Gravity Vault Moves Into Jersey Shore

Gravity Vault will open in the site of a former nightclub on the New Jersey shore sometime in 2019, according to the Gravity Vault website. The new facility will mark GV’s tenth climbing gym in and around the Pennsylvania/New York region. Brick Plaza, which housed the former nightclub has 422,000 square feet of retail space, has lost big chains in recent years, including a major grocery store that was a longtime anchor at the shopping center. Earlier this year HomeGoods and Michael’s opened, sharing the location. LA Fitness will also be moving into the Plaza as part of a $23 million plan for signifacant upgrades. Sports Authority closed in 2016, according to Patch.com This week, the area township said site work is continuing within the space as the ceiling heights had to be increased to accommodate the new use.

UK Gym Director Pleads Guilty to Sex Offense

The former director of Climb Rochdale, a climbing gym north of Manchester in the UK, appeared before Court on Monday (10 September), where he pleaded guilty to two counts of attempting to arrange or facilitate the commission of a child sex offense, and one count of attempting to cause a child aged 13-15 to watch or look at an image of sexual activity according to Rochdaleonline. Terance Gerard Myles, was originally charged in April with two counts of attempting to arrange or facilitate the commission of a child sex offense, three counts of making indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of a child, one count of possessing indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of a child and one count of an offender 18 or over attempting to cause a child aged 13-15 to watch or look at an image of sexual activity. It’s unknown if these acts occurred at the climbing gym. Climb Rochdale closed suddenly in January 2017. A statement on their website from February 2017 read: “Climb Rochdale has now closed. We regret to announce that Pink Climbing Centres Ltd has now ceased trading.” Myles, of Perry Street, Darwen, was appointed director of Pink Climbing Centres Ltd, which ran Climb Rochdale, on 6 December 2012. He is due to be sentenced on 8 October.

Cliffs Brings Brand to Brooklyn

The Cliffs Climbing + Fitness, operator of climbing gyms in NYC and Westchester, has announced plans to open a 40,000+ sq. ft. climbing, yoga, and fitness facility at 233 Nevins Street, in Gowanus, Brooklyn. “Gowanus has become a hub for unique, non-traditional forms of fitness and recreation—including circus arts, archery, and axe throwing,” said Mike Wolfert, owner of The Cliffs. “We aim to bring an exceptional new rock climbing experience to the mix. Residents have been asking The Cliffs to expand into Brooklyn for years. We have listened and are excited to be joining this vibrant community.” The facility is slated to become New York City’s largest climbing gym, with 36,000 sq. ft. of climbing terrain, two dedicated floors of bouldering, roped climbing with 40-ft high walls, and a 4,400 sq. ft. outdoor terrace with additional climbing. The In addition to climbing, the facility will feature state-of-the-art climbing training, a full-scale fitness gym, saunas, yoga, group fitness, and a retail store offering climbing gear, accessories and apparel. There will also be an on-site parking garage available for visitors to use. The building is being constructed from the ground up and tailored specifically for rock climbing use by a partnership between JBS Project Management and Atkins & Breskin. The cost of construction is projected to be $18,000,000. The Cliffs currently has three locations: The Cliffs at Valhalla in Westchester, NY; The Cliffs at DUMBO on the Brooklyn waterfront; and its flagship location, The Cliffs at LIC in Queens. The Cliffs at Harlem is scheduled to open later this year and The Cliffs at Callowhill in Philadelphia is slated to open in 2019.

Five Ten Founder Dies

Charles Cole. Photo Outside Mag.
On Saturday, July 14, Charles Cole III—an innovator, expert rock climber, and the founder of climbing shoe company Five Ten—died at his home in Redlands, California. The cause of death is currently unknown. Cole was 63. After hitting the market, Stealth Rubber became known as the stickiest in the world and would end up being used by NASA and the U.S. military. Cole eventually held ten patents; he would go on to create the first climbing shoes with Velcro straps, the first pull-on-tab shoes, and the first downturned climbing shoe. Read more about Cole’s life and his influential work here.