Climbing Roots Bouldering
Knoxville, Tennessee
Specs: A bouldering gym founded by Lindsay and Nathan Runne is expected to open in Knoxville, Tennessee, in November 2024. “Over ten years ago, I walked into the VITAL bouldering gym in Carlsbad, California, and loved their vibe and the 24-hour-access feature,” Lindsay shared. “I fell in love with the idea of opening a gym with that style and that feel.” Flash forward to February 2023 and Lindsay’s dream of starting her own bouldering gym began to take shape when a friend—who happens to own the building in which Climbing Roots will reside—asked if she wanted to own a climbing gym. “I just looked at him and said, ‘Yes, of course I do,’” Lindsay recalled, and since then she has been working to make it happen.
According to Lindsay, the climbing community in the Knoxville area has been growing alongside the sport’s increased popularity in recent years. “We are riding on the wave of excitement…The current gyms are doing a wonderful job with their programs,” she said, while noting capacity limitations. “The Knoxville community is in need of a new climbing gym.”
Climbing Roots is under construction in a preexisting building in Baker Creek Bottoms, a large complex at the base of a bike park that’s less than five minutes from where the owners reside. The building complex is also home to several other businesses, such as a restaurant, brewery and apothecary. “South Knoxville has the market for a climbing gym,” Lindsay said of the area. “People want it, and we are excited to provide it. It is something we would want in this location anyway. Now we get to make it exactly how we have dreamed it for so many years.”
The 14,000-square-foot facility will feature 18-foot climbing walls and around 6,000 square feet of climbing surface. In having a mix of climbing offerings—from easier climbs to training on multiple training boards, spray walls, and a cave bouldering area—the Runnes hope the gym will cater to climbers of all skill levels. Climbing Roots Bouldering will also feature “plenty of hang out space,” Lindsay said, in addition to 24-hour-access membership options.
For other operators looking to open a climbing facility in 2024, Lindsay recommended developers plan in enough time to “shop around [when making purchasing decisions] even though it takes more work,” while staying grounded and maintaining reasonable expectations for the gym’s design. “Keep plugging along,” Lindsay added, “because the climbing community is growing in an exciting way!”
Walls: Vertical Solutions
Flooring: Vertical Solutions
CRM Software: Approach
Website: N/A
Instagram: @climbing.roots
In Their Words: “Everything takes longer than I would hope. I am not a businesswoman; I don’t have any experience opening a business. It has been a big learning curve, but I have loved learning as I go. I have overcome the challenges of being in the business world as a woman with support from other businesswomen and taking it one step at a time. It is easy to get overwhelmed with all the steps, but I tried to just look at what was in front of me and not get ahead of myself.” – Lindsay Runne, Co-Owner and Founder of Climbing Roots Bouldering
Naomi is a personal trainer and a routesetter who has also worked at climbing gyms as a youth team coach. After starting college at Colorado State University in 2017, she wanted to make new friends and found climbing, fell in love, and now climbing dictates most of what she does. Naomi earned a bachelor’s degree in Ecosystem Science & Sustainability, and when not climbing she enjoys baking, gardening and crafting.
