[Editor’s Note (January 29, 2026): Following additional fact-checking, the Climbing Gym Management Software of the Year section of this article and accompanying awards were corrected to reflect a more accurate gym count.]
In 2025, dozens of new climbing gyms opened across North America, even amid the shifting economic pressures. New gyms continued to open in urban cores, suburban hubs and previously underserved regions, bringing the total number of climbing gyms in North America to over 900.
This year’s CBJ Gym List Awards celebrate the standout gym builds of 2025, highlighting new facilities in North America with the most climbing wall surface, the tallest walls, and the developers and suppliers who fueled the most gym openings. We are proud to recognize the teams whose work shaped another dynamic year of gym development, and we invite you to join us in celebrating their achievements as we dive into the 2025 CBJ Gym List Awards.
Congratulations to all the new climbing gyms of 2025 and to everyone who helped bring them to life!
Scroll or click to see the following awardees:
High Point Orlando – Bouldering Project St. Paul – The Gravity Vault – Walltopia – Climbmat – Rock Gym Pro – Approach
Largest New Climbing Gym of 2025
(based on total climbing wall surface)
& Tallest New Climbing Gym of 2025
(based on peak indoor climbing wall height)
High Point
Orlando, Florida
High Point Orlando, a 49,000-square-foot facility built inside a former shipping warehouse, is both the Largest New Climbing Gym and Tallest New Climbing Gym of 2025, based on total climbing wall surface and peak indoor climbing wall height, respectively. The gym features 35,000 square feet of climbing terrain built by Walltopia, with walls reaching 52 feet.
“We hope people feel inspired the moment they step inside [the gym],” said John Wiygul, Partner and President of High Point Climbing and Fitness. “The sheer height of the walls and the openness of the space are designed to spark curiosity and make people think, ‘I want to try that.’”
That sense of scale was intentional from the beginning. Wiygul said the team made an early decision to let the gym’s roped walls drive the layout of the space. “Orlando has the largest amount of indoor climbing walls in Florida, and we leaned into the verticality,” he said. Bouldering, fitness and mezzanine areas were positioned to complement the roped-climbing centerpiece, with the Flashed flooring underneath and the lighting designed to reinforce the intended flow and sightlines throughout the facility.
Architecturally, Wiygul said High Point Orlando reflects a broader philosophy that’s rooted in adaptive reuse and community integration. “Transforming a 49,000-square-foot shipping warehouse into a modern climbing gym has been incredibly rewarding,” Wiygul shared, noting the team balanced preserving the building’s industrial structure with introducing climbing walls and natural light into the space.
Located in Orlando’s Dr. Phillips Packing District, the gym is part of a larger mixed-use redevelopment and is slated to host USA Climbing’s 2026 YETI Climbing National Championships in February.
Top Ten Largest New Climbing Gyms of 2025
(based on total climbing wall surface)
1st – High Point – Orlando, FL – 35000 sqft
2nd – Movement – Philadelphia, PA – 29000 sqft
3rd – Central Rock Gym – Troy, NY – 16000 sqft
4th – Planet Rock – Grand Rapids, MI – 15500 sqft
5th – The Gravity Vault – Whitehall Township, PA – 15000 sqft
6th – The Pad – Santa Barbara, CA – 14000 sqft
7th – Odyssey – Appleton, WI – 12400 sqft
8th – The Pad – Vestal, NY – 12000 sqft
9th – Aloha Rock Gym – Kahului, HI – 8700 sqft
10th – Greeley Climbing Collective – Greeley, CO – 8103 sqft
Top Ten Tallest New Climbing Gyms of 2025
(based on total climbing wall surface)
1st – High Point – Orlando, FL – 52 ft
2nd – Planet Rock – Grand Rapids, MI – 50 ft
3rd – Climb Yukon – Whitehorse, YK – 46 ft
4th – Central Rock Gym – Troy, NY – 45 ft
5th (tie) – Movement – Philadelphia, PA – 42 ft
5th (tie) – Odyssey – Appleton, WI – 42 ft
7th (tie) – The Pad – Vestal, NY – 40 ft
7th (tie) – Aloha Rock Gym – Kahului, HI – 40 ft
9th – Greeley Climbing Collective – Greeley, CO – 39 ft
10th – The Pad – Santa Barbara, CA – 37 ft
Largest New Bouldering Gym of 2025
(based on total climbing wall surface)
Bouldering Project
St. Paul, Minnesota
Bouldering Project St. Paul, a 36,000-square-foot facility featuring 11,360 square feet of bouldering wall terrain reaching 16.5 feet, is the Largest New Bouldering Gym of 2025, based on total climbing wall surface. The gym is Bouldering Project’s second in the Twin Cities region and was built inside a preexisting building located about a 20-minute drive from the Minneapolis gym, with the wall construction and flooring installation all handled by Bouldering Project’s in-house climbing environments team.
Sean Foster, the Regional Director, mentioned one of the early decisions that proved influential in the project’s development: “We decided to reuse the existing mezzanine, which ended up having a big impact on the overall layout and feel of the gym,” said Foster.
Keeping the mezzanine intact helped support the team’s goal of placing climbing at the center of the space and arranging supporting amenities around it. “Because of that, you get to experience the climbing terrain throughout the gym,” whether from the pads below, the lounge above or the fitness area, continued Foster.
According to Foster, that sense of cohesion between the building’s original structure and the new climbing walls carried into other aspects of the gym’s layout—most notably through an arched climbing feature that was built to wrap up and around the mezzanine. “This [arched] feature is an evolution of some of the arches and barrels we’ve designed in the past,” he said, noting the added complexity that came from building the new arch within an existing structure.
Bouldering Project’s team also drew inspiration from outdoor climbing when designing the space and intentionally made room for open areas, quieter corners and natural light.
Top Ten Largest New Bouldering Gyms of 2025
(based on total climbing wall surface)
1st – Bouldering Project – St. Paul, MN – 11360 sqft
2nd – Hyperion (Touchstone) – Redwood City, CA – 10700 sqft
3rd – Movement – Mountain View, CA – 7800 sqft
4th – Cultivate Foundy – Asheville, NC – 7500 sqft
5th (tie) – Climbing Roots – Knoxville, TN – 6000 sqft
5th (tie) – inSpire – Lubbock, TX – 6000 sqft
5th (tie) – MoCo Bouldering – Conroe, TX – 6000 sqft
8th – Adamanta Del Valle – Ciudad de Mexico, – 5920 sqft
9th – ABC Climbing Academy – Naperville, IL – 5300 sqft
10th – Tomo Bouldering Club – Portland, OR – 5298 sqft
Developer of the Year 2025
(based on new climbing gym locations)
The Gravity Vault
With three new climbing gym openings since CBJ’s last Gym List Awards was published, The Gravity Vault is the Developer of the Year for 2025. Within that timeframe, The Gravity Vault opened new facilities across two states—New Jersey and Pennsylvania—through a mix of two franchise partnerships and one new corporate bouldering and fitness location.
“[Franchising] is something we see as a powerful sign of our continued ability to grow and support climbing communities nationwide,” said Lucas Kovalcik, CEO of The Gravity Vault, “both corporately and through our franchise partnerships.”
Kovalcik credits The Gravity Vault’s service-oriented approach in part to his background in hospitality, which continues to influence the company’s operations as it grows. “Coming from the hospitality industry, I’ve always aimed to embed a high level of customer service into The Gravity Vault,” he said, pointing to his past experiences with Hilton Hotels, The Waldorf Astoria and The Walt Disney Company.
For Kovalcik, a focus on warmth, flow, and staff engagement has helped define The Gravity Vault’s brand as it expands into new markets. At the end of 2025, there were 16 different The Gravity Vault locations in operation around the U.S., spanning four states, and multiple ground-up projects are already planned for 2026.
Developers With New Locations Since 2024 Gym List Awards
Climbing Gym Wall Builder of the Year 2025
(based on new climbing gym locations)
& Climbing Gym Floor Installer of the Year 2025
(based on new climbing gym locations)
Walltopia & Climbmat
Walltopia and Climbmat (a division of Walltopia launched in 2012) both earned honors this year as the Wall Builder of the Year and Floor Installer of the Year for 2025, respectively. This time marks Walltopia’s fifth consecutive win in the Wall Builder category since 2021, when the award began, and Climbmat’s first win in the Floor Installer category.
Over the past year alone, Walltopia built climbing walls for 20 new climbing gyms around North America, constructing more than 180,000 square feet of climbing wall surface across those gyms, and Climbmat executed flooring installations at a dozen new climbing gyms in North America.
Liz Pecknold, Director of Sales at Walltopia, said, “Our core philosophy is to build walls that are durable, climber-driven, and consistent across every project.” Over the past year, the company has placed increased emphasis on ease of installation and on developing wall surfaces with improved long-term durability and sustainability, without sacrificing how the walls feel when climbed. According to Pecknold, that focus has allowed Walltopia to adapt to increasingly complex projects while maintaining reliable outcomes for gym operators and setters alike.
Pecknold also emphasized that collaboration plays a critical role in Walltopia and Climbmat’s ability to deliver at scale. “Collaboration starts early, often before a contract is signed,” she said, noting that designers and project managers work closely with gym owners from the first conversations through installation. That early coordination has helped all teams involved to solve constraints together and align expectations across the “design, construction and use” of a space, which Pecknold said the Walltopia team takes great pride in.
Top Climbing Gym Wall Builders of 2025
(based on new climbing gym locations)
1st – Walltopia – 20 gyms – 180272 sqft
2nd – OnSite – 7 gyms – 24800 sqft
3rd – EP Climbing – 5 gyms – 55298 sqft
4th – owner/contractor – 3 gyms – 13060 sqft
5th (tie) – Vertical Solutions – 2 gyms – 14103 sqft
5th (tie) – Dreamwall – 2 gyms – 8300 sqft
5th (tie) – Nomad – 2 gyms – 7317 sqft
5th (tie) – Revival – 2 gyms – 5180 sqft
5th (tie) – Rockwerx – 2 gyms – 3000 sqft
Top Climbing Gym Floor Installers of 2025
(based on new climbing gym locations)
1st – Climbmat – 12 gyms
2nd – Flashed – 6 gyms
3rd (tie) – OnSite – 5 gyms
3rd (tie) – Strati – 5 gyms
5th (tie) – Cascade Specialty – 2 gyms
5th (tie) – Habit – 2 gyms
5th (tie) – Nomad – 2 gyms
5th (tie) – Revival – 2 gyms
5th (tie) – UCS – 2 gyms
Climbing Gym Management Software of the Year 2025
(based on new climbing gym locations)
Rock Gym Pro
Rock Gym Pro (RGP) has been named North America’s Climbing Gym Management Software of the Year for 2025, earning the distinction for the fifth consecutive year since the award was first introduced. This year’s tally proved to be a particularly close race, with the final results not decided until the very end. Ultimately, RGP secured the top spot after being the chosen platform for 19 new climbing gym locations in North America in 2025.
Founded in 2008 after its creators identified a gap between what traditional health club software were providing and what climbing gym operators were seeking, RGP has grown alongside the climbing industry itself. According to the company, more than 25 million unique users, 30 million stored documents, 100 million check-ins and $2 billion in transactions have been processed over the platform’s lifetime. That track record has made RGP a trusted choice for both single-location gyms and high-volume facilities navigating increasingly complex operations.
“We are passionate about delivering innovative solutions that empower our customers and drive meaningful change in the industry,” Laura Cole, Business Leader of RGP, told CBJ last year, and that philosophy continues today. Now 18 years since the company was started, RGP is still the most widely used climbing gym management software in North America.
Climbing Gym Management Software of the Year 2025 Runner-Up
(based on new climbing gym locations)
Approach
While Approach just narrowly missed out on the main award this year, which spans all of North America, they did claim another distinction: the most widely chosen climbing gym management software among new climbing gyms in the United States in 2025. In total, Approach was chosen by 14 new climbing gyms around the U.S. last year as well as a 15th in Canada—one of the company’s highest tallies ever.
Andrew Potter, founder of Approach, described how the platform was born out of a desire to provide an evolving climbing industry with more modern technological solutions. “We set out to create a scalable, all-in-one, cloud-based product that could grow in a manner just as exceptional as the rest of the gyms in the industry,” shared Potter. That focus has helped Approach expand to more than 182 gyms worldwide as the platform continues to roll out new features for operators.
Looking ahead to the coming year, Potter said part of Approach’s near-term development is focused on tools that deepen how gyms manage member relationships. “Membership agreements can be vital to a gym’s contract with a member and their commitment to remaining at the gym,” he said, noting that the company recently released a new membership agreement feature and is exploring ways gyms can use those documents beyond waivers.
Potter added that Approach is prioritizing other features as well, such as online ACH payments and RSVP tools for birthday parties and group events. The team at Approach is also planning to launch new onboarding tools in 2026, including “a suite of training videos for front desk managers,” after rolling out a built-in, on-demand training portal in 2025.
Top Climbing Gym Management Software of 2025
(based on new climbing gym locations)
1st – Rock Gym Pro – 19 gyms
2nd – Approach – 16 gyms
3rd (tie) – Capitan – 4 gyms
3rd (tie) – Redpoint HQ – 4 gyms
5th – Mindbody – 3 gyms
6th – BETA – 2 gyms
THE GYM LIST 2025
New U.S. Full Service Climbing Gyms of 2025
| RANK | NAME | LOCATION | WALLS | HEIGHT |
| 1 | High Point | Orlando, FL | 35000 sqft | 52 ft |
| 2 | Movement | Philadelphia, PA | 29000 sqft | 42 ft |
| 3 | Central Rock Gym | Troy, NY | 16000 sqft | 45 ft |
| 4 | Planet Rock | Grand Rapids, MI | 15500 sqft | 50 ft |
| 5 | The Gravity Vault | Whitehall Township, PA | 15000 sqft | 35 ft |
| 6 | The Pad | Santa Barbara, CA | 14000 sqft | 37 ft |
| 7 | Odyssey | Appleton, WI | 12400 sqft | 42 ft |
| 8 | The Pad | Vestal, NY | 12000 sqft | 40 ft |
| 9 | Aloha Rock Gym | Kahului, HI | 8700 sqft | 40 ft |
| 10 | Greeley Climbing Collective | Greeley, CO | 8103 sqft | 39 ft |
| Iron Cliffs | Cedar City, UT | unknown | 18 ft |
New U.S. Bouldering Gyms of 2025
| RANK | NAME | LOCATION | WALLS | HEIGHT |
| 1 | Bouldering Project | St. Paul, MN | 11360 sqft | 17 ft |
| 2 | Hyperion (Touchstone) | Redwood City, CA | 10700 sqft | 16 ft |
| 3 | Movement | Mountain View, CA | 7800 sqft | 17 ft |
| 4 | Cultivate Foundy | Asheville, NC | 7500 sqft | 15 ft |
| 5 (tie) | Climbing Roots | Knoxville, TN | 6000 sqft | 18 ft |
| 5 (tie) | inSpire | Lubbock, TX | 6000 sqft | 15 ft |
| 5 (tie) | MoCo Bouldering | Conroe, TX | 6000 sqft | 15 ft |
| 8 | ABC Climbing Academy | Naperville, IL | 5300 sqft | 21 ft |
| 9 | Tomo Bouldering Club | Portland, OR | 5298 sqft | 15 ft |
| 10 (tie) | Armadillo Boulders | San Antonio, TX | 5100 sqft | 15 ft |
| 10 (tie) | Shift Climbing | Holland, MI | 5100 sqft | 15 ft |
| 12 | Climb NORA | Federal Way, WA | 4050 sqft | 16 ft |
| 13 (tie) | Mustangs Bouldering | Kingston, NY | 3500 sqft | 15 ft |
| 13 (tie) | Rock Revolution | Charlottesville, VA | 3500 sqft | 16 ft |
| 15 | Gravity Bear | Tulsa, OK | 3200 sqft | 15 ft |
| 16 (tie) | Gripped Fitness | Fayetteville, WV | 3000 sqft | 14 ft |
| 16 (tie) | Horizon Climbing | Champaign, IL | 3000 sqft | 15 ft |
| 18 | Momentum | Salt Lake City, UT | 2650 sqft | 14 ft |
| 19 | The Gravity Vault | Jersey City, NJ | 2500 sqft | 16 ft |
| 20 | The Lab | Boulder, CO | 2011 sqft | 14 ft |
| 21 | Big Island Bouldering | Minneapolis, MN | 2000 sqft | 16 ft |
| 22 | Blocworks | Oklahoma City, OK | 1825 sqft | 15 ft |
| 23 | Rifle Climbing Center | Rifle, CO | 1130 sqft | 13 ft |
| 24 | The Workshop | Des Moines, IA | 700 sqft | 15 ft |
New Canadian Climbing Gyms of 2025
| RANK | NAME | LOCATION | TYPE | WALLS | HEIGHT |
| 1 | Climb Yukon | Whitehorse, YK | ropes and bouldering | 5500 sqft | 46 ft |
| 2 (tie) | Hogtown Boulders | Toronto, ON | bouldering wall | 5000 sqft | 14 ft |
| 2 (tie) | Progression Bouldering Gym | Vancouver, BC | bouldering wall | 5000 sqft | 16 ft |
| 4 | Topo Escalade | Saint-Georges, QC | ropes and bouldering | 4917 sqft | 37 ft |
| 5 | Klimat 2.0 | Ottawa, ON | bouldering wall | 4200 sqft | 16 ft |
| 6 | Ethos Climbing | Toronto, ON | bouldering wall | 3477 sqft | 15ft |
| 7 | Approach | Richmond, BC | bouldering wall | 3000 sqft | 15 ft |
| 8 | Atelier Bloc Escalade | Shawinigan, QC | bouldering wall | 2400 sqft | 15 ft |
| 9 | Tilted Climbing & Fitness | North Vancouver, BC | bouldering wall | 984 sqft | 15 ft |
New Mexican Climbing Gyms of 2025
| RANK | NAME | LOCATION | TYPE | WALLS | HEIGHT |
| 1 | Adamanta Del Valle | Ciudad de Mexico, | bouldering wall | 5920 sqft | 15 ft |
| 2 | Ascend Climbing Gym | Los Mochis, Sinaloa | bouldering wall | 1000 sqft | 15 ft |
Behind the Data
CBJ is dedicated to researching and reporting accurately on the climbing gym industry in North America. Climbing gyms have been proliferating across the world since the early 1990s. The first gyms had flat walls and rudimentary holds, and often possessed inadequate air filtration, lighting, and landing zones. Modern climbing gyms, in contrast, often have vast open spaces with beautiful natural light, intricate wall designs and features, industrial HVAC, and are filled with bright and interesting shapes of plastic, fiberglass and wooden grips. The industry has grown up, and modern climbing gyms now cater to a diverse and expanding clientele.
CBJ puts significant effort into collecting and vetting this data each year, relying on both direct research and first-hand observations as well as submissions from industry vendors. As with any data collection, there are limitations to our process, and occasionally new facilities are not identified in time to be included in the analysis. To help ensure your gym or brand is properly considered for an award, please always send us your project lists and project specifications by December 31 of each year.
