Photo by Andrew Gonzalez, courtesy of Indoor Climbing Expo
Congrats to SupR, winner of the CBJ Grip Showcase Chattanooga!
It’s a beautiful sight…clean routes spaced across the walls of the gym, nothing extra, only one way up, challenging movements…
Attendees at the Grip Showcase Chattanooga got that and more! The crew at Synergy Climbing & Ninja threw a sick party, with bumping music, tasty brews, and filled with friends new and old. It was truly special to have so many of the shapers of the Showcase holds in the room for the party—about half of the artists themselves were onsite! It was the perfect way to end the busy day after the inaugural Indoor Climbing Expo.
Every brand sent gorgeous holds, but we must congratulate SupR for winning the vote for the Grip Showcase Chattanooga Award! Everyone loved climbing on their Majestic family of holds.
The vote was close, scores are out of 5 stars:
Special thanks to Synergy’s routesetting crew who made every route a thing of beauty:
Davis Stewart (head setter), Teryn Schwind, Chris Little and Langdon Johnson.
Don’t miss the next CBJ Grip Showcase Portland at the Portland Rock Gym during the CWA Summit on May 16th!
Outdoor rock climbing can be seasonal, but indoor climbing is year-round. Climbers need a reason to keep coming back; new routes equal new challenges. And new challenges require new holds.Trango Holds (formerly known as E-Grips), a leader in climbing hold development and industry leader in grip innovation, introduces the Deltas, a brand-new range of holds designed for gyms, home walls, and everything from local to Olympic competitions. The Deltas, designed and crafted in the United States, are made from high quality polyurethane, the most durable hold material available. The Deltas are shaped by Alton Richardson, a long-time Colorado-based climber, photographer and filmmaker. Richardson notes that the shapes were inspired by his own work as a route setter and photographer. “I spent so much time working with shapers, it seemed natural to extend my own creativity to the art,” says Richardson, noting that the Delta name reflects the ever-changing craft of route setting. “Delta is the Greek letter for change,” says Richardson, “and that is what route setting is all about. The new Deltas come in shapes and sizes that range from tiny footholds and small edges to rails, pinches, slopers and jugs. “From a climber’s perspective, it’s difficult to gauge how good any of the holds are as you approach them as they all look the same from below,” says Richardson. “It can make for a fun onsight experience and will serve competition route setting well. I also focused on versatility, especially on volumes. The Delta’s complement any existing hold inventory and serve the commercial route setter who wants to create engaging and positional movement. The Delta’s truly shine in the competition setting simply due to their range, versatility and pre-equipped multiple attachment options.”Trango Holds (formerly known as E-Grips), leads the industry in hold shapes and the variety of materials deployed. The brand developed the first PU holds in the late 1990s, and now offers more hold materials (hence shapes, finishes and sizes) than any other brand, including PE, PU, GRU (glass reinforced urethane), GRP (glass reinforced polyester) as well ABS, a partially recycled material, that in turn, is 100 percent recyclable, lightweight, and extremely durable. Trango Holds offers 20+ styles and a team of world-class shapers. About Trango:Founded in Boulder, Colorado in 1991, Trango is an athlete driven brand, dedicated to challenging the status quo of climbing and dedicated to advancing indoor gym technology. At Trango, we create innovative equipment that climbers trust. Our company is passionate about creating innovative, solution-oriented products that help climbers pursue the sport we love. You can count on Trango gear to deliver something extra, something special that will contribute to your day climbing, indoors or out.CBJ press releases are written by the sponsor and do not represent the views of the Climbing Business Journal editorial team.
Dallas, TX 1/15 –Bouldering Project, an innovator in the growing climbing gym industry, is pleased to announce the acquisition of Oso Climbing Gyms in Dallas, Texas. Oso, a 35,000-square-foot facility opened in May of 2020. The gym offers 8,500-square-feet of bouldering terrain, a dedicated yoga and fitness studio with a full schedule of classes and open, multi-use fitness spaces. Oso Climbing, now Bouldering Project Dallas located in the Design District, becomes the twelfth Bouldering Project location in the U.S. and the third in Texas.
“We couldn’t be more honored to officially bring Oso into the Bouldering Project family. Like BP, Oso was built on a commitment to building amazing community through access to high quality climbing, yoga, and fitness. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to bring them in, and scale this vision in the Dallas Market.” – Kyle Wiggins, Market Director
The Bouldering Project sees a high-quality facility and group of team members at Oso. They are committed to the local staff, members, and neighbors of Oso, and are excited to welcome them into the Bouldering Project community.
“We are beyond excited to be joining Bouldering Project. We were so inspired by Bouldering Project when coming up with the idea for Oso that it’s inherently a natural fit to take the next step in our journey with them. Bouldering Project’s dedication to innovation, community engagement, and world class facilities align seamlessly with Oso’s vision. The collaboration opens up new possibilities for enhancing our offerings and building on a strong foundation of a healthy culture that we are so proud of.” Kyle Smith, General Manager of Bouldering Project Dallas
About Bouldering Project
Founded in Seattle in 2011, Bouldering Project prides itself on creating dynamic and inclusive spaces for climbers to push athletic boundaries and build community through movement. Today, Bouldering Project operates 12 gyms in nine cities across the US with more locations in the works. For more information, visit boulderingproject.com.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Charlotte Holbein charlotte.holbein@boulderingproject.comCBJ press releases are written by the sponsor and do not represent the views of the Climbing Business Journal editorial team.
Ripon, CA– What do Top Golf and Alpine have in common? We’re going to be neighbors!
Alpine is excited to announce that we’ve acquired 1.876 acres of dirt in Roseville, California and have obtained Stage 2 approvals from the City for the the project. We are stoked to be bringing a world class climbing facility to the Eastern Sacramento area.
The 30,000+ SF indoor rock-climbing gym will be located at 1730 Freedom Way within the Freedom Point Development. The site fronts HWY 65 and is adjacent to Top Golf. The site has been designed that Top Golf patrons will have a view into the gym from the platform hitting golf balls.
Alpine will house more than 20,000+/- SF of climbing walls including a 60’ lead wall, 15 Meter IFSC speed wall, 16’ bouldering walls, a dedicated training area with adjustable boards, and an Adventure Center (a dedicated kids climbing area). Travelers along HWY 65 will be afforded the ability to see climbers in the gym through the 16’ high by 100’+ wide window facing the highway.
The gym will feature over 2,500 SF of free weights, cardio equipment and a 1,500 SF yoga studio. Additionally, the gym will host competitive USA Climbing Region 21 Events and recreational youth programs and feature large common working areas allowing members and guests to foster creativity in a unique working environment.
Construction is projected to begin in the spring of 2024!
About Alpine: Founded in 2020, Alpine exists to serve our community by inspiring them to safely pursue their passion and live life on adventure.
CBJ press releases are written by the sponsor and do not represent the views of the Climbing Business Journal editorial team.
The newest, recyclable Mercy holds are the product of a collaboration between France-based innovators ArtLine and Ghold. (All images courtesy of ArtLine)Recycling has been changing the game in the climbing holds sector. Now, ArtLine is marketing recyclable and recycled holds made from Ghold’s injection molding technology.
A Green Sport, but a Dirty Industry
Indoor climbing has its roots in nature, and these origins are reflected in the ecological awareness of even the most urban climbers. Yet despite this passion, climbing holds have primarily been made from thermosetting plastic, which has negative impacts on the environment.To give you an idea, on average 1 kg of polyurethane holds emits 11.84 kg of C02 throughout its life cycle, according to ArtLine’s calculations. In other words, one hold equals a 30 to 60 mile journey in a gas-driven car. In addition, there is currently no conventional process for disposing of old holds. For the most part, they are thrown in the trash and either buried or incinerated.Based on ArtLine’s estimates, polyurethane and polyester grips have a relatively short lifespan, when considered in terms of peak texture years—a problem Ghold has been trying to address.
Ghold’s Golden Ticket
After several years of research, Ghold has developed a solution for manufacturing recycled, 100% recyclable holds. Their patented innovation combines a highly technical recyclable material with an industrial manufacturing process. Their objective? To become tomorrow’s hold manufacturer for European brands, such as Artline, Entre-Prises, Inspir and others. The first partnerships are already taking shape.Ghold founders (from left to right) Hugo Pheuplin, Sébastien Leprivey and Benoit Jacquot-Bertrand at their factory (far right).The holds produced with Ghold’s 23-carat raw material can be recycled up to 10 times without any loss of quality; plus, the carbon impact is halved from the first time of recycling. Worn holds are collected, crushed and recycled into new generations of holds—all without affecting the quality of the grain or the durability of the product. Recyclability, made in France, a circular economy…Ghold aims to take its innovation worldwide and make recycling the standard rather than the exception in the climbing holds sector.ArtLine holds made by Ghold can be returned at the end of their life and ground down to be made into new holds.
Shifting to Sustainable Alternatives
The team atArtLinehas always been concerned about its environmental impact and looking for new technologies to invent the climbing of tomorrow. When the two companies’ paths crossed, ArtLine naturally decided to transfer part of its production to Ghold, starting with their best-seller, the Mercy holds, in smaller sizes (S to L).ArtLine founder Brice Anziutti inspects one of the new thermoplastic Mercy holds, which are recyclable.Part of the ProLine range, Mercy holds are designed for both commercial and competition setting environments. They are technical holds with subtle grips, sometimes requiring minute foot and hand adjustments to find the optimal position. All sorts of combinations are possible, so setters can give free rein to their creativity.The Mercy holds pack includes recyclable thermoplastic and dual-tex varieties.The holds that Ghold manufactures can be recycled up to 10 times. They can be identified by a logo on the side of the hold. A QR code on the back ensures traceability. Holds are returned by simply scanning the QR code and printing out a free return slip. This system has been up and running since December, so now is the time to get your hands on some recyclable ArtLine holds by Ghold!Check out the Mercy range manufactured by Ghold here.Mercy holds are handy additions to any setter’s closet.[Editor’s Note: This story was paid for by the sponsor and does not necessarily represent the views of the Climbing Business Journal editorial team. After additional fact-checking, an estimate of climbing hold disposal was removed from this article on July 12, 2024.]
Varied and interesting news and resources below. Podcasts for comp, industry, and lifestyle fans. Volunteer opportunities. Recaps from CWA, ICE, and CAC. Resources for coaches. Fresh grip shapes. And coverage of recent USAC issues.Best wishes to all the setters, coaches and managers prepping for US Youth Regionals!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…Head CoachHigh Point Climbing and Fitness
Birmingham, AL
“High Point Climbing And Fitness: Birmingham is seeking a dynamic and experienced individual to join our team as the Head Coach for our Youth Climbing Club and Team. This is a fantastic opportunity to contribute to the growth and development of young climbers while fostering a supportive and engaging environment.”
JOB SEEKER TIPS:
100 resume buzzwords to include (and 30 to avoid)
By CareerBuilder
“It’s important to use buzzwords in your resume because they grab attention, and your resume won’t get read unless it gets noticed. To illustrate, imagine two applicants for the same job who have the same qualifications, experience, and skills. One applicant writes that they’re a “seasoned professional” who was “responsible for team projects.” The other applicant says they “designed data infrastructure projects and coordinated the activities of a five-member team for six years.” Both are essentially saying the same thing, but the second one uses stronger, more specific words that distinguish their qualifications. Buzzwords gave them an advantage.”Read the full article here
Touchstone Climbing has two new climbing gyms on the horizon, one of which is being constructed in a historic movie theater (pictured) dating back to 1925. (All images courtesy of Touchstone Climbing)
Touchstone – The Oaks
Berkeley, California
Specs: Touchstone Climbing, a California-based climbing gym chain and one of the largest in North America, is making headway on two new locations. The business first announced plans for The Oaks and Class 5 in 2019, but “the pandemic had a significant impact on the construction timeline of both gyms,” said Heather Bellgreen, Marketing Director at Touchstone. “We also had, and currently have, multiple projects going on, which always complicates things. In addition, The Oaks is a historic building, and trying to maintain the most iconic aspects of its history while making it safe, functional and beautiful as a climbing gym presented some challenges. But the biggest thing was COVID-19 and all of the disruption it brought in its wake.”
Touchstone – The Oaks will be the chain’s 16th facility and is expected to open this month in Berkeley, California. According to Bellgreen, the East Bay area has high demand for climbing gyms. “We opened Berkeley Ironworks over two decades ago, in 2000, and even with our two gyms in Oakland, Great Western Power Company and Pacific Pipe, it is often still packed,” she explained. “Berkeley also has a big history within the climbing world—from being a landing and jumping off point for Yosemite, as documented by many people, including Jack Kerouac in The Dharma Bums, to having iconic bouldering spots itself. Plus, we were really excited to have found this specific location. Given all of these factors, it was a no-brainer.”
“The location is great. The building is beautiful. The history is rad,” summed up Bellgreen about the historic site (pictured left) that is being retrofitted for climbing.
The space the Touchstone team found is a former single-screen movie theater, Oaks Theatre, which was built in 1925 and closed in 2011. In respecting the building’s landmark status, the crew worked to “maintain a lot of the historical features” during the build out of the space, said Bellgreen, blending old school vibes with modern climbing walls. Once completed, The Oaks gym will be Touchstone’s first bouldering-focused facility in the East Bay. The 14,000-square-foot space will feature 7,000 square feet of bouldering surface on Walltopia walls reaching 16 feet, with weights and cardio equipment, fitness classes, saunas and other amenities.The Oaks, Touchstone’s 16th facility, will have over 160 bouldering problems in the repurposed space, once finished.
The team is also making progress on Class 5, a mixed-discipline facility located in Torrance, California. “We’re always looking to expand,” Bellgreen continued. “It’s more, for Touchstone, about finding the right building.” When finding a new location, Bellgreen said Touchstone considers several factors: accessibility, what’s near the gym, relative distance from their other gyms, ceiling height, building size, age and sturdiness of the original construction, how much demolition is required, and more. Like The Oaks, the Class 5 gym is being constructed in an existing building and preserves a bit of history. “Class 5 was the name of one of our oldest gyms, and one of the only gyms we’ve ever closed, in Marin County,” she said. “We’re thrilled to continue that gym’s legacy in LA.” Bellgreen also revealed Touchstone’s next gym project will be in Redwood City, California.
Walls: Walltopia
Flooring: Flashed
CRM Software: RGP
Website: touchstoneclimbing.com/the-oaks/Instagram: @TouchstoneClimbing
In Their Words: “Our communities are amazing. While we’ve done our best to foster this—encouraging inclusivity, supporting our Meetup Groups, throwing inclusive events like Woman Up—it’s a huge testament to our members. Our gyms are also state of the art, and our crew of setters are phenomenal, ensuring each gym has new, challenging and elegant problems and routes in constant rotation. The fact that joining one gym means you have access to all of our gyms is a big bonus as well…Once you join one of our gyms, you can climb all over California.” – Heather Bellgreen, Marketing Director at Touchstone Climbing
An award-winning climbing film that features women climbing hard and breaking the mold
TORONTO, CANADA (Jan. 10, 2024) – After three premiere events, more than 50 international screenings, and one film festival award (so far), Girls Gone Hueco is taking the climbing world by storm with its uplifting, relatable message. After wrapping premieres in Toronto, Salt Lake City, and Vancouver, the film tour got off to an amazing start with more than 50 screenings around North America and Europe. The response so far has been overwhelmingly positive, with Girls Gone Hueco winning the “Empowerment Film of the Year” award from the Nordic Adventure Film Festival.
“Turning this film from a dream into reality has been an incredible journey, and we could not have done it without the continued support of the climbing community,” says Midori Buechli, the film’s producer and a featured athlete. “From the brands who believed in the idea from the beginning to the gyms and venues who have hosted the film to the climbers who have given us words of encouragement along the way. It’s surreal that people around the world are watching Girls Gone Hueco! We hope viewers identify with what they see and get psyched to get out there with their own crews to try hard! That was our main goal with this film, and I think it delivers!”
Showcasing the awe-inspiring landscapes and cultural history of the area, Girls Gone Hueco captures not only the physical feats accomplished by the women, but also the empowerment, camaraderie, and sheer determination that comes with pushing boundaries in the world of rock climbing. The film delves into the motivations, challenges, and triumphs of each of the five hard- charging women—none of whom are professional climbers. With full-time jobs as a software engineer, nurse, marketing manager, dog trainer, and healthcare policy analyst, these women have pushed themselves outside of their everyday routines to dedicate their lives to climbing hard boulders.
“Each of us has a different approach and relationship with climbing,” says Buechli. “The film celebrates those differences and shows that there’s no one way to be a climber.”
From overcoming self-doubt to embracing a community of diverse climbers, these women demonstrate the strength and intimacy that comes from pursuing one’s passions alongside an empowering group of female friends. With many motivated climbers and climbing-curious individuals stuck inside during winter, it’s a great time to plan a film screening event at your local climbing gym, theater, sports organization, corporate event, or school.
With universal themes of empowerment, dedication, and camaraderie, a Girls Gone Hueco screening is a great reason to get the outdoor community together. Watch the trailer here, and reach out to book your screening of Girls Gone Hueco today!
The Girls Gone Hueco film tour schedule is available at https://girlsgonehueco.com/tour.
To learn more about the film, athletes, or tour please reach out to: Midori Buechli, midoribuechli@gmail.com.
CBJ press releases are written by the sponsor and do not represent the views of the Climbing Business Journal editorial team.
Salt Lake City, UT – January 9, 2024 – It’s finally 2024, which means it’s an Olympic year! The Paris 2024 Olympic Games will be the second to feature Sport Climbing, now with medals on the line for Speed and combined Boulder & Lead. The stakes have never been higher for competitive climbers, and six US athletes have already claimed
Olympic quotas. Here are the athletes that have punched their tickets to Paris:
Emma Hunt (Female, Speed) | Emma earned her spot with a second-place finish at the IFSC World Championships Bern 2023.
Colin Duffy (Male, Boulder & Lead) | Colin earned his spot with a second-place finish at the IFSC World Championships Bern 2023. Colin is the first two-time Sport Climbing Olympian, having competed at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Piper Kelly (Female, Speed) | Piper earned her spot with a first-place finish at the Pan American Games 2023. Sam Watson (Male, Speed) | Sam Watson earned his spot with a first-place finish at the Pan American Games
2023.
Jesse Grupper (Male, Boulder & Lead) | Jesse earned his spot with a first-place finish at the Pan American Games 2023.
Natalia Grossman (Female, Boulder & Lead) | Natalia earned her spot with a first-place finish at the Pan American Games 2023.
What’s next? Two more tickets are on the line for Sport Climbing athletes in the US, one for male competitors in the Speed discipline and one for female competitors in the Boulder & Lead discipline. Athletes who have not yet qualified for Paris will have their last opportunity at this year’s Olympic Qualifier Series (OQS), a brand-new event series that will offer Olympic quotas for Sport Climbing, BMX Freestyle, Breaking, and Skateboarding athletes. This two-part series will be hosted in Shanghai from May 16-19, 2024, and in Budapest from June 20-23, 2024.
For Sport Climbing specifically, the series will award quotas to the top 10 Boulder & Speed athletes per gender and the top 5 Speed athletes per gender, based on the sum of points from the Shanghai and Budapest events. Seven US athletes, based on their world rankings, are qualified for the OQS and will be vying for an Olympic quota: Noah Bratschi (Male, Speed), John Brosler (Male, Speed), Kyra Condie (Female, Boulder & Lead), Kylie Cullen (Female, Boulder & Lead), Zach Hammer (Male, Speed), Brooke Raboutou (Female, Boulder & Lead), and Annie Sanders (Female, Boulder & Lead). Follow along here for future streaming info and competition updates.
About USA Climbing: USA Climbing is the national governing body for competitive climbing in the United States, supporting athletes, coaches, and events across the country. As a nonprofit organization, USA Climbing’s mission is to promote the growth and development of climbing while advocating for the sport’s values of inclusivity, sportsmanship, and environmental responsibility.
For more information contact:
Patrick Bodnar | Marketing & Communications Director | patrick@usaclimbing.org
To learn more about USAC, visit usaclimbing.org.
Follow USAC on social media @usaclimbing
CBJ press releases are written by the sponsor and do not represent the views of the Climbing Business Journal editorial team.
The vote was close, scores are out of 5 stars:
About Trango:
Dallas, TX 1/15 – 
Ripon, CA – What do 
The gym will feature over 2,500 SF of free weights, cardio equipment and a 1,500 SF yoga studio. Additionally, the gym will host competitive 
CBJ hosts the most active job board for climbing businesses and organizations. Below are the latest posts from this past week…
Salt Lake City, UT – January 9, 2024 – It’s finally 2024, which means it’s an Olympic year! The Paris 2024 Olympic Games will be the second to feature Sport Climbing, now with medals on the line for Speed and combined Boulder & Lead. The stakes have never been higher for competitive climbers, and six US athletes have already claimed
Olympic quotas. Here are the athletes that have punched their tickets to Paris:
Emma Hunt (Female, Speed) | Emma earned her spot with a second-place finish at the IFSC World Championships Bern 2023.
Colin Duffy (Male, Boulder & Lead) | Colin earned his spot with a second-place finish at the IFSC World Championships Bern 2023. Colin is the first two-time Sport Climbing Olympian, having competed at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Piper Kelly (Female, Speed) | Piper earned her spot with a first-place finish at the Pan American Games 2023. Sam Watson (Male, Speed) | Sam Watson earned his spot with a first-place finish at the Pan American Games
2023.
Jesse Grupper (Male, Boulder & Lead) | Jesse earned his spot with a first-place finish at the Pan American Games 2023.
Natalia Grossman (Female, Boulder & Lead) | Natalia earned her spot with a first-place finish at the Pan American Games 2023.
What’s next? Two more tickets are on the line for Sport Climbing athletes in the US, one for male competitors in the Speed discipline and one for female competitors in the Boulder & Lead discipline. Athletes who have not yet qualified for Paris will have their last opportunity at this year’s 
