[Editor’s Note: The images in this article were updated on April 5 to reflect progress in construction.]
After operating from its original location for over a decade, the Washington bouldering gym Climb Tacoma is moving to a different location in Tacoma. Described as an “exciting but bittersweet” moment on the gym’s website, the building that has housed Climb Tacoma “is being sold to a local land developer,” which prompted the search for a suitable next space. “The current location will be demolished, as the new owners of the block will be building high-rise apartments in its place,” the website continued. Fortunately for the gym, the Climb Tacoma team found a larger building less than three miles away and began working with the city on building permits.
The new climbing gym is being built with a goal of bringing “the same cozy Climb Tacoma atmosphere to a nicer facility, in a safer corner of downtown,” the website detailed. The completed gym will feature a spray wall, a designated kids’ zone, and 4,000 square feet of climbing terrain in the bouldering-focused facility. Specifically, the gym is growing from 8,000 square feet of floor space to 11,000 square feet and will have more slab and vertical bouldering terrain, the ability to top out on certain walls, and a 70-degree overhanging feature.
Because the old walls were curved and the new walls will “absolutely not” be, the website stated, the gym will be buying bigger holds and volumes for the updated wall design. The team is also excited about an exclusive parking lot and proximity to several restaurants and businesses. Currently, there is not an official move date, but the new gym is expected to open sometime in May.
Naomi is a personal trainer and a routesetter who has also worked at climbing gyms as a youth team coach. After starting college at Colorado State University in 2017, she wanted to make new friends and found climbing, fell in love, and now climbing dictates most of what she does. Naomi earned a bachelor’s degree in Ecosystem Science & Sustainability, and when not climbing she enjoys baking, gardening and crafting.
