CityROCK North
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Specs: On April 15th, CityROCK, a Colorado Springs climbing gym, held a groundbreaking ceremony for its second location, which is expected to open in late summer, 2027. CityROCK traces its origins to a climbing gym called The Rock at Soc n’ Roll in Monument, a town north of Colorado Springs, which opened in 2004 and occupied the end of an inline roller hockey rink. “It was not a great environment for a climbing gym because it was 40 degrees” inside the building and “there were pucks hitting the wall,” CityROCK Founder and Majority Owner Lara Grosjean explained. The founders believed Colorado Springs needed a more family-friendly gym, Grosjean said, but were not actively looking for a new location. However, while on a walk in downtown Colorado Springs, Grosjean and a former member of the ownership team discovered a fitting location. “This property where we’re currently located had a little tiny for sale sign in the window. And we were like, ‘Oh, that would make a great climbing gym,’” she recalled.
The team opened their downtown location in December 2009, while the original Monument gym remained open for about a year before closing in 2010. In the years since opening CityROCK, the idea of operating another facility was consistently discussed. “We’ve been talking about a second location almost since we built the first location, probably five years after, and seriously talking about it since 2018,” Grosjean explained. The team purchased land for the new facility in 2020, but numerous setbacks—including financing, design and permitting hurdles—delayed construction for several years. “We had an original design that had to be scrapped because the appraisal didn’t come in where we needed it, and so we had to redesign,” Grosjean stated. Fortunately, in early 2026, the project “finally came together,” she said. “Funding was the biggest issue we had. We worked through different banks and overcame different obstacles…Now, the project moves forward, after overcoming the obstacles.”
CityROCK North is being constructed in La Plata Communities’ Campus at Foothills Farm. Strategically positioned near Interstate 25, the new gym is intentionally being built far enough from the downtown location that it can serve a different population without directly competing. Grosjean said the area is “the fastest growing part of El Paso County, [which] is the fastest growing county in the state.” The La Plata development itself includes residential developments as well as planned walking and biking paths connecting the space. “We are easily accessible up there to tons of housing—houses, apartments, all kinds of living environments,” Grosjean said. With many residents nearby, it was important to the CityROCK team to include ample parking for both cars and bikes. Grosjean added, “We’re hoping that lots of people will take advantage of that to walk and bike and use alternative forms of transportation to get to us.”
The 32,500-square-foot space will include 27,228 square feet of climbing wall surface, with 19,252 square feet dedicated to roped climbing and 7,976 square feet dedicated to bouldering. The gym will be split into separate spaces for the general public, with a specific family-friendly and youth climbing area. “It’s almost like two gyms in one at the North location,” Grosjean explained, noting how the facility is designed to improve user experiences for both those climbing with kids and those without. “All the people are happiest when we can separate the youth programming and youth climbing from other climbing,” she said. “The idea is that the family climbing area will have routes and climbs that can accommodate everyone so people can climb together.” Additional amenities include training boards, free weights and cardio equipment. There will also be an outdoor play area, patio space with food trucks, and other family-oriented spaces designed to encourage longer visits.
Walls: Walltopia
Flooring: Walltopia
CRM Software: Redpoint HQ
Website: climbcityrock.com
Instagram: @ClimbCityROCK
In Their Words: “Even as a known operator—we’ve been around for 20 years—trying to get financing for this project was really challenging. So, I would say be persistent and creative. I know there are some other ideas of how to finance projects out there. And if we do it again, I’d probably look into those as opposed to traditional bank financing, because the biggest obstacle is paying for it.” – Lara Grosjean, CityROCK Majority Owner, Founder, and Chief Up Officer
