[Branded Content]
During the pandemic, Atomik is shipping accepted orders within 5 business days.
The influx of pandemic-related orders has provided us with some very valuable information. We now know what our capacity is. Because we value timely and excellent service, Atomik has pushed hard to meet the needs of our customers. Our team has been working at an intense and unsustainable pace. Therefore, our next steps, outlined below, are intended to find a balance between looking after our team and looking after our customers.
We closed our website on April 12th because we wanted to prevent a backlog of orders. We are now caught up and have a plan. To continue to deliver on our commitment of turning your order around in five business days, we will be restricting how many orders are accepted. When we hit the five-day threshold, we will remove the “add to cart” button from the website. This will only be for a few days. Once we are caught up we will allow more orders and the “add to cart” button will be available again.
We are prepared for this next volume of orders with our refined process and 30% more staff. Our capacity has increased substantially.
Here are the details on how you can help us ship as many orders into the climbing community as possible. They are in order from fastest to slowest production times. This list is for those that care more about speed than exact colors.
T-nut Only Orders. All hardware, including your favorite t-nuts, are in stock. It is best to order bolts with your holds; however, we recommend buying your t-nuts separately. We can ship t-nuts the same day that you order them, if you place your order before noon MST.
Order solid-colored sets. For example, 12 Steep Wall Crimps in blue. This is the fastest way for us to produce.
Order Assorted Bright Tones #1. This is our most common color request. So, we regularly pour them. They are red, blue, green, orange, and yellow.
Order Assorted Earth Tones #1. This is the most common color request for earth tones. This color option is not ordered as often, which means we don’t pour them as regularly.
Custom Color Combinations, Fluorescent, Assorted Bright #2, Assorted Earth #2. These are very low volume colors, which means that we must designate specific times and allocate space to accommodate them. If you want them, no problem. Just know that when we plan our day of production, these are the last colors to be completed.
Lastly, I personally want to thank you for your business. I have always run Atomik to offer cost-effective products with the fastest turn-around time. We accomplish this by manufacturing our own brand. During the pandemic, I have committed to shutting off all selling channels, except our website. I believe this decision will best serve our climbing community.
I wish you all the best in health.
Kenny Matys
President
Atomikclimbingholds.comkenny@atomikclimbingholds.com
801-404-0280
This story was paid for and produced by the sponsor and does not necessarily represent the views of the Climbing Business Journal editorial team.
This week’s CBJ Homewall of the Week is a beautiful little basement build. It’s been a constant work-in-progress for the owner John M. from Munising, Michigan. See past homewalls here.
When did you build this?
I kind of just keep adding stuff. The first section, overhang and roof, went up last spring in about a day. Then the side walls went up a few months later, and took another day. Then I just added that new little feature in about 2 hours. Tossed a few problems up on this AM. Definitely been nice to have during apocalypse up here.
How long did it take you to build?
The basement wall was largely built from left over material. I would say that the wall, and volumes, were put up in about 2-3 days over 12 hours.
Not including holds and padding, how much did it cost you to build?
The building materials (wood, screws, and t-nuts) were about $300.
Did anything in particular inspire your wall design?
I have built quite a few walls over the years. Typically, I don’t try and fit a square peg in round hole; I let the space dictate what I can do. For this basement woody, that meant the 35 degree angle up to a big wood beam (old house), three feet of roof, another foot of 45 degree, and then a 8 foot roof. That left most of my basement usable for other stuff.
John’s newest feature added during the lockdown.
What was the most difficult aspect of the design and build?
Wanting a bigger space to build in!
What would you do differently?
The main thing here is that I was using leftover t-nuts and wanted to get the wall up without waiting for more to come in. So for some of the wall the spacing is too much. This requires to climb behind and add more when necessary. Should have just been patient and drilled and installed all at once.
What is your favorite aspect?
Basement woodies have some impediments (height). But they are climate controlled. Being in the Upper Peninsula (great ice climbing just down the road), we get 250 inches of snow a year. It is nice being climate controlled. The other plus compared to the wall in my barn, which is closer to 14 feet tall, you can strip and set a ton of problems in a basement. No ladders, and so on.
Any words of wisdom to aspiring homewallers?
Don’t be afraid to tackle the project. Building a usable woody is not that hard. Building basic volumes is easy and a good way to add dimension. Lastly, save up for holds! They are not cheap.
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):
The 2020 winners of USA Climbing’s Collegiate Climbing Ambassador Scholarship: Gabe Linderman, Daniel Nguyen, Michelle Patten and Sarah Pearce. Photo by USA ClimbingBy John Burgman
On April 24, USA Climbing announced the winners of its 2020 Collegiate Climbing Ambassador Scholarship. The awards totaled $3,000 and were given to students deemed ambassadors for combining academics with competitive climbing at the collegiate level. 2020 thus marked the fourth season for the USA Climbing scholarship program.
The winners this year were: Gabe Linderman of the University of Michigan, who helped get a climbing gym included in a renovation of that school’s main recreational facility; Daniel Nguyen of the University of Texas at Austin, who played a vital role in doubling the size of that school’s climbing program; Michelle Patten of the University of Texas at Dallas, who volunteered at a number of USA Climbing competitions; and Sarah Pearce at Cal Poly Pomona, who taught beginner climbing classes and coached a youth team at her local gym.
“From an exceptional pool of candidates, these four were chosen for their dedication to climbing and exemplifying what it means to be a climber, a student-athlete, and ambassador for the sport,” noted a press release from USA Climbing.
In order to be eligible for the scholarship, applicants had to submit a package that included an academic resume and an essay related to “what climbing at the collegiate level means.” The eventual recipients were chosen by a panel of USA Climbing staff, coordinators, and other prominent figures in the collegiate competitive climbing community.
More information about the scholarships can be found here. To learn more about how competition climbing is thriving at the collegiate level, click here.
The core team members departing from Rock Gym Pro: Andy Laakmann (Founder), Tod Bloxham (CEO) and Ted Knudsen (CTO).
It was recently announced that three core team members of Rock Gym Pro (RGP), Andy Laakmann, Tod Bloxham and Ted Knudsen, would be leaving the company. Laakmann founded RGP in 2008 in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and served as a key developer in the subsequent years. Bloxham worked as Rock Gym Pro’s Chief Executive Officer, and Knudsen filled the role of Chief Technical Officer.
An email message to RGP customers did not provide specifics about the trio’s departure, but it did indicate that the company has been owned by software company Togetherwork for the past two years. As such, the company and Togetherwork have been working towards “a transition that will help Rock Gym Pro…ensure business continuity.” Togetherwork started in 2015 and is headquartered in Brooklyn, New York.
“Andy, Tod and Ted’s contribution to the growth of the climbing gym industry has been significant. While we wish them well, they’ve left Rock Gym Pro in an excellent position to continue to support the industry for years to come. Togetherwork’s wealth of technical resources and expertise combined with the knowledge and passion of the existing RGP team will help propel the software to new heights,” says Maria Trysla, RGP’s new Business Leader from Togetherwork.
The aforementioned email from RGP also stated, “Rest assured that we’ve also been hard at work facilitating a technical transition to a combination of new and existing development team members at Togetherwork. We are confident that RGP will remain the stable platform you have come to trust.”
RGP is the chosen customer relationship management (CRM) software for “hundreds of high volume facilities around the world,” according to the company’s website. More than 100 million gym check-ins have been done with RGP software since its inception.
“Andy has helped me so many times when I was in a pinch or even just needed some solid advice,” says Matt Lambert, Owner of Rogue Rock Gym and an early user of RGP. “I truly feel like I owe him a huge debt of gratitude…I literally couldn’t have run my business through this growth period without RGP.”
Treadstone Climbing in Columbus, Georgia, plans to reopen as soon as their state restrictions are lifted. Photo courtesy of TreadstoneUPDATE 4/25/2020: Treadstone in Columbus, GA, managed to open their doors yesterday with new hygiene and operations protocols. We eagerly await the reopening of other climbing facilities. Best wishes to every gym operator as they navigate the decision of when to reopen. We will climb again!By John Burgman
This week the governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp, announced that some facilities in that state—including barbershops, hair salons, massage therapy businesses, and gyms—would be allowed to reopen on Friday (April 24) with “minimum basic operations.” The governor’s declaration came on the heels of a three-phase federal plan that carried a similar sentiment for businesses—but ultimately gave state governors the ability to allow reopenings as they saw fit.
Kemp’s decision was among the first of its kind by a state governor, as much of the country remains closed with stay-at-home and work-at-home directives and suggestions still in full force. But the fact that “gyms” were a category of business specifically cited by Kemp means that climbing gyms in Georgia have the governor’s permission and support to reopen as a vast majority of climbing gyms in other states remain closed.
Marc Heileman, owner of Treadstone Climbing in Columbus, Georgia, told CBJ that he plans to reopen on Friday as a result of the governor’s announcement. As such, Heileman realizes that Treadstone might be “one of the first gyms in the country to reopen,” and Treadstone actually closed several days before it was the law in Georgia to do so.
“We took the threat seriously and we enforced mitigation on our staff—who we also kept on payroll even before there was a government incentive to do so,” says Heileman. “Many of Treadstone’s wall construction clients chose to use this time to build or upgrade via our other LLC, Treadstone Structures.”
Treadstone Climbing in Columbus, Georgia, getting an overhaul during the closure. Photo courtesy of Treadstone
Regardless of government mandates, when Treadstone reopens, Heileman will incorporate mitigation measures “yet-to-be-completely-decided-upon,” until he reads the rest of the available CBJ and CWA articles on the subject. As more gyms reopen, it is likely that owners will study aspects such as wall cleanliness and gym hygiene, and they will implement strategies accordingly.
Wall Crawler Rock Club, an 8,800-square-foot gym in Atlanta, told CBJ that it plans to reopen on Friday, May 1. That is a week after the inaugural date allowed by Governor Kemp, but it will still make Wall Crawler one of the first climbing gyms in the country to reopen.
Wall Crawler Rock Club in Atlanta plans to reopen on May 1. Photo courtesy of Wall Crawler
Not all climbing gyms in Georgia are going forward with such reopening, however. Stone Summit, which has facilities in Atlanta and Kennesaw, sent a mass email to its members addressing Governor Kemp’s announcement.
“While we are anxious to reopen to see all of you, at this moment we do not feel it is in the best interest of our staff, members, and guests. Health and safety will continue to be our top priority, and with that in mind, at this time we will continue to remain temporarily closed,” read the announcement.
Stone Summit has not set a specific date for reopening, but the mass email indicated that mitigation measures will likely be implemented when the time comes: “When we do open, it will be a very measured approach to control the number of members in the gym at a given time to maintain social distancing.”
CBJ will continue to provide updates related to gym reopenings as they happen around the country.
Behind the Closures…is a series that interviews gym owners, managers and employees during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic—and looks at how the situation is impacting facilities and communities around North America.
This week CBJ headed to the South Central, U.S., to chat with a popular Oklahoma gym about keeping busy amid closure: rolling out social media content; keeping a gear shop open as an essential business; and starting staff projects that can be completed once everything opens up.
Hannah Mosier works as the Assistant Manager, but she is also the groups coordinator for Climb Tulsa. Photo courtesy of Hannah MosierName: Hannah Mosier
Title: Assistant Manager, Climb TulsaLocation: Tulsa, Oklahoma
CBJ: Climb Tulsa is temporary closed. So, let’s start with the topic of actual COVID-19 cases within your gym community. Have you had any confirmed staff or customer cases that you know of?
MOSIER: I am very grateful to say that I have not heard of any confirmed cases amongst our staff or our members.
CBJ: To backtrack a little, would you mind walking me through how the COVID-19 crisis hit Climb Tulsa, and what you were thinking as everything progressed?
MOSIER: For me it felt like the initial COVID-19 reaction here in Tulsa happened incredibly fast. I was in a village in Alaska for the two weeks prior to the shutdown, and when I came home on March 15th it felt like whiplash. On March 16th I went into the gym and our general manager, Clayton, asked me to begin calling the parents from our kids programs and inform them that we were canceling for the next week.
At that point we had not yet officially decided to close, but by that evening—after lots of discussion—we made the decision to close temporarily and reassess weekly. We made the announcement to the public the next morning (March 17th). We had hoped to be able to make the decision ourselves to reopen within a few weeks. However, a few hours after our announcement the mayor of Tulsa mandated that all gyms—as well as many other businesses—close by midnight until further notice. I think we all agreed that it was best that we had made the choice to close ourselves before we were forced to close.
As everything was progressing, I feel as if my thoughts simply went into survival mode. Nobody truly knew what was going on or what would happen. But I knew the staff would be looking to the management, so I kept my focus on communication and giving directions. The first two weeks felt like we were constantly having to readjust—almost by the hour—to what new mandates or new information were being received concerning the virus. About a week in, I did begin to feel overwhelmed and unable to get any footing as everything seemed to be changing so fast. Once Tulsa mandated the Safer at Home Order things began to level out. Now I feel like we are all just waiting to hear from the city for our next steps.
Climb Tulsa offers more than 20,000 square feet of climbing walls, along with a yoga room and a gear shop. Photo courtesy of Climb Tulsa
CBJ: About that decision to close temporarily and reassess weekly… What was the general response of the Climb Tulsa customers to the closure?
MOSIER: The initial response from our members was incredibly positive. I think we were all surprised by the support we received. Most members chose to remain active, several called in to change their card information or to unfreeze so that they could be billed, and others have bought multiple gift cards from us. We were all very humbled and very grateful that so many people care about Climb Tulsa and the Climb Tulsa staff as much as they do.
CBJ: Climb Tulsa’s Facebook page mentioned that the gym had filmed practically three weeks’ worth of content. The plan seems to be to steadily roll out videos and other content on social media as the closure continues…which seems like a really proactive strategy. Where did that idea to backlog so much social media content come from?
MOSIER: One of the owners of Climb Tulsa, Jason Burks, has worked in production for a long time and owns his own company, called Retro Spec. Jason has always put a lot of emphasis on the quality of our social media content. He brought his team in one day to get as much content as he could to engage our members online.
Our social media presence has proven to be a great step to connecting with members. We have shared climbing stories, had giveaways and product reviews from our gear shop. The biggest thing we’ve done is have a weekly raffle for our active members in which we give away an item from our gear shop (approach shoes, Edelrid Giga Jul, rope bags, etc). This raffle was very well received and I think has helped show our members that we really are grateful for them and their support.
Climb Tulsa’s gear shop is still able to sell items, despite the gym’s temporary closure, because it is an essential business. Photo courtesy of Climb Tulsa
CBJ: One of the amazing aspects is that Climb Tulsa has managed to keep all 35 people on staff. How is that working?
MOSIER: In the beginning we were doing all that we could to maintain hours for our staff. We did deep cleans, CWA training, gear training, content creating, etc. However, once the city of Tulsa instated the Safer at Home Order we were no longer able to have staff working in the facility. Since then we have maintained pay for as long as we can and have recently applied for a small business loan to protect the income of our staff. Our gear shop has been considered an essential business since we are the only store in Tulsa to carry many items needed by rope service workers. We have put up an online catalog so that customers can call in orders and pick them up curbside; we also maintain the CDC guidelines.
Keeping the gear shop open has been very beneficial in maintaining some revenue in continuing to pay our staff. Only the managers are operating the gear shop, so I am in the facility 1-2 times a week. While in the facility I am making progress on the cleaning and organizing projects we started but could not yet finish. If I am not scheduled at the gym, then I am working from home accomplishing what I can. I am currently working on the logistics for new classes or trying to refine existing programs.
CBJ: I have been asking every gym employee this during interviews because I think there is value in hearing all ideas: How do gyms recover from this?
MOSIER: I don’t know how gyms will recover from this. It is definitely a big surprise to us all, and we are such a young industry. The impact of this is full of unknown variables; however, I am very hopeful. The people I have met in the climbing community see it as so much more than a workout or a hobby. Most climbers are committed to their community and they want to continue to see it grow and do well. In the first few weeks of this pandemic I have seen the community here in Tulsa fully support us, and many have personally reached out to us with encouraging messages.
I anticipate the next year to be rough while trying to recover, but I am thankful that we will have these members that support us when times are rough and care so much about the climbing community here in Tulsa.
Editor’s note
Items from Climb Tulsa’s gear shop cannot be shipped. However, if anyone wishes to support the gym from afar and plans to be swinging through Tulsa in the future, gym gift cards can be purchased here. From Climb Tulsa’s website: “Your gift card purchase now will help pay our employees and give you the flexibility of many purchase options when we reopen!”
Share your story
Are you leading a climbing gym through this unprecedented period of gym closures? Or, do you work for a gym that is now closed and have a story others could benefit from hearing? If so, please contact us and tell us about it.
Photo by Earth Treks Englewood
The global Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is adversely impacting virtually all corners of the indoor climbing industry―some in obvious ways, but others less so. Even businesses one might consider less vulnerable are feeling the impact of stay-at-home home orders and mandated closures. Below, we highlight a few developments that caught our attention recently.
Digital Publications
At the beginning of this month, Climbing’s editor, Matt Samet, sent a mass email out to the magazine’s readership, admitting, “The spread of the COVID-19 virus, the death and suffering it’s causing, and the unprecedented social and economic disruption have in the space of just a few weeks upended everything we know.”
Indeed, publications that offer digital content are probably among the few areas within the climbing sphere that might be expected to thrive amid this crisis—or at least weather the storm. But there are still looming challenges in those areas.
For instance, Samet also stated that COVID-19 has hit Climbing’s freelancers and contributors particularly hard: “They’re seeing regular jobs dry up, having stories that were underway canceled, and are having to scramble to figure out what’s next.” This was followed by an announcement that 25 percent of the new proceeds from Climbing’s $40/year Summit Memberships would go toward supporting freelancers.
With climbing competitions canceled, media in the US and around the world are being resourceful to get through this period. UK Climbing just launched a new video series with IFSC commentators Charlie Boscoe and Mike Langley, for example, who are also admittedly “stuck at home” during this period. The World Cup season won’t begin in April as usual, so the series focuses on past competitions. Similarly, the IFSC is live streaming past events on Facebook and sharing its golden memories on YouTube.
Climbing Gym Owners
Aside from digital media, the COVID-19 crisis continues to wallop gyms. CBJ has compiled a list of resources and myriad gym closures. But one assumption when scanning that long list of gyms might be that certain facilities and franchises are equipped to handle extended closure while others are not. To an extent, there is truth to this, but even many of the most well-known gyms around the country and their owners continue to be negatively affected by long-term shutdown.
In the middle of March, Dustin Buckthal, CEO and owner of The Front in Salt Lake City, wrote on Instagram: “I don’t have a retirement fund. There are no investors in the Front. I do not have a trust fund, I come from middle-class. I personally guarantee every loan…The Front [is] a small business. I am involved in the business every day, 7 days a week. So is my fiancée. We do not have a board to direct us.”
Dustin Buckthal, Owner of The Front Climbing Club in Salt Lake City. Photo by The Front
A related concept was included in First Ascent’s Instagram post in March: “First Ascent is a locally owned business with limited resources, and your continued support will help us care for our staff and bounce back when the crisis is over.”
Such posts are reminders that―for all the growth in commercial climbing gyms―many businesses in indoor climbing are still relatively small businesses.
Climbing Gym Operators
The assumption that the largest gyms might be safe from the inevitable industry downturn would be faulty as well. For instance, Earth Treks, which shares a parent company—El Cap—with Planet Granite and Movement Climbing + Fitness, recently used some unique crowdfunding to help pay its staff. The gym ran a Chalk Bag Fund Auction at the end of last month; users could bid on retail items and services in an online silent auction, with proceeds going to paying staff. Earth Treks Golden also announced via Facebook other ways that members could continue “to support…staff and…community,” including opting in to standard monthly billing memberships and prepaying dues for extra credit upon reopening.
“Without all of you, we wouldn’t be this amazing community that we are lucky to call family,” stated the Earth Treks Englewood Facebook page, touting identical support measures. “Thank you for all of the stoke you’re sharing with us during this challenging time.”
Operators of closed gyms around the country have been wrestling with the question of whether to ask members to opt in or opt out of monthly dues during this period. The Pad Climbing, a nonprofit which formed a parent company―Ascent Ventures―with Origin Climbing and Fitness last year, decided to go with the latter. “I am SO grateful to our membership for letting us be the company I have wanted us to be,” says Kristin Horowitz, COO of The Pad. “Our goal is to take care of the people that need it.”
Further east in Wisconsin, Boulders Climbing Gym offers an opt-out program as well, which helps pay for full-time staff and rent. For people whose financial situation has changed, there’s even a “pay what you can” option called Sustaining Memberships. According to Brad Werntz, President of Boulders, both members and non-members have become Sustaining Members during the closure.
Boulders has been hosting daily online training platforms for body-weight workouts and yoga sessions via Facebook and Instagram Live; youth programs were recently added to the mix too. Participants and parents can donate after the sessions through a virtual tip-jar on PayPal. The Pad also shares donation links to the Venmo accounts of its online yoga instructors.
Other gyms are offering gift card and t-shirt packages to help generate funds and encourage climbers through this period. Upper Limits in St. Louis started a #hangtight t-shirt campaign to raise money for paying staff. Nearby in Springfield, Missouri, climbers can buy “quarantraining” t-shirts as part of the #comebackstronger campaign of Zenith Climbing Center. And in Virginia, Rise Up Climbing offers weekly curbside pickup of gear purchases on Fridays.
Climbers aren’t the only ones helping their gyms stay afloat. Multiple brands who are able to do so have launched campaigns to direct incoming funds to climbing gyms around the country.
Butora, for example, recently announced a charitable initiative in which specific gym codes could be entered during online checkout and result in 35 percent of a given sale being donated to the customer’s gym of choice. Butora gave gyms around the country unique codes for the program, which runs through April and is being promoted with a #climbers4gyms hashtag campaign.
Eldorado Climbing Walls is offering a similar gym donation. When customers purchase holds, panels or other supplies for a home wall, they can enter the code of their climbing gym and 30% of the sale will go towards that gym. There is no cost for gyms to participate, and customers are encouraged to spread the word if their gym is not yet on the list.
At-Home Climber Fitness
While the nation’s innumerable stay-at-home directives from doctors and government officials has undoubtedly resulted in a massive amount of home training and hangboard sales, there is adversity in that market as well. Tension Climbing, which would otherwise be contributing to the current boom in at-home fitness accoutrements, was forced to close as a result of a government mandate in Colorado.
A later amendment to the mandate permitted Tension to keep fulfilling online orders, but limited manufacturing has made that difficult to continue. “Until we can get our manufacturing back at full capacity after the COVID-19 shutdown ends and replenish our stock, we are temporarily suspending all orders and backorders,” reads Tension’s website.
The slowdown is not just in Colorado. Ohio-based Rock Candy Holds―which provides home wall packs of climbing holds―posted a “COVID-19 Update” on its website too, stating, “Normal turn-around time may be affected.”
How COVID-19 will continue to impact these various areas of the industry is impossible to predict, but CBJ will continue to monitor the situations at local, regional and national levels.
Share Your COVID-19 Experience
There are countless stories like these in our industry, and we appreciate hearing them! Are you leading a climbing gym through this unprecedented period of gym closures? Or, do you work for a gym that is now closed and have a story others could benefit from hearing? If so, please contact us and tell us about it.
Note: This article was written prior to the COVID-19 outbreak and gym closures.
Behind the Desk…is an ongoing series that profiles people influencing and advancing the industry in gyms across the country. In this installment, we talk about how a gym in Texas put together a day of adaptive climbing activities, involvement and awareness. We also delve into Casino Nights, local film festivals and Goodwill prizes. It’s all in a day’s work for Lydia Huelskamp at Crux.
Lydia Huelskamp, the Marketing and Events Manager at Crux Climbing Center. Photo courtesy of CruxName: Lydia Huelskamp
Title: Marketing and Events Manager
Home Gym:Crux Climbing CenterLocation: Austin, Texas
CBJ: For starters, I’d enjoy hearing a little about your background. Are you a climber, and how’d you land at Crux?
HUELSKAMP: I am a climber. I started climbing probably about three years ago. I was—and still am—a guide for a local non-profit here. To start, I came on guiding as a mountain biker and mountaineer. And then I realized I was surrounded by climbers, so my boss kind of mentored me into rock climbing. It was really cool; I went from 0 to 100 with it really fast. I fell in love with it. And through that, I started coming to Crux as a member and then one of my fellow guides worked at Crux. He told me that Crux was hiring and needed more females on staff. And I thought, ‘Perfect, sounds like what I want to do!’
CBJ: So were you immediately working in a marketing capacity for Crux?
HUELSKAMP: No, I actually came on as front desk staff. And then—after about a month and a half of working the front desk—the person in the Marketing and Events position was leaving. The position needed to be filled, and Crux is all about hiring from within. I had a little background with marketing and event work, so I was promoted to the role.
CBJ: What exactly do you do as the Marketing and Events Manager at the gym?
HUELSKAMP: Day-to-day I do all of Crux’s social media, as well as plan all the events and keep up with all the marketing—posters that we do, updating the website with events that are coming up. We have two big events each year, plus other little events that we do. And we have a member’s night every month—so I have to keep up with that. As well as things like an Adaptive Climbing Day. I’m also the one who responds whenever someone emails the gym with questions. And anytime we get a donation request, I handle that. And I work with vendors outside the gym who might want to come in and do a table at the gym.
CBJ: Wow—you do a lot! When you’re thinking of events to have at the gym, how do you come up with events that would be good for the patrons at Crux?
HUELSKAMP: Sometimes I’ll just see something or come up with something by myself. But also members or other staff people have given me ideas before. For example, back in December [2019] we had this Climbing Casino Night and that came from our head setter. It’s really cool to get ideas from other people, or look around and just think, ‘What would be fun to have in the gym?’ or ‘What would our community really benefit from?’ or ‘What will play off of other events that we’ve done in the past that people really enjoyed?’
Lydia Huelskamp on Time Wave Zero in El Potrero Chico, Mexico. Photo courtesy of Huelskamp
CBJ: And what are some of those past events that people have enjoyed the most?
HUELSKAMP: Some of the events we’ve had include family fun days. We have those twice a year with day passes and free entries for families. Those are really successful. We recently had an event called Reel Plastic, which was like a local climbing film festival right after we had Reel Rock—because Reel Rock is always really successful. Our member nights are always a hit too because it’s a time for members to just come and hang out, drink beer, that type of thing. And then our biggest comps are always a hit as well. And we have smaller comps too. In August we have what we consider to be our Friendly Neighborhood Competition. People come for the evening—there’s a competition, and the prizes are just goofy things from Goodwill, and it’s a really fun time.
CBJ: Prizes from Goodwill—that’s a great idea! Where’d that come from?
HUELSKAMP: They were already doing those comps and the Goodwill prizes before I took over. But yeah, it’s pretty fun! It’s fun to shop for the prizes too!
CBJ: You mentioned doing a local film festival—Reel Plastic! That’s definitely something that other gyms could do too in various regions around the country. How do you find climbing films for that?
HUELSKAMP: We promoted the Reel Plastic about six months before it happened, and then our members and other people in the climbing community made films. So it was less about looking for films and more about people submitting whatever they had created. Then we showed all of them.
CBJ: And a flip side question would be: Are there any events that you have found really don’t work at your gym, for whatever reason?
HUELSKAMP: Not many. I talked about a member appreciation night at the end of every month, and sometimes when we have a competition or a game within that night, it’s harder to get people to participate. I think they just want to climb with their friends, see the vendors, drink some beer. They don’t want to try to do a campus competition or something like that.
Nathaniel Coleman teaches a clinic at Crux Climbing Center. Photo courtesy of Crux
CBJ: And speaking of events, I know that Nathaniel Coleman recently taught some clinics at Crux.
HUELSKAMP: Yeah—people were psyched for those. There was a youth clinic (which we capped at ten people) and we also had an adult advanced bouldering clinic (for six people or so). I was the point-person for the whole thing. Our Petzl rep reached out to us and said that Nathaniel was coming to Texas. I worked with them to make it happen and promoted it. It was really cool that Nathaniel chose Crux out of all the gyms in Texas. And we’ve done other clinics with pro climbers in the past too. For example, we try to do a clinic sometimes when Keenan Takahashi is in town.
CBJ: Can you give any advice to other gyms that might want to bring in pro climbers for clinics?
HUELSKAMP: One bit of advice would be: it’s easier if you have something else going on too. For instance, I think Alex Puccio came in once, but it was around our Come and Send It day. Or, Nathaniel came in for the clinics, but he was also showcasing a new climbing film. Pro climbers are super chill, but I think it helps motivate or entice them more if there is something else going on—a competition they can compete in, a film they are promoting, that type of thing.
CBJ: Crux also does an Adaptive Climbing Day, which you mentioned. I think a lot of gyms are undoubtedly wanting to—and actively working to—be accommodating to adaptive climbers. But how did having a day centered around the concept come together, and what does the day entail?
HUELSKAMP: We had done an Adaptive Climbing Day prior to me working here, but our lead instructor really wanted to do another one. So we reached out to Catalyst Sports—they are a non-profit out of Georgia, and they do a lot of adaptive stuff. And Sterling Ropes had an adaptive film that had recently come out. So it was kind of perfect timing because Sterling had reached out and asked if we’d want to do a showing, and we were also talking to Catalyst Sports. We just thought, ‘Oh, perfect—we can just make a whole day out of it!’
An adaptive climbing day at Crux Climbing Center. Photo courtesy of Crux
We are fortunate here at Crux because we have an employee who has a background in adaptive sports and adaptive climbing, so she was really excited about it as well. Catalyst Sports came in, brought in some equipment and trained about 20 volunteers for three hours at the gym in the morning. We actually had a waiting list of volunteers, which was really cool. We had volunteers who weren’t even climbers but just people who had backgrounds in rec therapy or adaptive stuff. Some volunteers had backgrounds in rigging, so they were able to help.
It was really cool to see the different situations and different talents come together. One of the things that Catalyst stressed was generally not blocking off areas for the adaptive climbers—just have everyone climbing alongside everyone. But we did block off one area for a chair that people could sit in and pull themselves up with their arms.
So, for the day, everyone learned about adaptive climbing and learned about different situations and how to use the equipment. And then there were four hours during which adaptive climbers could come in—and stay as long as they wanted—to climb and be belayed. And after that we showed the film. People came in from as far away as San Antonio—which is like a two-hour-drive! I would encourage any gym to do it. Bring in a company like Catalyst Sports as the foundation, someone who knows what they’re doing, and make a day of it. We had such an amazing turnout.
Got a cool story? Tell us!
Do you know somebody who works in the climbing industry and would be good to profile in a Behind the Desk segment? Or, do you work in the industry and have a personal background that you think others would enjoy learning about? If so, please contact us and tell us about it.
To kickoff the CBJ Homewall of the Week we picked one many of you could relate to – the “quick coronavirus build”. This one lives in Fort Collins, Colorado, and is owned by Amanda P. who won a copy of High Drama, some 8B+ chalk, and other goodies. Future picks will be other unique walls as varied as our climbing community. See past homewalls here.
How long did it take you to build?
Long version: We got all the lumber and hardware on a Saturday. My husband and 14 year old worked on it in the garage the following week as time allowed (my husband’s also working from home)… two longer sessions and three shorter sessions. We were ready to assemble it by the following Saturday. Short version: About a week!
Not including holds and padding, how much did it cost you to build?
$780 – for lumber, hardware, and truck rental to get the lumber home ($20). Along the way, we also did end up spending a couple hundred on tools… an impact driver and new drill bits.
Did anything in particular inspire your wall design?
Things we knew: (1) We wanted an overhang and as much climbing space as we could afford. (2) We had to do it inside – we didn’t want to deal with our CO weather and our HOA has too many restrictions, LOL). (3) We needed it to be modular so we could build it in the garage and move it into the house. And (4) We wanted it to be freestanding so that we can move it if necessary – it’s in the entrance of our house… the first room you walk into. Basically, we just worked within our constraints to make the biggest wall we could.
(My 14 year old is on our local climbing gym’s competition climbing team, having been introduced to rock climbing a little over a year ago. He’s ALL about climbing now and was so missing climbing during these stay at home orders, and is bummed that the sport climbing competition season is pretty much over now. He also has juvenile idiopathic arthritis so actually needs to move around regularly to keep flare ups at bay. Climbing has been a lifesaver for that. He might have preferred a steeper wall, but we agreed on 30 degrees so that it’s not too difficult for me. I’ve been climbing less than a year and really enjoy it but am nowhere near as skilled as he is.)
What was the most difficult aspect of the design and build?
The hardest part, probably, was figuring out how to design everything so that it was modular and could be assembled by just us. My husband added rails along the sides to keep the plywood panels in place during assembly – and also to add sturdiness the rest of the time – and we had to lift and push that last panel all the way up the first two to get it into place. Fortunately, we have three teenage boys. The other tricky part was making sure we didn’t hit the ceiling. Thank goodness we’re all good at math.
What would you do differently?
Honestly, aside from the obvious fact that we’d love to add more holds and get an actual crash pad or two, we’re pretty happy with the build. It meets our needs for now and will be a nice supplement once we can get back to our local climbing gym. Oh, and we would have ordered more t-nuts to begin with. By the time we realized we’d need more, t-nuts were backordered pretty much everywhere. Fortunately, the wonderful folks at SToKed Climbing had a small batch in stock and was able to ship immediately.
What is your favorite aspect?
Beyond just having it ready to climb, we really like the rounded handrail at the top edge for a finish, my husband found a hemlock handrail length at Home Depot that worked perfectly. And the galvanized steel pole is great because it takes up much less visual space in the room than the necessary wooden supports would have. Also, it’s fun to climb!
Any words of wisdom to other aspiring homewallers?
Making a scale model first was really helpful to visualize things and then to also plan supply needs. We originally asked our 19 year old mechanical engineering student to model it for us with software, but he was busy with online classes, LOL. Also, joining the Home Climbing Wall Forum on Facebook was so helpful for inspiration and being able to ask questions. The climbing community really is the very best!
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):
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During the pandemic, Atomik is shipping accepted orders within 5 business days.
The influx of pandemic-related orders has provided us with some very valuable information. We now know what our capacity is. Because we value timely and excellent service, Atomik has pushed hard to meet the needs of our customers. Our team has been working at an intense and unsustainable pace. Therefore, our next steps, outlined below, are intended to find a balance between looking after our team and looking after our customers.
We closed our website on April 12th because we wanted to prevent a backlog of orders. We are now caught up and have a plan. To continue to deliver on our commitment of turning your order around in five business days, we will be restricting how many orders are accepted. When we hit the five-day threshold, we will remove the “add to cart” button from the website. This will only be for a few days. Once we are caught up we will allow more orders and the “add to cart” button will be available again.
We are prepared for this next volume of orders with our refined process and 30% more staff. Our capacity has increased substantially.
Here are the details on how you can help us ship as many orders into the climbing community as possible. They are in order from fastest to slowest production times. This list is for those that care more about speed than exact colors.
