It’s a week of fresh podcasts. Gym founders in a small Utah town. An Olympian. A training guru’s Kilter Board debut. Exercises and injuries. Also a focus on children’s mental health, and why they matter to gyms. A few routesetting videos. And CBJ’s 11th annual industry trends report. Yeah, don’t miss that one, it’s our best ever.See The Freshest Job Posts Here
CBJ hosts the most active job board for climbing businesses and organizations. Below are the latest posts from this past week…General ManagerAlaska Rock Gym
Anchorage, AK
“The Alaska Rock Gym is seeking a qualified individual to lead its organization as General Manager. Under the direction of the Board of Directors, the successful applicant will be responsible for the management and support of all departments, ensuring the gym functions smoothly on all levels and that the core values of the organization are sustained. The General Manager will also collaborate with department managers to promote safety and sustainability in all gym operations and is responsible for continuing the Alaska Rock Gym’s deep dedication to excellence in customer service.”
JOB SEEKER TIPS:
How Many Applications & When You’ll Hear Back
By Kelcy Fowler
“Remember that applying for a job is essentially expressing interest in that opportunity and employer – it’s not yet a commitment to going and doing, but it is an indication to an employer that you are seriously interested in spending your time and energy at that location. But some employers are better than others at quickly responding, and you’ve got plans to make! So in order to make as many opportunities as possible available for yourself, we recommend you do some research, identify the employers and job types that appeal to you most, apply as early as possible, and cast a wide net!”Read the full article here
The Pad Climbing team—which operates three gyms across California and Nevada—is making the leap to the East Coast with their newest gym project, The Pad’s second planned gym that’s expected to open this year. (All photos courtesy of The Pad)
The Pad Binghamton
Binghamton, New York
Specs: Owned by Kristin and Yishai Horowitz—along with employee owners and shareholders, since 2017—The Pad opened its first climbing gym in 2002 in San Luis Obispo, California, and has expanded multiple times since then. (More on The Pad’s history can be found here.)Now, with full-service gyms in San Luis Obispo (CA) and Henderson (NV), a training center in Santa Barbara (CA), and a full-service Santa Barbara gym planned for Fall 2024, The Pad is making a jump across the nation with its latest gym project—located in Binghamton, New York.
Binghamton is home to some of Kristin’s close family members, and ever since going to her dad’s high school reunion in 2006, she has wanted to develop a gym in the city. “I just knew that the community would love it the way that my community in SLO did,” said Kristin, The Pad’s CEO and founder. “People have invested in the community since its founding so it’s really appealing for the specific demographics we serve: college students, young professionals, families…” Kristin also hopes the gym will help fill the room for more “third spaces” in Binghamton’s outdoorsy community: “People love going outdoors, hiking, kayaking, biking…so bring all of that together and that’s ideal for us.”“It took me getting my husband/partner back for the family reunion in 2021,” said Kristin (pictured with her family). “He was sold immediately, and 50% of my vacation was driving around with my cousin who does trade work in town showing us potential buildings, my kids asleep in the back of the car.”According to Kristin, ironically, the timing wasn’t great for a new facility. “It wasn’t something we were actively pushing for,” she explained. “My mom died [in 2022], and my dad suddenly died in September [2023]. Two weeks later, the real estate agent called with the perfect building.” After casually mentioning the available location, Kristin said investors expressed interest in the project. “So, between the money and the building just sliding right in there, I like to think my parents were working together from wherever they are and made it just so simple and easy, we can’t say no,” she said.The chosen building required minimal alterations, as “it had a previous life with similar use,” Kristin noted, and could already accommodate climbing walls of substantial height. “Climbing gym locations are hampered by three main issues, in my estimation: parking (plentiful), height (perfect), and how the roof is supported. If there are a lot of columns, you have to do creative workarounds—not the case here,” Kristin said. Going forward, The Pad will only need to update bathrooms and office spaces, besides the climbing areas. “That’s why this is such a great opportunity for us,” she added. “It has taken us nine months to just get through subjective architectural review [for the planned Santa Barbara gym]…This one is just plug and play.”“We’re very Walltopia loyal,” Kristin said of the new gym’s buildout (underway in the background). “The installation teams are wonderful people, and they move so fast and are great at problem solving.” (Pictured in the foreground: Joe Maier, Setting Director at The Pad)The 15,000-square-foot, mixed-discipline Binghamton gym will feature 40-foot rope walls and 16-18-foot bouldering walls, as well as “all the amenities, services and programs you’ve seen us offer at other locations,” a recentblog post on The Pad’s website details. One of those services will be 24/7 access to the bouldering portion of the facility. Another hope for the gym is that it will be beginner friendly, and Kristin notes the team is “keen to design a really cool kids area.” The Pad Binghamton is also being designed with the Binghamton University college crowd in mind.
“The Pad (and before it, SLO Op) has always been a remote operation,” Kristin said of the move across the country. “Yishai and I aren’t ‘office people,’ and before it became a real job, we did everything we did on computers.” Even from California, The Pad’s owners have stayed connected to the climbing communities around Binghamton. That connection recently led to a partnership with Keith Liao, owner of the Cayuga Climbs gym in nearby Ithaca, who will be a part-owner and board member of The Pad Binghamton. “There’s something really magical about teaming up with a gym owner locally,” Kristin said. “We don’t want to be outsiders coming in. We want to have deep local roots when we do this. Having a partner as sincere and supportive as Keith who is established in the area is a big part of my excitement for going to Binghamton.”The style of the Cayuga Climbs bouldering gym (pictured) was inspired by The Pad’s original SLO Op location. “I think there’s a lot of potential for small business owners to collaborate in a way that’s beneficial to everyone—our members, our staff, our community,” said Liao. “By working together, we’re going to be able to have a better offering for members and get more people introduced to the wonderful sport of climbing.”Walls: Walltopia
Flooring: Climbmat
CRM Software: Approach
Website:www.thepadclimbing.org/category/binghamton/Instagram: @ThePadClimbing
In Their Words: “How do you define success, exactly? I think it’s just heart. We had budgeting talks recently, and all of my team really buys into where Yishai and I are trying to go right now, and they also feel totally supported in their own goals by us. For me, that’s success. The money comes if everyone is happy…My team is interested in making our members and visitors happy, so if everyone is getting what they want, how can you not be successful? Even when things feel like they’re falling apart—at the end of the day, we’re all community builders, and you’ve got thousands of people who won’t let you fail if you haven’t let them down.” – Kristin Horowitz, CEO and founder of The Pad
The CWA Summit Returns To The Mountain West Region And The Salt Palace Convention Center, With Dates In April 2025
Boulder, Colo., 1/30/24 – The Climbing Wall Association (CWA) announces the 2025 CWA Summit will return to the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, taking place from April 15-19, 2025.
The CWA Summit will take place in the Mountain West region for the first time since the record attendance of 1,125 attendees at the 2022 CWA Summit in Salt Lake City. The first 12 CWA Summits all took place in the state of Colorado in Boulder and Loveland, and laid the groundwork for the CWA Summit becoming the biggest gathering in the indoor climbing industry.
“Salt Lake City is an incredible climbing city, full of amazing indoor climbing gyms and sits close to some of the world’s top climbing destinations just minutes from downtown, and we can’t wait to host another CWA Summit here,” says Garnet Moore, CWA Executive Director.
“The 2022 CWA Summit was incredibly successful, not just in attendance, which broke records, but also in the great community atmosphere and excitement about indoor climbing that was present. We are so excited to host our event here again.”
The CWA went through a rigorous vetting process to determine the location of the 2025 CWA Summit in the fall of 2023, determining Salt Lake City was the clear winner and finalizing the agreement in December of 2023.
In this process, the CWA was also able to adjust the dates of the CWA Summit to take place earlier in the Spring, choosing dates that have less crossover with the typical US and Canadian climbing competition schedule and avoiding graduation and other end-of-year dates on school calendars.
“Salt Lake City was the best option by far of the many cities we researched, offering more affordability, accessibility, and desirability to allow more indoor climbing industry members to attend,” says Moore.
“Being able to share the location of the CWA Summit earlier, along with the ability to adjust the dates of the conference, should make it even easier to make plans to join us for the 2025 CWA Summit.”
The 2022 CWA Summit took the event to a new level by moving to the Salt Palace Convention Center, allowing for a bigger and better event, offering more education sessions, vendor booth space on the expo floor, auxillary events, and networking opportunities.
The 2025 CWA Summit will take place in Salt Lake City from Wed., April 17 through Fri., April 19, 2025. Pre-conference workshops, featuring certification courses and exclusive professional development workshops, will take place Mon., April 15-Wed., April 17.
Registration will be available with a Super Special discount for CWA members immediately following the 2024 CWA Summit, starting on Fri., May 17, 2024. General registration for the 2025 CWA Summit will open Aug. 1, 2024.
More details on the 2025 CWA Summit will be announced later this year, including information on session speakers, learning tracks, event highlights, new content, and more.
About the CWA Summit
The CWA Summit is the indoor climbing industry’s biggest gathering in the indoor climbing industry offering attendees the chance to feel connected and get professional development that will grow your business and career.
Hosted by the Climbing Wall Association, the 2024 CWA Summit will be hosted in Portland, Ore., at the Oregon Convention Center from May 13-17, 2024. The CWA looks forward to welcoming attendees representing climbing facilities of all sizes, colleges and universities, recreation centers, military installations, top manufacturers, and more. The CWA Summit includes 14 pre-conference workshops and certification events, deep dives into the industry’s most important content in education sessions, the best networking experiences, the indoor climbing industry’s top trade show, and so much more.
For more information and ongoing updates, visit the CWA Summit Website.About the CWA
The CWA is a not-for-profit (501c6) industry trade association serving the needs of commercial climbing facility owners and operators, manufacturers of climbing walls and climbing wall equipment, skilled professionals, and other key industry stakeholders. The Climbing Wall Association imagines a world where everyone has access to climbing walls and the work to achieve that mission is rooted in serving those that provide that access.
As the indoor climbing industry grows, the CWA continues to lead in providing the resources necessary to nurture the sport of indoor climbing and industry stakeholders that support its advocacy; the development of industry standards; publication of relevant industry news, data and analysis; facilitating certification and professional development programs; and producing community-building and educational events. The CWA is the industry thought leader of professionalism, legislative action, and healthy growth of the sport of indoor climbing; protecting the interests of all who support the industry.
CBJ press releases are written by the sponsor and do not represent the views of the Climbing Business Journal editorial team.
Registration is now open for the 2024 NACS (Lead/Boulder/Speed) – USA Climbing Training Center and NACS (Boulder) – Vail GoPro Mountain Games! Competitors may also access the event Info Sheet, Preliminary Schedule, Volunteer Link, and hotel information for both events on the NACS Event Page.
To register, competitors must sign into their USA Climbing membership account and select the available “2024 NACS (Lead/Boulder/Speed) – USA Climbing Training Center” and/or “NACS (Boulder) – Vail GPMG” event(s), and follow the steps to complete registration. Once a competitor completes registration, a confirmation email will be received within 10 minutes. Competitors are encouraged to verify their name has populated on the “entry list” on the NACS Event Page to ensure a complete registration.
If the confirmation email isn’t received or the competitor’s name isn’t listed on the entry list, the competitor must notify USA Climbing at trevor@usaclimbing.org prior to the following registration deadlines.
NACS (Lead/Boulder/Speed) – USA Climbing Training Center:
NORMAL REGISTRATION PERIOD
Normal Registration Begins: Thursday, February 1 at 12:00 p.m. MT
1-Discipline Fee: $210, 2-Discipline Fee: $265, 3-Discipline Fee: $320
EXTENDED REGISTRATION PERIOD
Extended Registration Begins: Wednesday, April 10
1-Discipline Fee: $260, 2-Discipline Fee: $315, 3-Discipline Fee: $370
LATE REGISTRATION PERIOD
Late Registration Begins: Monday, April 15
Late Registration Deadline: Tuesday, April 23 at 12:00 p.m. MT
1-Discipline Fee: $460, 2-Discipline Fee: $515, 3-Discipline Fee: $570
NACS (Boulder) – Vail GoPro Mountain Games:
NORMAL REGISTRATION PERIOD
Normal Registration Begins: Thursday, February 1 at 12:00 p.m. MT
1-Discipline Fee: $210
EXTENDED REGISTRATION PERIOD
Extended Registration Begins: Thursday, May 23
1-Discipline Fee: $260
LATE REGISTRATION PERIOD
Late Registration Begins: Tuesday, May 28
Late Registration Deadline: Wednesday, June 5 at 12:00 p.m. MT
1-Discipline Fee: $460
Learn MoreCBJ press releases are written by the sponsor and do not represent the views of the Climbing Business Journal editorial team.
BOULDER, COLO – February 5, 2024 – Climbing Business Journal (“CBJ”)—the leading independent media outlet for climbing gym industry news—recently released its renowned Gyms and Trends report. The report chronicles and analyzes all the major industry happenings for the year 2023. More specifically, the report showcases the size and scope of the climbing gym industry in the United States, Canada and Mexico, exploring the various shifts, changes and evolutions that took place in climbing gyms of all types last year. For the first time, the report also features an interactive dashboard (available to CBJ Plus/Premium members), which delivers more in-depth analysis than ever before through maps, charts, graphs and tables of annual patterns over time. Additionally, the climbing gym industry’s unionizing efforts are explored at length, with explanations of recent union victories and mobilizing efforts by climbing gym employees.
The 11th annual Gyms and Trends 2023 report is jam-packed with data, analysis, and insider insights and opinions, and covers…
All the new climbing gym openings and closures of 2023, including brand expansions and acquisitions
The growth rate of the North American climbing gym industry, with economic underpinnings and implications
Mexico’s first-ever climbing gym industry trade show
Climbing gym average check-in and payment volume statistics, exclusively from Rock Gym Pro
Innovative products that hit the climbing gym market in 2023
A sneak peek of new climbing gyms that are planned for 2024 and beyond
Legal challenges and opportunities that loom on the horizon for climbing gym operators and managers
The full Gyms and Trends 2023 report can be accessed here, the interactive dashboard is available here (become a CBJ member here), and full digital assets can be found here. Climbing Business Journal editors are available for quotes, questions and full interviews.
Be sure to check out Climbing Business Journal’s Routesetting Trends of 2023 reporthere, a compendium to the Gyms and Trends 2023 report.
Stay up-to-date: Keep your finger on the pulse of the climbing industry by subscribing to weekly emails from Climbing Business Journal and listening to the Climbing Business Journal podcast. Read more stories at climbingbusinessjournal.com. Follow Climbing Business Journal on the most popular social media platforms (Instagram: @climbingjournal ,Twitter: @ClimbingJournal, Facebook: ClimbingBusinessJournal).
About Climbing Business Journal: Climbing Business Journal (“CBJ”) is one of the only independent news sources devoted to the climbing industry, and the preeminent source for information, news and advice on climbing gym developments. CBJ’s Gyms and Trends report is annually one of the most widely read comprehensive surveys of the climbing gym industry, and it has been a trusted authority and reference since its inaugural edition in 2013.
Contact:
Scott Rennak, Publisher
Climbing Business Journal
scott@climbingbusinessjournal.com
The bouldering boom reached record levels, climbing gym giants grew even bigger, new trade shows were organized, and more unions got underway in the North American industry last year. (Pictured: bouldering walls at Mesa Rim Austin, Mesa Rim’s sixth location and the largest new North American climbing gym in 2023; photo courtesy of Mesa Rim)So much happens in any one calendar year, and last year was no exception. In 2023, several developments in the climbing gym industry in North America proved significant enough to transcend the niche climbing gym space and garner headlines in the media at large. For example, one climbing gym chain—Movement—acquired additional facilities that quantitatively made Movement the largest climbing gym chain in the world. Elsewhere, one of the biggest industry news stories of 2023 revolved around a$6 million settlement pertaining to a 2019 auto belay accident at Vertical World in Seattle, Washington. In a wholly different legal realm, more employees unionized at climbing gyms last year than ever before (see below for more info). And as the calendar turned to 2024, climbing gym owners themselves were mobilizing in opposition of USA Climbing’s plans for a new National Training Center in Salt Lake City.The climbing industry experienced noteworthy global developments too, which included competitions around the world resulting in berths to the forthcoming Paris 2024 Olympics, and a Ukrainian gym parent company—SPACEGroup—opening a new gym and expanding a preexisting one despite the ongoing war (donate to Climb Army here).
Every one of these developments and others made 2023 a year unlike any other. Yet, when looking at the climbing gym industry in North America, specifically, by the numbers last year, the happenings around the continent were not necessarily unprecedented. That is to say, 2023 featured climbing gym industry trends that were mainly continuations or intensifications of preexisting trends from prior years, rather than trends that were new, emergent or otherwise unexpected. For instance, climbing gym developers continued to explore and locate new and untapped sections of the market for new gyms in 2023. (A full list of the new North American climbing gyms that opened in 2023 and leading developers/suppliers can be found here). And many established developers expanded their climbing gym business by adding new gym locations or acquiring preexisting ones—a trend that was heavily spotlighted in 2022.
Furthermore, 2023 saw a continuation of a bouldering-focused boom for climbing gym development (which likely contributed to an increased prevalence of training boards as gym amenities); a continued embrace by operators and brands of climbing industry gatherings and trade shows, including the launching of the Indoor Climbing Expo in the U.S. and CIMA in Mexico (see below for more details on the latter); and a continued presence of gym programming noted in prior years (including gym-to-crag offerings and DEI initiatives).For a deeper dive into the numbers this year, be sure to check out the first-ever Gyms & Trends interactive dashboard in tandem with this report (desktop works best). The dashboard includes 10 pages of dynamic maps, charts, graphs and tables depicting climbing gym growth trends in North America over the years (YoY openings/closures, top developers, 2024+ planned gyms, etc.), with plenty of ways to filter the data (states/provinces, bouldering-only, first location, etc.). The dashboard is available to all CBJ Plus and Premium members and requires a password (contact us if you have not received yours), and a short walk-through video tutorial can be found here. If your business is not yet a member, please consider joining at the following link. Your membership keeps our work going!
Growing Pains
For all intents and purposes, the lingering and far-reaching effects of the COVID-19 pandemic that hit the industry in 2020 continued to impact climbing gym businesses in 2023, much like they did in 2022 and 2021. These effects included ongoing issues with supply chains of materials necessary for gym construction, interest rate fluctuations, extensive delays in construction projects, and general wage issues for gym employees—issues felt by employees in most other industries in 2023 as well. “100% of our new gym [clients] this year opened later than planned due to issues getting holds, staff, or building permits,” says Miura Hawkins, CEO and founder of BETA.“The global economic landscape in 2023 is characterized by inflationary pressures and fluctuations in the cost of construction materials,” attest DÉLIRE co-founders Jeff Beaulieu and Lisa Lajoie. “Higher costs for building materials, labor, and operational expenses have led potential gym owners to be more cautious about opening new facilities.”At an operational level, 2023 also featured an abundance of lease-related issues for climbing gym owners, particularly in the U.S., with multiple gyms closing permanently due to the landlord either selling the property (in the case of ROCK’n & JAM’n Centennial in Colorado and GP81 in New York) or not extending the lease (in the case of Vertical World Redmond in Washington). In total, 21 climbing gyms closed their doors across the U.S. and Canada last year, second to only 2020 (26) for the most annual closures ever.It all amounted to a combined net climbing gym growth rate of 3.6% for the U.S. and Canada, the lowest net growth rate for the industry since 2006 (1.2%). More specifically, a total of 48 new climbing gyms opened across the U.S. and Canada in 2023, or 27 net gyms after subtracting the closures. This figure equated to the second year in a row of a notably slowed growth rate for the industry on the whole, a far cry from the 21st-century best 11.3% net growth rate of 2017.
The Big Picture
Granted, the slowed growth rate—as an extension of 2022’s slowed rate—was not entirely surprising. As noted in previous years’ Gyms and Trends reports, many gyms that opened in the past few years possessed developmental or construction roots that predated the COVID-19 pandemic. However, by 2023, the climbing gym industry had reached a point where most new gym projects (with few exceptions) were entirely post-2020—and since many developers did not start projects during the peak of the pandemic, a lag or dip in growth rate was to be expected at some point. “I think this was the inevitable slowdown due to post-COVID recovery and it was just delayed,” says Jackie Hueflte, co-owner of Kilter. “Hopefully, people will start to be in a position now where they can move forward again.”Moreover, it’s worth noting that the total number of new climbing gyms throughout the U.S. and Canada in 2023 (48) was still much higher than the annual industry average of 27. In fact, when panning back even further and comparing historical figures in the climbing industry to other industries’, the relative success of climbing gym businesses is rather remarkable. When looking at climbing gyms that opened from 1987-2018, for instance, climbing gym operation across the U.S. and Canada carried a 93% success rate, when measured as new climbing gyms that stayed in business for at least five years. Comparatively, this success rate is far higher than the success rate for adjacent industries. Consider that fitness studios carry a 81% failure rate in the first year of doing business, according to an IHRSA article. And small businesses, in general, have a roughly 50% failure rate by the fifth year, according to analysis of data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.Additionally, the quantity and lifespan of gyms are not the only measures of success; revenue and customer traffic are also indicative of the strength of gym businesses, and there too the climbing industry has been showing signs of overall health. Based on global climbing gym data provided by Rock Gym Pro, averaging monthly check-ins at gyms using RGP increased by about 11% from 2022 to 2023. That growth took place at climbing gyms of all sizes: When splitting the data into four roughly equal quartiles of 150+ gyms per quartile—small, medium, large and extra-large—average monthly check-ins increased by at least 7% from 2022 to 2023 for all four groups. And when looking at average monthly payment volume at gyms using RGP and similarly dividing the data into four quartiles of 150+ gyms, all four groups showed stable revenues over the course of 2023.Furthermore, as the total number of climbing gyms in existence increases, year-to-year growth rates can be mathematically expected to shrink over time, even while the net number of gyms being added to the market each year remains high, and such was again the case in 2023. On average, the U.S. and Canadian industry grew by a combined 40 net climbing gyms annually from 2014-2023, tied with 2013-2022 for the best ten-year period ever. So, while 2023 possessed an amplification of many of the same woes as 2022 for climbing gym owners and operators, it also provided a reminder of the multi-year strength and economic durability of climbing gym operation.
Corners of the Market
Geographically, the 48 new climbing gyms that opened across the U.S. and Canada spanned 30 states/provinces—the broadest spread since 2011. The prevalence of new climbing gyms far and wide not only speaks to climbing’s popularity on the continent, but it also highlights gym developers’ penchant for finding new, untapped corners of the market.At a more granular level, 2023 featured an uptick in new climbing gyms opening for the first time in smaller and mid-level markets. Based on 2021 five-year American Community Survey data for metropolitan/micropolitan core-based statistical areas (reported by the U.S. Census Bureau), 53% of new U.S. climbing gyms in 2023 opened in markets with a population under 1 million—the highest annual percentage since 2016. Some of the smallest markets included Hilo, Hawaii (Kona Cliffs); Gettysburg (Warehouse Rocks) and Erie (ASCEND Erie), Pennsylvania; and Coeur d’Alene, Idaho (Coeur Climbing Co.). Even larger cities than these—such as Green Bay, Wisconsin (Odyssey), and Toledo, Ohio (Adventus)—received their first-ever climbing gym.In many cases, the markets receiving a new gym were suburbs or outskirts of much larger markets, but still separate enough by geography or commerce to present a customer base independent of that of the larger city. “Top and second tier locations have gyms, so developers have been looking to smaller towns/cities in order to grow the sport,” summed up Allison Justice, Marketing Director at EP USA.As an extension of these trends, 2023 also saw the continuation of some developers setting up shop near major colleges and universities. These new gyms included Apex Climbing in Indiana (near the University of Notre Dame), Climb Conway in Arkansas (near the University of Central Arkansas), and Capital Climbing in South Carolina (near the University of South Carolina). This trend was significant because sometimes the nearby colleges already offered climbing in the form of a wall at the college’s rec center or weekend trips via the college’s outdoor recreation programming, yet the market—anchored by a substantial student population—was still viewed as robust enough to support additional climbing offerings not associated with the college in a direct way.
Giants Get Bigger
Another trend that merits analysis is the aforementioned profusion of expansions and acquisitions throughout North America in 2023. Again, there was likely some financial explanation for this trend: By acquiring existing facilities rather than growing organically through the construction of new ones, climbing gym developers avoid some of the challenges noted above that come with starting a completely new gym project from scratch and can typically grow their business at a much faster rate—a factor which is important to potential investors.“Since COVID, we have noticed a growing trend among the biggest climbing gym chains: acquire existing facilities,” observes Laura Cole, Product Leader at Rock Gym Pro. “Although acquiring an existing business provides its own set of complex issues, there is an argument to be made that it can be the more affordable option compared to establishing a new location from scratch. So, instead of seeing new gyms popping up around the world, we are seeing an increase in facilities changing ownership.”In terms of acquisitions, Movement stole the show in 2023. The coast-to-coast climbing gym operator acquired (and rebranded) nine gyms altogether last year (four Summit Climbing + Fitness locations and all five The Cliffs locations). Other climbing gym acquisitions throughout the year took place in Colorado, with Wooden Mountain becoming Loveland Climbing Collective and ROCK’n & JAM’n Thornton joining The Spot; and North Carolina, where Inner Peaks teamed up with Philadelphia Rock Gym.
Climbing gym chains can also have an advantage when it comes to opening new facilities, having an existing body of development and operational know-how off which to build and established financials to show banks and investors. “As an assumption, it seems the larger developers have the money/credit to use vs. the first-time developer,” added Chris Morgan, Climbing Sales Director and Product Line Manager at UCS. To that point, the percentage of new climbing gyms in the U.S. and Canada last year that were expansions of gym chains (50%) was the highest annual percentage since 2014 (51%).
Bouldering Booms in Canada
As mentioned at the onset, a vast majority of the growth in all markets in 2023 was via bouldering-focused facilities, which remain extremely popular for developers in part because they generally have lower startup and operational overhead costs and can be completed faster than larger, full-service facilities. In fact, across the U.S. and Canada, CBJ can assert that the average annual quantity of new bouldering-focused gyms from 2014-2023 was the highest of any ten-year period in the industry’s history (29), and the percent of bouldering-focused gyms compared to roped/mixed gyms over that ten-year span was the highest ever as well (53%).The proliferation of bouldering and expansion gyms across the continent is especially pronounced in Canada, specifically, where 80% of new climbing gyms were bouldering-focused and 60% were expansions in 2023. “Bouldering gyms are opening up in many urban areas, offering enthusiasts a chance to practice climbing without the need for extensive equipment,” affirms Robert Jamison, in charge of Business Development at Ontario-based IMPACT.As in 2022, Quebec led the way in new climbing gym development in Canada, with developers DÉLIRE, UPLIFY and Bloc Shop all adding new locations in the province. Ontario, as well, gained multiple gym additions (Altitude Gym’s Orléans expansion gym and Reach Indoor Climbing). Also like last year, the net climbing gym growth rate in the country for 2023 (5.8%) was bolstered by few commercial climbing gyms—just one in 2023 (9eh Eastern Bloc in Ontario)—closing their doors.Within the gyms, business leaders at IMPACT and DÉLIRE are seeing an ongoing shift in the industry—in Canada and elsewhere—toward more ecological practices and community building. “Environmental consciousness has permeated the climbing community. Gyms are making efforts to be more sustainable, using eco-friendly holds and building materials, and promoting Leave No Trace principles among climbers,” says Jamison. And Beaulieu and Lajoie say, “Climbing gyms are placing a strong emphasis on community building. They are hosting more events, workshops and competitions to foster a sense of belonging among members. This trend aligns with the social nature of climbing, encouraging inclusivity and cooperation.”2023 was a big year for Singular Climbing, a new bouldering gym which opened its doors to the public and hosted the first climbing industry trade show in Mexico last year. (Photo of the new gym courtesy of Singular Climbing)
First Trade Show in Mexico
Arguably the biggest news related to Mexico’s climbing gym industry in 2023 did not have to do with a single climbing gym or gym chain. Rather, it was that Mexico featured its first-ever climbing industry trade show, CIMA, hosted by newly-opened Singular Climbing in Valle de Bravo in August. (Cima is the Spanish word for “summit;’ some videos of the CIMA panel sessions are available in Spanish here). Topics of the panel sessions included best practices for climbing gym ownership and operation, the future of routesetting, and climbing facility construction.On the whole, the CIMA trade show indicated a large step forward, toward greater networking and synergy, for Mexico’s climbing gym industry. The trade show featured a Mexico-based climbing wall builder Muta Climbing, equipment developers (Acopa and MX), distributors (Vertimania, Exposure Climbing, Rabbit Mountain, Deporte Habitat and others), and gym operators from Adamanta, Sierra Elevation, Motion Boulder, Pico Norte, Singular Climbing and more. Routesetters and entrepreneurs looking to open gyms in Mexico in the future were also in attendance. “For me, [CIMA] was a magical experience, since CIMA got us all together and we could learn from different generations of climbers who are now living from their work in the climbing industry,” Javier Díaz of Sierra Elevation told CBJ.The acquisition of Sierra Elevation (pictured) expanded Adamanta’s gym footprint further north in Mexico and added a second roped facility to the climbing gym chain. (Photo courtesy of Adamanta / Sierra Elevation)In terms of gym data, one climbing gym in Mexico permanently closed in 2023: Corazón de Piedra in Durango. Offsetting that closure was the Singular Climbing opening and opening of a Pico Norte expansion gym (Pico Norte Climbing Tec Zone) in Monterrey. Along with such developments came news in November 2023 of a merger between Adamanta and Sierra Elevation gyms, which expanded Mexico’s largest climbing gym chain.Beyond facility development, another big trend in Mexico throughout 2023 was overarching improvements, logistically and quantitatively, of climbing competitions in the country. For instance, Motion Boulder held a competition called “Get It,” which proved greatly popular; Adamanta held a series of competitions—“Lead Smash” and “Boulder Smash” (with a “Kids Smash” competition still forthcoming); and Pico Norte hosted “Summit Masters” and “Youth Masters” competitions. A number of high-profile competitors from the U.S.—including Nathaniel Coleman—traveled to Mexico to take part in some of the competitions. “I think the Mexican climbing industry has realized, especially big commercial gyms and big outdoor/climbing brands, that these big competitions are worth the investment and bring new types of customers who never [before] saw climbing as a sport,” Díaz stated.Workers at Vertical Endeavors (pictured) were among the latest climbing gym employees in the industry to vote in favor of organizing a formal union. (Photo courtesy of Vertical Endeavors Workers United)
More Unions Are on the Way
As previously mentioned, 2023 saw a measurable increase in formal unionizing efforts at climbing gyms around the U.S. Such efforts date back to 2021, when workers at Movement Crystal City in Virginia voted in favor of unionization and later became the first climbing gym union to be certified by the National Labor Relations Board. “Our main priority continues to be bargaining for a fair contract. We are also beginning conversations around elections for our board/formal structure,” says Crystal City organizer Wendy Low. Since then, employees at 15 more climbing gyms have followed suit. At the tail end of 2022, workers at VITAL’s West Harlem and Upper East gyms in Manhattan received their union certification, and months later workers at VITAL Brooklyn received theirs. Organizing together as Climbers United, the VITAL workers are expected to sign the first climbing gym union contract agreement in the coming weeks.“Soon after signing, the Brooklyn bargaining committee will begin negotiations over an addendum that will cover issues discussed by workers of all classifications at the Williamsburg location,” says VITAL organizer Aaron Vanek. “We’re looking forward to seeing the progress we know we’ll be able to make, and are excited to continue making headway for workers in the climbing industry. We’re incredibly motivated by the recent climbing gym union victories at Movement Callowhill and Vertical Endeavors, and stand in solidarity with the team at Movement Crystal City…”
Those two union victories mentioned by Vanek both took place before the calendar turned to 2024. In Minnesota, workers at five Vertical Endeavors gyms—VE Bloomington, VE Minneapolis, VE St. Paul, Twin Cities Bouldering and VE Duluth—won their union election in November, represented by their local chapters of the United Food and Commercial Workers union. In addition to the breadth of the union—per a press release, about 90 people are employed across the bargaining unit—also noteworthy about the case was the NLRB’sdecision that shift managers at the gyms are statutory employees rather than supervisors under the National Labor Relations Act and are therefore eligible to participate in the election and union, which may set a precedent for future rulings. The press release stated that employees at the nearby Nicros business, as well, are planning to unionize and “will be filing as a separate bargaining unit.”Most recently, in December workers at the newly acquired Movement Callowhill gym in Pennsylvania became the latest Movement employees to vote in favor of unionization and are awaiting certification from the NLRB. Shortly after their election, workers at Movement Gowanus—another acquired gym—announced they’ll soon be having a union election of their own. And already in January, workers at five Touchstone gyms in Southern California—The Post (Pasadena), Hollywood Boulders (Hollywood), Verdigo Boulders (Burbank), Cliffs of ID (Culver City) and LA Boulders (DTLA)—announced their intent to unionize. Similar to the VITAL and Crystal City unions, the Touchstone,Gowanus and Callowhill organizers are being represented by their regional Workers United joint boards.
In other news at Movement, gym members in Chicago began mobilizing in December when Movement reportedly canceled fitness and yoga programs in the area and laid off employees in the area on relatively short notice. A petition started by the Chi Movement Solidarity organizers went live on January 8th. However, a union is not currently underway. Of note is that all the above collective actions have been taking place at climbing gym chains in the industry, a trend that has accompanied the burgeoning expansion trend.
Looking Ahead
Many of the developments in 2023 will likely have ripple effects that will continue into future years—but it’s too early to gauge exactly how or to what degree. As an illustration, it’s probable that more gyms will be challenged by lease issues in the coming years as more longstanding leases expire and more buildings change ownership. This matter seems particularly likely with older gyms and gyms operating in real estate markets that have substantially appreciated since the time of the gym’s opening.Additionally, even though Vertical World largely refuted the details presented about that aforesaid auto belay accident that resulted in a multi-million-dollar settlement, the fact that a climbing gym and an auto belay manufacturer had to collectively pay millions of dollars will likely have long-lasting reverberations in the industry for years to come. New gym developers will likely consider the magnitude of that settlement in a cost/benefit ratio when deciding whether (or how best) to offer auto belays to a customer base.At a more general level, 51 planned climbing gyms are currently scheduled to open across the U.S. and Canada in 2024 or after, which will include more expansion projects from larger gym chains: Six additional facilities are planned for The Gravity Vault, three for Central Rock, Movement and Sender One, and two apiece for Rock Spot, Touchstone and VITAL. Over half of these planned gyms will offer roped climbing walls (57%), which would be the largest annual percentage since 2016 (60%) if they all open in 2024; although, as previously noted, roped/mixed gyms can take more time to finish.Whether or not the upcoming Paris Olympics will translate to increased gym development (or increased customer numbers for preexisting gyms) in North America remains to be seen. But 2023 certainly featured a trend of more “comp style” routesetting for a wide customer base at gyms—and this trend will likely continue in the coming year. “I think American gyms have a lot of catching up to do with the rest of the world, and not just the routesetters but the customers too. What we refer to as ‘compy’ tends to be fairly common everywhere else,” says Vini Campos, Head Routesetter for Movement Gowanus. (Read more about the routesetting trends of 2023 in the companion read to this article.)In a growing industry like climbing’s, one thing’s for sure: 2024 is poised to be another fascinating year for commercial climbing gyms, in North America and around the world.
Methodology
CBJ is dedicated to researching and accurately reporting on climbing business activity in the industry. We strive to always be data-driven. The industry growth rate and accompanying data were compiled through several different source avenues and are completely original and proprietary to CBJ. Any climbing gym is welcome—and encouraged—to update or add their information to CBJ’s comprehensive gym map and dataset here.Thank you to everyone who has supported and furthered this research, including the researchers who devoted many hours to collecting and fact-checking the gym data and the industry insiders who contributed keen insights, observations and opinions on the industry activity of 2023. And thanks to the team who has long supported CBJ’s research, in particular Joe Robinson (who put together the dashboard) and John Burgman (who wrote much of this report), Madeleine Eichorn and Amalia Wompa (who researched gym data), Naomi Stevens, Jamie Strong, CBJ publisher Scott Rennak, CBJ founders Mountain Helt and Marlowe Kulley, and map data guru Jon Lachelt.
It’s been our vision from the beginning to create a leading climbing business platform in the industry by offering enterprise-level business solutions for the average small business owner. Approach’s platform is designed to help business owners scale and expand by leveraging business analytics, state of the art features (like weekly memberships), and an exceptional customer experience on mobile devices—an experience, we promise, which is only going to get better in 2024.
We know we’ve at least partially fulfilled this vision, because we’ve:
1) Helped seven Approach owners and operators expand into new locations in 2023.
2) Doubled the amount of locations we serve in a year to over 150.
3) Onboarded our biggest multi-location clients to date.
We feel honored and a very appropriate sense of fear and trembling to serve some of the biggest gyms in the U.S., and it is our goal to work with all of them. Obviously, doing so would improve Approach’s financial future, but you have to understand that, for us, we still view ourselves as a young company, and what we are desperate for more of is getting beaten up by better and bigger businesses. In 2023, our larger partnerships were marked by a mutual striving for excellence that has been so beneficial to Approach. We won’t speak for those clients, but to say that we’ve been sharpened would be an understatement, and that sharpening has and will continue to positively create change in the industry.
Like any fast-growing, scrappy software startup, 2023 had both ups and downs for Approach, but a refined process and slew of product updates—including an inventory management facelift (pictured) in testing—has the Approach team amped for 2024. (All images courtesy of Approach)
2023 was also not an amazing year for Approach.
In many ways this year, our team over promised and under delivered. Maybe some would argue that that’s just the nature of a software startup, but we think that’s a dumb excuse. It’s not to say we didn’t work our faces off (many times late into the night!), but in all sorts of ways we’ve been stretched as a team with the growing responsibilities of success and didn’t always have the foresight to catch an issue before it happened. We are happy to say that when we did fail, we did everything in our power, every time, to correct those issues and make things right. (More on our failures at the end…)
2024 will be Approach’s best year yet.
So, why will 2024 be our best year yet? What gives us confidence?
Three things: 1) our team growth, 2) our product lineup, 3) our refined process.
Team Growth
One of the brilliant things about what we’ve done as a company is build our software on modern technology, and what’s amazing to us is that we’ve been recognized for it and are receiving a tremendous amount of attention and financial backing by our investors. We believe in ourselves (a good thing), but they believe in us too (a better thing!).
In our opinion, we already are the most development heavy team in the industry—excluding the software companies that look at us like a little roach, an image we perversely like—with ten full-time developers on the team, and we are excitedly finishing the process of hiring three new developers right now. (Read: more firepower!)
Also, on January 1st, we hired our first-ever Customer Success Manager at Approach, who is an absolute gift to us, contributing skills in process refinement and strategy as well as his love of the climbing world. You will meet him. You will love him. He is not taking job offers. We believe that as we get some more things in place in the next month or so, we’ll also be able to continue to beef up our support team to serve Approach users better. That is a lift everyone needs!
Approach’s development heavy team knows where attention to detail matters most, and features like embedded climb location maps (pictured) are just scratching the surface.
Product Lineup
In 2023, we shipped nine major multi-month projects and also over thirty major features, enhancements, or “quality of life” asks that you requested! From our perspective, nobody is building at the pace we are building, because what we are doing and how we are doing it is different, and “different is better than better”—a quote we love from Jay Kuhlman, a visionary for our company.
That being said, there are still many things to finish and create. In Quarter 1 this year, you can expect the following:
1) Marketing by location, which allows for location-based settings around marketing and branding related to an unsubscribe workflow. (Phase 1: COMPLETE. Phase 2: IN TESTING)
2) Product by location: a massive inventory management facelift—it’s gorgeous. (IN TESTING)
3) Points Rewards by location, enabling you to incentivize loyalty for your business and offer customers the ability to redeem points for items you determine. (IN TESTING as of Feb. 2)
4) Routesetting management phase 1—we’ll tell you about it on CBJ in our next story. It’s spectacular and going to create waves. (IN TESTING).
Other enhancements to expect: quality of life enhancements related to all things calendaring (bookings list functionality, re-configuring portal view for multi-day events and easier navigation, etc.).
Managing the core product in a climbing gym is about to get easier for routesetters in 2024, with Approach’s routesetting management tool (more details coming soon).
Refined Process
The most crucial thing we learned in 2023, and it is a reality, ironically, born out of our successes, is that nothing matters more to our product than the team behind it. Most of our failures as a team were self-inflicted. It’s apparently a well-known fact, which we really just learned at the end of last fall, that once a business crests the 15-employee mark (which we did last May), all hell can break loose if you don’t have the processes in place. And while it’s certainly not been hell—there is too much laughter and tomfoolery at Approach to use that idiom—we have yet to really dial in our processes.
That being said, the reason why you should bet on us in 2024 is because we’re delivering, in terms of our process, Approach 2.0 in Quarter 1. 90 days. The changes should be palpable.
What does this mean? It means that we are overhauling all our processes to ensure that the Approach team is equipped to manage our success and not squander it.
How will this happen? It already is happening, and our team couldn’t be happier. We’ve additionally hired two senior-level positions to streamline our processes and are all working together to organize our future. These new hires include:
1) A world-class Director of Development, who is refining our agile development process, so that we can better predict timelines, fulfill our promises to customers, and give our talented developers more space to crank out much-needed improvements.
2) A skilled Director of Customer Success, who is helping the customer success team establish processes across all customer interactions, which will allow Approach to do a better job of listening, problem solving and, ultimately, serving our awesome owners.
At its core, the key to Approach’s software and success is far more human than machine. “…Nothing matters more to our product than the team behind it,” says Bennett Potter.
As a team in 2023, we succeeded ten times more than we failed, but we still failed too much. We are so excited for what lies before us in 2024, and we are so thankful for all we’ve learned as a team.
Never have we had the infrastructure that is now being put in place, and we’ve been encouraged that if we can streamline our processes, then we can keep expanding our team. That means good things for you and good things for us!
If you’ve never met us, you should.
We build software, and we love to party! Cheers to 2024!
About the Author
Bennett Potter is currently the Lead Product Owner and UX Designer for Approach. He is a decently loving husband and father to five children. He looks forward to welcoming a sixth “child” into the world soon: Approach’s Routesetting Management. In his free time, he enjoys one thing: trolling his older (but smaller) brother.
This story was paid for by the sponsor and does not necessarily represent the views of the Climbing Business Journal editorial team.
Top-of-mind for many US climbing gym managers (and coaches, setters, athletes) is the situation with the proposed USAC National Training Center in Salt Lake City. The issue blew up in late December, we’ve been covering it, and you’ll find fresh updates below. Beyond that drama, in the UK new guidance for gyms and an athlete health policy have been released. Plus a few podcasts with top athletes, IFSC grips, setting trends, and more.See The Freshest Job Posts Here
CBJ hosts the most active job board for climbing businesses and organizations. Below are the latest posts from this past week…RoutesetterTerra Firma Bouldering Co.
Grand Rapids, MI
“As a route setter you are responsible for working with the team toward a shared setting vision, creating functional, approachable, and aesthetically interesting routes. The routes must be inclusive to the full spectrum of height and strength. You are expected to communicate and collaborate effectively with the setting team and be open to criticism through the setting process. Our team embraces the spirit of collaboration. Setters are role models; therefore, it is expected to be a good ambassador and steward of climbing for both Terra Firma and the climbing community at large.”
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CBJ hosts the most active job board for climbing businesses and organizations. Below are the latest posts from this past week…
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Bennett Potter is currently the Lead Product Owner and UX Designer for Approach. He is a decently loving husband and father to five children. He looks forward to welcoming a sixth “child” into the world soon: Approach’s Routesetting Management. In his free time, he enjoys one thing: trolling his older (but smaller) brother.
CBJ hosts the most active job board for climbing businesses and organizations. Below are the latest posts from this past week…
