Here are some gyms that are set to open their doors around the country. Know about others? Please drop us a note with the details.
Triangle Rock Club in Durham, NC
Specs: 17,000-square-foot roped area (47-foot walls) and 10,000-square-foot bouldering area (15-foot walls). Additional amenities include a unisex shower and changing room area, a retail space, and a self-contained section for youth programing (20-foot walls). Outside features 440 parking spaces and a Planet Fitness at the other end of the building.
In Their Words: “We’ve been working to put a Triangle Rock Club location in Durham for nearly five years. We pursued three other location possibilities before the eventual space but we couldn’t get all the lights to ‘turn green.’ In November, 2017, we toured a vacant Walmart building, and over the course of a few months, we worked out terms with our landlord.” —Joel Graybeal, managing partner.
Oso Climbing Gym in Dallas, TX
Specs: 35,000-square-foot facility with a bouldering focus. Daily yoga, spinning, and functional fitness classes also offered. Additional amenities include a “floor-to-ceiling glass cardio room that overlooks the Dallas skyline,” locker rooms, showers, saunas, and on-site childcare for patrons.
In Their Words: “I set out to create something that, as a climber, I’ve wanted for a long time—a high-quality and expansive place to climb and hang out in the heart of Dallas. We had a chance to start with a blank slate, and we’re really excited about the range of amenities we’re bringing together—on top of what you’d expect at a climbing gym. That makes our facility something really unique.” —Chris Whittaker, founder.
Have news you would like to share? CBJ would like to hear about your new gym projects, openings, closings, moves and new owners. Please drop us a note with the details.
Another CWA Summit has come and gone, and this one was the largest yet. Gym managers, route setters, manufacturer reps and many owners of climbing businesses converged on Loveland, Colorado, to share information and experiences. By the numbers…
With over 70 sessions spread across 5 days, suffice to say CBJ editors did not make it to every session. Like everyone else, we chose a few, missed most, but still learned a lot.
The recent Climbing Wall Association Summit—the 13th annual gathering for the climbing industry—was a whirlwind of new products and holds, educational roundtables, management and routesetting lectures, and brand meet-and-greets.
While the growth of the industry has been the main focus of the CWA Summit for the past several years, this year’s theme revolved around how the industry can focus such rapid growth in positive ways. Thus, mentorship, education, and community involvement were common focal points. Discussion sessions were held on a variety of pertinent topics. These included: “Coaching Creative Coaches,” moderated by Bix Firer and Pat Brehm of the Headwall Group, “Mentoring Your Routesetting Team for Customer Progression and Retention,” moderated by Jackie Hueftle and Sarah Filler of the Routesetting Institute, “DEI [Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion] in Your Gym Culture” moderated by Cia Blackstock of Climbers of Color, and “Strengthening Leadership in the Indoor Climbing Industry” presented by a panel of experts.
“The idea is to take this lesson of purpose-driven leadership and drill that down into a number of areas of training, where we can apply that focus—whether that’s into a routesetting discipline, thinking about mentorship, and growing your team in ways that the industry hasn’t formalized or matured into yet…[or] into coaching and a growth mindset, into other diversity, equity, and inclusion conversations that talk about how to bring in new members of a team and how to expand the reach of the industry,” says Emily Moore, the Events Manager for the CWA.
Moore points out that the theme of “purpose-driven” leadership is something that the industry (including gym owners, managers, and staff) has been wanting to discuss, and CWA was meeting that need at the Summit. “We want to encourage that higher level thinking, being able to answer the questions: Why am I here? Why do I do what I do?” says Moore. “When you can have a strong answer to those questions—in whatever discipline you’re working in, gym owner, head routesetter, coach, manager—that’s going to bleed over into your work. And if that focus remains in place, then we can drill down to the more technical training areas with intention and hopefully with better outcomes.”
The 2019 Summit was noteworthy for having 76 exhibitors, 65 speakers, and approximately 1,000 attendees (the most ever). There was a lot to see and do over the three-day period, but here are six noteworthy products that caught the eyes of the CBJ editors on the Summit floor:
1. Dual-Texture Walls
Dual-texture holds have been around for a long time, and dual-texture volumes have been a hot commodity recently. But Canada-based Impact has made the leap into the next phase of the modern dual-tex revolution and applied it to wall surfacing.
Like the dual-tex holds and volumes, Impact’s dual-tex walls feature a combination of rough surface and smooth paneling—but in a manner that is entirely customizable. The smooth plastic can be incorporated into wall features such as overhangs, angles or arêtes, or used on sheer vertical planes. “We’re always looking to push that envelope,” says Impact’s founder and CEO Kyle Wilson, who points out that the smooth plastic could also be used to spell out words or form a gym’s logo in a wall. And like standard paneling, the smooth plastic surface can take drill set screws from routesetters without breaking or cracking.
The Details: Because the Dual-tex walls are entirely customizable, prices and installation costs will vary from gym to gym. Wilson points out that dual-tex aspect does add some time to the construction, but this is because of the meticulous craftsmanship. The dual-texture is fully incorporated into a wall’s paneling, rather than being simply a top layer that is applied over the plywood.
Contact: Impact Climbing Inc. E-mail: info@impact climbing.com Phone: 905-878-8902
2. Hold Cleaning Machines
Imagine a dishwasher built exclusively for climbing holds and you have a pretty good idea what KleanHolds is all about. The Wisconsin-based company has its roots in technology of the automotive industry, where cleaning large components—and having heavy-duty machinery that is up to the task—is essential. Such machinery for climbing holds has been around in European gyms for a while, but often with prohibitive import costs for American gym owners.
There are four different models of KleanHold machines, all of which operate with heated water (and no detergent). The capacity of the KleanHold machines ranges from a maximum load weight of 330 pounds to 770 pounds. To put those numbers into perspective, representative Tim Silvius notes that a mid-sized KleanHolds machine can wash approximately 50 small or medium-sized holds at a time, with a cleaning cycle that lasts roughly 10 minutes.
The Details: Silvius says that most gyms opt for a lease-to-own payment option on the KleanHolds machines. And, he points out that it’s worth gyms crunching numbers to find out how much money is spent on water and paying someone to spray down the dirty holds; Silvius is confident that KleanHolds will come out as the more economical option. And, regarding the four available sizes machines, he notes KleanHolds “could custom-make just about anything.”
Contact: TPS Products Phone: 715-754-2207
3. Modular Cracks
Jam Walls was born out of a chance meeting at a Yosemite Facelift cleanup between Dave Yerian and Don Mealing. Yerian had the idea of starting a gym that was entirely cracks. Mealing was receptive to the idea, but also knew from experience that crack climbing was hard to apply to a gym setting. “It’s difficult and expensive to put in a permanent crack in a gym,” he says. “And a lot of times gym owners shy away from it because it’s not practical. It’s a cool thing, but it’s not practical financially compared to the ability and the ease of setting up face climbs. So the idea popped into my mind—what if we’d try to modularize cracks?”
The concept gained momentum. Legendary climber Dale Bard was brought on board—Yerian became Vice President, Mealing became the President, and Bard the COO. What resulted of the collective—after much planning and prototyping—was a brand of modularized crack panels. These Crax panels are interchangeable and geared to the gym market. The width of the cracks can be altered, and with nearly 30 different molds of various crack sizes and configurations, the difficulty can vary depending on a gym manager’s preference.
The Details: There are two parts to the Crax panels—a frame that is mounted to a wall, and a removable module. The two parts together are approximately four feet long and two feet wide, and retail at $795.
Contact:E-mail: Don Mealing: drmealing@jamwalls.com Phone: 946-690-9900
4. Top-Rope Fall Reduction Devices
BelaySAFE, a “friction adjustable” system designed to “minimize the risk of human error in belaying” came from a simple question: What can be done to make top-rope climbing safer?
There are several ways to answer that question—including double-wrapping a rope around the belay bar at the top of any given gym wall. But many solutions resonate as inadequate or damaging to the integrity of the rope itself.
But a BelaySAFE device allows for a number of adjustments related to everything from the age and diameter of the rope to the humidity inside the gym—and utilizes an internal, articulated system of pulleys. The belayer has no difficulty controlling the rope, but the climber gets fully assisted in the event of a fall. During a fall, the climber’s rate of descent is automatically slowed to minimize injury. And the BelaySAFE can be mounted as a primary belay device or as secondary fail-safe device (while paired with another device attached to the belayer’s harness).
The increased safety of the climber and minimization of fall injuries is the main allure of the BelaySAFE devices, but it’s worth noting that the pulley system also minimizes rope deterioration, according to inventor Halil Ngah. “What we frequently see is that the ropes are lasting almost twice as long compared to a rope going through a carabiner,” he says.
The Details: BelaySAFE is not a new product, but Ngah notes that having a demo space at CWA this year—where people could try it out—helped the device resonate more. The price is $495 per unit. The company is based in Singapore and BelaySAFE devices are popular in gyms all over Asia. Ngah points out that BelaySAFE representatives will travel to American gyms for demonstrations and consultations upon request.
Contact: BelaySAFE/Climb Asia E-mail: enquire@belaysafe.com
5. Shareable Walls and Routes
The coolest thing about Walltopia’s Harmonized Walls is their ability to connect gyms in all parts of the United States—or the world. The five different walls are pre-engineered and pre-designed modules that can be seamlessly incorporated into the interior layout of any gym. In other words, a gym wall in one corner of the country can now be identical to a section of wall in a gym that is thousands of miles away.
And, if those distant gyms happen to have the same holds in their respective inventory, identical routes could be created as well. A routesetter in, say, New York, could create a route that a gym in California could duplicate. The connective tissue of this Harmonized Wall system is software called GymRealm, which allows routes to be uploaded and shared (either internally, if a gym franchise has multiple locations, or with any gym anywhere). Routes can be accessed and downloaded for free or for a set fee.
“I speak with a lot of gym owners who have gotten all the way down the road; it’s time to open their gym and they have to sort out the routesetting—and it’s a hard thing to sort out,” says Tony Accuardi, the representative in charge of Walltopia’s U.S. Sales. “[Harmonized Walls] gives them an opportunity to get some quality routes on the wall.”
The Details: Duplicating routes in multiple gyms requires two components—first, the walls have to be identical, which is where the five pre-engineered modules come in. Secondly, the holds have to be identical. For this, Walltopia has partnered with Cheeta to assure that Harmonized Wall customers are all getting the exact same types of holds. And Walltopia is hoping to bring more hold brands into the fray in the future.
Contact: Walltopia E-mail: sales@walltopia.com
6. Stackable Volumes
Utilizing screw-on holds has undoubtedly taken routestting with volumes to another level, and the next step in that evolution is stackable volumes. Multiple companies on the CWA Summit floor were presenting ways in which large, geometric pieces could connect three-dimensionally. For instance, Rockwerx showcased its Infinity Wall system with a gigantic Velcro boulder-with-volumes model. Under this system, all angles of volumes match—and work in conjunction with—angles on the Rockwerx walls.
Kumiki also showed off a new series of rounded plywood volumes called the “Orange Slices.” These volumes are unique in that they are designed without a bottom side. “You can mount them to the wall any way you want,” said Kumiki shaper Nic Oklobzija. “If you have four of them, they make a complete half-sphere. If you have two of them, they make a 90-degree sphere. If you have 8 of them, they make a full sphere.”
The Orange Slice volumes can be stacked, slid together or interlaced. One side of the volumes is dual-tex, while the other side has full texture. And, Oklobzija noted that all of the material is sourced in America.
The Details: Prices for the Rockwerx Infinity Wall system will vary depending on specifications. The Kumiki Orange Slices cost approximately $200 apiece. Oklobzija told CBJ that they are just the beginning for Kumiki, and that additional series of rounded volumes will be released in the future.
When lifelong climber Bill Brooks turned 21, he traveled in his truck for a year and climbed all over the United States. He met many other climbers during his travels and wanted to stay connected with them after returning home. The idea to create the MyClimb Community was born. The goal of MyClimb would be providing a space where climbers could log their climbs, see their progress, and connect and support each other’s climbing journey.
Several years later, Bill set out to create this community and launched the MyClimb App in 2014. The following quickly grew into an international community of climbers from diverse climbing backgrounds. Today, the MyClimb Community has logged over 1.5 million climbs in more than 3,500 gyms and 5,000 outdoor areas around the world.
A Community of Climbers
As the MyClimb Community grew, climbers reached out for advice on how to improve their performance and stay motivated. To answer the call, MyClimb created ‘Workouts’ and ‘Challenges’ in the MyClimb App. These features channel motivation into a structured training system and personalize goal setting. Users of all skill levels can also aim for ‘Gym Awards’ by, for instance, logging the most climbs at a given grade or in a certain discipline. With over 100 monthly and annual awards for climbers to earn, gyms can keep climbers engaged all year round.
“MyClimb has been a great asset to our gym. Our members love keeping track of their performance!” says Threshold Climbing, Fitness & Yoga in Oklahoma City.
While MyClimb emerged as a premier digital tool for the global climbing community, the climbing industry in the United States grew year after year and recorded the largest growth rate on record in 2018. New climbers sought consistent climbing partners for the crags outside and walls inside. In the spirit of connection, MyClimb created the ‘Climbing Partner Finder’ to unite climbers. New climbers and members alike can find belay buddies through this feature and gyms can increase membership retention by building an even stronger sense of community.
A Community of Gyms
For a climbing gym, industry growth presents both opportunities and challenges. To assist gym operators, MyClimb created a tailored Platform for managing route setting in under 10 minutes per day, organizing competitions and challenges and receiving feedback from climbers. Setters can track grade distribution, print route tags, receive feedback and upload beta tutorial videos.
“We use MyClimb to set up weekly sweepstakes and monthly competitions that encourage our customers to climb more. The app is a convenient way to integrate route setting management with your overall CRM strategy. More climbing means more engagement, which is more members and more fun for everybody!” says Rock Box Bouldering, based in Winston-Salem.
In 2020, climbing will debut at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Already, climbing athletes donned Olympic medals for the first time at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires last year. The age of climbing competitions is here. To save time and automate tedious tasks associated with climbing leagues, MyClimb will be releasing a new evolution this summer for competition hosts. With the ‘Climbing Leagues’ feature, organizers will be able to display league and competition leaderboards, calculate scores and customize formats, and participants can interact and invite friends to join a league. Stay tuned to the MyClimb website for updates in the coming months.
Whether you are traveling across the US in your truck or climbing limestone in France, you can connect with the supportive network of MyClimb. To learn more, visit www.MyClimbgym.com.
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This story was paid for and produced by the sponsor and does not necessarily represent the views of the Climbing Business Journal editorial team.
Beautiful exterior at High Point in downtown Chattanooga.
By John Burgman
Long famous for premier outdoor areas like Stone Fort and Horse Pens 40, Tennessee and Alabama have been garnering attention over the past several years for becoming something of an indoor climbing hub as well. This renown can largely be traced to High Point Climbing and Fitness, an LLC formed in 2013 by John Wiygul and Johnny O’Brien that has built a number of popular gyms in a fairly short period of time. In fact, this year, three new High Point gyms are slated to be opened within a span of 12 months, which will bring High Point’s total number of facilities to six gyms in six years—a record for the region, and a rate of growth that indicates a ravenous Southern climbing market.
But the profusion of High Point
gyms—including facilities in Birmingham, Alabama and Chattanooga, Tennessee—is
only half the story. At the heart of High Point’s success has been the longtime
friendship and business partnership between Wiygul and O’Brien—and particularly
their calculated choice to focus on the development of a distinct area, rather
than cast a wide net all over the country. “[John Wiygul and I] prefer to
focus our growth within a geographical region, which allows our management team
to be more efficient with their time and be in the gyms on a more frequent
basis,” says O’Brien. “As a long-term real estate investor, I prefer to own the
real estate fee simple rather than entering into a lease. It requires a
much larger investment on the front-end but I believe the benefits from a
financial perspective are worth the risk and it aligns with my personal
investment strategy.”
High Point Memphis
Indeed, it is the different, complementing backgrounds of
Wiygul and O’Brien that make the partnership work so well. O’Brien is a
business entrepreneur who has been deeply enmeshed in the ownership of Senior
Housing properties and at one point was the president of a billion-dollar
healthcare company. Wiygul, on the other hand, is a die-hard climber who
decided to turn his hobby into his profession. And it was the duo’s shared
passion for running, of all things, that provided High Point’s genesis. “We
wanted to build a climbing gym, and since my partner was from Memphis, we
thought this was a great location for our first gym,” recalls O’Brien. “John
and I are ultra-trail runners and on a race team sponsored by Rock/Creek, a
regional outdoor retailer. The owner
heard of our plans and persuaded us to look at a movie theater in downtown
Chattanooga in the heavy traffic district.
It wasn’t the perfect space but the location was incredible. With a height limitation, it caused us to
think outside the box and what was a barrier, actually turned into our
strongest asset; an iconic outdoor climbing wall.”
The two promptly revamped that old theater space into the first High Point gym,
in the heart of Chattanooga’s tourist district. From there, they continued to
carve out a unique identity for the High Point brand with additional facilities.
Most of the High Point gyms feature an area known as the “Kid Zone,” inspired
in concept by the kid-friendly spaces at Sender One in California. High Point’s
Kid Zones are approximately 3,000 square feet of Walltopia’s interactive Fun
Walls.
Also,
three of the High Point gyms include the aforementioned (artificial) outdoor
wall that has become, according to O’Brien, the “signature feature of not only
those individual gyms, but of High Point Climbing as a company.”
Inspired
by similar walls in Europe—and particularly the famed World Cup wall in Innsbruck, Austria—High Point’s outdoor
walls cost between $700,000 and $1,200,000 to construct, which O’Brien and
Wiygul look at as long-term investments. They note that the uniqueness of the
outdoor walls includes a transparent fiberglass surface and backlit LED
systems, which play into the cost. But the uniqueness allows the walls to
synergize with other tourism landmarks around the region. “For
example, our iconic wall in Chattanooga is used by
the City, Visitors Bureau and private businesses in their marketing
materials,” notes O’Brien.
Of the newest High Point
facilities, the 32,000-square-foot Memphis location is the most expensive to
date. Noteworthy also for being the first ground-up construction project of the
High Point brand, it was unveiled and open to patrons following a recent
ribbon-cutting ceremony. It features top rope and bouldering, along with the
typical Kid Zone area, a yoga studio, a fitness room, two birthday party rooms,
and an outdoor wall.
High Point Huntsville
A 27,000-square-foot gym in
Huntsville, Alabama, is scheduled to have its own grand opening at the end of
the month. It will include all of the accouterments of the Memphis location.
But additionally, High Point will be constructing a freestanding outdoor
climbing wall in a new Huntsville city park—the city specifically reached out
to High Point asking if they’d build such a structure to include in a 100-acre
metropolitan recreation space. “That’s part of our model; outdoor walls are a
great marketing resource and allows us to attract interest in the sport and
expose first time climbers to our gym,” says Wiygul. “It’s also a benefit for
our members to climb outdoors and enjoy the weather on great days.”
Finally, High Point will be opening its first
bouldering-only gym (12,000 square feet) in Cleveland, Tennessee (30 miles east
of Chattanooga), which Wiygul sees as a counterpart to the mixed discipline
High Point gyms that already exist in the Chattanooga area. “We’re already in
the Chattanooga market with two facilities that have sport climbing, 15-meter
speed walls and bouldering,” he says. “Since the High Point climbing community
continues to grow, we wanted to expand our presence and spread out into the
suburbs. It seemed like a logical
strategy to develop a bouldering-only gym to complement our existing product.”
Aragon Elastomers, a leader of climbing hold manufacturing, continues to innovate in order to offer customers the best experience. Aragon is pleased to announce that they are implementing a new ERP system to improve order processing, shorten lead times and offer customers a more streamlined and clean experience. The polyurethane climbing hold manufacturer also upgraded equipment and added more staff to expedite the manufacturing process and further shorten lead times.
The Aragon family, too, expanded in 2019. Aragon made an asset purchase of Catalyst Productions at the beginning of the year, allowing David and Lisa Filkins to step back and begin a new chapter in their lives. Assets were moved to Aragon headquarters in Colorado in January. From the Catalyst brand list, Aragon agreed to work with Element Climbing and Enix Climbing brands to bring additional premier indoor climbing holds to the market.
Aragon’s US partners now include eGrips, Soill, Kilter, Kingdom Climbing, Head Rush, Eldorado Climbing Walls, Kumiki, Teknik, Urban Plastix, Working Class, Method, Legacy, Enix and Element. Aragon recently began producing for Flathold and Squadra as well, two of the premier European brands.
Growing to Empower
In addition to supporting the growth of the climbing industry by developing new ideas and products, Aragon supports climbing charities interested in making a positive social impact.
Aragon was thrilled to help when the HERA Foundation approached them to sponsor the Climb4Life event. HERA’s Climb4Life events are a cornerstone in helping to accomplish their mission to eliminate ovarian cancer by promoting Health, Empowerment, Research, and Awareness. HERA’s Climb4Life series provides an engaging forum focused on empowering women and supporting awareness of the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer. Climbers raise funds and sign up to attend the event at one of three participating gyms. Enlisting the assistance of Jackie Hueftle from Kilter Grips, Aragon and Kilter offered a free climbing route and accompanying setting to the gym with the most attendees at the latest Climb4Life event, won by Übergrippen Denver.
“I am honored to be able to work with such dedicated and truly positive women on this project. They do so much to help the women in our communities and it was awesome to help them with their mission,” says Marci Seidel, Vice President at Aragon.
Founded in 2003, the Khumbu Climbing Center in Nepal is a non-profit organization whose mission is to increase the safety margin of Nepali climbers and high-altitude workers by encouraging responsible climbing practices in a supportive and community-based program. Aragon agreed right away when Kilter approached them to help with this project.
“Assisting the Khumbu Climbing Center’s work with the climbing community in Nepal was a very exciting project for Aragon to play a part in,” continues Seidel.
Aragon also supports the Boys and Girls Club and invests in the development of young climbers. Alongside The Hanson Group, Aragon works with some of the biggest Playground manufacturers in the US to create safe climbing structures for children. The municipalities insist on climbing holds that won’t break for liability purposes and require strict product specifications for the safety and enjoyment of tomorrow’s crushers.
Aragon supplies high quality parts and customer service to the climbing market in the US and worldwide. With the debut of climbing at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, the climbing industry is poised to continue growing and Aragon and its brands are growing to stay on top!
To learn more about Aragon Elastomers, head to their website. For quotes or project inquiries, email the team.
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Aragon is the science behind indoor climbing. Aragon has found a unique niche in the climbing market as a true polyurethane manufacturer. With expertise in specialized polyurethanes and customized manufacturing, Aragon has been developing strong and reliable holds since 2002. Gyms know they can rely on Aragon manufactured holds to be the best, never breaking and maintaining their grip longer than other holds. Aragon has partnered with premier hold brands in the US and Europe to grow the climbing hold industry and create a superior product for all climbers. With their brands, Aragon manufactures a plethora of the top climbing holds in the USA.
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This story was paid for and produced by the sponsor and does not necessarily represent the views of the Climbing Business Journal editorial team.
On the surface it may seem like the climbing gym development scene was quiet in 2018. Afterall, major gym operators were mostly busy preparing for their 2019 and 2020 projects and not creating the fanfair they usually garner. But in America, we saw the highest growth rate on record, the most gyms opened in a single year, and more States saw new gyms than ever before.
Statistically, the commercial climbing gym industry saw the most successful year ever and grew at a rate of 11.87 percent in 2018, with 50 commercial climbing gyms opening in the United States throughout the year.
This success rode on the coattails of climbing, in general, already being more in the public consciousness due to the sport’s inclusion in the upcoming Olympics. And major buzz and attention in 2018 stemming from the mainstream success of two movies—The Dawn Wall and Free Solo. When Free Solo eventually won an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature, that buzz only increased.
This all happened on the heels of a very successful year for the industry as reported in the 2017 Gyms and Trends.
Of those 50 openings, California boasted the most. The state saw eight new gyms opening, followed closely by Colorado with seven new gyms. But even smaller states such as Tennessee and Virginia saw multiple new facilities open too with four each.
A bright morning at Boulder Field. Photo: Boulder Field
Bouldering Gyms Grow
Of particular note is that nearly half of the new gyms that opened were bouldering-only facilities. That is more than the previous year, and puts the United States’ design trends more in line with those of Europe and Asia—where bouldering gyms have been the norm for years.
While most of the bouldering-only gyms are, by nature, smaller than gyms that offer mixed climbing disciplines, the smaller aspect allows the bouldering space to easily fit snuggly alongside non-climbing business ventures. For example, Sage to Summit, a new bouldering-only gym in Bishop, California, contains 1,200 square feet of bouldering space. But Sage to Summit also focuses heavily on mountain running and sells equipment catering to that clientele (footwear, backpacks, tents, bivvy sacks, etc.).
Inside Monkey House in Carbondale, Colorado. Photo: Monkey House
Similarly, the Terrain Park Climbing Center in Chico, California, which opened last summer, offers 2,200 square feet of bouldering but promotes itself as a community space and also hosts movie premiers, art shows, and live music on its grounds. It is a bouldering-only facility, but very much embracing of the catchphrase on its website, “Our Space is Your Space.” And Wooden Mountain, a 6,000-square-foot bouldering gym in Loveland, Colorado, opened to great acclaim in 2018 after years of being in development—and promptly offered a host of accoutrements ranging from a bouldering league for patrons to “sasquatch tours” in the surrounding mountain landscape.
Other notable bouldering gyms that opened in 2018 were Sacramento’s Boulder Field which is operated by pro-climber Carlo Traversi; Movement made a foray into the heart of Denver with their beautiful bouldering gym; and Chicago-based First Ascent is growing their brand (which now has four facilities) with Block 37; and on the East Coast, Earth Treks and Central Rock opened doors in Baltimore and Boston suburbs respectively.
Central Rock – Framingham. Photo: Central Rock
Big Players Prepare for The Future
Contrasting the smaller and sometimes quirky bouldering gyms were a few openings of notably larger facilities. Earth Treks’ Englewood, Colorado, location opened to great fanfare in 2018 as the largest climbing gym in the United States (and coupled with the announcement that the Earth Treks’ 2017 merger with Planet Granite was being formalized with the 2018 creation of a new parent company, called El Cap Holdings). Earth Treks Englewood features 52,000 square feet of space. Upon its grand opening, much was made of the Englewood location offering approximately 500 various climbing routes across multiple disciplines at any one time.
Other new facilities from established companies already possessing multiple gyms included multiple new Central Rock locations: a 10,000 square foot gym in New York City, as well as a comparably sized gym in Framingham, Massachusetts. In fact, Central Rock has been steadily and quietly increasing its brand presence throughout the Northeast in recent years and has become the second largest gym developer overtaking Touchstone.
Touchstone was busy in its own right throughout 2018. The company opened the doors on a 28,000 square-foot bouldering gym called Verdigo Boulders in Pasadena California. And Salt-Lake-based Momentum Climbing opened a 19,200 square-foot bouldering gym called Momentum SODO in Seattle.
Location Shifts
While much attention has been given in recent years to gyms opening in major metro markets (think multiple Vertical Endeavors locations in the Twin Cities, or First Ascent locations in Chicago), 2018 also indicated an interesting change. The majority of the gym development happened in small and mid-markets. An illustration of this was the opening of Gad Rock in Gadsden, Alabama—a city that has 35,000 residents (certainly not minuscule, but dwarfed by nearby Birmingham and Chattanooga). Another example would be Gravity Vault in Flemington, New Jersey, which offers 17,000 square feet of climbing in a town that has only 4,600 residents.
Perhaps the most notable illustration of climbing finding success in a small market was the opening of Gnarwall Bouldering Gym in Pfafftown, North Carolina—a town of just 2,000 people.
In fact, throughout 2018, there were only a handful of developers who decided to tackle the high cost of real estate and burdensome bureaucracy of opening gyms in big cities. These included First Ascent opening its Block 37 location in the heart of downtown Chicago, Movement opening its RiNo location in the Denver area, MetroRock opening a gym in Brooklyn, New York, and Tufas Boulder Lounge in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, among others.
A sick pre-opening wall inside Armadillo Boulders. Photo: Armadillo Boulders
2018 also saw the opening of Armadillo Boulders in San Antonio, Texas. As such, Armadillo Boulders became the first commercial gym in the city that possesses approximately 1.5 million people. And Memphis Rox opened in the bustling city of Memphis, Tennessee with a unique business model: no set climbing fee. “There are no age restrictions and you will not be turned away regardless of your ability to pay,” the gym notes on its website.
The opening of facilities in smaller markets alongside select city developments signals the staying power of the climbing industry, and should be interpreted as a plus for all. It indicates climbing’s ability to thrive and adapt in virtually any sized market.
Closing Up
As with most years, there were some gym closures in 2018. There were five commercial climbing gyms that closed in the US. Of note is that four of the five facilities were originally opened in the 1990s. Such normal generational attrition is likely not an indicator of any larger trend. However, the industry consistently having a robust annual growth rate inevitably means there has been increased competition in many markets.
History enthusiasts will note that one such closure was Thrillseekers, in Denver. Having been started in 1992, the gym was one of the oldest in Colorado. Owner Kevin Smith retired in March (2018), and held a weeklong sale to get rid of the gym’s equipment.
Another gym that closed for a far different reason was Urban Ascent in Boise, Idaho. The gym had been in operation since 2004, but was purchased by a developer and resided on land that was owned by the city. The gym’s sudden closing was thus the first step in redeveloping the site for affordable housing apartments. “I was told that the gym would remain open for 18 months after the project breaks ground,” wrote Urban Ascent’s manager, Clint Colwell, on Facebook in March, 2018. “This is not true I guess and it saddens me to be the bearer of this message. You all are my friends, and I was hoping we could keep this up for a while longer as we all know how great a community we have here at Urban.”
Another gym that closed in 2018 was Atlanta Rocks, in Georgia—the oldest indoor facility in the city, although the location had changed over the years. The gym closed in response to a major rent increase, which was perhaps partially in response to new condos and other major developments nearby.
Boston Rock Gym in Massachusetts and Prairie Walls in Rochester, Minnesota, also closed last year.
Data Information
The CBJ growth rate and accompanying data is compiled through several different source avenues and is completely original and proprietary to Climbing Business Journal. We collect data on all new, sold, moved, expanded and closed commercial climbing gyms in the US and Canada. Our database is the only complete listing of commercial climbing gyms with reliable trends going back to 2009.
We do not collect data on recreation center, university, private, or other institutional climbing walls. Nor do we count climbing walls that are part of facilities that are not in the sole business of selling climbing, or facilities that do not offer climbing specific memberships.
The world is constantly changing, and indoor climbing is no exception. Climbing gym businesses of different shapes and styles face new challenges in a maturing industry, at all stages of the business cycle. Before opening, a long list of factors could be taken into consideration: size, location, full-service or bouldering-only, overall investment, etc. After opening, one task will always be on the to-do list of a successful climbing gym operator: to provide quality routesetting. As technological possibilities evolve in the digital world, so too do the opportunities to modernize routesetting at your climbing gym.
Digital Routesetting
The regular delivery of quality routes at indoor climbing facilities has become essential to effective business strategies as popularity and competitiveness within the industry increase. More new climbers are entering gyms for the first time, requiring a wide range of route offerings which appeal to climbers of all levels. These routes must be updated often enough to maintain high levels of engagement, to keep both beginning visitors and advanced members coming back for more. But how to do so efficiently?
This is where the Walltopia Harmonized System steps in, offering a fast and affordable way for climbing gyms to access quality routes. The system consists of pre-designed wall modules equipped with RGB LED nodes, as well as a custom-developed and expertly-engineered software to connect routesetters, climbers and gym managers through an application called “E-Walls.” The Harmonized System simplifies and upgrades routesetting to a more interactive, flexible and digital experience for all three actors.
The Climber
Imagine walking into a climbing gym for the first time. You gaze up at dozens of colored patterns, wondering where to begin. Your options are limited: either bother a staff or gym member for help or wander through the maze of difficulties alone.
Not if you enter the climbing gym at Walltopia Headquarters, though, where the Harmonized System is already two years in operation. There you download the E-Walls app to your smart phone and discover all the routes with one click. You filter by grades or explore the latest and most popular climbs. You make a selection and watch the corresponding section of the wall light-up, illuminating the routes. You can also log your climbs and track your progress over time with your newfound community. You easily rate and comment on routes, giving direct feedback to the gym managers and setters which gives you confidence that every session will be better than the last.
The Gym Manager
Imagine managing a climbing gym with increasing membership levels on opposite sides of the experience spectrum, in an increasingly competitive area. You consider your options for maintaining growth rates, recognizing the value of consolidating communication with setters and climbers.
Thanks to the manager’s interface of the Harmonized System, you can oversee routesetting and analyze real-time stats and graphs of user preferences and setter performances. Get to know climbers better and set objectives for setters, wherever you are on the globe, through a digital exchange which can set you apart from your rivals.
Now imagine running multiple facilities in different locations. Some places might have a better climbers’ scene than others, which poses a challenge when it comes to hiring staff members and quality setters. From an operator’s perspective, you want to maintain a consistent climbing experience for your clientele throughout all your facilities. The Harmonized System helps you do just that, by replicating the best routes that your most experienced setters create throughout all your facilities.
The Setter
Imagine setting for more and more climbers, perhaps even traveling between multiple facilities. You envision the weeks ahead, anticipating the growing exhaustion and shrinking creativity. Your options too are limited: accept the growing pains or seek a remedy.
Now, the Harmonized System organizes routesetting for you. You open the digital app and access endless route options for your walls and holds. You store your own routes in an online database for reuse, and you sell top-performing routes to fellow setters around the world. The better your routes perform among climbers, the more people buy and download it for their gym. Remember that V7 you created for the bouldering league 2 years ago? It was downloaded by a gym on the opposite side of the world today and brought in a few extra bucks to your account.
Competitions
In addition to aiding the management of routesetting at climbing gyms, the Harmonized System was built by Walltopia for climbing events at the highest level. Most recently, the software featured at the IFSC World Championships in Innsbruck last September, supporting world-class routesetters across ten days of nearly nonstop competition climbing. The heavily-anticipated bouldering finals, in particular, incorporated one of the Harmonized modules. In the near future, event organizers will be able to showcase the same routes in different places, connecting competition climbing circuits worldwide.
Perfect Harmony
Тhe goal of the Harmonized System is to unite an eco-system of gym managers, routesetters and climbers, to strengthen the shared community and positive experience for everyone. The unique technology has gone through many iterations in the last five years, since Walltopia first designed the software. After exploring different wall designs, Walltopia chose a simple concept of large panels, smooth transitions and carefully selected angles to provide an entirely digital and highly relevant platform for setters, climbers and managers alike, a perfect harmony for infinite routesetting.
Learn more at Walltopia.com and download the E-Walls app on Google Play or App Store.
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This story was paid for and produced by the sponsor and does not necessarily represent the views of the Climbing Business Journal editorial team.
The Mine Bouldering Gym in Park City, UT is planning to expand out of its location to a full-service climbing gym, according to ParkRecord.
The gym is planning on moving into a purpose built 15,000 to 20,000 square foot building. The Mine will close its current location on May 20.
“While we are sad to say goodbye to our current facility, we are extremely excited about opening our ‘dream’ facility and continuing to be a hub for the PC climbing community in the future,” The Mine told its members in an email announcement on Wednesday.
The Mine is still seeking permits from the county to build what Jacobsen described as a multimillion dollar project that will be ready to go regardless of the current location’s shuttering.
Once it is up and running, the new location, which could possibly rebrand in the process, would offer as many as 10 auto belay stations, triple the climbing area and an estimated seven times the number of holds as the current location. Total climbing surface area at the new location is estimated around 14,000 square feet.
The downtime between climbing gyms will likely divert clientele down to gyms in the Salt Lake Valley like Momentum and The Front. But Jacobsen is confident he will recognize some faces when the new location opens its doors.
“With the new facility, the Park City community will have access to a modern, state-of-the-art climbing and fitness facility that is on par with the large climbing gyms in metropolitan areas yet still represents the Park City community,” Jacobsen said in an email. “We plan to continue to provide an inclusive facility that is suited to training the full spectrum of athletes from beginners to future Olympians.”
When lifelong climber Bill Brooks turned 21, he traveled in his truck for a year and climbed all over the United States. He met many other climbers during his travels and wanted to stay connected with them after returning home. The idea to create the MyClimb Community was born. The goal of MyClimb would be providing a space where climbers could log their climbs, see their progress, and connect and support each other’s climbing journey.
Several years later, Bill set out to create this community and launched the MyClimb App in 2014. The following quickly grew into an international community of climbers from diverse climbing backgrounds. Today, the MyClimb Community has logged over 1.5 million climbs in more than 3,500 gyms and 5,000 outdoor areas around the world.
“MyClimb has been a great asset to our gym. Our members love keeping track of their performance!” says Threshold Climbing, Fitness & Yoga in Oklahoma City.
While MyClimb emerged as a premier digital tool for the global climbing community, the climbing industry in the United States 
“We use MyClimb to set up weekly sweepstakes and monthly competitions that encourage our customers to climb more. The app is a convenient way to integrate route setting management with your overall CRM strategy. More climbing means more engagement, which is more members and more fun for everybody!” says Rock Box Bouldering, based in Winston-Salem.
In 2020, climbing will debut at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Already, climbing athletes donned Olympic medals for the first time at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires last year. The age of climbing competitions is here. To save time and automate tedious tasks associated with climbing leagues, MyClimb will be releasing a new evolution this summer for competition hosts. With the ‘Climbing Leagues’ feature, organizers will be able to display league and competition leaderboards, calculate scores and customize formats, and participants can interact and invite friends to join a league. Stay tuned to the MyClimb website for updates in the coming months.
Whether you are traveling across the US in your truck or climbing limestone in France, you can connect with the supportive network of MyClimb. To learn more, visit 
Founded in 2003, the Khumbu Climbing Center in Nepal is a non-profit organization whose mission is to increase the safety margin of Nepali climbers and high-altitude workers by encouraging responsible climbing practices in a supportive and community-based program. Aragon agreed right away when Kilter approached them to help with this project.
“Assisting the Khumbu Climbing Center’s work with the climbing community in Nepal was a very exciting project for Aragon to play a part in,” continues Seidel.
Aragon also supports the Boys and Girls Club and invests in the development of young climbers. Alongside 
