Is it possible to do better than “perfect”?
Most people would say nothing can top perfection, and reasonably so. But one particular flooring company—Asana Climbing—believes one thing always beats perfection: progress.
In the world of climbing gym flooring, “perfect” simply doesn’t exist. No flooring material is indestructible, which means all gym floors will break down over time. For Asana owner Jamey Sproull, this hard truth shifted his focus from perfection to integrity. And for Asana as a company, “integrity” is about making something that maintains its quality over time.
The Asana team believes in their product’s integrity, so much so that they use their own products. “After almost eight years in our current location,” said Sproull, “our Asana Climbing Gym has spent roughly 10% of the initial flooring cost on pad maintenance. For context, we get requests for new flooring quotes from gyms that have been operating for half of that time—occasionally, as little as two years.”
Climbing gym flooring, the team believes, is all about playing the long game: creating sustainable systems that are enduring, cost effective, and easy to maintain. Read on to find out more about Asana’s new high-tech flooring system and how company values shape the team’s contributions to flooring technology. We’ll also look at Asana’s new “triple density flooring system,” which first graced gym floors in 2023 and has since accounted for around 80% of the brand’s installations.
Ascending With the Times
Single density flooring (which uses one type of foam) was once a mainstay of climbing gyms. Unfortunately, many gym owners found it can quickly develop soft spots or similar problems. To make matters worse, according to Michael Alvarado, Custom Flooring Sales Director for Asana, a gym owner might be forced to repair up to 1,000 square feet of flooring even if only a quarter of it is worn out.
“If you go with block foam that’s topped with carpet or some other textile,” said Alvarado, “when you have a problem area—which you will—and that popular area gets decimated, you’re stuck with replacing the entire area and sometimes even more than is necessary to get proper adhesion to the surrounding foam.”
This point is where modular dual density flooring came into play. By using foam of two different densities covered with nylon shells, dual density flooring is often able to provide more longevity than its predecessor. Unfortunately, many dual density floors can suffer from what is known as “peaking,” where the layer of closed cell foam on top bubbles up.
With that problem in mind, it may seem silly that a solution would be “add more density!” But Alvarado explained why triple density flooring is a jump forward in their opinion, and particularly when it comes to repairs.
“It just has a better return on investment than single density, carpet top systems,” explained Alvarado. “Where dual density pads get peaks as they receive impact, the triple density doesn’t peak. This is because it has the HR foam on top. This foam stays flat over time, so aesthetically it looks like a new pad even though it’s receiving impact.”
Climbing: Now in “3D”
Triple density flooring can bring with it multiple benefits in how flooring systems are maintained, installed, and experienced by the customer—especially during the first days of use. Anyone who’s climbed in a gym is likely familiar with the “breaking in” period of a new flooring system. This reason is because density padding typically starts out more firm and breaks in over time. Conversely, Asana’s triple density systems are built to have a “broken-in” feel.
“With regular maintenance,” said Alvarado, “your flooring will look just as good and perform as well as it did when the gym first opened. This isn’t always the case with vinyl or carpet topped systems, and I’ve seen some pretty creative fixes.
“The advantage to the triple density is that it consistently performs, feels and looks like a solid piece of foam,” Alvarado continued. “But even when repairs are needed, you can go in and maintain it by replacing as little as an inch at a time, or sending in a section of the tarp to be repaired or replaced. That flexibility is maybe the best part of using our triple density system.”
The easy maintenance and repairs of Asana’s flooring highlights the team’s focus on serviceability. Customers have the option to buy replacement parts for their triple density floors, allowing for swift repairs without needing to pay Asana for repair work.
One Tarp to Coat Them All
Ballistic nylon tarps, which help eliminate the need for seam covers, are a key component to Asana’s triple density system. Asana has been using these tarps since 2019, creating the concept while completing a large flooring bid in 2018. “Our dual density system with sewn seam covers was not a viable option due to the size of this gym,” Sproull said, “The gym would have needed to dedicate a full-time employee just to inspect, repair and replace their seam covers over time.”
While some gyms may be able to dedicate staff to flooring maintenance, the Asana team recognized this was a pain point they wanted to address—and they had the means to do so.
Ballistic tarps provide an additional layer of coverage to flooring systems, becoming the new top layer of the flooring and covering the laminated seam covers underneath. According to Sproull, this system can provide several advantages to many systems that have exposed seam covers or traditional sewn velcro seam covers, especially in larger gyms. In addition to being aesthetically clean, these tarps can eliminate direct access to the sub-flooring, be easy to maintain, and cut down seam inspections to once a year, making them cost effective in the long run, said Sproull.
Sproull has made the switch to ballistic tarps in his own gym. “We retrofitted our gym’s dual density padding to receive our new ballistic nylon tarps. They function just like carpet, but are easily removed for repairs or replacement. On top of that, when a section of the gym needs a new tarp, you don’t have to close it off to customers. As long as the seam covers beneath are functional, there is no down time in that area of the gym while we fix the tarps.”
Progress Over Perfection
Asana’s core values are best summed up by a popular quote: “Perfection is the enemy of progress.” Rather than trying to create an infallible system, the Asana team designs products with the goals of sustainability, cost effectiveness, and ease of customer support in mind. In Sproull’s words, focusing on progress “allows you to operate from a place of what works and what could work better.
“Instead of creating the ‘perfect’ landing system,” he added, “we ended up with what we believe to be the most serviceable system on the market.”
Asana’s core values were clearly critical to developing its latest flooring system. And if a sustainable, cost effective, easily repairable gym floor isn’t “perfect,” it’s got to be pretty close.
This story was paid for by the sponsor and does not necessarily represent the views of the Climbing Business Journal editorial team.
