Off Grid Climbing & Fitness
York, Pennsylvania
Specs: Off Grid Climbing & Fitness, the first dedicated bouldering gym in York, Pennsylvania, is opening this fall, owned and operated by Kate and Hale Milano. According to Hale, Off Grid is “the culmination of effort to merge our passion and our careers,” while bringing “a little more adventure” into their lives and the lives of community members. “We love that sense of excitement and wonder from a new vacation, a new adventure or a new challenge, and [we] wanted to capture that feeling,” he added. Hale said the idea for Off Grid specifically came from a colder winter day while driving to the nearest climbing gym and realizing a gym in York would open “indoor climbing to both the existing outdoor climbing community [nearby] as well as introduce the sport to new people.” The pair has had the idea for about seven years, because Hale said it “took a long time to turn a dream into a reality,” specifically as it relates to validating the concept, finding a space, and locking in funding.
Both Kate and Hale were born and raised in central Pennsylvania and are part of the already existing climbing community in the area. Hale said York is not a mountain town, “but that doesn’t mean we can’t bring that spirit of adventure and excitement to our hometown.” The Milanos wanted to broaden the opportunities to climb in the area, Hale said, while operating the facility in a way that’s heavily invested in “the quality and culture of the gym for both employees and customers.” Off Grid is being constructed in a building that had remained partially vacant for many years, and the finished gym will span three separate units in the building. Hale noted their excitement to bring new life to the facility. “The ability to reuse and repurpose really aligns with our sustainable business values,” Hale added. “I like to joke [we chose the space] because it was close to home and available, but honestly we couldn’t have found a more perfect location.”
Off Grid is located off the highway with onsite parking, grassy space for events, and an existing mezzanine used to maximize floor space. Upon completion, the bouldering gym will feature 3,700 square feet of climbing wall surface on 13-foot walls and a 16×12 Kilter Board. There will be a “fully stocked functional fitness area with tons of ways to get a great workout or lift in, and a recovery suite where we plan to have a traditional sauna, cold plunge and relaxation area,” Hale added. “Lastly, and purely because I’m not sure we could run the gym without it, we’ll have a little coffee bar at the front desk.”
A core value at Off Grid is being sustainably focused. “Climbing started out in nature, and while it’s completely valid and common now to have a full climbing career and experience indoors, we do want to continue to protect and give back to the outdoor areas where it started,” Hale explained. “As a business, I view it as our responsibility to make decisions, where we can, that have a neutral or positive environmental impact.” For Off Grid, that approach looks like recycling or reusing as many items as the team could salvage during demolition to prevent those materials from going to the landfill, as well as making “little decisions, like electric hand dryers over paper towels, to inch along toward that goal,” Hale said. According to the Off Grid website, the gym will also host community and crag cleanups. “From a community perspective, I’m excited to donate not only our time, but support organizations dedicated to caring for our local trails and crags too,” he added. “Dreaming big, we’d love to be able to have a solar-powered gym as well.”
Walls: Dreamwall
Flooring: Flipp
CRM Software: Clava
Website: offgridclimbing.com
Instagram: @OffGridClimbing
In Their Words: “Our goal for unique, or maybe just what I’ll call the ‘Off Grid Way,’ is to be obsessive over the climber and customer experience in the gym and try to keep our mission and vision [at the] center [of] our decision-making process. The mission is to ‘elevate climbing in central Pennsylvania, and embody the spirit of adventure,’ and so making the climber and staff experience the focal point, trying to bring that sense of wonder and excitement every time you walk into the gym, is where we want to be.” – Hale Milano, Founder, Co-Owner and Co-Operator of Off Grid Climbing & Fitness
