In case you missed the CWA Summit a few weeks ago, we compiled this exhibitor review. Hope you notice something new!
Sections below:
CLIMBING HOLDS
Blocz, Blue Pill, Unit, Goodgrip
- Blocz has 38 new volumes: Hexatites, Coffers, Pinches, Spears, Bigboards, Megaboards
- Launched Punksetter Routesetting Game with proceeds to Climbers Against Cancer
- Goodgrip makes setting tools, brushes like IndoorPro, and offers custom branding
- Unit Holds offers 15 unique fiberglass shapes made by Blocz
Capital
- Will be releasing new shapes soon
Composite-X
- Worlds largest producer of polyester and polyurethane artificial climbing holds
- Dannomond excels in high abraision resistance, strength, impact resistance
- Production house for dozens of brands world-wide
Egrips, Trango, Tenaya
- Launched Ty Foose’s new dual-tex Stealth line
- Displayed their soon-to-be-released high end Mastia
- Three new management team members that bring 60 years of industry experience
Element
- Moving production to Aragon
- New shapes and shapers coming
- Remolding the classics
Escape, Friction, Kingdom, Working Class
- Launched a new dual texture line called Fusion
- Displayed samples of new Silverback plastic which will release in Fall 2019
- Kingdom and Working Class will continue to be produced at Aragon and CompX
Grizzly
- Introduced their new line of 173 holds made by two small town routesetters
- Produced at Aragon
Kilter, Haptic, Urban Plastix
- Showed off their collaboration Lemur Designs Kilter Board
- Brought brand new Tremors from Urban Plastix which relaunched this year
- Displayed Ian Powell’s new Tufa system
Kumiki
- EverActive Wall fits Moon, Tension, Kilter
- Volumes made for stacking
- Positive texture diff-tex
Legacy Ascension, Method, Menagerie, ENIX
- Legacy Ascension showed off the new Rails and Ears mini jugs
- Method brought their new Slick Willies and first copies of new Belly Busters
- Menagerie sent their new Torso Plates to The Shape Gallery
Premium Holds & Volumes
- Makers of 360, Simpl., Cheeta and Squadra holds and volumes
- European brands from a team of highly experienced IFSC routesetters
Pusher
- New shapes coming from Dan Yagmin and Jared Roth
- Updating many shapes while shifting production
Rock Candy
- Displayed the unreleased Brachiopods, an evolution of their Gastropods
- Growing their Support Your Local Route Setter with free holds and setting clinics
- Psyched to continue offering these professional development opportunities
So iLL
- Showed off the new LEVEL line from Jason Kehl
- Introduced their Setter Shoe to handle the rigors of routesetting/forerunning sessions
- Dave and Dan Chancellor are behind 1Climb, working to get 100K kids climbing
Tension
- Training equipment for climbers made in the USA from US hardwoods
- Mirrored and adjustable 8’x12′ training board suitable for climbers V3-V15
- New hangboard system coming soon
Thrive
- Brought their Tubbies, Blubber, Moon Pie, Patina and popular Blocks
- Featured their new Bubous Cobbles at The Shape Gallery
Xcult
- Displayed a variety of fiberglass and wood volumes
- Owner and veteran shaper of 20 years, Ilyan Mihaylov, has been sculpting since 8th grade
CLIMBING WALLS
Brewer Fitness
- Brought their classic Treadwall
- Moving vertically encourages people to find their inner youth
Citywall, Climb1
- Slovenian climbing wall builder
- Volumes from their Infinity line are designed to nest together
- Authorized manufacturer for IFSC
Delire
- Delire Escalade has been building and installing climbing walls for over 15 years
- Mainly serve Northeast region of U.S. and Canada with over 80 employees and 3 locations
Eldo
- Showed off their new gym The Spot Denver
- Shared UIAA Ice Climbing World Cup footage from February 2019 on Eldo walls
- Announced new branding, ownership, and move to purpose-built office/manufacturing facility
Entre-Prises
- Official partner and supplier to USA Climbing
- Official exclusive climbing wall partner of IFSC
Grasshopper
- Low maintenance training board that assembles easily and installs anywhere
- Compatible with Moon, Tension, Kilter
Impact
- Unique walls with dual tex elements, dual-tex volumes, and soon dual-tex campus rungs
- VevetGrip was developed over 2 years, offers blend of grip and friction, not too abrasive
- Durable aluminum tags with optional custom text or logos printed directly
Jam Walls
- Unveiled their “Crax”, a series of modular crack panels
- Can be mounted to climbing walls and popularly-sized training boards
- Founded by Yosemite legends Dale Bard and Dave Yerian
Nicros
- Showed off their new Ultimate Board hangboard with a slot for holding your phone
- New dimpled Caldera line coming soon
- Bringing back some of your favorite classic 90’s shapes
Onsite
- Canadian designers and manufacturers of climbing walls, flooring, volumes, and mobile walls
- Walls and volumes feature custom natural wood stain and durable texture
- Rapidly expanding in Canada and soon the US
- Presented their newest product Urban Rock that will soon be seen in cities of Quebec and the rest of Canada
Rockwerx
- Infinity Wall System integrates the angles of their volumes with the wall design
- Extend your canvas and wrap corners to create infinite possibilities
- Don’t just change your routes when you reset, change your wall
Treadstone
- 29 year old family business that installs high tech, steel-framed climbing walls of any scope
- Niche is smaller projects: fitness centers, corporate wellness, schools, churches
- Builds, upgrades, expands, repairs, inspects and trains your staff
Vertical Solutions
- Walls known for their distinctive checkerboard wood and sweeping curves
- In-house Proxy Production manufactures climbing holds for 9 brands
Walltopia
- World’s largest manufacturer of climbing walls
- Harmonized System offers efficient routesetting using LEDs, matching wall panels; coming soon to five U.S. projects
- Harmonized gyms can get exact routes from World Cups
FLOORING FOR CLIMBING FACILITIES
Asana
- Producers of gym flooring, crashpads, climbing holds and more
- Provided the pads for both Lemur Kilter Board and Grasshopper Tension Board
- Successful manufacturers and installers of customized modular systems since 2004
Cascade Specialty
- Consultative approach with focus on educating customers
- Tested by an engineer who specializes in landing surfaces, such as NFL and MLS fields
- Flooring choice of El Cap Holdings, Hanger 18 and Sender One
Climbmat
- The flooring supplier choice of Walltopia
Dollamur
- Producers of custom flooring solutions for any climbing facility
- Flooring choice for many fast-growing gyms: Central Rock, Gravity Vault, The Cliffs
Flashed, Binary
- Creaters of commercial flooring, crashpads, apparel and more
- Introduced their new 19 gallon Professional Setter Bucket
Futurist, Chalk Cartel
- Futurist offers an extended service plan, scheduled visits, carpet top layer replacement
- 100% financing available
- Chalk Cartel boasts high margins, low minimum orders
UCS
- Flooring systems based on over 50 years experience specializing in 20′ falls
- Fabric and materials designed for outdoor use, 30 year old products still in use
- Supplied 4 Olympic Games and is Official Supplier for USA Track and Field
EQUIPMENT FOR CLIMBING FACILITIES
Belaysafe
- World’s first friction adjustable fall reduction system
- Safely belay climbers many times heavier than yourself
- Save money on gym ropes with BelaySafe
Camfil
- Global suppliers of industrial air filtration systems
- Technology was first developed to stop bioterrorism in U.S. embassies
Kleanholds
- Load holds onto the basket, close the lid, hit start and 10 minutes later they’re done
- 30″-45″ single and double baskets, recycles water for eco-efficiency
- Lease-to-own programs
Perfect Descent
- Exclusive autobelay supplier of IFSC
- New add-ons including belay bar mount kit, body/scuff guard, redundant retraction screens
TRUBLUE
- Magnetic braking eliminates friction for reliability and consistency
- TRUBLUE boasts devices in 60+ countries and roughly 2 billion descents annually
SOFTWARE & SERVICES FOR CLIMBING FACILITIES
Approach
- Cloud-based CRM, POS, inventory, calendar, booking software
- Infinitely scalable, multigym is seamless
Climbalytics
- Wristband designed specifically for climbers that records your gym climbing
- Tracks attempts, sends, flashes, difficulty, highpoint, time on wall, more
- Goal is to provide new way to look at the gym, more than chasing grades
Gym Realm
- Cloud-based check-in system that is used by Walltopia
- Membership management, CRM, POS, transactional emails, event booking
- Software behind Walltopia’s Harmonized System
Klimbz
- Route management and user engagement platform for more efficiency and effectiveness
- Customizable for different gyms including grade system, wall labels, look and feel
- Run leagues, comps, setters and coaching using the platform
Monument Sports Group
- The exclusive provider of insurance services for CWA
- Currently insuring over 200 CWA members
MyClimb
- Attract, engage, retain members with this free app
- Over 1.5 million climbs logged in over 8500 different climbing gyms and areas around the world
- Manage routesetting, competitions, challenges and workouts
- League management and goal tracking coming later in 2019
Papertrail
- Online inspection logs for risk management
- App for employees to log activities using checklists and more
- Create your own tracking structure, flexible size accounts, no contracts
Rock Gym Pro
- The check-in software used in 93% of U.S. gyms
- Shared their continued growth of cloud services and feature development
- Every member of support team once managed a climbing gym
Vertical-Life
- Nearly 150 facilities use to enhance their planning, executing and understanding of setting
- Unveiled their Ninja Timing, the first interactive cordless speed timer
- Scorecard is able to project live results, eliminates hassle of paper scorecards, point tallying
SUPPLIES & RETAIL FOR CLIMBING FACILITIES
Adidas Outdoor / Five Ten
- Releasing an updated version of their downturned Hiangle shoes
- Releasing the Kirigami, a new entry-level shoe
Black Diamond
- Showed off new gear and sweet stickers
- Provides facility equipment and items for retail shops
- Focuses on building valuable vendor relationships
Boreal
- Manufactureres of wide range of climbing shoes
Butora, 8b+
- Butora launched line of approach shoes with Icarus and Wing models
- 8b+ introduced new crushed, powder and liquid chalk products
- 8b+ displayed their fun new chalkbag line
Camp USA
- The Energy CR is their top-selling entry-level harness with $50 MSRP and 5 sizes
- Routesetter kit coming soon, Italian R&D, meets work-at-height standards
Edelrid
- Continues to be leaders in sustainability and innovation
- Wide range of ropes, harnesses and safety equipment for gyms
Evolv
- Manufactureres of wide range of climbing shoes
Friction Labs
- Introduced their newest evolution in chalk: Alcohol Free Secret Stuff
- Goes on like cream, provides base layer to stay chalked longer
- Use alone for less dust, or use in conjuction with loose chalks
Gym Climber, Rock & Ice
- Introduced Gym Climber Magazine this year
Honey Stinger
- Organic, honey based assortment of energy snacks
- 20% off opening orders
- Product for comps and other events
La Sportiva
- Showed off the new Testarossa
- Shared their programs for rental fleets and climbing teams
- Introduced their POP displays for retailers
Liberty Mountain
- Can be a gym’s “warehouse” with 2 day shipping on all products
- More products and brands than any other U.S. distributor of climbing/outdoor gear
- Soup to nuts (literally)
Mad Rock
- Introduced the new Phoenix, available after Outdoor Retailer
- Proud to sponsor Matt Fultz and Ethan Pringle
Ocun
- Offers a wide variety of products including shoes, ropes, harnesses hardware
- From Czech Republic, bringing 25 years of experience in European market
Petzl
- Offers a wide range of climbing equipment including ropes, harnesses, carabiners
RacePak
- Simplifies ordering process for protein packed retail snacks
- Options include vegan, gluten-free, paleo, dairy-free, protein, low sugar
- Brands include ProBar, RX, Kate’s, Garuka, Barnanaa
- 1 box minimum, easy credit, quick 24-48 hour turnaround, low shipping rates
Scarpa
- Showed off Furia Air, their lightest technical comp shoe, available soon
- Proud sponsors of Alex Puccio, V14 climber and 11-time National Bouldering Champion
Sterling
- Manufacturers of a wide range of ropes, cord, webbing, and anchor/safety products
- Longtime supporter of many organizations and causes in the climbing community
Unparallel
- Displayed 20 models in their first CWA Summit booth
- Over 20 years of shoe manufacturing experience
Wild Country, Salewa
- Heritage climbing brand that invented the cam
- Mission harness designed for gyms, coming soon
- Introducing more gym-specific products in 2020
NON-PROFITS OF THE CLIMBING WORLD
1Climb
- Effort to get 100,000 kids to climb driven by Kevin Jorgeson and Chancellor Brothers
- Began with shared desire to take kids climbing and to take climbing to kids
- Partners with Boys and Girls Clubs across America
Access Fund
- Access Fund advocates for climbers and works to restore our overused areas
- Nearly 60% of our climbing is on public lands
- Gyms are encouraged to organize Adopt-A-Crags at their local area
Brown Girls Climb
- Offers mentorship and educational opportunities for self-identified women of color
- Works with gyms to encourage inclusion and leadership opportunties
Climbers of Color
- Promotes diversity, equity and inclusion in the mountaineering community
- Provides supportive mentorship, technical training and access to key resources
Paradox Sports
- Offers adaptive climbing clinics, courses, manuals, and connections
- You can host Adaptive Climbing Initiative Courses at your gym
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!
