In places like Oklahoma City, the climbing neighborhood is still young and expanding, in large part through locally owned gyms like Blocworks. The newest climbing facility in town, Blocworks Midtown, opened on January 10th of this year. As CFO and Founder of Blocworks, Evan Small, points out, “We’re building these communities from the ground up.” To do so, they are leaning into community education and sticking to their values of connection, play and excellence, with a purposefully crafted space that was built for bringing it all together.
Starting Off on the Right Foot
For Evan and his wife and CEO of Blocworks, Mariah Small, outdoor climbing was their North Star in their early 20s. While they traveled around the country to climb, they spent time with their friends, met new people who loved climbing, and essentially created deep bonds that were rooted in climbing—a quality that keeps so many of us coming back to the wall. It was clear to them how connection is core to climbing, and they knew when they opened up their first Blocworks gym back in 2020 that connection would be at the heart of what they do.
For Evan, Blocworks has become that social space he envisioned: “We all spend so much time at home or work; this whole idea of a ‘third space’ is something I enjoy about climbing these days. Even as an owner, there are days when life just feels…weird. I can typically realize I’m stuck in some sort of head space, and then I’ll say, ‘You know what, I’m going to go slide my climbing shoes on, fall off some boulders, and chat with other humans.’ It never fails that I have a conversation that reframes my thinking and re-energizes me.”
When it came time to bring these values to their new facility, Blocworks looked to Walltopia to make the process as streamlined as possible. “Doing a second gym with Walltopia makes it so much easier with your wall, hold and shipping cost,” says Evan. “It was a no brainer for how we fund our businesses.” While other wall builders they spoke to looked at the chosen space as less than ideal, Evan says Walltopia saw the vision: “Walltopia continuously found ways to make lemonade out of lemons, and every meeting through the initial contact and planning phase was filled with excitement and professional guidance around the possibilities our space and walls could offer. They were on our team, and that meant the world to us!”
The new gym includes the classic Walltopia walls, spattered with large and brightly colored holds to draw in climbers of all ages and abilities. With 1,900 square feet of climbing and a variety of wall angles—including slab, overhang and vert—there’s plenty of ways for setters to experiment. The walls are simple but strategic in design. “From our experience, having too many angle changes can result in frustration for the routesetting crew and dull the variety our customers can experience,” Evan explains. “All aretes, dihedrals and angle changes were analyzed by routesetters first—both myself and Dean Privett, who is a gym owner himself, a professional routesetter and a Walltopia sales consultant.”
For Evan, those wall layout decisions go back to providing a first-time experience that draws in the new climber, paving the way for “really beautiful holds, beginner circuits and basic movement that’s memorable.” It’s about getting everyone onto the wall, emphasizes Evan, so they go back and tell their friends how cool this rock climbing thing is. To make those experiences happen, now that they’ve got an optimal canvas to play with, for Blocworks it’s been all about the climbs and the crews around them. “Our bouldering is our only product,” says Evan. “If you’re doing well with routesetting, that should be what is bringing your customers in.”
Dialing in the Details
When it comes to fostering connection through routesetting, Blocworks doesn’t limit their focus on serving beginner climbers as much as advanced climbers to regular route turnover. Evan explained how that approach holds true for their competitions as well, which can often be intimidating for many new climbers. “When we throw competitions—whether it’s our annual Bloc Project Open, which draws climbers from all over the U.S., or a local redpoint comp that’s free to members—we always aim to bring as much passion and stoke to the brand-new climbers who had the courage to hop onto the wall as we do to the climber who’s chomping at the bit to podium by crushing double-digit boulders,” Evan says.
While many gyms strive for this level of variety in ability, Blocworks knows confidently that they’ve already achieved it. “If you polled our community, from the first timer to the every dayer, and asked if they felt cared for and connected in our gym, it would be a resounding yes,” affirms Evan. At this year’s Bloc Project Open competition, for example—set to take place this coming weekend—over 200 climbers of varying skill levels have registered to participate in the event. (Tune in for the Instagram live feed at 7:30pm CST on Saturday evening.)
Beyond routesetting, one of the simpler ways they’ve made an intentional effort toward increasing opportunities for interconnection is by not including key fobs. Evan explains, “We don’t want key fobs because we want to talk to every person, and if we miss a check-in at least we’re doing our best to get to know people.” Removing the standardized key fobs requires the front desk team to be attentive to customers during check-in, helps staff remember names, and hopefully increases the chances of stronger bonds forming between members, day pass users and employees. It also helps that the front desk staff is made up of people who are “to the core excited” to share climbing with folks of all abilities and ages, adds Evan.
A more relational check-in experience, well-set boulders for every climber, an expertly designed space…it’s all part of offering a more elevated experience, and that drive doesn’t stop there. “We pour so much energy into opening our doors each day,” continues Evan, explaining how attention to detail in the little things adds up, as well. “It’s everything from scrubbing toilets to screwing a hold onto the wall,” he says, or including a 90-minute beginner training as part of their $35 two-week trial. These small touches are what help encourage people to keep coming back, not just for the climbing but for the community everyone is dedicated to building.
For every detail, every moment, Blocworks aims to invite everyone in, teaming up with people and partners who share that same goal. “We want people to live a happier and more connected life,” concludes Evan. “We just also happen to be really psyched on climbing.”
This story was paid for by the sponsor and does not necessarily represent the views of the Climbing Business Journal editorial team.
