School is back in session, sweater weather is arriving in many places, the colors are starting to change, and those signs can only mean one thing: the fall climbing season is here! The autumn sending has already been going down at crags and gyms, fueled no doubt by pumpkin spice and everything nice but also by the latest climbing products and services. This Buyer’s Guide features dozens of new arrivals and innovations at industry brands, from high-performance chalk to customizable gear protectors, speed holds adapted to youth climbers, an entire youth training center concept, and an assisted climbing device designed to open climbing up to more people—regardless of physical ability. Enjoy!
BRANDS INCLUDED BELOW:
12Climb – ArtLine – Asana – Butora – Capitan – Climbing Covers – EP – Escape – Flashed –Footing Vertical – Friction Labs – Gnarly Doods – Granite Insurance – Griptonite – Maverick Climbing – Organic Climbing – Petzl – Power Company – Ropeless – SoiLL – Spider Chalk – The North Face – Trango
12Climb
12Climb has created an app that tracks your climbing, with easy activity logging to help motivate you for new achievements. The app also has features for gym operators, including Route Management, where you can add routes to the app with QR tags; Events, with live ratings, different level groups and custom filters; and Analytics, with information about your visitor’s preferences, routes and setters. The Basic gym management option is free, while the Premium option is $69/month (or $59/month with the annual billing).
ArtLine
New from ArtLine: speed holds finally adapted to youth climbers! The shape is based on the official IFSC model but in a smaller size and with more pronounced grips. The FFME has determined a standardized setup of 8 meters high with a 5° inclination, made up of 12 handholds and 4 footholds. Its layout is similar to the official senior grid but is lower, and the holds are closer together to facilitate the ascent of smaller sized bodies. ArtLine is distributed in North America by Bold Climbing.
Asana
The Couch Crash Pad is the newest addition to Asana‘s lineup. Whether you’re setting up your home woodie, sprucing up your van or just looking for a stylish and comfy place to relax, this versatile piece has you covered. The new pad fits most crash pad couch frames and is made of dual-density foam. $199, with free shipping.
Butora
The Sierra is a new, intermediate-style shoe with a lace closure system from Butora. The medium-stiff shoe features an ABS midsole, laced closure system for precision fit, and a comfortable upper. A stiffer midsole platform paired with a power-inducing last shape results in a high-value edging shoe at a great price point. The Sierra’s last features a full-sole construction, for increased stability while edging on the smallest of holds, as well as heel tensioning that runs from heel to forefoot—providing all-around comfort and increased power and precision in the forefoot for superb edging performance. Offered in a unisex med-high volume fit—priced at $139.95 for climbers—the Sierra is part of Butora’s lineup as a high-value, high-performance edging shoe with a lace closure system.
Capitan
Capitan, a CRM software platform for climbing gyms, has launched its new automated membership referral system. The referral system drives membership growth by leveraging the enthusiasm and network of existing members. Through Capitan’s Climber App, members can easily access and share their unique referral codes with friends and family. For more information, schedule a call here to explore how the new referral system can help your organization or contact info@hellocapitan.com.
Climbing Covers
Take your gear to the next level of branding. Climbing Covers from Conscious Climbers™ provides customizable gear protection designed to meet the unique needs of gyms, professional climbers, guiding companies and lifestyle brands. The covers aren’t just eye candy; they also offer protection from wear and tear, improving your gear’s longevity. Customizable quickdraw covers are $860 for 350 units, or scale up with 700 units for $1715. 
EP Climbing
EP Climbing, a climbing wall manufacturer and official supplier to the IFSC and USA Climbing, is now offering a complete Youth Training Center. Designed with input from top youth coaches and routesetters, the facility concept was built to meet the highest standards for athlete development. Key features of the design include a 1,200-square-foot bouldering wall with competition angles, a 14-foot spray wall for advanced training, and a $10,000 allowance for elite-level holds and volumes. The build also comes with durable, 12” UCS Spirit nylon bouldering pads and has customization options for future expansion. Invest in excellence with a comprehensive training center, starting at $160,000.
Escape Climbing
Chunky Nuggets Chalk from Escape Climbing, as the name suggests, consists of larger, coarser particles, in contrast to the smooth, fine particles found in Escape’s Feather Dust chalk. Particle size is a matter of personal preference; climbers who appreciate chunky chalk often enjoy breaking the chunks into a powder and working the chalk into their fingertips. The larger particles can create a more textured surface on your hands, providing a subtly different grip experience. Chunky Nuggets Chalk adheres to your hands, so you have more coverage with less product—which means fewer interruptions, less mess, and more focus on the climbing moves ahead. $12.99 for 200g or $59.61 for 7 gallons.
Flashed
Flashed worked closely with professional routesetters to develop its new 21.5 Setter Bucket to add to your kit. The setter bucket comes with a 21.5-gallon, collapsible plastic bucket; no need to shop around for a separate plastic bucket, it all comes as one. It can easily fold down to 4” in height when not in use—saving valuable storage space—and comes in three standard colors (grape, raspberry, sage). There’s also a bespoke option, where you can use your creativity to brand and design it as you want. Made from robust materials, the Setter Bucket is built to be durable and reliable for all the rigors routesetting demands. $189.99
Footing Vertical
After a rewarding career in climbing, brothers Bassa and Mickaël Mawem felt the need to share their passion beyond the usual boundaries of the sport. Their goal is simple: to provide access to climbing for everyone. Footing Vertical is an ambitious project to allow anyone, regardless of physical ability, to be able to enter a climbing gym and climb with the same freedom as any other climber. ELSA, their proof of concept, is a mechatronic system developed for load balancing that can learn how much weight to remove from a person and follow their movements all the way to the top of the route, eliminating some or all of the physical demands of climbing. This proof of concept is currently being transformed into CAMI, a climbing assistance system capable of automatically adapting to the type of climber, their disability or condition, and their progress over time. Read more about Les frères Mawem’s project here. You can preorder the device on the Footing Vertical website.
Friction Labs
Athletic Hands from Friction Labs is a restorative hand cream that’s purpose-built for athletes. Developed in partnership with dermatologists and tested by Friction Lab’s Pro Team, the product quickly aids in the recovery of active, dry skin—keeping athletes’ hands in top condition to perform their best. The 75 mL/2.5 oz tube of Athletic Hands should be enough for approximately 100-150 applications. $29.99
Gnarly Doods
Gnarly Dood’s newest drops are here. The Chalk Bags ($21.95)—crafted from durable materials—feature a drawstring closure, an adjustable belt and a brush holder. Each bag depicts a scene from some of the top climbing destinations in the world. Other new products include the Gnar Hat ($27.95), Quickdraw Pouches ($24.95) and Chalk Buckets ($29.95).
Granite Insurance
Granite Insurance recently unveiled its new Adventure Insurance Program. Built upon a foundation of rewarding, industry-specific risk management characteristics—such as accredited operations and documented training practices—the program represents a significant development in the insurance sector. The Adventure Program currently serves the following industries, with future expansion ahead: Ziplines and Aerial Park; Climbing Gyms; Mountain Coasters; Haunted Attractions; River Outfitters; Guides & Outfitters; Adventure Parks. For more information about the the Adventure Insurance Program and Granite Insurance, visit www.graniteinsurance.com or contact info@graniteinsurance.com.
Griptonite
Griptonite’s new Route Manager tool allows routesetters to overview their gym’s inventory and layout at a glance, operate in bulk on tasks—setting, stripping, printing and exporting—and more. The software was designed from the ground up to work on larger screens in a browser, making it easier to perform day-to-day tasks in the app and providing the screen real estate for several brand-new flows—such as a calendar, task canvas and data dashboard. The Basic Package allows for 1 seat at £20 per month, Advanced for 3 seats at £65 per month, and Pro for unlimited seats at £85 per month. Route Manager is a “bolt-on” to Griptonite’s existing app products and works in conjunction with them.
Maverick Climbing
Maverick Climbing, a new venture by industry veteran Jerad Wells, officially launched in April of 2024. With over 75 years of combined experience, the team at Maverick Climbing has seen the costs and challenges that typically come with designing and building climbing walls. Maverick Climbing helps transform spaces into dynamic, state-of-the-art environments, connecting gym owners to cutting-edge designs and swift installations—all with a dedication to delivering you world-class climbing walls at highly competitive prices.
Organic Climbing
In a continued effort to reduce and reuse their off-cuts of foam, Organic Climbing has developed a burly bed for your canine companion, or pillow for use around the house, camp or van. Constructed from the same materials as Organic’s crash pads, the beds are designed for everyday use indoors and outdoors. On the outside, you’ll find a 1000d Nylon top with light TPU coating and a 1050d ballistic nylon bottom. A hidden side zipper allows an internal pillow of shredded foam to be removed, so the outside can be washed. No extraneous handles or webbing to chew on. Loosely filled to allow for easy nesting. Organic’s Recycled Dog Bed is currently available in two sizes and two colorways. $54-$68
Petzl
From headlamps to gear for climbing and progressing in the mountains, Petzl products are designed from an endless pursuit to create efficient, ergonomic and lightweight solutions—tools designed to make life easier for those seeking to go further. Petzl’s new NEOX® belay device ($149.95) with cam-assisted blocking was built for lead climbing and has an integrated wheel that allows you to smoothly and quickly pay out slack to the climber. Also new for 2024 is Petzl’s line of ergonomic chalk bags: the Saka ($24.95), Sakapoche ($29.95) and Bandi ($19.95). And Petzl’s line of harnesses for gym and outdoor climbing—the Corax ($79.95), Corax LT ($69.95) and Corax LT Women ($69.95)—have updated colorways.
Power Company
The Power Company recently released a new online course and evaluation tool crafted to help climbers better understand and self-assess their movement skills. The goal is to provide a means of accurately identifying where to focus their efforts for more efficient improvement. Owner and coach Kris Hampton had spent years working with clients and other coaches who struggled to successfully identify weaknesses when it comes to climbing movement, often failing to make the distinction between rehearsing a single move and fully understanding a concept; between successfully using a technique and actually building a skill. The solution? By breaking down climbing movement into five basic concepts—what Kris refers to as the “five atomic elements”—and explaining how each one is working in some combination for every move we make, the course provides a new way to think about and understand climbing movement, as well as practical methods for incorporating element-targeting drills into gym sessions. After taking into account feedback from an initial subscribers-only cohort, Kris and the team at The Power Company have made some improvements to the course, called The Atomic Elements of Movement, which is now available for enrollment ($49 for lifetime access to course content and updates).
Ropeless
In 2021, the team at Ropeless met with Disruptive Materials to discuss the idea of developing liquid chalk that would utilize Upsalite®. According to Ropeless, Upsalite®—a material developed by nanotechnology specialists in Uppsala, Sweden—is a mesoporous magnesium carbonate that’s “capable of absorbing moisture at a rate ten times greater than conventional magnesium carbonate.” The end result of the collaboration between the two companies is now on the market: Super Flash, liquid chalk made with Upsalite®.
So iLL
So iLL has two new climbing shoes: The Roam Soft ($169.00)—designed and built on a hand-shaped, downturned last by Fred Nicole—is a soft slipper (no midsole) developed with Jason Momoa as part of the So iLL x On The Roam collection. ROAM Soft features a three-way, stretch-knit entry with an elastic band stitched to a durable, comfortable, unlined vegan microsuede upper. The shoe is tensioned from under the toe to the back of the heel, and the laser-etched rand generates tension as well. The Torque ($179.00) features a durable and comfortable, unlined vegan microsuede upper with an elastic integrated tongue and pull tab. The shape of the toe is intended for precise footwork, with rubber made to be thick enough to feel stable but thin enough to maintain sensitivity. Torque is suitable for any outdoor bouldering as well as indoor bouldering, especially climbing on large volumes.
Spider Chalk
New from Spider Chalk: Ghost Grip Clear Chalk Crystals ($19.99). No mess, invisible crystalline chalk repels water, decreases sweat and enhances grip for sports, from rock climbing to weightlifting. Spider Chalk’s new, ultra-concentrated chalk crystals result in better grip for a longer time, with only a tiny amount of powder. The Ghost Grip leaves practically no residue and can be used in most environments that ban powder chalk.
The North Face
The North Face is excited to introduce LIGHTRANGE™, a new-to-market product technology providing strong UPF protection and enhanced wicking benefits. Engineered with micro-grid weave technology, the slim fit, FlashDryTM materials offer enhanced moisture management to help keep you comfortable, allowing for flexibility and free movements. The LIGHTRANGE™ collection includes two hero products: the LIGHTRANGE SUN HOODIE and the LIGHTRANGE SHADOW TEE. Pricing ranges between $45-$80.
Trango
Every ounce on your rack can make a difference. That reason is why Trango developed the At⌀mic Sling. According to Trango, the new, proprietary weave is 20 percent lighter and stronger than Dyneema, 40 percent stronger than Kevlar, 15 percent more abrasion resistant than carbon steel, and 8 times stronger than high-strength steel. The At⌀mic slings are naturally waterproof and highly resistant to abrasion, UV light, and chemicals. At a featherweight 14.5 g for the 60 CM length, the slings are designed to not hold you back. Available in 60cm ($12.95), 120cm ($21.95), 180cm ($29.95) and 240cm ($39.95).
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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!
