Photo: Focus Climbing
This past July in Mesa, Arizona the doors opened on one of the best designed bouldering walls in the South West. Focus Climbing Center is a bouldering and auto-belay only facility owned and operated by one of climbing’s great personalities, Joe Czerwinski.
Joe sat down (virtually) with Climbing Business Journal to talk about his design philosophy and how he wants to run a gym.
Can you describe the gym?
The building is a rectangle 138ft x 48ft, with a footprint of 6810sq/ft, and a clear height of 28ft. There is just over 5000sq/ft of wall surface that yields 120 linear feet of bouldering wall from 16ft-18ft high above a 3000sq/ft 24″ flooring system. There is 50 linear feet of full-height climbing wall with 2.5 inches of safety flooring and 6 auto belays.
My t-nuts are on a 6 inch grid and are as close to the aretes/corners/angle breaks as possible. With the bouldering walls, we created an 18ft wide section of slab that mimics the left side of the USAC Nationals wall. I noticed this angle is popular for world cups, and seemed more fitting than a wall of slab only.
The next unique feature is a 16ft wide-25 degree overhanging “can”. The lip of the can is 14ft above the pad and the top is perpendicular to the wall, so the lip is just hold-able, and allows for fun mantles (or terrifying mantles depending on your view). The rope climbing wall has three sections, vertical, 5 degrees overhanging (IFSC speed route), and a section that goes to about 17 degrees overhanging. Each section overhangs more than the last and provides a great visual presentation. I am short on the IFSC speed wall, but with two lanes on the speed wall, the left side is set from the start to as high as I can set. The right side was set from the end (top), down to the bottom as far as I could set. So the team never gets to run the whole route, but they climb each side backto-back. This gives them the timing for the moves and spacing, and seems to work really well so far.
Who built the walls and padding?
Leading Edge Climbing Walls built the walls, and Futurist Climbing Consultants provided the wall design and flooring system. Leading Edge was great, faster and cheaper than our contract which seems a-typical of the industry. Due to my experience with route setting, I worked closely with Tim Fairfield and Futurist Climbing Consultants on the wall design. Overall, I am really psyched with the end product.
How many staff and routesetters?
I am slightly overstaffed right now, but a few of my staff are former climbing team members and attend college out of state. Once we near the fall semester of school, my staff will be right around 4-5 with a Lead and Assistant Manager. I have one other coach to assist with the junior program. I have two other route setters besides myself. I have not had much time to try and route set as running the gym is more intensive than anticipated, and I have put the rest of my time toward coaching. With my setters, I have solid guys. I have a lot of confidence in them, as they can set for kids/short reaches really well and in any style needed.
Who is your core customer?
We are collegiate bouldering gym. My target customers are undergraduate students 18-25 years old.
How much did the whole project cost?
$570K.
Photo: Focus Climbing
Why Mesa, Arizona?
Mesa……well it’s where the best building was located. I had a spot in North Scottsdale (about 20 minutes north), that I was really psyched on, and the model was a programming gym- similar to a gymnastics facility. However, I found the Mesa location- it was a better price and a no-brainer collegiate bouldering gym with ASU 4.5 miles away. It has fast freeway access and is more central to the highest density of population within my 20 minute radius.
Your website states that you are “setting the new standard for climbing gyms”. How?
With 19 years in the industry, and the experience I have with setting and coaching, I have had the opportunity to see what I like (and don’t like) about every facility I have ever been to. If another facility had a great “wheel”, I made sure not to re-invent it. I don’t really look at is as the “new standard”, but trying to improve on what is already out there, and not create the same pitfalls.
The beginning is the correct flooring system. I see more and more facilities with bouldering walls 14-16ft high, if not higher. I have been on a lot of seamless flooring systems, and I feel the system at Focus is the best. I would encourage every new gym owner to go with the same system Focus has (24-inch 16ILD), even with 16ft walls at the highest. My customers are beyond psyched with this flooring system. We went with a radical design in terms of height and steepness. It was designed for the future, not what has been built in the past. I have noticed many beginners want to climb on the steeper parts of top-rope walls and bouldering areas. So we made a ton of steep terrain and ordered a ton of jugs. I put the pressure on the route setting staff to produce easy terrain and it has worked perfectly.
Another part is the layout of the warehouse space. The wall design is not overbuilt, and allows space for customers to occupy without being in the way of everyone who is climbing. The wide open design fosters community as the layout does not segregate the climbers into different areas. Gyms are about having fun and community, and I think bouldering areas with different caves or sections can limit that community building. This design creates an easier space to manage from a safety aspect as well. From the office space, I can see nearly all of my terrain and customers without obstructions. An additional layout perk is the ability to host bigger competitions. Approximately 50 feet of bleachers can be rolled in front of the bouldering walls to accommodate larger crowd size.
Photo: Focus Climbing
Another notable feature: there is nothing to absorb odor in the facility- all the padding is vinyl, and everything else is cement. Carpet inside gyms tends to smell like feet after a year or two, and I never want Focus to smell like a climbing gym. I use a cleaning service 7 days a week and the place looks like gold in the morning. FREE CHALK. Yes, free chalk. Since there are no chalk bags or buckets are allowed on the pads, we provide free chalk to all of the climbers in the gym (waist belt chalk bags are fine to wear). There are three gymnastic style chalk bowls across the front of the pad, and 6 buckets screwed onto the base of the wall out of the way of problems. I have only heard positive comments about this. I decided to eliminate top-ropes and use all auto belays. I have noticed most people don’t care to learn knots or bother with belaying, they just want to climb. Instead of belaying, their partner is chilling on a Madrock beanbag. In the end, it fosters more interaction with climbers in the auto-belay area as belayers don’t have to pay attention- because there are no belayers. Everyone is doing what they really want to do, hanging out in a social atmosphere and climbing.
Some small things that make a difference with the overall experience:
Ratings at the top of the climb so you can see them without getting under the walls
Rental shoes NOT at the front desk
Complimentary coffee bar
Free Wifi
Cold AC
Electronic and online waiver system though Rock Gym Pro
I spend the extra $4 for a case of Charmin.
Your website also mentions that “It was designed to minimize injury.” What are the details behind this?
Our dedication to safety starts with a flooring system that is (in my opinion) unmatched in the industry. This system comes with proper falling training procedures and fall clinics for the staff and members. Additionally, every new customer is given a free fall orientation in order to minimize chance for injury. Over 70% of bouldering injuries are related to the edges or gaps between the pads, and this system eliminates those chances for injury.
Futurist made sure there is enough pad to cover the landing zones. The minimum amount of coverage we have is 11.5ft from the most overhanging point, and 6ft from the arêtes. With the open wall design, we eliminated nearly all intersecting fall zones. This was priority for me as it significantly lowers the feeling of “being in the way” when you just want to sit and rest. In looking at other gym designs, I felt this was something many wall companies are not concerned with because it limits the amount of wall they can install in a gym. For example, I could have made several “U” shaped coves and packed in more wall sq/ft, but at what cost?
In the end- I built a gym that I want to climb in, and run a gym how I feel is right, and treat people how I would want to be treated.
Massachusetts based, Central Rock Gym has opened their third location in Watertown, Mass this July. This new facility has a massive 28,000 square feet of climbing and is one of the most modern climbing gyms in the country.
Learn more about Central Rock Gym in this video tour of the new gym.
Photo: touchstoneclimbing.blogspot.com
During a typical evening bouldering session at any climbing gym in the country one will find many people sitting on the ground around a boulder while a climber attempts to throw themselves up their latest plastic project. Many climbers find this scene absolutely irresponsible and reckless; people should be spotting each other when bouldering! Well, in modern gyms it seems they shouldn’t.
The Climbing Wall Association has put out an excellent article on the effectiveness of spotting within bouldering areas. They conclude that in facilities that offer sufficient padding, spotting is unnecessary and can actually hamper the effectiveness of the padding leading to more injuries than would otherwise occur.
In order to examine spotting in its proper context, we must first understand its purpose. When asked, our industry experts unanimously defined spotting as a means to protect a climber’s head and neck from impact with the ground/floor. “Spotting is for the purpose of protecting the head and neck area. In 25 years of operating climbing gyms I have never seen a head injury in a gym while bouldering. For the life of me I cannot figure out why you would need to spot anyone with 12 inches of foam as the landing surface. Spotting will never eliminate broken ankles and wrists. It is not designed for that,” said Rich Johnston of Vertical World in Seattle.
Utilizing this definition and context, we can infer that spotting in an indoor bouldering environment is not primarily intended to prevent ankle and wrist injury (two of the most common indoor bouldering injuries).
With the exception of specific circumstances, systematically spotting boulderers is not recommended in facilities properly equipped with new generation bouldering flooring systems that offer bouldering gymnastic falling technique orientation and instruction for the following reasons:
Bouldering onlookers crowded in close proximity to a climberʼs landing zone may cause pinning resulting in deactivation of the flooring systemʼs ability to properly absorb the impact force of a falling climber.
The presence of a spotter introduces the possibility of a collision with a hard foreign object, which is one of the leading causes of injuries in bouldering areas.
Spotters who are not properly trained (similarly to gymnastics coaches & martial arts instructors) may potentially cause more harm than protection to a falling boulderer. From Climbing Bouldering Techniques (excerpted from The Art of Falling – bouldering orientation video).
Though its primary purpose is to mitigate head, neck, and spinal injury (which are less likely in an indoor setting), there are some instances where spotting may be appropriate for alternate purposes. Timy Fairfield of Futurist Flooring Systems says, “It is advisable that specific circumstances requiring spotting should be considered before attempting every boulder problem to determine if having a spotter is preferable. Bouldering participants should identify potentially dangerous moves that could result in joint locking, over rotation or inversion in the event of a fall before spotting or attempting a boulder problem. Potentially dangerous moves that could result in joint locking, overrotation and possible inversion of the climber in the event of a fall include:
Horizontal Roof Climbing
Overhead foot placements
High heel hooks/heel hooks on in-cut holds
Foot cams/toe cams between 2 holds”
“In most climbing gyms, there is not a spotting program that goes far enough in teaching how to spot a climber adequately. There are only a few situations in a bouldering area, such as a steep cave that is low to the ground, where someone can safely spot someone. Once a climber is higher on wall, it’s safer for the spotter to stay out of the way, unless they are very skilled at spotting. It’s a lot more than just catching someone coming off the wall. It’s a matter of redirecting them to land on a safe part of the body” said, Mike Palmer of Cascade Specialty.
Possible topics covered in a spotting orientation may include, but are not limited to climber preference for a spotter, flooring type, fall zones, technique, awareness of the climber, awareness of difficult moves on the boulder problem, height of climber, and pitch of the route. Proper orientations should leave the climber with knowledge of why to spot, when to spot, and how to spot properly. If orientations do not achieve this, the opportunities for injury may be larger than if the orientation were omitted altogether. Most gym managers will weigh the facility design, flooring, time/staff commitments, efficiency, customer perception, and implications when considering the implementation of a spotting orientation. While the omission of orientation can be permissible for spotting, it does not apply in top rope or lead climbing scenarios. In our experience, the many considerations involved in spotting orientations implementation frequently result in their omission based on the risks versus the benefits. Even when spotting is used in the correct context, there are many effects to consider. Can the climber’s momentum injure the prospective spotter, adding to facility liability?
Aaron Stevens from Climb Iowa weighs in: “In an indoor climbing facility, I think it is FAR more important to talk about how to fall properly than how to spot. People don’t really spot even when you take the time to tell them about it. Most bouldering accidents can be reduced from a falling demonstration rather than a spotting demonstration. In my opinion, by teaching and telling people about spotting you are increasing the likelihood that someone will get injured. By teaching proper falling techniques, you are decreasing that risk.”
Photo: momentumclimbing.com
Alternatives If you choose not to introduce spotting to new climbers, then what should be implemented in its place, if anything? The near unanimous recommendation from our panel is to introduce proper falling technique.
Mike Palmer of Cascade Specialty advocates for mandatory falling education for new climbers: “On the practice of an orientation in the bouldering area, I think it should include falling instruction. This will also reduce injuries, and hopefully shield gyms from some liability. I also think spotting is very overrated. There are very few people qualified to spot properly. Letting a novice spot someone is dangerous to the climber and the spotter. The effort would be better spent on falling education. Why not require it like a belay test?”
The CWA concludes:
Per our industry experts, the practice of spotting in indoor bouldering areas should be reserved for special cases in which spotting may be favored over climber ground falls. Given the brief nature of most facility orientations, it could be inferred that these special cases may not fall into the scope of mandatory orientations. This leads us to two possible methods of addressing this topic:
Implement a robust spotting orientation that addresses all of the purposes, considerations, and special cases involved in spotting.
Omit spotting orientations from facilities on the grounds that spotting may not be necessary except under special circumstances.
When implementing any new process, the CWA encourages gym owners to understand the purpose, commitments, and implications of such processes. If implementing a spotting program, facilities should ensure that the orientation meets its intended purpose: minimizing injury and facility liability.
If omitting spotting orientations, facilities could choose to include bouldering orientation language covering falling technique. This was the most popular recommendation from industry experts for the purposes of minimizing liability (not adding a second person to a potential fall situation) and addressing the most common types of indoor bouldering injuries (ankle and wrist).
Photo: wvgazette.comEldorado Climbing Walls, is reporting the completion of the world’s largest man-made rock climbing structure. Built at the Boy Scouts of America’s extreme sports village in the Bechtel Summit Reserve in West Virginia, this climbing facility will be unveiled at the BSA’s 2013 National Jamboree.
With a total of 60,000 square feet of rock climbing terrain, the climbing facility is divided into two areas: The Rocks and Boulder Cove. All climbing terrain is constructed from Eldorado’s SHOTRock product and entirely hand-sculpted to mimic the local rock styles and climbing features of the New River Gorge.
“We are honored to have been selected by the Boy Scouts of America to complete a project of this massive scope and size,” said Jerad Wells, CEO of Eldorado Climbing Walls. He continues, “The climbing facility at The Rocks and Boulder Cove truly showcase the amazing climbing wall design and climbing wall construction capabilities of our team. We look forward to seeing this facility inspire a love of rock climbing in current and future generations of Scouts.”
The rock climbing area is dedicated specifically to the Scouts during the Jamboree. The most unique element of this massive climbing area is the “Leap of Faith,” where participants leap into the air from a height of 32 feet and are safely lowered to the ground by the TRUBLUE Auto Belay.
Other features include:
Two rappelling towers with a total of 36 rappelling stations at a height of 32 feet (6 stations are dedicated “leap of faith” stations).
Three climbing fins with 68 manual belay stations at heights from 21-30 feet.
Two climbing fins with 33 TRUBLUE Auto Belay stations at heights from 25-35 feet.
One 25-foot high climbing fin with 8 climbing stations (6 manual, 2 auto-belay).
Six freestanding boulders with over 50 stations and an average height of ten feet.
Boulder Cove incorporates over 280 linear feet of rock climbing walls ranging for 19’ to 36’ in height. In this area, the Scouts and their families can enjoy the following features together:
12 TRUBLUE Auto Belay rappel stations.
72’ linear foot rappel deck
25 TRUBLUE Auto Belay backed up climbing stations.
Three distinct boulders averaging 13’ in height.
Photo: eldowalls.com
Following the Jamboree, the Bechtel Summit Reserve and the climbing facility will be open to scouting trips and retreats. The Bechtel Summit will continue to host the US Jamboree every year, and plans are in the making to host the World Jamboree in 2019.
Read the full press release at Eldowalls.com
Originally posted at Athletic Business JournalPhoto: athleticbusiness.com
Research suggests that an estimated 9 million people enjoy some form of rock climbing each year. As a result of the increased number, researchers at the Center for Injury Research and Policy of the Research Institute at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital conducted a study specific to the sport and its injuries. The study found that there was a 63 percent increase in the number of patients seen in the nation’s emergency rooms between 1990 and 2007. That translates to an estimated 40,282 individuals between the ages of 2 and 74 were treated in U.S. emergency rooms for climbing-related injuries.
They found that ankle and foot fractures, sprains and strains were among the most common types of climbing-related injuries, and the majority of them resulted from falls of 20 feet or more. Although this particular study did not include injuries that occurred to participants while mountain climbing or hiking, results did extend beyond the scope of fitness and recreation facilities to include walls at child-care centers, schools, amusement parks, campgrounds and other locations.
Climbing injuries are a given, says Bill Zimmerman, executive director of the Boulder, Colo.-based Climbing Wall Association, and they’re most often the result of “pilot error” — an individual making a mistake. Significant differences exist between indoor and outdoor climbing environments and their levels of risk, but indoor facility owners still can “control what they can control,” Zimmerman adds, through practical risk-management procedures such as employee orientation, instruction and assessment. “What’s incumbent upon you, as an operator of a climbing wall, is to make sure that your staff is trained and experienced in climbing techniques and procedures — and that your employees stay up to date with those techniques and procedures,” he says. “Somebody will spend $1 million on a climbing wall and won’t spend $10,000 or $20,000 on training and development for their staff. That’s my frustration with this whole business.”
All major full-service climbing wall manufacturers provide training for facility employees, as do most local climbing gyms, Zimmerman says. If budgets are tight, managers should consider sending only one employee to a training session, and that individual then can educate other staff members.
As climbing continues its ascent among recreation activities — nearly five million people climbed indoors in 2008, according to the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association — staff and user education will take on even greater importance. “Initially, rock climbing was a sport for risk takers and adrenaline junkies, and now it’s much more mainstream,” says Lara McKenzie, senior author of the injury study, which was published in the September online issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. “So the demographics have shifted, and recreational climbers may be younger and more inexperienced.”
Zimmerman suggests that greater oversight of a climbing structure is especially necessary in facilities such as health clubs, YMCAs, and college and municipal recreation centers — places in which climbing is “incidental” to other operations. “Who knows what kind of resources are allocated to that big climbing wall in the lobby?” he asks. “Who knows if there is a full-time staff member responsible for it?”
While not de-emphasizing the importance of the latest injury study, Zimmerman remains skeptical of research that paints climbing with a broad brush. “The fact of the matter is that climbing is pretty innocuous, and generalizations made about climbing are going to be somewhat specious,” he says.
“This kind of study is a good surveillance tool,” McKenzie maintains. “It lets us know what types of injuries are occurring, who is being hurt and what they were doing when they got hurt. And it gives us a nice jumping off point to open up the discussion. Now that we’ve identified the types of injuries, we might be able to look more closely at what we can do to prevent them.”
Infographic: Dyneema 360
Pregnant rock climbers of the world rejoice! Mountain Mama, Inc, the outdoor outfitter for expectant mothers, now offers a full-body climbing harness made by Mad Rock, specially designed for the unique geometry of pregnant bodies.
From Mountain Mama press release:
The innovative molded padded leg loops are combined with an “X”-Strap design at mid-back that supports and cradles the torso with wide, flexible webbing. An open design through the midsection accommodates a growing belly without bunching or squeezing, while side webbing connects low and away from the chest to allow a full-range of arm motion. Fully adjustable shoulder straps and leg loops ensure a precise fit, and tie-in at the sternum keeps everything upright. Flexible equipment loops at the sides keep gear at easy reach.
Photo: mountain-mama.com
Pregnant climbing women may be a niche market in the climbing industry. But as climbing gyms become a more popular form of recreation and exercise you can be sure more mothers-to-be will be hitting the wall and will need a harness that is made for them.
photo: Entre-Prises
Originally posted at AthleticBusiness.com
By Emily Attwood
Parks and green spaces have been lauded as the keys to improving public health, combating childhood obesity and addressing our nation’s sedentary lifestyle crisis. Numerous studies have shown that access to parks and green spaces correlates to overall health.
But access doesn’t necessarily correlate to use. Today’s playgrounds have been criticized for being too safe and boring, not to mention unappealing to anyone over the age of 10. Playground equipment manufacturers are building greater levels of risk into their equipment, and outdoor fitness equipment aimed at adults is growing in popularity.
As parks and recreation departments look for more ways to lure people into green spaces and get them active, many are finding solutions in climbing and bouldering structures. Despite its proximity to natural climbing opportunities, the city of Bozeman, Mont., has five boulders in parks throughout the city. “We are an outdoors, athletically oriented community,” explains parks superintendent Thom White. “We have ski mountains and climbing boulders within 25 minutes of the city, but what do we do in town?”
Photo: outsidebozeman.com
The Bozeman Boulders Initiative started nearly 10 years ago with a group of local climbers applying for the city’s Park Improvement Grant program to construct a series of boulders. “The idea was that you could go to every quadrant in the city via the trail system and climb a boulder,” says White. “You can go to your local park and get a good workout in. You’re not having to invest half your day.”
Ten years ago, climbing might just have been the latest trend, but it’s taken hold in gyms and recreation centers across the country. “It’s a great activity for kids and adults,” says Jason Stollenwerk, managing director of Entre-Prises Climbing Walls in Bend, Ore. “A climbing wall is different than a typical slide or other playground equipment. It encourages children to do something that they can naturally do: climb. It’s amazing how quickly they take to it.” Also unlike most playground equipment, it’s not just children who enjoy climbing structures. “Kids are going to the park, but their parents are the ones taking them there,” Stollenwerk adds. The boulders in Bozeman, designed by a local metal fabrication company, include both easier routes aimed at kids, as well as more difficult routes to appeal to adults.
In Bozeman, where climbing is as natural a sport as soccer or football, gaining support for a climbing structure wasn’t difficult. “There was a little hesitation, but once the first one went in, it was a slam dunk,” says White. Not all communities are as quick to climb on board with such a project, however.
“Safety is obviously the biggest thing people are concerned about,” Stollenwerk says. “It’s new to them. They tell me, ‘We’ve seen these climbing structures at other parks, but we’ve never had them. Is it safe? Can anyone use it? Can we leave it open at all times?’ ”
Despite the increased sense of risk associated with climbing, such structures are generally no more dangerous than any other piece of playground equipment. “We treat it like a piece of playground equipment,” says White. “It’s just another item in the park that’s attractive to someone. At some of our smaller playgrounds, the subdivisions are looking at adding them.”
Most communities opt for climbing boulders and walls around 10 feet in height, making them subject to the same ASTM International building standards as other playground equipment when it comes to fall zones and shock-absorbing surface materials. “It’s no different than having your feet hanging over the monkey bars,” says Rasch. “We’ve done a handful of college campuses that want to have a climbing boulder but are worried about liability, since it’s unsupervised. It’s unsupervised just as a playground would be. A user’s feet aren’t going that high off the ground, and if they are, it’s within standard playground height.”
photo: Metro Parks Ohio
While most parks departments do play it safe with a structure in the 10-foot range, there are those that opt to go bigger. “There are parks departments that have done taller projects that are very successful,” says Stollenwerk. “It’s pretty unique to be able to do that.” The largest free outdoor climbing wall in the country is at Scioto Audubon Park in Columbus, Ohio, where towers and arches soar to 35 feet and draw climbers from across the nation.
The Boulders Climbing Gym and the District of Central Saanich are pleased to announce that Central Saanich has recently been named the “Competition Climbing Capital of Canada.”
The proclamation was made by a special resolution of Central Saanich Council on July 2, 2013 and acknowledges the important role that The Boulders Climbing Gym has made to the sport climbing community in Canada and throughout the world.
With an 18-metre high competition climbing wall and over 1,200 square metres of climbing space, The Boulders is one of the only facilities of its kind in North America. They have recently hosted the 2013 British Columbia Provincial Championships and the 2013 Canadian National Championships and are now gearing up to host the 2013 International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) World Youth Championships from August 15th to 19th.
“We understand that the Boulders facility is one of the best, if not the best, climbing training gym in North America, said Central Saanich Mayor Alistair Bryson. “We are confident that the upcoming World Youth Championships will establish our reputation as the ‘Competition Climbing Capital of Canada’ and that this will be the first of many international competitive climbing events to come to our community.”
Photo: climbtheboulders.com
The IFSC World Youth Championships will feature over 500 athletes, ages 14-19, from over 40 different countries competing in both the “lead/difficulty” and “speed” climbing categories. It is anticipated that well over 3,000 spectators, athletes, and coaches will be in attendance at this world class event.
About The Boulders Climbing Gym
The Boulders Climbing Gym is a not-for-profit society, with the mandate of making climbing accessible for everyone, regardless of ability or ability to pay. With over 13,000 square feet (1,208 square metres) of climbing space, The Boulders Climbing Gym is a community facility and a unique social enterprise, providing adaptive recreation and rehabilitation programs, youth recreational and competitive programs, as well as facilitating a climbing academy at Stelly’s Secondary School. All instructors are certified by the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides. See www.climbtheboulders.com for more details.
Photo: Vital Bouldering
Bellingham, Washington maybe the last sizable town in the Northwest to have it’s own commercial climbing gym. Vital Bouldering Gyms of California will open it’s doors to the public this July 13th.
Bellingham, with a population of 82,000 is home to Western Washington University, with a student body of 14,833.
From the News Tribune:
The wooden flooring on the main floor was removed, creating a 30-foot high area with about 4,900 square feet of climbing walls. The removed wood was reused in a variety of ways, including for countertops.
The climbing walls are up to 17 feet high, with padding on the floors to allow for bouldering, or climbing without ropes, said Kaili Koo, manager of the gym.
For members, the gym will be available 24 hours a day and will rely on an honor system overnight. After 9 p.m. members will use a key code system with no staff on hand, although some monitoring will take place, including “watchdogs,” or people who pop in at random hours to make sure the gym is being run properly.
“Our goal is to have the climbing community running the gym after hours,” said Koo, who added that the gym will be staffed 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, when nonmembers can drop in. “We wanted to create a business where people have the opportunity to make the right decision, rather than put a bunch of rules in place.”
Photo: IFSC
The IFSC has just announced new rules governing how world records are set at international championship events. From the official IFSC press release:
The International Federation of Sport Climbing has given a new dynamic to “The Speed Project” to providing stricter regulations at IFSC Speed climbing competitions. The popularity of speed climbing growing hugely since the first IFSC certified speed wall was introduced in 2007. Today the IFSC is taking more steps to provide stricter regulations at IFSC speed climbing competitions. To promote a better climbing experience for athletes, the Sport Department of the IFSC has launched “The Speed Project.” The speed Project aims at ensuring an equal playing field to athletes, enabling them to have any world records they set, officially recognized.
The Speed License Rules 2013 have just been released. To meet the Speed Project constraints and to standardize the speed walls, the first step was to set up some precise specifications for all speed walls around the world. So the IFSC has been working very hard with athletes, technical experts and manufacturers on defining these requirements and constraints. The IFSC has just published the Speed License Rules 2013 that lists all the wall, holds, timing system and competition rules. It can be downloaded from the IFSC website. This document is specifically made to list the technical requirement of the speed equipment as well as the condition of the certification visits of the wall and certification process of the manufacturers.
Speed Walls must be built by one of the companies currently under consideration as an official Speed Wall manufacturer. These companies will be officially confirmed in 2014.
Photo: Entre-Prises
Since March 22, 2013 with the IFSC World Cup in Chongqing, all IFSC Speed Climbing competition walls need to be set with the new official Speed Holds manufactured by Entre-Prises. These holds have been specifically designed for use on IFSC approved Speed Walls and Entre-Prises will manufacture and distribute them using pricing, quality and design agreements set by the IFSC. “To guaranty the origin of these holds, the new Entre-Prises Speed Holds will include a serial number and QR code that can be scanned. This code takes you to a web page and shows certified sets that have been sold and are in regulation. This is a good control system for the IFSC”, says Jérôme Meyer, IFSC Sport Manager in charge of the Speed Project.
Timing system is the third and major requirement to set a Speed World Record. The IFSC has decided to choose only five timing system providers to ensure the exact same timing measurement in every event in any country can take place. To be certain of a precise and fair timing system, it must be one of the following: Alge Timing, Geckoking, Twin Dolphin, Kassa, Rock Timers. Detailed standards on Timer as for the walls and the holds are now released in the Speed License Rules 2013.
Once these requirements are met, speed world records can only be set if the competition is included in the official IFSC calendar of events and is recorded by a Jury President appointed by the IFSC. The official IFSC calendar includes 7 IFSC Speed World Cup and all the IFSC Continental Championships and IFSC World Championships. With the new regulations the show will be fairer, and much more thrilling!…so don’t miss the next IFSC Speed World Cup in Arco on September 7th, 2013.
You can find all the current world records and up to date information at IFSC.
Currently USA Climbing does not host any internationally sanctioned speed events. The biggest US speed event of the year is undoubtedly Youth Speed Nationals held during SCS Youth Nationals in Atlanta, Georgia. When asked if USAC has any plans to standardize an American speed format and records USAC Operations Director, Kynan Waggoner said, “I think the difficult thing is the lack of “Spec” speed walls in the United States. We have a few knock off speed walls, but really there are only 4 that I know of currently in existence: Hoosier Heights in Indianapolis, 10m in Atlanta and at Sender One, and a 15m in Reno. I wouldn’t want to implement some type of standardization when it seems that there aren’t really enough standardized walls. We need like 5 portable 15m speed walls that can be set up in one day. Then we’d be in business…”
With Entre-Prises providing the bouldering wall for the previous two ABS National Championships and the recently held Vail World Cup it’s easy to surmise that a Speed only National Championship could be in the future for US athletes.
