The Pad Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Specs: The Pad is expected to open a mixed-discipline climbing gym in Las Vegas in late 2026 in a former theater. Owned by The Pad Climbing and local investors, The Pad Vegas will be the chain’s fourth open location once it’s completed. In 2019, The Pad acquired Origin Climbing & Fitness in Henderson, Nevada, a town about 20 minutes southeast of Las Vegas, before eventually closing the gym in 2024. “We got a really good idea of the market and brought on a ton of key players, but the location we had in the Vegas Valley wasn’t a good market for us,” Kristin Horowitz, CEO of The Pad, explained. “That said, we attracted investors who liked the gym and how we operated, and they wanted to see what we could do with our own build and site selection, and here we are. We have always been partially funded by local communities as our way of proving the market, so this was more of the same, honestly.”
According to Horowitz, The Pad was only open to the specific location they found and had been thinking about moving into the area since the Henderson acquisition. “As a climber, I know that’s the desirable place to live, and it’s convenient to Red Rocks climbing,” Kristin said. “I want it to be a place where people who fly in or drive in from wherever find a home, so proximity to Red Rocks was important.”
The old theater itself suited the team’s vision for the build out, as well. Horowitz said she has “always loved good character to work with,” adding that “the theater model has been proven obviously already, and it’s actually a really easy layout in terms of getting ready for a gym.” Horowitz thinks the color scheme from the theater will add character to the environment, which is being built a bit differently than The Pad’s existing locations, “because it’s more Vegas.”
For example, there will be a fun wall element for kids and folks wanting that experience, and she described it as “a little more high end to attract that crowd than our usual small market gyms.” Because of the strong climber community established in Vegas, with “other gyms that are well respected and established,” Horowitz said The Pad is not trying to “duplicate what people love about them,” and is instead “augmenting it [with] different amenities, from training boards to setting to wall design.”
The 24,000-square-foot space will house 17,000 square feet of climbing wall surface, with roped walls reaching 45 feet and boulders reaching 18 feet. There will be auto belays, crack climbing features and training boards at the gym, in addition to weight and cardio machines. Other amenities include youth areas, a sauna, a slackline and youth programming, such as teams and birthday parties.
Additionally, The Pad team is working on some van-life amenities and has ensured the landlord is okay with people sleeping in the parking lot. “The camping [in Red Rocks] is harder now that it’s a popular climbing area, so we wanted to be the place to crash in your van or when it’s raining,” Horowitz said. Travelers will have access to showers, 24/7 bathrooms, free coffee and a microwave, with “plenty of hangout space to get out of your car,” Horowitz added.
As far as other amenities, Horowitz said The Pad Vegas will see “see what else we add as we go along and what the community asks for.” The Pad team opens locations when things aren’t completely finished, because they “want to see how use evolves as the community adopts it,” Horowitz explained. “I always have wished for something that modeled the experience I got at Miguel’s [Pizza] in the Red [River Gorge] back in the 2000s. Community amenities and people from all over the world hanging out is the dream, while also obviously serving the permanent Las Vegas community.”
Walls: Walltopia
Flooring: Walltopia
CRM Software: RedPoint HQ
Website: thepadclimbing.org/vegas-valley-updates/
Instagram: @ThePadLV
In Their Words: “Don’t get cocky. I think that a lot of [gym operators] get a lot of yesses from consultants and advisors, and they look at all the successful opening press releases out there, but I talk to a lot of people annually who aren’t seeing what they thought they would and got sold a story. It’s a different story than it was when we started, and it takes a lot of money and a lot of tolerance for failure as you inevitably make mistakes now. Gone are the days of DIY and doing it with friends. Everything has changed. We’ve had about as many failures as we have had successes, and we’ve been lucky to have such community support in place over the years to help us get back on our footing.” – Kristin Horowitz, CEO of The Pad Climbing
