing there as well.
Any words of wisdom to aspiring homewallers?
We hired a pro to do the framing and the panel installation.
Want us to consider your woodie for a future Homewall of the Week? Submit your homewall here to be considered. If yours is chosen you’ll win a prize pack like this (varied prizes each week):
Behind the Desk… is an ongoing series that interviews people influencing and advancing the climbing industry in gyms around the country. This time CBJ heads (virtually) up to British Columbia to talk about the Canadian government’s reaction to the pandemic, a gym’s priority to serve the community, storytelling in climbing media, and much more in this Behind the Desk with Lauren Watson.
Lauren Watson, Co-Owner of Ground Up Climbing Centre in Squamish, British Columbia. Photo courtesy of WatsonName: Lauren Watson
Title: Director/Co-Owner
Gym: Ground Up Climbing CentreLocation: Squamish, British Columbia
CBJ: I’ve done a little research and found that Ground Up opened in 2015. What was the impetus behind starting the gym, and is all the construction and development remembered fondly in hindsight?
Watson: Well, Squamish did not have a commercial climbing gym. We have a small co-op for experienced climbers and we have lots of very accessible rock, but for the long and rainy winters there is limited space for training and for learning to climb. I was working on another life goal at the time, but pivoted during my first winter; the lack of activity available to Squamish locals other than hanging out at the local bar was enough motivation for me. I knew this was somewhere I wanted to be for a long time—building myself a job seemed like a surefire way to stay.
With no real business background, building a gym was a great opportunity to learn a lot of new skills but it was also a steep learning curve. Opening the doors took three years, which was sandbagged by other gym owners telling me it could take as little as six months. There was a lot of push back both from the community, who didn’t really know us, and from people thinking Squamish was too small to support a gym (17,000 residents at the time). I did a few road trips and visited over 50 gyms around Canada and the States and was trusted with numbers from many of them to support my theory that it was possible with the right model. At the first CWA conference I attended in 2013 I slept in my car in the parking lot because that was in my budget. I fully recognize the privilege I have to feel comfortable taking those risks, both socially and financially. I also had one main partner in the business since the very beginning—Adrian Blachut—who supported the business plan in its first form and believed in what it could be.
My naivety and misplaced confidence was an asset; if I had known what would be involved, it would have been far too daunting and overwhelming.
In hindsight, I loved it—it turns out I love strategy work! I had (and still have) a lot to learn about human behavior and I actually find it all quite fascinating; learning how to adapt to communicate effectively and authentically in the construction world versus banking world versus shareholder negotiations versus speaking to customers…is exhausting and vulnerable, but has since enriched my life quite a lot. I consider the concept of “community” in a new light and consider ways we can develop the values of growth mindset and radical honesty in our programs, staffing and community at large.
In summation—yes, fond memories. But still type 3 on the “fun scale.” The road is long and I still have a ways to go, but I have a strong team of owners and staff who I can lean on and learn from.
Since the pandemic hit, Watson has been advising on COVID guidelines and working to gain more support and recognition for the climbing industry. Photo courtesy of Watson
CBJ: I also noticed online that you have a background in research and writing—specifically about climbing. Do you still keep your finger closely on the pulse of climbing publications, so to speak? And if so, what’s your opinion on climbing media these days?
Watson: Oouf. You are going for it, eh? Well, honestly I have moved away from the pulse of climbing news—particularly the politics of it, but I still see a lot of value in good journalism. Right before opening the gym I had been working to be accepted to a Masters of Journalism at the University of British Columbia, looking to take on more investigative journalism. I find the changing trends in media very interesting, reflecting the way we find and process new ideas and information. It has never been more important for all fields of news and journalism to be transparent on bias, well-researched, and show rational compassion.
Good storytelling that allows for the human condition to shine through trumps the topic. It needs to bring minds together; help us learn and grow through discussion of novel ideas, not divide us. Climbing can be a great vehicle for those discussions. I think climbing media has an opportunity to take a community already skilled in problem solving and sharing beta and create that link for how we can work through larger social and environmental challenges.
CBJ: CBJ is exploring the topic of gyms giving COVID orientations, and I know that’s something that Ground Up is doing, in-person and via video. How are operations going at Ground Up in this era, and what are some common questions that your customers seem to have during those COVID orientations?
Watson: We are uniquely situated as an industry that already has a customer base habituated to assessing risk and staff who are trained to mitigating it. To look at COVID-19 threats as another risk, with protocols and redundancies, makes it easier to understand how we can manage it and educate our customers to make good decisions. We’re providing our customers with a foundation of knowledge so they can mitigate their own risks and know when to ask us for support with the new policies and systems.
The Squamish community has been very supportive of us and our decisions throughout the past few months and since we have reopened. We have had very few questions. Most have said they are impressed that we are doing “enough, but not too much.” I could chalk that up to saying we have done such a good job, but I also think that is because our community has not been immediately threatened by the virus to date. That could very well change and we want to be ready to change and adapt moving forward.
Ground Up has reopened in stages following temporary closure due to the pandemic. “Our priority right now is to serve our community responsibly and figure out how to survive as a business after that.” Photo courtesy of Watson
CBJ: Are there any subtle differences you noticed in the way the Canadian gym industry handled the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the way the US gym industry handled it?
Watson: Squamish, and British Columbia as a whole, have been quite lucky with strong leadership from Dr. Bonnie Henry (our provincial health officer), low numbers of COVID-19 cases, and quick contact tracing. Businesses and individuals were making decisions to protect their communities before the government was imposing restrictions. Our gym was never actually asked to close, that was our prerogative to protect our community as we did not know what we were dealing with or how to responsibly offer our services. It is pretty interesting to reflect on that from the perspective of how much information we get these days and how the public digests what we hear.
I have been very impressed by the Canadian government’s reaction and their quick actions to protect workers and small business as well as by their communication and feedback channels. Of course it was still frustrating and confusing at times, but for bureaucracy it was quite an agile response in my opinion. No comment on USA leadership, but I know the climbing industry has been working together and working hard to get the support it needs and its communities need.
Since that first terrifying week of March 16th, I have been motivated by how the climbing industry has come together to support the gyms and provide avenues for discussion and action. I worked as a volunteer with Garnet Moore, through the CWA advising on industry COVID guidelines and with the Climbing Escalade Canada task force for lobbying our government for support and recognition. The Association of BC Climbing Gym Owners (ABCCGO) was formed to figure out how to tackle this with what we know, and adapt to meet the needs of our communities. It is really a testament to what we can do when we “share the beta,” and I think both Canada and the States are doing a great job of using resources and forums to support each other.
The ABCCGO is still meeting weekly to check on how everyone is doing and what updates we each have from regional public health officers to figure out what we can do to survive the next steps. We have also decided there is value to this association beyond COVID-19 support and most of the business owners have stated we would like to keep meeting to tackle tough issues, support each other and better support our communities. That is pretty unheard of in many industries—it makes me proud to be a part of it.
Prior to Ground Up’s founding, Squamish did not have a commercial climbing gym—which was motivation in and of itself for Watson (pictured here) to build a gym. Photo courtesy of Watson
CBJ: How do you think this COVID-19 crisis is going to impact gyms in the long-term? Speaking personally, although I certainly understand the reasoning, it still feels a bit weird to go to a gym and social distance and climb with a mask. Do you see the climbing industry reaching a point where that stuff feels totally normal?
Watson: That is also a hard one. We have reopened in a staged way, knowing first of all that our current operations are not financially viable without the current loans and subsidies we are receiving. We also know we will have to change over time, relax or add certain restrictions we have in our toolkit based on cases and risk of transmission. Our priority right now is to serve our community responsibly and figure out how to survive as a business after that.
I think some gyms may be tempted to keep certain measures in place after COVID-19, and some customers may actually like the physical distance and access to the gym being more prescribed with lower capacity on each visit. I think people will adapt pretty quickly to new routines, but at the end—to be financially viable, gyms will have to return to many of the old ways sooner than later or make more drastic adjustments to price, programs and staffing.
Share your story
Are you leading a climbing gym or brand through this unprecedented period? Or, do you work in the industry and have a story that others could benefit from hearing? If so, please contact us and tell us about it.
The new Clean Send technology by Plantd Climbing is making it easier for gym climbers to regularly sanitize their hands. All images courtesy of Plantd Climbing[Branded Content]
As COVID-19 mitigation efforts continue across the country, it’s clear that sanitation will continue to be a high priority of climbing facilities for months to come. Fortunately, a homegrown innovator in the holds and volumes sector is adapting its line of volumes to help gym operators overcome exactly that challenge.
Rooted in Serving Climbing Gyms
Plantd Climbing is a Durham, North Carolina-based climbing volume company that’s all about bringing technical expertise to the art of climbing. Through precise engineering and texture study, Plantd creates volumes that are not only beautiful, but also longer-lasting, sturdier and environmentally responsible.
Started in late 2019, Plantd boasts a full fleet of wood volumes designed to spend more time on the climbing wall, and less (or no) time in a landfill. To that end, Plantd designed its flagship Classic Triangle volumes so that they’re super versatile. Volumes in the series can be mounted on their own or stacked with a triangle base, allowing routesetters to create seemingly endless combinations with each set.
“Think of them like the building blocks of volumes,” says Jill Johnson, co-founder of Plantd. Since the company’s launch last year, Plantd’s Classic Triangle volumes are already expanding throughout North Carolina’s Triangle area. They are a staple at the Chapel Hill Community Center roped climbing walls, and Progression Climbing Gym recently contracted Plantd for several of the XL varieties for their bouldering walls.
Additionally, the company uses only plant-based resins as opposed to polyurethane when finishing the volumes. Plantd volumes are fully edge-sealed to help prevent chipping and peeling of the coating at the corners. The texture is cutting edge too, the result of a study designed by Johnson’s co-founder, Huade Tan, in partnership with the Research Triangle Nanotechnology Network.
“Our research has us looking at texture in terms of microns, rather than buzz words,” summarizes Johnson. Now, that vigilant attention to detail is taking on new meaning during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
The First Hand Sanitizer Dispensing Volumes
The CWA guidelines for re-opening, consistent with CDC guidance, stress the importance of clean hands to prevent the spread of germs and emphasize that it is the most effective way to protect climbers and gym employees alike. But it’s challenging for climbers to wash their hands before and after each and every climb. As the team at Plantd followed the reopening efforts of climbing gyms, they saw a way to help.
“Our goal at Plantd Climbing has always been to innovate, which right now means helping gyms come up with new solutions for our new normal,” says Johnson. “Working with Kyle Long, a local USA Paraclimbing National Team member and registered nurse, we developed Clean Send to do just that.”
The Clean Send technology of Plantd integrates a touchless hand sanitizer pump into its Classic Triangle volume. The pump is battery operated with a USB port on the exterior of the volume for re-charging, an on-off switch, a sensor/dispenser, and a fill port for easily re-filling the sanitizer liquid. Climbers wave their hand underneath the sensor to dispense hand-sanitizing liquid, sanitize their hands and begin their climb. Immediately upon coming back down, climbers sanitize their hands again. By sanitizing before and after each climb, climbers help ensure the cleanliness of their own hands as well as the climbing wall.
Existing hand sanitizing stations provide an accessible, practical solution, but free-standing holders for sanitizer pumps are surprisingly expensive, and they may also create hot-spots throughout the gym, which might actually increase the airborne spread of a virus. Inspired by the foam-in, foam-out initiative that healthcare workers use when entering and exiting a patient’s room, the Clean Send provides a functional, integrated solution that brings the sanitizer right to the wall―foam-on, foam-off.
“The Clean Send is just one solution, and it’s certainly not the only one,” adds Johnson. “We just want to do whatever we can to get everyone back into the gym and climbing safely―or at least to keep the conversation rolling around innovative approaches to COVID-related problems in gyms.”
Help Drive the Innovation
Currently in development, the Clean Send has been going through testing at Chapel Hill Community Center during the wall’s temporary closure. Climbing facility operators interested in testing the Clean Send prototype or providing feedback on the current model are encouraged to reach out here.
This story was paid for and produced by the sponsor and does not necessarily represent the views of the Climbing Business Journal editorial team.
There have been a plethora of new job listings posted on the CBJ Job Board recently, including a Head Coach position at Zenith Climbing Center last month. Background photo courtesy of Zenith Climbing
As the climbing industry continues to grapple with the effects of COVID-19, there have been positive signs reported by CBJ during this period―from favorite grips to the homewall boom and new gym grand openings. Most recently, the CBJ Job Board has seen a spike in climbing industry jobs. In just over two weeks, 28 job listings spanning eight states have been posted by nine companies. Available jobs extend from Utah to the Northeast and range from management roles in gyms to sales and trade positions.
Climbing Gym Jobs
One of the notable listings on the CBJ Job Board is based out of Oklahoma City. Threshold Climbing, Yoga + Fitness―which began reopening with enhanced precautions in May―is looking for a full-time Head Routesetter + Head Coach. The management position oversees the routesetting staff and team climbers, and essential duties include administrative duties as well. USA Climbing Level 2 routesetting certification and prior experience coaching athletes for USAC competitions are listed among the qualifications.
Brooklyn Boulders (BKB) has been the most active climbing gym on the CBJ Job Board of late. While some facilities remain temporarily closed, BKB has reopened its West Loop location in Chicago to members, and the Sommerville gym in Massachusetts is slated to open next week on July 21. The open jobs at BKB are primarily based out of Sommerville and Chicago, the latter of which will soon welcome a new gym called Lincoln Park to the BKB family. Multiple full-time and part-time roles are needed as the gym prepares for its grand opening, including full-time roles like Youth Program Manager, Routesetter and Community Advisors, among others.
Brands are also hiring climbing professionals during this period. The climbing shoe company Butora―which has been among the brands supporting climbing gyms through hard times―just posted a listing for a remote Account Manager. This person will be responsible for all sales in the Northeast region (PA, DC, MD, DE, NJ, NY, CT, RI, MA, NH, VT, ME, WV, VA). Benefits include a vehicle stipend and healthcare options.
On the other side of the country, Vertical Solutions is adding a Marketing Manager to lead promotion of the brand―which provides services ranging from climbing walls to flooring, holds and consulting. Vertical Solutions is hiring trade positions as well. Jobs for traveling Field Carpenters, Installers & Laborers and a skilled Molding Assistant were also posted in the last week.
Browse and Submit Industry Jobs
Climbing professionals can browse all jobs and find application instructions on the CBJ Job Board here. Climbing facilities and brands may submit their open positions for free at the following link. If you would like to have your listing featured at the top of the list, shared on CBJ social media and included in both our Monday and Thursday newsletters, please consider signing up for a CBJ membership (business rates starting at $15 per month). Your support keeps our coverage going and our staff employed!
This week’s HWOW resides in Taylors, South Carolina. Josh D. took a simple, yet well thought-out approach to his backyard homewall – it’s 12×12 complete with a bunch of homemade wood holds. Check out past HWOW here.
When did you build your wall? Was it a COVID baby?
April 2020. I have had two home builds previously that I didn’t use as much as I thought I would. this was when gyms were still around. Our local gym closed down so I built a garage wall. Then I had twin girls and added a room there so had to take it down. What is crazy is I sold the wall and gave all the holds away to friends who were starting their build, thinking that I would never have time to build another wall with my kids. So, it happened to fall during the quarantine, but I wouldn’t necessarily say it was because of it. I have twin girls that are 2, my son is 1 and my wife is pregnant with our 4th girl due in October, so quarantine did not leave me very much idle time. But at least now, when I do have idle time, it is spent on the wall!
How long did it take you to build and what did that time look like?
Two days total. I run a few departments for a local builder, Rosewood Communities, so I have a massive problem with starting and stopping work. Once I get going on something, it’s pretty much full throttle until it is done. I actually took a long weekend and completed the whole thing probably working 6-8 hours a day while the kids played in the back yard.
Not including holds and padding, how much did it cost you to build? Any surprises there?
$750. Working in the building industry I was pretty aware of the outrageous price of lumber these days. I didn’t necessarily “budget” for it but I sacrificed a few other expenditures to make sure I did it the way I wanted and the size I wanted. I did, however, forget how expensive and addicting hold purchasing is. I love so many shapes by so many awesome shapers and production companies that I have a real problem with wanting to buy constantly. Most expensive part would have been the overall structure and material, but working for a builder, I was able to pull most of the materials off of job sites so that was super helpful. I highly recommend going to a local builders site and asking if you can load up scrap material near you. They are throwing most of it away anyway.
What was your primary incentive for the wall? Did anything in particular inspire your wall design?
I really just wanted a lot of climbing space and to be able to enclose the sides later when my 3 kids are a little older to enjoy!
I looked at the home climbing wall forum page on Facebook for a while before deciding exactly what I wanted to build. I could have chosen any of them, they are all so solid. I also know that my best training and most enjoyable climbing comes at a steeper angle. I love that style and think that the bigger the canvas, the more intricate and creative the problems can become. So really I just took a little from all the builds and decided the most practical thing for me was the overhang with plans to add a roof section and a flat/slightly overhung section for the kids when they are a little older.
What did your initial plan look like? Did you have one?
I honestly didn’t have much plan other than going over things in my head. I typically think things out and build them in my head all the time before i purchase material or begin the process. I did make a list of everything i needed and before i went to the store. Once i had anything, its just a matter of laying it all out and making double checking to make sure you don’t skip any steps. In hindsight, writing that kind of stuff down is probably a lot smarter than not.
What was the most difficult aspect of the design and build?
Digging 4 ft holes and filling with concrete and doing it all solo. My wife helped me hang the middle 4×8 piece though which was cool. The overall structure was designed based on the posts being concreted into the ground. I mainly did this so that in the future, adding onto, and using the existing posts that are buried in concrete, would be easier than adding 4 new posts. I definitely went overkill on the hole size and the amount of concrete that was poured in each, but i guess better safe than sorry in that regard. That way, i knew that I never had anything to worry about as far as movement or anything goes with those structural posts.
What would you do differently?
I would have used 2×6 vertices to try to eliminate a little flex in the middle. I’ll probably add another roof and 45 degree on each side to get more overhang.
What is your favorite aspect?
The extra 4 feet wide gives so much depth for longer routes without feeling claustrophobic.
What does your padding situation look like?
My padding situation is my biggest worry so far. A lot of my climbing revolves around “therapeutic movement” for my lower back issues. I still climb hard but i do use climbing as a therapy for strengthening weakened muscles and ongoing paint in the spine. So, in a perfect world I want to get one of the large 12” thick high jump mats or something comparable. The padding helps me find comfort ability trying really hard bouldering moves that I normally wouldn’t put 100 percent effort into outside of a gym or without exceptional spotting. However, being as cost efficient as a dad of 4 can be, I use a couple of crash pads right now that I borrow from a friend during the warmer months and just move them around. During the winters he will take them for outdoor climbing most weekends.
What are your final dimensions?
The final dimensions are around 12 feet wide by 12 feet of climbing space from the top of the kicker to the top of the plywood of the wall. The kicker is 2 feet tall, which I don’t think is necessary, but I do feel it adds a dynamic for better circuit training and overall sit start options.
Any words of wisdom to aspiring homewallers?
Measure twice and ask a friend for help!
Do you have any connection to climbing brands or gyms?
I used to do a lot of volunteer work for our local gym until they closed their doors for good.
What kind of volunteer work did you do? Do you have any prior experience building walls?
I did a lot of random stuff for the local gym. It was called The Mountain Goat and was really structured around funding the non-profit “GOAT” (Great Outdoor Adventure Trips). They basically funded outdoor programs for local inner-city kids that wouldn’t normally be able to go do these types of things. They took them climbing, bouldering, white water rafting, mountain biking, camping and all types of cool places. So, I would set routes occasionally, wash holds, help with some of the high school climbing teams if they needed me, cut the gyms grass and landscaping and stuff like that. The building they were in did not have an adequate HVAC system so one of the worst things I would do is come in every other day or so and spend an hour emptying the HVAC overflow tray of water to make the air work. What was so bad was it was suspended above and behind the 45-degree wall, so I had to siphon it by sucking a hose and carrying out 5-gallon buckets at a time behind the wall in the dead of summer. Needless to say, it would get quite warm in there. But it added to the character and definitely helped us work on grip strength. When they shut down to open a coffee shop as the gym was just too much upkeep for their mission, that is when I built my first home wall. I did build custom cabinets for a local builder for a few years, so I had the know-how and the woodworking ability from a construction background, but previous to my home wall, I had never built a wall before.
Can you give me a brief description of your homemade holds? How’d you make them?
I had some old cedar 4x4s and just did minimal shaping work to turn them into big sloped pinch rails. They are pretty cool, but nothing compared to the wooded holds some of these guys are making out here. My favorite holds so far are honestly straight out of dumpsters at my job sites. I pull out old cut offs from oak stair railings and they are incredibly comfortable pinches. All I had to do was sand them, drill bolt holes, put washers in and pre-drill some set screws into them. They have some diversity too which is super cool. They are great as straight up pinches, but you can also cut the backs off and make some really cool sloped crimps. The crimps can range from full pad to pretty much non-existent.
How do you protect your wall from rain/weather?
I have a tarp system on the back that works wonders. What is crazy, is I built my wall in this location for sole purpose of having a little shade. I didn’t take into consideration the tree canopy above would block the rain too. So, where mine sits, not a drop of water gets under the wall or on the front of the wall at all. Even the tarp in the back stays relatively dry. So, I can climb in absolute downpour, rain blowing sideways conditions, which is super ideal!
Want us to consider your woodie for a future Homewall of the Week? Submit your homewall here to be considered. If yours is chosen you’ll win a prize pack like this (varied prizes each week):
Image by Stop Hate for Profit
A number of climbing brands recently announced that they have joined the Stop Hate for Profit campaign. By joining the ongoing movement, those entities vowed to suspend Facebook and Instagram advertising globally for the foreseeable future. A message titled “Demand Change” on stophateforprofit.org stated: “We’re urging individuals to sign the petition to #StopHateforProfit and send a message to Facebook that profits will never be worth supporting hate and misinformation of any kind.” The message continued, “We know what Facebook did. They allowed incitement to violence against protestors fighting for racial justice in America in the wake of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery, Rayshard Brooks and so many others. They named Breitbart News a ‘trusted news source’ and made The Daily Caller a ‘fact checker’ despite both publications having records of working with known white nationalists.”
Clif Bar was one of the latest companies to publicly announce it’s “joining Color of Change, NAACP, ADL and other leading civil rights organizations as part of the Stop Hate for Profit movement,” according to a Clif Bar press release. Ascent Ventures also announced that its gyms—The Pad Climbing and The Pad Origin—had joined the Stop Hate for Profit campaign too. “We in the PadFam believe that All Climbers are All Good and attempt to practice inclusion and tolerance for all non-hateful beliefs,” read a statement on the website of Ascent Ventures, the parent company of the aforementioned gyms. “But we also fully believe that the unchecked misinformation spread on Facebook and other social media outlets is causing lasting damage to our selves [sic] and our country.”
A list of participating businesses on the Stop Hate for Profit website listed a number of other climbing-related brands, including Adidas, Arc’teryx, Outdoor Research, Patagonia, REI and The North Face, among others. The website also noted that the campaign calls for the halt of only paid advertising, not all social media activities, and acknowledged that it may be difficult for some outlets to cease all paid ads. “We are specifically asking businesses to pause advertising. We recognize that nonprofits may not be able to pause their ads because of the need to amplify their work, and we welcome their support whether or not they decide to pause their spending. Stop Hate for Profit is not asking organizations or political campaigns—especially organizations fighting for racial justice—to stop running Facebook ads,” reads a text on the sign-up page for businesses.
While Climbing Business Journal has a limited budget for paid advertising on Facebook and Instagram, we have also decided to halt advertising on these platforms. Climbing gyms interested in joining the campaign can find additional information on the Stop Hate for Profit website.
One of the charts from the CWA reopening survey, with about 21 percent of respondents answering that they do not feel they are in danger of eventually going out of business. All images courtesy of the Climbing Wall Association
The Climbing Wall Association (CWA) recently released the results of a June survey that tracked various aspects related to reopening. The survey came on the heels of industry-wide facility closures and subsequent reopenings around the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. More than 80 percent of the responses to the CWA survey came from operators of climbing gyms, with other participants including operators of college rec facilities, community centers and health clubs. Most questions in the survey received answers from 105 participating facilities in total, nearly all of which operate in North America.
In the results, about 39 percent of respondents to the question indicated that they felt the current COVID-19 policies and restrictions (such as limiting attendance/participation, etc.) put them in danger of eventually going out of business. However, less than five percent of participating facilities have actually had any positive COVID-19 cases reported by staff or customers.
In terms of occupancy restrictions, over 60 percent of participating facilities are requiring scheduled climbing blocks. An accompanying note in the survey results indicated that climbing gyms are operating at 35% of their full occupancy limit on average. More than half of the respondents are continuing to admit day pass users or have no restrictions on which customer types can access the facility.
69 percent of participating facilities are including a contact tracing process in their reopening plan, in addition to other safety measures.
Another noteworthy question of the survey was related to updated chalk policies. Approximately 34 percent of participating facilities responded that liquid chalk is recommended; about 21 percent of facilities are only allowing liquid chalk. The vast majority of respondents are also requiring staff and customers to wear masks, and 48 percent are applying health screenings and/or temperature checks on customers (79 percent for staff).
Other questions—and the full results of the CWA survey—can be viewed here. In May, the CWA released a comprehensive guide called the “Roadmap to Reopening” for climbing gyms following temporary pandemic-related closures.
In hindsight, I loved it—it turns out I love strategy work! I had (and still have) a lot to learn about human behavior and I actually find it all quite fascinating; learning how to adapt to communicate effectively and authentically in the construction world versus banking world versus shareholder negotiations versus speaking to customers…is exhausting and vulnerable, but has since enriched my life quite a lot. I consider the concept of “community” in a new light and consider ways we can develop the values of growth mindset and radical honesty in our programs, staffing and community at large.
In summation—yes, fond memories. But still type 3 on the “fun scale.” The road is long and I still have a ways to go, but I have a strong team of owners and staff who I can lean on and learn from.
Additionally, the company uses only plant-based resins as opposed to polyurethane when finishing the volumes. Plantd volumes are fully edge-sealed to help prevent chipping and peeling of the coating at the corners. The texture is cutting edge too, the result of a study designed by Johnson’s co-founder, Huade Tan, in partnership with the Research Triangle Nanotechnology Network.
“Our research has us looking at texture in terms of microns, rather than buzz words,” summarizes Johnson. Now, that vigilant attention to detail is taking on new meaning during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
