Atlanta’s Oldest Gym Closes

Climbing Business Journal
-
0
Atlanta’s Oldest Gym Closes
Inside Atlanta Rocks. Photo: Atlanta Rocks
An established Atlanta rock climbing gym plans to close on New Year’s Eve because the rent for the warehouse was getting too expensive for the gym to remain in business the AJC is reporting.

After nearly a quarter century of helping climbers scale new heights, we announce today that Atlanta Rocks! Indoor…

Posted by Atlanta Rocks! Indoor Climbing Gym on Monday, November 19, 2018
Co-founder Greg Perry told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that next term’s rent would be going up “significantly,” and the owners couldn’t keep up with the cost. “We don’t have hard feeling toward our landlord or anything,” he said. “Progress is progress.” “Although we would have loved to keep the gym open for another 25 years,” observed Atlanta Rocks Co-founder, Peter Bloeme, “in the end, the quickening pace of redevelopment of nearby commercial/industrial properties to higher uses, and the uncertainties and rising costs that come with such redevelopment, signaled to us that the time was right to retire from this market.”

Video: Setter Showdown – Eugene

Climbing Business Journal
-
0
Video: Setter Showdown – Eugene

Setter Showdown – Elevation Bouldering 2018 from Louie Anderson on Vimeo.

Ottawa Gym Forced To Close

Climbing Business Journal
-
0
Last look at the roof of Vertical Reality. Photo: VR
The CBC is reporting that a rock climbing gym on Victoria Island in Ottawa, Canada will close its doors at the end of December as the National Capital Commission (NCC) gets ready to decontaminate the soil it sits on. Vertical Reality opened on the west end of the island in 1993 by Peter Slivka. Since 2011, it’s been operated by his daughter. The NCC has been gradually closing off the 5.6-hectare island — which is an important Indigenous site — to prepare for a lengthy two-phase decontamination project. A public post on Vertical Reality’s Facebook page said the Coyote Rock Gym has offered to honour Vertical Reality memberships, and that anyone who can’t go there will be refunded. The NCC, meanwhile, said the decontamination process is complex and closing the island will allow the work to happen safely. They also said they’re trying to find other options for the gym. “We can assure you that the NCC is continuing to look for potential alternative premises for Vertical Reality so that it can continue operations,” Pelletier wrote. However, the gym’s Facebook post made it clear that the gym would not be reopening
Post from Vertical Reality’s Facebook page.

Climbing mag: State of Climbing Gyms

Climbing Business Journal
-
0
With the Tokyo Olympics on the horizon and the Dawn Wall making mainstream news, our community is amidst a growth spurt—and the growing pains are real. While we might be frustrated by that newbie climbing on top of us at the gym at 5:30 p.m. on a Tuesday, climbing will continue to grow for the same reasons we all came to it in the first place: to get stronger, to learn more about ourselves, and to connect to a community. As the new gathering spots, gyms are having a lasting impact, one whose effects we’re only slowly beginning to understand.
Read more about the State of Climbing gyms at Climbing Magazine

New Planet Granite in So-Cal and Texas

Climbing Business Journal
-
0
New Planet Granite in So-Cal and Texas
PG Portland. Photo: Planet Granite
El Cap, the parent company of Planet Granite/Earth Treks announced they will begin construction on two new climbing, yoga and fitness facilities in the next two years. First up will be a bouldering-only facility in the heart of Orange County, California. Like its sister facilities in Northern California, this location will operate under the Planet Granite brand and feature 30,000 square-feet of bouldering, yoga and fitness. It is slated to open late in 2019. “It is clear that Fountain Valley is home to an active and highly engaged community. Our plan is to give the neighborhood a place for people to come together and share their passion for adventure through climbing and fitness,” explains Robert Cohen, CEO at El Cap. Planet Granite Fountain Valley will also provide world-class bouldering terrain, a yoga studio, fitness and cardio zones, training areas and a gear shop complete with expert advice. The Fountain Valley location will breathe new life into a vacant building that once housed a furniture store for more than a decade. It will be located at 18030 Newhope Street, Fountain Valley, CA 92708 with convenient access to the 405. It is located just north of Huntington Beach and Costa Mesa and south of Santa Ana.

Dallas

Located in the heart of the Design District, this facility will open in 2020 and will operate under the Planet Granite brand name, featuring 42,000 square feet of rock climbing, yoga and fitness. “We recognize how unique and vibrant the community is in the Design District, and our intention is only to add to that,” said Robert Cohen, CEO at El Cap. “Our goal is to accentuate the diversity of activities already in the area by creating a place for people to come together and share their passion for adventure through climbing and fitness.” In addition to world-class bouldering and climbing terrain on 50-foot walls, guests will find their favorite amenities including a yoga studio, functional fitness and cardio zones, training areas, fitness and climbing classes and a gear store complete with expert advice. The Design District gym will have convenient access I-35, Uptown, Oak Lawn, Downtown and Trinity Groves. “We are delighted to have a chance to open our first Dallas location here and truly become a part of this historic and iconic neighborhood,” explains Cohen. “We will continue to scout locations in Dallas-Ft. Worth for more opportunities.

Video: Climbing Designers: J Ho

Climbing Business Journal
-
0

El Cap Appoints Leadership Team

Climbing Business Journal
-
0
El Cap Appoints Leadership Team
PRESS RELEASE: El Cap, the new parent company of Earth Treks and Planet Granite, today announced the election of Topher Gaylord as an independent member of its Board of Directors. In addition, Scott Yeager joined El Cap as its Chief Financial Officer and Chris Jenkins has been appointed as the Company’s Chief Strategy Officer. “These new team members join El Cap at an exciting time as we continue to introduce more people to the world of climbing,” said Robert Cohen, CEO of El Cap. “The addition of these positions complements our existing team’s skills and experiences, and we are confident they will provide valuable perspectives as we continue to create community spaces for people to share their love of climbing, adventure and fitness. We look forward to their contributions and are excited they chose El Cap.” “Much like everyone else in the outdoor and fitness industries, I have been following El Cap’s successes,” said Gaylord. “I admire El Cap for its dynamic leadership team and innovative approach to climbing gyms and am honored to be joining their Board.” Topher Gaylord has a lifetime of experience in the athletic and outdoor industries both professionally and as an athlete. Topher currently serves as Senior VP & Group General Manager of Under Armour’s Run, Train and Outdoor divisions. He is an accomplished leader with over three decades of experience in sales, marketing and business development at leading outdoor companies. Prior to Under Armour, Topher served at Columbia Sportswear as President of the Mountain Hardwear & Montrail Brands. His career also includes 17 years with VF Corporation in various leadership roles, including President of the International Outdoor & Action Sports division, leading the development of The North Face, Vans, Reef, JanSport brands. Scott Yager has decades of finance and management experience in adventure companies. He spent the last 10 years at iFLY Indoor Skydiving, and helped the organization grow from 8 employees to over 1,000 across 37 locations worldwide, supported by multiple debt and equity financings. Scott greatly enjoys helping develop complex organizations focused on delivering unique, exciting guest experiences while maintaining strong customer service. With more than 20 years of experience with the El Cap family, Chris Jenkins has accepted the challenge of filling the newly-designed role of Chief Strategy Officer. Chris possesses a blend of strong executive leadership skills, business acumen, and industry experience, which will be well-suited to the CSO position. He is passionate about the El Cap community and using data to create strategies that ultimately create better experiences for our members and guests.

USA Climbing Moves To Salt Lake

Climbing Business Journal
-
0
USA Climbing Moves To Salt Lake
PRESS RELEASE: The State of Utah continues to build upon its strong Olympic Legacy with the announcement today that USA Climbing, the National Governing Body for the sport, is relocating its headquarters to Utah. The Utah Sports Commission partnered with USA Climbing to facilitate the organization’s move from Boulder, Colorado. “Since 2002, Utah has welcomed the world’s greatest athletes and events to our great state,” said Governor Gary R. Herbert. “Relocating another National Governing Body of Sport like USA Climbing to Utah is a big win, it will allow us to have some of the world’s best climbing athletes train here and call Utah home and we will also be a hub for the hosting of many major climbing events as well.” “We are thrilled to welcome USA Climbing to Salt Lake City,” said Mayor Jackie Biskupski. “With worldclass amenities surrounded by some of the most spectacular mountain terrain, it is easy to understand why Salt Lake is the perfect place for a growing organization like USA Climbing to call home.” USA Climbing’s mission is to promote the growth and success of the sport of competition climbing in the United States while generating sustained competitive excellence for United States athletes in international competition. “We look forward to calling the new Industry SLC development in Salt Lake City’s Granary District our new home,” said Marc Norman, USA Climbing’s CEO. “With a strong climbing heritage, unrivaled access to indoor and outdoor climbing statewide, and a thriving business community, Salt Lake City is a great choice. Once established, we look to create a National Training Center, where our National Team athletes can regularly train to compete at the highest levels internationally.” USA Climbing, founded in 1998, is one of the newest and fastest growingNational Governing Bodies in the United States growing at an average rate of 32% per year. USA Climbing conducts or sanctions over 350 competitions annually, including National Championships in Adaptive, Bouldering, Collegiate, Speed, and Sport. USA Climbing also oversees the U.S. National Teams for youth and adults to compete internationally in World Cup and World Championship competitions through the generous support of its Founding Partner, The North Face, and its main sponsors Butora USA, Clif Bar, and Petzl America. “This move will serve to strengthen not just our Olympic Legacy, but also our Olympic future,” said Jeff Robbins, president & CEO of the Utah Sports Commission. “The presence of USA Climbing in our community allows us to continue to help position the state as a leader in the international sports industry and to further focus on sports development as a key component of Utah’s promotional and economic development strategy.” “As USA Climbing prepares to make its Olympic Debut at the 2020 Olympic Summer Games in Tokyo, Japan, we are excited to announce the relocation of our National Headquarters to Salt Lake City,” said Patti Rube, President of USA Climbing’s Board of Directors. “USA Climbing has worked closely with the Utah Sports Commission, Salt Lake City, and local business leaders over the past two years for our Bouldering National Championships with tremendous results. We are eager to continue and expand this partnership as we prepare for the 2020 Olympic Games.” USA Climbing will become the third national governing body to call Utah home, joining U.S. Ski and Snowboard located in Park City, and US Speedskating which is located in Salt Lake City.

A Hip Take On Mobile Walls

John Burgman
-
0
A Hip Take On Mobile Walls
The Nomad. Photo: Nomad
By John Burgman Decades ago, climbing on “artificial walls” often meant locating or constructing free-standing structures that could conceivably be moved or altered with relative ease. The emergence of gyms on a widespread scale soon supplanted these mobile walls as the go-to alternatives to climbing on real rock, but a Montreal-based company, Nomad Bloc, is making a push to bring mobile walls back into fashion. The company, currently comprised of four engineers, has created an “outdoor bouldering center” that operates similarly to a standard gym with various membership options. However, different from a standard gym, Nomad Bloc’s bouldering center—currently located in a private green space in the city—can be moved and reconstructed elsewhere to accommodate weather, festival scheduling, and other extraneous factors that could influence patronage. “We were thinking that it would be cool to find a way to deal with the fact that we always wanted to go climb outside but didn’t always have the time to get out of the city and go to the crag,” says Nomad Bloc’s co-founder, Babacar Daoust-Cissé, on the impetus behind the mobile company concept. “Being in Quebec, we figured we needed a way to close and move the structure during winter, so it wouldn’t get exposed to snow.” More specifically, Daoust-Cissé says Nomad Bloc’s operational plan, set to begin next year, is to operate the bouldering center in Montreal during the summer months and then transport the structure to somewhere warmer in the United States during the winter. The mobile functionality inherent in the design means that a massive construction team will not be required for any disassembly or reassembly. The structure could be set up in approximately six hours and many of the handholds and footholds (aside from volumes and larger holds) could remain on the wall during such long transportation. “This format allows us to bring outdoor climbing to very urban areas in a day,” Daoust-Cissé adds. “What is one day a park or an abandoned land can very quickly become a cool bouldering spot. This opportunity gives a very good visibility to the sport. As opposed to regular climbing gyms, which are usually in big buildings, and most of the time are in more industrial or more remote part of cities, we have the chance to be just out in the open and very visible to the public.” Nomad Bloc hopes to build additional mobile structures in the future with a comforting fact that any structure could be moved if a chosen location proved to be inadequate or undesirable—a benefit of the transportable model that gyms don’t have, notes Daoust-Cissé.

Builders View of The New Front

Climbing Business Journal
-
0
1...143144145...251Page 144 of 251