Just a few thoughts
Remember when “fun” was in our vocabulary? After the past months, we’re in need of some. Maybe spice up your gym’s Climb of the Week videos, organize a watch party for the SLC World Cups in two weeks (even if it’s virtual), buy some jazzy new holds for your walls, or start your own Climb with the Setter days. There are endless ways to add some rays of sunshine, and it’s time for those May flowers.
Insider Stuff
Pigtown Climbs – Climbing Made Accessible (Noah Walker, Gripped)
“While climbers often consider their community in terms of climbing, Pigtown Climbs appraises community in terms of people. Whether a Pigtown resident climbs or not matters less than their input into the space.” – Noah Walker
Pulse Check – On DEI in Rock Climbing & the Outdoor Industry (Kai Lightner)
“It has been 10 months since the death of George Floyd and the flurry of commitments from companies to make the outdoor industry more diverse and inclusive. Since then, our country has experienced a racial awakening that has pervaded through every social, political, and economic aspect of our lives. What are we doing to live up to these commitments? What can we be doing different or better?”
Meet Christopher Cosser, Olympic-Bound South African Climber (Owen Clarke, Gym Climber)
“We’re still so far behind that to make the performance gap close is unrealistic, but to have development and to hopefully get sponsorship into the sport in South Africa and Africa as a whole… that would be the perfect outcome for me.” – Christopher Cosser
2020 Annual Report (Access Fund)
Video: Tokyo Replica Wall – Parthian Climbing Southampton (EpicTV)
Training Tips
Tips for the Short Climber (Alex Stiger, Trainingbeta)
“To summarize, it is possible you are not strong enough for the grade you are trying to climb, but your height is probably not the thing that is going to hold you back from ever sending it.” – Alex Stiger
Video: Tennis Elbow Exercises for Climbers (The Climbing Doctor)
Video: Finger, Forearm and Hand – Health and Performance Tips (Lattice Training)
Podcast: Understanding Pain, Rehabbing Climbing Injuries, and Carb Backloading (Heth Jennings, The Nugget)
“[Heth Jennings and I] talked about where pain comes from, how the brain uses pain to protect us, why chronic pain isn’t “just in our head”, how to rehab finger and elbow injuries, and other lifestyle interventions that help with recovery.” – Steven Dimmitt
CWA Beta
Women and Competitive Climbing: Creating Environments That Foster Growth (Hayley Moran)
“As women, we do not allow ourselves to fail…Add in about three hundred other factors such as poor representation in climbing, negative encounters with men in the gym, and lack of diverse setting; it is no wonder we struggle to get women psyched to compete.” – Hayley Moran
Specific Activities For Specific Outcomes (Headwall Group)
“When participants are familiar with an activity, you save time instructing and preparing them. With simple modifications to an activity’s parameters, virtually any activity can be a waypoint to any outcome whether it be technical or social.” – Headwall Group
CBJ Originals
What Makes a Good Gym Video? (John Burgman)
“Story is king. It doesn’t have to be serious, but there should be a story. Even with our more simplistic weekly videos, we try to incorporate some sort of story for the viewer to follow.” – Jeremiah Curtis
New Climbing Holds and Volumes of April 2021
Gyms in Canada Still Experiencing Closures
Walltopia Stories: Their First Climbing Gym in the USA
“We tend to always look forward in our business…And I see that Walltopia is doing very much the same. So, it’s nice working with a company that shares the same vision, not staying in the same place but always setting a higher bar and moving forward.” – Jeff Pederson
New “Boutique-Style” Gym Has a Local Focus
“Having grown up in Geneseo, NY, I know how often the question, ‘What are we going to do?’ comes up for young people. And the answer is often ‘Let’s go up to Rochester.’ So, one of my major goals with Sunrise Bouldering was to offer a unique, healthy, and engaging experience locally.” – Jacob Caplan
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!
