CBJ hosts the most active job board for climbing businesses and organizations. Below are the latest posts from this past week…Head RoutesetterRuckus Climbing Gym
Greensboro, NC
“We are looking for a customer-focused and experienced Route setter to join our team at Ruckus Climbing Gym in Greensboro, NC. This is your chance to be part of building our climbing community from the ground up, as our brand-new facility has a planned grand opening date of March 2024. The Head Route setter is instrumental in setting the tone and shaping the experience of everyone who walks through our doors. Although setting itself is a component of this role, this is a leadership-oriented position. If you have proven management experience and are focused on delivering consistently exceptional customer experience through your craft, we want to hear from you.”
JOB SEEKER TIPS:
How to Write a Resume Work Experience Section
By Gabriela Hernandez
“Although all five sections of a resume are important, it’s no secret that the work experience tends to be what most recruiters want to see the most. Your employment history is a quick and sure-fire way for recruiters to determine if you have the skills and knowledge to do a particular job. So, whether you are a recent graduate, a mid-career professional seeking career growth or an executive, this guide will give you the tools to write a personalized work experience section that brings out the best of you.”Read the full article here
Image by Climbing Business Journal; all photos courtesy of John McGowanToday’s guest is John McGowan. I don’t even know the single best way to describe John. Entrepreneur, business developer, old school climber but new school visionary, adventurer, all of the above. I will say this: If someone were putting together a list of the most important figures of the climbing gym industry of the past 35 or 40 years, basically as long as there has been some semblance of an American climbing gym industry, John McGowan would absolutely be one of the names on it. He has started businesses that have contributed immensely to key evolutions of the climbing industry, as you will hear about. In terms of his resume, he founded Boulder Rock Club in 1990. He and a business partner, Steve Holmes, then founded Eldorado Climbing Walls a few years after that. Later, he and Steve Holmes also started TRUBLUE auto belays. And more recently he was involved in founding Riversmith, which is a company that he will explain more about in the conversation.Thank you Kilter and TRUBLUE for your support!
And thank you Devin Dabney for your music!
Timestamps
00:00 – Intro03:27 – Finding gold11:58 – McGowan’s climbing history and opening Boulder Rock Club15:32 – The monthly membership model17:56 – The early 90s climbing scene23:26 – Routesetting in the 90s29:03 – Transitioning from Boulder Rock Club to other businesses32:59 – The importance of a partnership in starting a business36:31 – Keys to founding a business that actually works39:28 – McGowan’s current business, Riversmith43:23 – Make it better, make it easier48:46 – Passion projects as potential businesses51:19 – McGowan’s contact info52:17 – Closing
Abridged Transcript
BURGMAN: I heard a rumor that I hope is true, because I’d love to hear the story, that you discovered gold, which sounds to me like some sort of Indiana Jones-meets-prospecting type of situation. Can you confirm or deny this? And if you can confirm it, I am a captive audience.
MCGOWAN:Okay, well, I can confirm that. It’s sort of a weird part about my history. After college, I ended up ski-bumming over in Europe for a couple of years, and that led to sort of taking an interest in sailing. And I eventually ended up living in Cape Cod. After that, I bought a little sailboat; it was a little, 20-foot sailboat. One thing led to another and I eventually sailed it down to Venezuela. That led to some inland travel. And after traveling around a bit, I met a guy who was interested in dredging for gold down in Venezuela. Ultimately, four years later, I ended up dredging for gold. And that’s sort of what funded a lot of the climbing interests. So, you’re right with that one…Before becoming one of the pioneers of the American climbing gym industry, McGowan’s adventures brought him all around the world, including sailing his boat (pictured) from Venezuela to Cape Cod.
You said that the dredging for gold helped fund your initial forays into climbing business. Were you a climber at the time?
Yeah, I grew up in Colorado and had a high level of interest in climbing, and so down in Venezuela, I did quite a bit of climbing—more typically in the area that I was living at the time down there, bouldering. But I was definitely a passionate climber. Whenever I could get a hold of a climbing magazine, I would certainly just go through it cover to cover and was starting to read a little bit about the emerging business of indoor climbing, and that kind of got me to thinking. Having grown up around Colorado, I definitely looked at that as being sort of an epicenter for climbing at the time, and ultimately began my escape from Venezuela, thinking about building a climbing gym in Boulder. By the time I actually got back, that was kind of the thought process: “Well, I’m just going to first of all explore the business of climbing and understand what that’s about.”
At the time, there was probably less than ten climbing gyms across the country…As I was exploring these different gyms, I was looking at the different operations and most of them were actually sort of a pay-to-play type of scenario, where you bought a guest pass in essence. But what I started to sense was there was one gym that was sort of doing a membership-based business. This kind of led me in Boulder to starting to think about the business of climbing as sort of a fitness club, which was very fortuitous in the early days.What I did is I started looking around at different fitness clubs, just interviewing different people. And that’s really how I came across my [business] partner at the time, Scott Woodard. Scott and Karen Woodard at the time were running Boulder’s Pulse Fitness Clubs. And fortuitously enough, one of their fitness clubs—I think they had three of four around Boulder—had an adjacent space that was vacant in a building that Scott Woodard controlled. I presented Scott with my idea: “I really see the parallel of this being a great tie-in for fitness.” That led to Scott and I partnering up and starting the Boulder Rock Club.Boulder Rock Club was one of only a dozen or so commercial climbing gyms in the country when its doors first opened in 1991. The 90s gym is still in operation today.
Tell me about how you rolled out the initial membership structure and how people responded to that, because that would have been, as you just explained, pretty innovative for the time.
It was interesting, and I can’t say that we can claim sole ownership of that idea. However, most of the [climbing] gyms at the time were doing sort of a guest-pass scenario. There was a little teeny climbing gym that existed in Boulder, actually, when we started. It was at CATS Training Center, which was a gymnastics facility. They were a good example; they had perhaps 40 or 50 people climbing there, mostly just paying, I think, $5 a day in order to climb. And so, as I was kind of running the math on running a climbing gym, I couldn’t seem to make things work with just a guest pass scenario, especially given the seasonality of climbing. Ultimately, where membership came in, is really trying to sort of structure an annual plan in which we could survive both the winter, spring, summer and fall.The [climbing] gyms that we toured, we did note that they were doing exceedingly well. Those couple of gyms that were doing this, they seemed like they were really cranking and they were growing a fast membership. So, as I was writing the business plan for the Boulder Rock Club, I projected that in our first year, even on our presale, we would probably start with about 100 members. As it turned out, when we got the idea out there before we opened, we sort of did a little bit of a police line inside the facility where people could come in and see the construction going on. While that was happening, we were selling memberships. Essentially, we launched with about 170 members or memberships sold, and ultimately that’s when we knew were on the right track of things.
The early 1990s. Can you give me an idea of the climbing scene?
I was of the belief that the only place that could support a climbing gym of that era was somewhere that had a high concentration of climbers. Later, I sort of evolved that theory into: “No, climbing is wherever there’s a large population, all of a sudden it can support it.” But in the early days there was this massive hidden climbing community around Boulder. What I remember is in the early days a lot of people had come in and there were these big-name climbers and just all these different people who were like, “No, I’ll never climb indoors.” They thought of it as almost the division line between sport climbing and trad climbing…And so the early dialogue that we had from folks was: “Yeah, this will never work.”I remember one day, for example, Derek Hersey. I don’t know if you knew of Derek, but he was famous for climbing really hard climbs free solo at the time. So, he’d be out doing these insane things and just an amazing climber, an amazing spirit, and he was one of the few people who actually embraced it and basically said, “No, this is great because it’s creating this social environment.” Ultimately, we didn’t quite know what to expect in the early days. We didn’t know how important the social part of climbing was going to be. But what we saw within [those] probably first 18 months of being open is that, one by one, the people who were the most averse to what we were doing started embracing it and coming in—not so much to train, per se, but more for the social environment…The early days of the Boulder Rock Club community, enjoying the gym shortly after it opened.
What were you doing for routesetting at the time? Because I know you mentioned the Paradise Rock Gym, and I know that Mike Pont, who’s someone you referenced, was working there as a routesetter for a time. And I know Christian Griffith was doing some routesetting, especially in the early 90s for Jeff Lowe’s circuit. Where were you finding routesetters? And if you could find them, were they getting any sort of training?
Paradise Rock Gym opened as we were just starting our construction, so they jumped us by a few months. And so, we’re starting to figure things out. I’m not sure how they got Kurt Smith and Mike Pont interested, but Brian Vandecrawl was the owner of Paradise Rock Gym. He was a very smart guy, and he really was the person who understood the power of routesetting. I certainly picked that up immediately from Brian, and it almost became sort of an escalation of who could set the best routes or who could recruit the best routesetters…We observed very early on that that is the product, the routesetting is the product. It’s certainly more important than almost anything that you’re going to do within a climbing gym. And so, you needed to invest heavily on that.Now as far as actually getting people to do it, it was interesting because in the early days, even Mike and Kurt and Jimmy and all these guys, as great as they were at routesetting, they would typically migrate toward setting hard routes for themselves and their friends to climb. When they were setting a 5.13, they would set a masterpiece. But when it came to a 5.10, it was less than ideal. Ultimately, they became really adept at doing that, so I don’t want to say that they weren’t good at that, because they became excellent at it. But therein lay the real challenge of routesetting in the early days.
We found, for example, you could bring in the best climbers who could set a 5.13. They could set a 5.9, 5.10, 5.7…the 5.13 was going to be excellent, but the 5.7 was not going to be that great. And so, we thought, “Okay, well, what we’ll do is we’ll bring in 5.7 climbers to routeset the low end routes, or 5.10 climbers, or whatever.” But there was a distinct problem with that, in that those climbers were climbing 5.13 in three months. Just the act of routesetting at that level and climbing all your routes, it made them into hard guys immediately.Ultimately, that sort of led to an evolution of investing really heavily in getting the routesetters to be in good alignment with the interests of the climbing gym to try to set really good creative routes, which I have to say is still probably one of the biggest difficulties in climbing gyms. If every climbing gym knew that this was of high importance, they might do things a little bit differently…Christian Griffith (left) sets a route at Boulder Rock Club in 1991, back when the profession was just getting going.
Can you talk a little bit more about that transition from starting Boulder Rock Club and then a second Boulder Rock Club, and then yourself going into building climbing gyms and the founding of Eldorado Climbing Walls as sort of the next step in the evolution of your own career? Right about 1995, if I remember correctly.
The entity that we hired to build our climbing walls for the first climbing gym, the first Boulder Rock Club, was a company called Radwall, and it was run by a guy named Wayne Campbell. He was an amazing artist. I have to say that their work was just impeccable; it was a beautiful type of work. But I’d been in construction before, and having kind of gone through that whole process, the way that they were building climbing walls, it was a panelized system that required you to frame up the entire climbing wall and then cut your panels, put them up to within a 32nd-of-an-inch tolerance, bring them down, then you would texture them, then you would hang them back up. It was this incredibly cumbersome process, which had some limitations as well. For example, you could use the seams. You could actually grab onto the seams or stand on the seams.Ultimately, as I was kind of plotting the Boulder Rock Club 2, we were thinking, “There’s just got to be a better way to do this.” That led to experimenting around as we were coming onto building that. I remember building bouldering walls in people’s barns and just early ways to think about a different and faster way of building, a lower cost way of building, and a little more high performance…McGowan checks on the progress of Boulder Rock Club’s construction. This was one of the only gyms that Eldorado Walls ever built with wood structure.
Can you speak to the importance of partnerships? And maybe more specifically, what goes into making someone a good business partner?
With the right partner, you can actually build off of each other; it’s a momentum gaining kind of thing. And I would say with almost any business, there’s going to be a lot of effort in the early years, especially if you’re bootstrapping a company. That thing of having a partner to really build that momentum, I think it’s critically important, at least it has been within my career. As far as finding a good partner, it’s really interesting because I’ve talked to a million people who would say, “Well, I can tell you what you don’t want to do, and that is don’t ever do a 50/50 partnership. Those just don’t work. So, try to maintain controlling interest.” Ultimately, all of my partnerships have been 50/50 partnerships. I’ve had so many business people going, “Oh man, that’s insane. How in the world did that ever work? There are 10 million ways for it to fail.”And I kind of thought back at my own career. For example, my partnership in Venezuela, actually that one did collapse. What happened down there was that I was working really hard and putting all this energy in, and my partner was just not. A 50/50 partnership under those terms is just not going to work. I later kind of thought about it in terms of: “Why don’t they work typically?” I think that, generally speaking, you have to both have a fairly high work ethic, and just trying to imagine how that can work over ten years, it’s sort of improbable in the first place. Second part of it is you have to have a similar type of intellectual capacity. You have to bring something to the table, and if one person’s really smart and the other one’s not, that also doesn’t work. So, there are a lot of reasons the 50-50 partnership doesn’t work. But I’ve found it in my life to be just a great system…McGowan—pictured beside his wife, Kristy—encourages business leaders to focus on “incremental movement forward” and “walk slowly toward the finish line.”
I’m sure we could devote a whole different podcast episode to it, but other than a good partnership, what are some keys to founding a successful business?
That’s another great question. I think ultimately my view on it is you don’t have to be the smartest, you don’t necessarily have to be the hardest working. You need to have, I think more than anything, a vision of where you want to go, and you have to have a fairly clear idea of where you’re starting from. Then it’s an incremental game. The way I think of any business, it’s not that you always make the right decision—that’s impossible. You’re going to make a lot of decisions in business and, incrementally, you want to make the right decision a little bit more often than the wrong decision. That incremental gain, in combination with having clarity of where you want to go, it means that you’re going to just walk slowly toward the finish line. All of these businesses, I think that’s the element. There was nothing that we did that was fast and easy. It was always just a slow, plodding thing.I think another element to business success is exploring opportunities. I’ve had a lot of staff over the years who have said, “Wow, John, you’re so lucky because opportunities come your way. Boy, I just don’t know why they don’t come my way.” And I think just being receptive to ideas. My current observation is that everyone is bombarded with ideas all the time. Most choose not to see them, and some are like, “Huh, I wonder if that could work.” So that incremental movement forward…Other folks who are starting businesses, if you’re not super well grounded, if you don’t know where you really are starting, it’s difficult to pick a direction. They end up working a little here, a little there, moving to the right, moving to the left, and not necessarily moving forward. So, I think it’s so important to be very well grounded within any business type of thing…
The word “community” may be used a lot, but it’s popular for a reason, and it’s hard to overstate its importance in the climbing world. It’s a north star all around the industry, including at DÉLIRE. (Pictured: community members celebrating at DÉLIRE’s Enduro event last year; all photos by Olivier Dumas, courtesy of DÉLIRE, unless otherwise noted)DÉLIRE, the Quebec-based climbing wall manufacturer and gym operator, is known for pushing the boundaries of the climbing industry. The team’s sustainable practices and outside-the-box mentality have distinguished their work for years. While those traits are staples of their brand, there is an underlying motivation behind everything they do: a dedication to the community.
Climbing as a Way of Life
It is well known that climbing is much more than a sport, a movement practice, or an adventure activity; it brings people together to break boundaries and assumptions, push personal growth, and foster meaningful connectedness. This belief has been at the core of DÉLIRE since its founding in the early 2000s.“I’ve always believed that climbing is more than just a sport,” says co-founder Beaulieu. “It’s a way of life, a community, and a shared passion that can truly transform people’s lives.” The passion and transformative effects were personally experienced by friends and co-founders Jeff Beaulieu, Lisa Lajoie and Vincent Légaré, who are central to the development of the Quebec climbing scene. “Climbing has the power to teach us valuable life lessons about perseverance, teamwork and personal growth,” says Lajoie. “I’ve personally experienced the transformative effects of climbing, and I wanted to create a platform that could extend those benefits to as many people as possible.”“When I embarked on my journey as a climbing entrepreneur and founded DÉLIRE,” says Beaulieu, “my primary motivation was to create a space where climbers of all levels and backgrounds could come together, share their love for climbing, and push their limits in a supportive and inclusive environment.” Contrary to some traditional business methodologies, the founders of DÉLIRE quickly discovered that being community focussed went hand in hand with successful business in the industry. “We’ve learned that by prioritizing the needs and aspirations of our community members, we not only foster a strong sense of belonging, but also build a sustainable and thriving business. The climbing community is not just our customer base; they are our partners in the journey of growth and improvement, and we remain dedicated to serving and enriching this community in every way we can.”Whenever they embark on a new project, they come back to those foundations, and ask themselves two questions: What are the needs of the climbing community? What can I do to help the community grow and encourage people to climb?Intentionally designing a gym with these principles in mind and thoughtfully leaving plenty of room for humans to connect off the walls can go a long way toward fostering a sense of community at the facility. (Pictured: open space at Rose Bloc in Quebec, crafted by DÉLIRE)
Community-Driven Design
Acting on this community-driven ethos has taken DÉLIRE in some interesting directions. One direction pertains to designing climbing centers. To foster that sense of community, DÉLIRE doesn’t design walls for specific types or groups of customers—they design it for progression.“Instead of having a different space for each type of climber, we design the space with the customer journey in mind,” says Légaré. While there is a need for spaces dedicated to beginner routes and kid-friendly boulders, DÉLIRE also intentionally encourages overlap between climbers at different levels.“One of the great things about growing up in a climbing gym is the exchange between experts and beginners,” says Beaulieu. “It’s important that they all have their place in the gym, but also that there’s room for them to meet and share. It’s important to choose wall angles and create spaces that will cater to climbers of all skill levels.”When prioritizing community-focused designs, it turns out that it’s not just about the walls—it’s about the entire space. “One thing that’s often overlooked is the importance of the space that doesn’t contain walls or mats,” adds Beaulieu. “When creating a climbing gym, we all prioritize having as many walls as possible. However, we sometimes forget that we spend just as much, if not more, time on the ground as we do on the wall. That’s why it’s crucial for people to have a comfortable space when they’re not climbing.” DÉLIRE intentionally creates comfortable open spaces to help foster those meaningful interactions between climbers. Competitions for climbers of all skill levels is just one component of the community programming at DÉLIRE’s five gyms—including DÉLIRE’s new Lévis location (pictured), which opened this year.
Inclusivity Initiatives
How a company does business, who it caters to, and how it builds its programming can say a lot about the underlying ethos of the business. DÉLIRE strives to live up to their ethos by creating community initiatives based around inclusivity. One of their most successful community programs is Blocs x Filles—bouldering sessions, both indoor and outdoor, that are catered specifically to women. DÉLIRE has open doors for many community organizations, like Montreal’s Queer Bloc initiative. In their climbing competitions, they don’t award prizes to the best climber, but to any participant. “These events provide opportunities for climbers to challenge themselves, set goals, and connect with others who share their passion for climbing,” says Lajoie.DÉLIRE also gives back in the way of community fellowships. In 2023 alone, the company awarded thousands of dollars for three separate entities: a gym in a remote area; a first nation gym for the Crie Nation; and a fund for young athletes. They also donated a small climbing wall to a daycare center in a remote region of Quebec that previously didn’t have access to any climbing structures.Over the past few years, DÉLIRE is proud to have installed walls in two first nation communities.“We truly believe this sport has so much to give back to climbers of all ages and their communities,” says Beaulieu. “It’s an honor to be part of the process with [these communities].”The Blocs x Filles outdoor and indoor bouldering sessions at DÉLIRE take place throughout the year and are run by and for women in the gym communities. (Photo by Julie-Anne Perreault of a Blocs x Filles outdoor sesh last year)
Connection to Nature
While DÉLIRE’s core business is in indoor climbing spaces, they have been and remain focused on and connected to the natural world. Beaulieu is one of the pioneering outdoor developers in the Quebec region, and his passion for developing outdoor climbing areas is rooted in the sport and belief in its transformative power.“Climbing has been a central part of my life, offering me not only physical challenges but also profound personal growth,” he says. “It has taught me the importance of perseverance, problem solving and teamwork.” That passion naturally led him to want to share those experiences with others and create new climbing opportunities, including opportunities to head outside. “Climbing often takes us to breathtaking natural environments,” he says. “Through my experiences in the outdoors, I developed a deep appreciation for the beauty and fragility of our natural world. This appreciation fuels my commitment to ensuring that outdoor climbing areas are preserved and used sustainably.”By developing projects outside, and devoting time and resources to climbing areas in Quebec, Beaulieu and others have “expanded access for climbers, making outdoor climbing more accessible to a wider range of individuals. This has allowed the community to explore and enjoy the natural beauty of the region while pursuing their climbing passions,” says Beaulieu.“Community-centered” is a concept that is frequently tossed around in the climbing industry, and yet one that remains difficult to be loyal to. Whether it’s in facility design, inclusive programming, bringing climbing to marginalized communities, or simply expanding access to climbing outside, DÉLIRE is a brand that truly walks their talk.This story was paid for by the sponsor and does not necessarily represent the views of the Climbing Business Journal editorial team.
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The Kilburns—pictured beside their daughter, Addison—broke ground on Ruckus Climbing Gym earlier this year, a roped climbing and bouldering facility being built in Greensboro. (All photos courtesy of Ruckus Climbing Gym)
Ruckus Climbing Gym
Greensboro, North Carolina
Specs: Ruckus Climbing Gym is expected to open in Greensboro, North Carolina, in March 2024, with owners John and Kendra Kilburn at the head of the self-funded project. The couple chose to build the gym from scratch, in the hopes of having more control over the buildout “without compromising the customer experience,” said John. The 13,000-square-foot facility will feature 12,000 square feet of lead, top rope and bouldering terrain on walls up to 42 feet tall, with 10auto belays, kids climbing walls, a party room, fitness room, yoga studio and retail area.
An aerospace lubricants engineer, John had long been looking to start a business of his own, as well. He and Kendra decided on a climbing gym after taking their daughter home from a competition in Asheville in March of 2022. They felt the climbing population of the Triad area—Greensboro, Winston-Salem and High Point—was underserved, with the availability for a gym like Ruckus. “We spent a great deal of time with Rockwerx, with whom we also worked on a consulting basis, looking over location circles…After considering several options, it was a clear choice to settle in Western Greensboro,” John explained. “The population, income and age demographics in this area proved to be the strongest in the Triad. It was important that we put our best foot forward with our first location to give us the best chance of success.”Construction of the new gym is well underway and will soon house a full suite of climbing and fitness amenities.John also noted that he and Kendra were “looking at it through the eyes of our 7-year-old [daughter],” Addison, who John says “is too good for a kids area that’s just big holds for a starter climber, but she’s too short to reach some of these holds on a V4/V5. She has the skill set. She’s got the foundation for all that. She’s too small.” With their daughter and other younger climbers in mind, the owners are planning on investing heavily into youth programming and amenities, and being intentional about grades. After visiting Synergy Climbing and Ninja in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and noticing the gym’s youth grading scale, John is planning to implement something similar at Ruckus. “We wanted to not only focus on having an area for kids to try climbing for the first time and on a casual level, but have some legit and challenging climbing for kids with a smaller wingspan than adults,” John said, adding that attention has also been given to “the hard-core adult climbing community” and finding the right mix for Ruckus to become a “go-to spot for climbers of all ages and abilities in the Triad.”While not the only focus of the gym, owners John and Kendra did design Ruckus to be a place that younger climbers like Addison (pictured climbing with John in Orlando) could enjoy.Following nearly two years of planning, John has five tips for anyone opening a new climbing gym:
“If this is your first gym, I can’t recommend enough bringing on consultant help. We were so lost out of the gates with so many questions on where to start. Once we brought on Rockwerx, everything came into focus and it was go time. Our time frame would more than likely have been double had I not had industry consultant help.
Talk to other gym owners. This community is incredibly helpful and genuinely interested in and excited about the growth and success of other gyms.
Ask questions. No matter how much you think you know about business, climbing or both, opening a gym is a massive undertaking and you’ll want to learn as much as you can throughout the process from everyone involved.
Get organized. Staying organized and on top of responsibilities guarantees steady progress. Having a handle on everything that needs to be done ensures that even during the delays and hiccups and everything else that comes at you, you’ll keep the positive momentum moving forward.
Add 20% to your budget as everything is up, especially if you’re building from the ground up. We were hit by increases across the board during our design phase. I was also naive to the cost of items that I thought I had a grasp on until we got final quotes for our business loan. I’m not sure what I could have changed if I could go back and go through that part again, but I would have been better prepared for the fact I had to cut some items out for the time being.”
Walls: Rockwerx
Flooring: UCS Climbing
CRM Software: Approach
Website: ruckusclimbinggym.comInstagram: @RuckusClimbingGym
In Their Words: “We have absolutely experienced challenges throughout—it’s part of what makes it fun and will make it all the more satisfying when we get to opening day. The great thing about starting a small business from scratch is that the to-do lists are endless. As such, with every delay and hurdle, we are able to pivot our attention to something else that we need to work on and push forward. Staying flexible, positive and focused on the end goal keeps us motivated through the unexpected hurdles.” – John Kilburn, founder and co-owner of Ruckus
Contact: Patrick Bodnar, Marketing Director, patrick@joesvalleyfest.org
2023 was the Joe’s Valley Coalition’s busiest year yet, full of trail planning, rock-hauling, and trash-collecting. Backed by paying members and volunteers, a lean team of Coalition organizers maintained direct communication with land management agencies, especially the local offices of the BLM and US Forest Service, as well as local officials in Emery County, to advocate for the continued and sustainable use of Joe’s Valley climbing areas.
“The governing bodies will look to us for advice if we’re the ones taking care of the land,” said Steven Jeffery, one of the Coalition’s organizers and a longtime developer of Joe’s Valley. “If we become the stewards of that land, we can help develop it to where we can all continue to use it.”
On top of maintaining these crucial relationships, the Coalition teaches climbers exactly how to care for the crag, through educational resources, volunteer opportunities, and membership options.
“More and more climbers are showing up in Joe’s Valley,” said Julie Janus, another Coalition organizer and the Executive Director of the Joe’s Valley Festival. “We want to share best practices with everyone so we can all protect access and drive sustainability together.”
In total, the Coalition completed 10 trail projects, landing projects for over 120 boulder problems, and 4 community projects in 2023:
2023 Trail Projects (10 Total Projects):
Pimper’s Paradise to Cabin Fever: new trail with the help of volunteers!
8.1 Mile Trails: new trails!
Wishing Well Trails: new trails!
Right Sign to Eden Connector Trail: new trail with the help of Snow College!
Man Size – Great White to Scrawny & Brawny Trail (replacing spider web of social trails): new trail with the help of volunteers!
Roan’s Canyon Main Trail System: new trails with the help of Joe’s Valley Fest
volunteers!
Rolling Earth Trail: improved trail!
No Substance to Pimper’s Paradise: improved trail with the help of volunteers!
Right Sign Trails (to Wills, Mr. Duck, Snaggletooth, Sunshine Daydream): improved trails!
Man Size Main Trail: improved trail with the help of volunteers!
2023 Landing Projects (120 Total Boulder Problems, 43 Total Boulders):
Rolling Earth Area: Rolling Earth, Blue Planet, Mars, Uranus, Horizontal Heat boulders (15+ problems)
Minute Man Area: Miniature Man, Just a Minute, Minute Man, Pot Belly Baby (4 problems)
Above Jitterbug (8+ problems)
No Substance Area: What Goes Around Comes Around, South Face No Substance (3
problems)
Heartless (1 problem)
Right Sign Area: Wills A Fire, Lumberjack, Mr. Duck, Snaggletooth, Tubesnake Boogie,
America’s Playground, Bowtie Bailout, Broke Down Palace (12+ problems)
Man Size: Slab Land, Up & Down, Double Delicious (6 problems)
2023 Community Projects (4 Total Projects):
2 Orangeville city clean-ups
Youth craft project at Castle Dale Christmas party
Free geode cracking at Green River Rocks festival
Want to support more of these projects in 2024? Become a member of the Joe’s Valley Coalition! You’ll be able to choose a donation level based on what you’re comfortable with, plus you’ll have a positive impact on one of the fastest-growing climbing areas in the United States. You’ll also receive custom Joe’s Valley Coalition swag to show off your dedication to maintaining climbing access.
Climbing in Joe’s Valley? The Coalition hosts monthly volunteer projects during the climbing season if you’d like to donate your time.
About the Joe’s Valley Coalition
The Joe’s Valley Coalition aims to develop and implement sustainable climbing areas and support a healthy local community around Joe’s Valley, Utah. Led by local climbers and developers, the Coalition organizes and supports year-round projects at the boulders, as well as in the communities surrounding Joe’s Valley, and maintains direct communication with land management agencies and local officials on behalf of climbers. The Coalition’s work isn’t possible without the support of paying members and volunteers. Consider becoming a Coalition member today.
Learn more about the Joe’s Valley Coalition: https://www.joesvalleyfest.com/coalition Instagram: www.instagram.com/joesvalley
Facebook: www.facebook.com/joesvalleyCBJ press releases are written by the sponsor and do not represent the views of the Climbing Business Journal editorial team.
December 11, 2023 Boulder, CO — The Climbing Wall Association is excited to announce the addition of four new board members to the Board of Directors. The addition of these new members brings the current total of board members to nine. The new board members were admitted through a rigorous application process, coming from all corners of the indoor climbing industry. Their collective experience in the industry amounts to more than half a century of dedication to indoor climbing.
Serving three-year terms, the new board members will be responsible for developing the strategic goals of the CWA, representing the interests of CWA members, and serving on CWA committees. The Board of Directors is made up of representatives from businesses that are CWA members and is designed to be the voice that represents CWA members.
The new members are:
Jackie Hueftle – COO and Co-Founder, Kilter Grips
George Poulton – Lawyer, GCMP Law LLC
Mardi Roberts – CEO, 5Life
Walson Tai – President, Calgary Climbing Centres, President, Flashed Climbing, Co-Owner of Binary Holds and Magic Labs
Learn More About Our New Board MembersJackie Hueftle
Jackie was a founding member of both the CWA Routesetting Committee and the Routesetting Institute.
She currently serves as a Board Member for Bolt and Revolt, and is the co-owner of KILTER Grips, which produces the Kilter, Haptic, and Union lines, along with the KILTER Board. She is an avid climber and has experience in many different areas, including as a guide, head routesetter, competitive climber, coach, manager of membership and front desk, and so much more.
George Poulton
George is a lawyer by trade.
A climber since the mid-90’s, he previously served as in-house general counsel and a corporate officer for companies in the climbing wall industry. He currently serves as outside general counsel to businesses and their constituents in a variety of industries. He currently lives in Salt Lake City with his wife and two daughters.
Mardi Roberts
Mardi has extensive experience across many facets of the indoor climbing industry.
She has a background in accounting, retail, policy and procedures, operations, and marketing. She is a wealth of knowledge for indoor climbing gym operators and is a strong advocate and mentor for those in the industry. She is currently a co-owner and CEO of 5.Life, which owns four gyms in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Her gyms define their own individual personalities and brand identities. She lives in Ohio with her husband and is a mother of four.
Walson Tai
Walson has experience as both a vendor and a climbing gym owner.
He got his start in the early 90’s, selling handmade chalk balls out of his Montreal apartment with his wife. From this humble beginning grew Flashed Climbing, a leader in the industry. He currently is the co-owner of Flashed Climbing, Binary Holds, Magic Labs, and Calgary Climbing Centres, which has four locations in Canada.
Join us in celebrating our new members of the Board of Directors!
CBJ press releases are written by the sponsor and do not represent the views of the Climbing Business Journal editorial team.
Photo of Central Rock Gym Chelsea before the opening set, courtesy of Cascade Specialty[Editor’s note: The figures below were updated to include climbing facilities that opened in 2023 after the publish date. This had no effect on the awards. In tandem with this article, be sure to check out the full 2023 Gyms & Trends Report here and the Routesetting Trends of 2023 here.]For the tenth straight year, over 40 climbing gyms opened across the United States, Canada and Mexico, with about 40% of that growth taking place since the pandemic hit in 2020. Despite the challenges that come with launching a new project in today’s economic environment, climbing gym and brand businesses and the people powering and enjoying them keep forging ahead and finding success. The CBJ Gym List recognizes only a couple handfuls of those businesses and crews, but the breadth of their work—ranging from British Columbia to Florida, Nuevo León to Newfoundland—is an indication that climbing is thriving in communities around the continent, and no doubt around the world.
This year, we are pleased to bring the Gym List awards to you sooner than ever. While 2023 isn’t over quite yet, December is always a time of reflection and celebration, and we couldn’t wait to crunch the numbers and pop the champagne with you. Below are the largest and tallest new climbing gyms and leading gym developers and suppliers from January to mid December, 2023. Congratulations to all the owners, builders, managers, setters, coaches, front desk staff and many other professionals who made it happen!Scroll or click to see the following awardees:
Mesa Rim Austin – Arizona Bouldering Project – Longmont Climbing Collective – Central Rock Gym – Walltopia – Cascade Specialty – Flashed – Rock Gym ProPhoto of the main floor at Mesa Rim Austin, courtesy of Mesa Rim
Largest New Climbing Gym 2023
(based on total climbing wall surface)
Mesa Rim Austin
Austin, Texas
Since beginning as a single Southern California gym in 2010, Mesa Rim has added three more gyms in San Diego County and expanded into Nevada and, now, Texas. Mesa Rim Austin features 40,000 square feet of climbing surface, bringing home the 2023 Largest New Climbing Gym award with a margin of over 10,000 square feet. First announced in 2020, construction of the new gym began in 2021 following pandemic-related delays and was completed in time to host the 2023 USA Climbing National Team Trials and Paraclimbing National Championships in March. The 52,000-square-foot facility features 55-foot roped walls, a 15-meter speed wall and 16-foot bouldering walls built by EP Climbing, with flooring by Strati Climbing, in addition to dedicated training areas, a fitness center, yoga and fitness classes, adult climbing instruction and youth programming.
“While it was never our plan to build the largest new gym in the country, we’re certainly proud of the accomplishment!” says Hunter Brooks, Director of Marketing at Mesa Rim. “Our goal with this facility was to give the climbing community in Austin an opportunity to experience all styles of sport climbing, top roping and bouldering under one roof. Every single panel in the gym was intentionally designed—down to the last inch and angle degree—to compliment the topography around it, allow for optimal route setting opportunities, create smooth transitions between angles within each climb, and inspire joy through the exploration of movement across a wide variety of terrain…Huge shoutout to our amazing build team who worked day-in and day-out to turn this dream project into a reality, and to our incredible staff members fostering and cultivating the newest addition to our growing community here in Austin, Texas!”
Top Ten Largest New Climbing Gyms of 2023
(based on total climbing wall surface)
1st – Mesa Rim Austin – Austin, TX – 40000 sqft
2nd (tie) – Longmont Climbing Collective – Longmont, CO – 27000 sqft
2nd (tie) – Sportrock Rio – Gaithersburg, MD – 27000 sqft
4th – Portland Rock Gym Beaverton – Portland, OR – 26500 sqft
5th – Bolder Elevated – Calgary, AB – 12500 sqft
6th – Latitude Climbing + Fitness – Hampton – Hampton, VA – 12000 sqft
7th – Adventus Climbing – Toledo, OH – 10217 sqft
8th – Odyssey Climbing + Fitness – Ashwaubenon, WI – 9500 sqft
9th – ASCEND Erie – Erie, PA – 9000 sqft
10th – Warehouse Rocks Climbing and Fitness – Abbottstown, PA – 6000 sqft
Return to Awards ListPhoto of a bouldering area at the new Tempe gym, courtesy of Bouldering Project
Largest New Bouldering Gym 2023
(based on total climbing wall surface)
Arizona Bouldering Project
Tempe, Arizona
Bouldering Project (BP) has been on a rapid ascent in the last three years. First known as the Seattle Bouldering Project in 2011 before opening facilities in Austin and Minneapolis, BP doubled in size when it added three bouldering-focused gyms (Fremont, Upper Walls, Westgate) in the Seattle and Austin areas in 2021. In March 2022, BP gained three more locations and coast-to-coast status in acquiring Brooklyn Boulders gyms in Boston, Brooklyn and Washington D.C., then later opened a new facility in Salt Lake City andannounced another Seattle gym is on the way. This year, BP completed gym number eleven and expanded into an eighth state.The latest build in Tempe, Arizona, features 13,535 square feet of climbable surface on 17-foot boulders, with the walls and flooring all designed, manufactured and installed in-house by Bouldering Project Environments. The 50,400-square-foot facility provides space for a range of amenities, from yoga and fitness classes to youth programming and private instruction.“We are thrilled to introduce the Bouldering Project to the Valley. We sought to create a space where the local community could find unprecedented access to healthy and engaging movement of the highest quality. The response from the climbing, yoga and fitness community has been incredible, and we are excited about what lies ahead,” says Kyle Wiggins, BP’s Arizona Market Director.
Top Ten Largest New Bouldering Gyms of 2023
(based on total climbing wall surface)
1st – Tempe Bouldering Project – Tempe, AZ – 13535 sqft
2nd – Central Rock Gym – Orlando – Orlando, FL – 10000 sqft
3rd – Central Rock Gym – Tampa – Tampa, FL – 9000 sqft
4th – Central Rock Gym – Cambridge – Cambridge, MA – 8000 sqft
5th – MW Climbing Omaha – Omaha, NE – 7500 sqft
6th (tie) – APEX Climbing Gym (Indiana) – Mishawaka, IN – 7000 sqft
6th (tie) – Climb Kraft – Nashville, TN – 7000 sqft
8th – Délire Escalade – Lévis – Lévis, QC – 6400 sqft
9th (tie) – Central Rock Gym – West Hartford – West Hartford, CT – 5000 sqft
9th (tie) – Evolution Boulders – Manassas, VA – 5000 sqft
Return to Awards ListPhoto of some of the indoor roped walls at the new Longmont gym, courtesy of Climbing Collective
Tallest New Climbing Gym 2023
(based on peak indoor climbing wall height)
Longmont Climbing Collective
Longmont, Colorado
In October, Longmont Climbing Collective (LCC) completed its move into a new facility in Longmont, Colorado, which boasts 60.5-foot walls, earning the gym the Tallest New Climbing Gym award of 2023.In the works since 2021, the 25,000-square-foot LCC gym with a 1,000-square-foot outdoor patio was designed as a meeting ground and event venue for climbers, artists, entertainers and educators alike. The gym’s climbing terrain spans 27,000 square feet across indoor roped and bouldering walls and an outdoor wall, built by Vertical Solutions, and a board room with a Kilter Board and MoonBoard. Other features at the facility include yoga and fitness options, a kids zone and a birthday party area. And a recovery room, which will include a sauna and two plunge pools, is coming soon.“The new Climbing Collective gym is the facility that our community deserves,” says Mack Maier, co-owner ofClimbing Collective. “We simply built the gym that we have always wanted, and it happened to have some pretty tall walls; we were not trying to get the tallest walls, we simply like long routes and it turned out that way. We think it’s a great facility and a welcome addition to the city of Longmont and surrounding areas.”It ended up being an auspicious 2023 for Climbing Collective, which also acquired the nearby Wooden Mountain gym (now Loveland Climbing Collective) at the start of the year, just months after announcing another new location is on the way in Greeley, Colorado, opening in 2024.
Top Ten Tallest New Climbing Gyms of 2023
(based on peak indoor climbing wall height)
1st – Longmont Climbing Collective – Longmont, CO – 61 ft
2nd – Sportrock Rio – Gaithersburg, MD – 57 ft
3rd (tie) – Mesa Rim Austin – Austin, TX – 55 ft
3rd (tie) – Portland Rock Gym Beaverton – Portland, OR – 55 ft
5th – ASCEND Erie – Erie, PA – 52 ft
6th – Latitude Climbing + Fitness – Hampton – Hampton, VA – 48 ft
7th – Odyssey Climbing + Fitness – Ashwaubenon, WI – 47 ft
8th (tie) – Adventus Climbing – Toledo, OH – 40 ft
8th (tie) – Bolder Elevated – Calgary, AB – 40 ft
10th – Warehouse Rocks Climbing and Fitness – Abbottstown, PA – 30 ft
Return to Awards ListPhoto of the new CRG bouldering-focused Orlando gym, courtesy of Central Rock Gym
Developer of the Year 2023
(based on new climbing gym locations)
Central Rock Gym
For the second year in a row, the Developer of the Year award goes toCentral Rock Gym (CRG), the business’s third time winning the award. In 2023, CRG opened five new facilities, branching out of the Northeast for the first time with new locations in Orlando and Tampa, Florida. Altogether, the five gyms offer a combined +36,000 square feet of climbing surface, in addition to fitness and yoga amenities, and bring the total number of CRG gyms in the U.S. to 22. In fact, CRG is one of only two developers with over 20 climbing gyms in North America, and the only developer to open +20 climbing gyms on the continent solely through self-builds.Founded in 2009 with its first gym opening in Worchester, Massachuesetts, owners Ed and Joe Hardy have steadily increased CRG’s footprint throughout the U.S., and three more gyms are expected to open next year in Troy (NY), Tampa and Miami (FL). In 2019, Joetold CBJ that the driving factor for CRG is “a deep, deep love for the sport of climbing, up and down our chain.”“CRG continues to be super focused on finding communities where climbing has not yet flourished,” say Joe and Ed Hardy. “At the same time, we are always looking to find opportunities where we can add additional facilities that are close to existing gyms. This past year we added new locations close to our existing gyms in Manhattan, West Hartford (CT), and Cambridge (MA). We also expanded to new markets in Tampa and Orlando (FL). We think it’s a balance between providing more value to our current communities, while looking to find new opportunities. None of this would be possible without an incredible team of setters, managers, and youth program staff who are providing that foundation of community connection.”Return to Awards ListPhoto of Touchstone – The Oaks (opening in early 2024) by @oldmanmoon, courtesy of Walltopia
Climbing Gym Wall Builder of the Year 2023
(based on new climbing gym locations)
Walltopia
Walltopia again led the way for the most climbing wall builds in North America, supplying climbing terrain for 17.5 new gyms—14.5 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada. The Climbing Gym Wall Builder of the Year award is Walltopia’s third, having topped the list ever since it began in 2021. In 2023, Walltopia walls were constructed at about 44% of new climbing gym builds in North America alone, totaling over 126,000 square feet of climbing surface. The global stats are even more impressive: Walltopia produced over 600,000 square feet of climbing at 104 new gyms spanning 6 continents and 33 countries worldwide, with more on the way.Walltopia is nothing if not consistent with climbing wall development. Since CBJ started the Gym List awards in 2019, the Bulgaria-based company has supplied climbing surface for a Largest New Climbing Gym awardee three times, Largest New Bouldering Gym two times, and the Tallest New Climbing Gym four times. Walltopia also had a hand in three Developer of the Year awards, providing walls for all the new CRG and Movement gyms those years.Also in 2023, Walltopia and ABC Kids Climbing in Boulder, Colorado, announced a new partnership, “joining forces to create dedicated climbing gyms exclusively designed for young climbers,” Ivaylo Penchev, CEO of Walltopia, said in the press release. And in June, Walltopia’s World Indoor Climbing Summitreturned for a third edition, the first since the pandemic.“We are honored to be recognized for our work,” says Adam Koberna, Walltopia USA President. “Thanks to our customers who have entrusted us with their vision and their dedication to growing the sport of climbing. Watching the Walltopia family grow over the years has been incredibly humbling and we are looking forward to another year of success for everyone in the industry.”
Top Climbing Gym Wall Builders of 2023
(based on new climbing gym locations)
1st: Walltopia – 17.5 gyms
2nd: OnSite – 7 gyms
3rd: Vertical Solutions – 6 gyms
4th (tie): DÉLIRE – 3 gyms
4th (tie): EP Climbing – 3 gyms
Return to Awards ListPhoto of a newly installed bouldering floor at CRG Chelsea, courtesy of Cascade Specialty
Climbing Gym Floor Installer of the Year 2023
(based on new climbing gym locations)
Cascade Specialty
After finishing second in the Climbing Gym Floor Installer of the Year award in 2021 and 2022, Cascade Specialty claimed the top honors this year. The Washington state-based company installed the flooring at 9 new climbing gyms across the U.S., from Oregon to Florida. These gyms include all five of the new CRG locations as well as the new Portland Rock Gym Beaverton and The Stronghold Echo Park expansions, in addition to two first-location gyms.Operating out of Everett, Washington, Cascade Specialty came to fruition in 1999 when Mike Palmer “installed a new floor in his own facility,” then known as Cascade Crags, according to Cascade’s website. Since then, Palmer has been helping gym owners “install flooring solutions that are cost effective, durable, easily maintained, and have the safety of the climbers as their highest priority.” In 2024, Cascade Specialty is already confirmed as the flooring installer for two planned gyms in the U.S.“Cascade Specialty LLC is proud to be one of the top suppliers to the climbing industry for the past 18 years,” says Palmer. “We have many loyal customers located all over North America, who depend on our expertise to keep their customers climbing!”Return to Awards ListPhoto of a new bouldering floor installation at High Point Climbing – Lincoln Mill, courtesy of Flashed
Climbing Gym Floor Installer of the Year 2023 – Runner-Up
(based on new climbing gym locations)
Flashed
The Climbing Gym Floor Installer of the Year last year, Flashed earned its second Gym List award this year, finishing runner-up by the narrowest of margins. In 2023, Flashed installed the flooring for 8.5 new gyms—eight complete gyms, and one “half” gym, splitting the latter project with another brand. Flashed was the flooring supplier for new roped and bouldering-focused gyms throughout Canada and the U.S., completing projects from Saskatchewan to Alabama.Withroots as a small operation selling chalk balls and then crashpads and clothing from the founders’ basement, Flashed eventually padded its first commercial climbing gym back in 2010. Since then, the Canadian company has supplied the flooring for over 80 gyms and continued to develop its product line. This year, Flashed announced an Artist Crash Pad Collab Project, which involved partnering with various artists to design crashpads; Flashed and Cruxing in Color, for example, collaborated with local Denver artists on a new design, in an effort to increase artist visibility while producing flashy pads.“The climbing community has always felt like a big family. Winning this award is a testament to all those who have put their trust in our products, and we are very thankful,” says Keith Nalepa, Sales/Office Manager at Flashed. “We are always striving to push and evolve, shifting with the demands and needs of the industry. Our curiosity has led us to develop tools and devices to more deeply understand impact attenuation and relationships between layers of foam. Or to our retail products, like partnering with the University of British Columbia to learn and understand climbing chalk. Our goal is to create products that encourage camaraderie, personal growth and high performance in an inclusive and responsible manner. Thank you for supporting us and enabling us to pursue these dreams.”
Top Climbing Gym Floor Installers of 2023
(based on new climbing gym locations)
1st: Cascade Specialty – 9 gyms
2nd: Flashed – 8.5 gyms
3rd: UCS – 5 gyms
4th (tie): Habit – 5 gyms
4th (tie): OnSite – 5 gyms
6th: ClimbMat – 4 gyms
7th: Strati Climbing – 3.5 gyms
8th (tie): Délire – 2 gyms
8th (tie): Revival – 2 gyms
Return to Awards ListPhoto of the RGP software on multiple devices, courtesy of Rock Gym Pro
Climbing Gym Management Software of the Year 2023
(based on new climbing gym locations)
Rock Gym Pro
For the third year in a row and third time the award has been given, Rock Gym Pro (RGP) has won Climbing Gym Management Software of the Year, providing the CRM/POS system for 32 new gyms in North America—23 in the U.S., 8 in Canada, 1 in Mexico. RGP was chosen for all the new CRG locations, Mesa Rim Austin, and over a dozen other new expansion gyms.Founded in 2008, RGP is in use at over 800 climbing gyms worldwide and, according to the RGP website, now has over 25 million unique users, 30 million documents stored, 100 million check-ins, and $2 billion in processed transactions. In 2023, RGP announced their integration with Stripe processing via RGP Stripe Custom, to help alleviate added expenses associated with credit card processing.“It’s an honor for Rock Gym Pro to secure Climbing Business Journal’s Climbing Gym Management Software of the Year award for the third time,” says RGP Business Leader Laura Cole. “This recognition echoes our unwavering dedication to supporting the climbing industry, driven by our team’s roots as climbers and former gym owners. We are committed to continually enhancing our software to empower and uplift the indoor climbing community. This accolade reaffirms our pledge to provide innovative solutions and support to this incredible community.”
Top Climbing Gym Management Software of 2023
(based on new climbing gym locations)
This feature article is intended to serve as an extension of Climbing Business Journal’s annual Gyms and Trends report. The research and data collection for 2023 is proprietary to CBJ and was done largely by Naomi Stevens and Scott Rennak, with writing and editorial duties shared by Naomi Stevens, Joe Robinson and John Burgman. The full Gyms & Trends report for 2023 will be published early next year.
CBJ is dedicated to researching and reporting accurately on the climbing gym industry in North America. Climbing gyms have been proliferating across the world since the early 1990s. The first gyms had flat walls and rudimentary holds, and often possessed inadequate air filtration, lighting, and landing zones. Modern climbing gyms, in contrast, often have vast open spaces with beautiful natural light, intricate wall designs and features, industrial HVAC, and are filled with bright and interesting shapes of plastic, fiberglass and wooden grips. The industry has grown up, and modern climbing gyms now cater to a diverse and expanding clientele.
Dear Prospective Sponsor,
Since 2014, it’s been our honor to organize and host the annual Heart & Soul Climbing
Competition to raise funds for the fight against cancer. As the series enters its 11th year, we’d like to invite you to take part as a sponsor.
The 11th annual Heart & Soul Climbing Competition will be held on March 16th, 2024 at the
Denver Bouldering Clubs‘s flagship Central Denver location. There will be climbs for all ages and abilities and many prizes up for grabs!
This will be our 5th year giving locally to the University of Colorado Cancer Center. We’re
directing our 2024 donation toward the same goal as years in the past: helping advance
cancer research through the Investigator-Initiated Trials program.
So far, each Heart & Soul has raised more money than the last, and we hope to continue that trend in 2024. We celebrated an exciting milestone last year when our event total surpassed $125k! Without you and our amazing community of climbers, none of this would be possible.
We’re seeking your partnership in the fundraising effort, and we welcome any other
contributions our sponsors are willing to make. For our part, the DBC will donate a portion of each participant’s registration fee. On top of your contribution, the DBC will donate a portion of event registration fees to help reach our goal.
The simplest way to give is by joining our online fundraising team. You may have to allow
cookies in your browser settings in order for the site to load properly. All money collected on this platform goes directly to the CU Cancer Center and donations are tax deductible. To thank you for your support, we’ve set up a sponsor benefits system outlined in the chart below. Benefits include numerous promotions before and after the event and inclusion in promotional materials. Online donations count automatically toward sponsorship totals.
We hope you’ll join us for Heart & Soul 2024! If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.
Warm regards,
Team DBC
Peter Pham (he/him)
Marketing & Operations Manager
Denver Bouldering Club
peter@denverboulderingclub.com
Online Fundraising:
https://www.cuanschutz.edu/offices/advancement/give-now/crowdfunding?cfpage=/o/university-of-colorado-anschutz-56/i/anschutz-crowdfunding/s/heart-soul-climbing-competition-2024CBJ press releases are written by the sponsor and do not represent the views of the Climbing Business Journal editorial team.
It’s the giving season, and if you have gratitude for the actions of climbing organizations, we urge you to make a year end donation or become a member.Please take our reader survey! It’s the first time we’ve done this, and we’re eager to hear what you value and would like to see from CBJ. Plus you could win some great So iLL prizes!Next week we hope to see you at the Indoor Climbing Expo and the Grip Showcase in Chattanooga! Tickets are still available.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…
Now through December 28th, 2023 get 25% off 
2023 was the 
In total, the Coalition completed 10 trail projects, landing projects for over 120 boulder problems, and 4 community projects in 2023:
2023 Trail Projects (10 Total Projects):
About the Joe’s Valley Coalition
The Joe’s Valley Coalition aims to develop and implement sustainable climbing areas and support a healthy local community around Joe’s Valley, Utah. Led by local climbers and developers, the Coalition organizes and supports year-round projects at the boulders, as well as in the communities surrounding Joe’s Valley, and maintains direct communication with land management agencies and local officials on behalf of climbers. The Coalition’s work isn’t possible without the support of paying members and volunteers. Consider becoming a Coalition member today.
Learn more about the Joe’s Valley Coalition: 
Jackie Hueftle
Jackie was a founding member of both the CWA Routesetting Committee and the Routesetting Institute.
She currently serves as a Board Member for Bolt and Revolt, and is the co-owner of KILTER Grips, which produces the Kilter, Haptic, and Union lines, along with the KILTER Board. She is an avid climber and has experience in many different areas, including as a guide, head routesetter, competitive climber, coach, manager of membership and front desk, and so much more.
George Poulton
George is a lawyer by trade.
A climber since the mid-90’s, he previously served as in-house general counsel and a corporate officer for companies in the climbing wall industry. He currently serves as outside general counsel to businesses and their constituents in a variety of industries. He currently lives in Salt Lake City with his wife and two daughters.
Mardi Roberts
Mardi has extensive experience across many facets of the indoor climbing industry.
She has a background in accounting, retail, policy and procedures, operations, and marketing. She is a wealth of knowledge for indoor climbing gym operators and is a strong advocate and mentor for those in the industry. She is currently a co-owner and CEO of 5.Life, which owns four gyms in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Her gyms define their own individual personalities and brand identities. She lives in Ohio with her husband and is a mother of four.
Walson Tai
Walson has experience as both a vendor and a climbing gym owner.
He got his start in the early 90’s, selling handmade chalk balls out of his Montreal apartment with his wife. From this humble beginning grew Flashed Climbing, a leader in the industry. He currently is the co-owner of Flashed Climbing, Binary Holds, Magic Labs, and Calgary Climbing Centres, which has four locations in Canada.
Join us in celebrating our new members of the Board of Directors!
CBJ is dedicated to researching and reporting accurately on the climbing gym industry in North America. Climbing gyms have been proliferating across the world since the early 1990s. The first gyms had flat walls and rudimentary holds, and often possessed inadequate air filtration, lighting, and landing zones. Modern climbing gyms, in contrast, often have vast open spaces with beautiful natural light, intricate wall designs and features, industrial HVAC, and are filled with bright and interesting shapes of plastic, fiberglass and wooden grips. The industry has grown up, and modern climbing gyms now cater to a diverse and expanding clientele. 
Dear Prospective Sponsor,
Since 2014, it’s been our honor to organize and host the annual Heart & Soul Climbing
Competition to raise funds for the fight against cancer. As the series enters its 11th year, we’d like to invite you to take part as a sponsor.
The 11th annual Heart & Soul Climbing Competition will be held on March 16th, 2024 at the
