Authored by Jonathan Brandt
At Shift, we aim to make meaningful change in the climbing industry by trying new things, breaking the mold, and pushing boundaries. Progress happens when we learn from each other, and our hope is that this work inspires others to innovate alongside us—this is why we’re psyched to share some of the work we’re doing at Shift. If we’re not sharing our successes and failures with others, what’s the point of doing any of it?
Oh, and if you’re wondering—what is Shift? Shift is a new bouldering gym that opened last month in Holland, MI. Founded by myself, Jonathan Brandt, and my friend Jack Ogilvie, Shift is our way of combining years of experience in building people-first work cultures and creating unique climbing experiences. Our goal? To make a positive impact—or a shift—in how people approach climbing and how gyms operate within the industry.
Embracing the Experiment
For the last two decades, I’ve encouraged gyms and communities to embrace new ideas—some successful, some not. Now, for the first time, I have the opportunity to apply everything I’ve learned in a space of our own.
Over the coming years, we’re going to experiment a lot—throwing ideas at the wall to see what sticks. We’ve started with a few things that matter deeply to us: competitive pay and benefits for our employees, fresh approaches to setting and circuit design, and a unique vision for hospitality. These aren’t just important to Shift—they’re ideas we hope will help shape the future of climbing gyms.
Of our six core values (Care, Innovation, Growth Mindset, Making it Fun, Inclusivity, and Obsessed), the one closest to my heart is innovation. By prioritizing the design of our climbing space over other elements that don’t directly impact the climbing experience, we created the opportunity to introduce something new: dynamic terrain.
For a long time, I’ve believed that climbing gyms should feature boulders that evolve—just like our climbs, programs, and communities do. While everything else in a gym changes, the boulders themselves typically remain fixed, limiting creativity and progression over time. I believe the future of indoor climbing involves more adaptable structures that help us meet the needs of climbers, routesetters, and the experiences we want to create.
Dreaming Up the Boulder
With this in mind, I approached the wall manufacturer for our gym project, Dreamwall, with a concept: a freestanding, tiltable boulder. I wanted part of our gym to feel as fresh years down the road as it does on day one. A tiltable boulder would help maximize the variety of angles in our space, allowing us to offer more terrain within a fixed footprint.
We partnered with Dreamwall not only for their expertise and personal approach but because they share a passion for creativity. When I pitched the idea to Dreamwall’s owner, Ivaylo Krestev, he loved it. Once we finalized the structure’s design, Ivo took on the challenge of engineering the movement mechanism. Meanwhile, we worked with Flashed to create a flooring system that would integrate seamlessly with the concept.
The Result: The World’s First Freestanding, Tiltable Boulder
The end result – what we believe is the world’s first freestanding, tiltable boulder. The boulder shifts 13 degrees in both directions, giving us over 25 degrees of adjustability in a significant portion (70+ linear feet) of our terrain at Shift. This feature has helped us to:
- Increase terrain variety within our fixed footprint
- Dramatically change wall angles and alter how two of our aretes climb
- Give routesetters more creative freedom
- Host unique events where we modify climbs without touching a single hold
I’m sure there are tons of ways to use this thing that we haven’t even thought of yet, but what I do know is that we’re going to explore as many of them as possible. We can’t wait to welcome more climbers in the space, keep experimenting, and see what happens!
Looking Ahead
I had high expectations for this idea, but seeing it come to life has been surreal. Watching it tilt back and forth at the push of a button, I can already imagine so many of the incredible experiences we’re going to foster.
While I know we’ve built something special, my bigger hope is that this type of terrain becomes the norm. I want to see this concept evolved, scaled, and implemented in bigger and better ways across the industry, so that climbers and setters have even more adjustable surfaces on which to play.
Keen to know what else we have cookin’? Want to see what other cool things we’re trying? Follow us on Instagram and YouTube to see how we use the tiltable boulder and test other interesting concepts—on the wall, and off. And if you’re in the area (or just psyched to check it out), come climb with us!
For those interested in working with Dreamwall, reach out to the folks at So iLL—they’re representing Dreamwall in North America. It’s a perfect match in my opinion, considering So iLL has been a leader in creativity, innovation, and quality for years.
This story was paid for by the sponsor and does not necessarily represent the views of the Climbing Business Journal editorial team.
