5. Stone Summit – Kennesaw
Location: Kennesaw, GA
Wall Size: 31,102 SF
Wall Builder: Walltopia
Year Opened: 2014
Stone Summit makes a second appearance on the list with their brand new facility on the outskirts of Atlanta, scheduled to open today! While the building is actually 13,000 SF smaller than their Atlanta location, the facility has slightly more wall area and has a markedly different look than their flagship location.
According to Co-Owner Daniel Luke the routes in Kennesaw will have a much different feel to them. “The wall planes are very constant and we will be utilizing a lot of volumes to create versatility. This should allow the walls to feel more like climbing outside,” he said. Luke added that the new facility will have almost twice as many top ropes, which will allow them to offer a greater variety of routes to serve members of all abilities.
4. Carabiners’s – New Bedford
Location: New Bedford, MA
Wall Size: 32,600 SF
Wall Builder: Owner Built
Year Opened: 2004
Even though Carabiner’s dropped one spot on this years list, this spunky “little” gym continues to be in the top five. This facility is the oldest in the top 10 and the only self-built facility in the top 20.
3. Hoosier Heights – Indianapolis
Location: Carmel, IN
Wall Size: 33,000 SF
Wall Builder: Entre Prises
Built: 1995, Expanded 2013
The Hoosier Heights’ Indy location became the 3rd largest climbing gym in the US by adding a 22,000 square foot Entre Prises-built expansion in 2013. This expansion, built in an open floor plan, includes a 45 foot tall lead wall and a highball bouldering feature over a foam pit.
Owner Joe Anderson is also in the process of building a bouldering-only facility called Climb NuLu in downtown Louisville, Kentucky which is expected to open in early 2015.
2. Earth Treks – Rockville
Location: Rockville, MD
Wall Size: 38,500 SF
Wall Builder: Comp Wall/Eldo
Year Opened: 2006, Expanded 2012
Earth Treks gyms took a blow this year when their Golden location, which opened last year at #9 dropped completely off the top 10, and their Rockville facility was bumped from first to second place. Never a company to get too down, ET-Rockville continues to be one of the busiest climbing gyms in the country.
They invest heavily in their members by making sure they always have a new reason to come into the gym. From special speakers, member parties, shoe demos, training programs, video screenings, and in-house live music to name just a few. They also hosted Louie Anderson’s Setters Showdown earlier this year and regularly support their routesetters by providing training and education opportunities. Besides their size, ET may be best known for supporting outdoor access issues and providing opportunities for climbers to hit the rocks through their outdoor guiding service.
1. Vertical Endeavors – Glendale Heights
Location: Chicago, IL
Wall Size: 45,000 SF
Wall Builder: Nicros
Year Opened: 2014
The US’s largest climbing gym title goes to Minneapolis Vertical Endeavor‘s new Glendale Heights facility. Located on the outskirts of Chicago the 42,000 square foot building has plenty of space for the 45,000 square feet of climbing walls. Included in this calculation is 3,500 SF of bouldering, 10,000 SF of segregated birthday party walls, and 10,000 SF devoted to training and team practice. The facility also boasts a dedicated crack tower with a 20 foot horizontal hand crack and 30 hydraulic auto belays.
This Nicros-built facility may be the biggest but it is certainly not the tallest. At only 31.5 feet tall the VE facility ranks among the shorter walls in the country. That doesn’t matter to owner Nate Postma. In a recent CBJ interview Postma said, “I know [experienced] climbers like the height but I’ll tell you what, climbing gyms are not about [experienced] climbers anymore, climbing gyms are for new comers.”
Postma is also realistic about being the biggest, “The thing about being the biggest is you’re only the biggest once,” he said. “Someone else will come along and build a bigger one.” He may be right, but with such a large lead it may take awhile for a bigger gym to kick VE off the throne.
Climbing Business Journal is an independent news outlet dedicated to covering the indoor climbing industry. Here you will find the latest coverage of climbing industry news, gym developments, industry best practices, risk management, climbing competitions, youth coaching and routesetting. Have an article idea? CBJ loves to hear from readers like you!
