The Raleigh-Durham-based climbing gym operator, Triangle Rock Club has announced they will open a full-service climbing center in Richmond, Virginia in late 2017. This facility will mark the fourth gym for Triangle and the first outside of their home state of North Carolina.
Opening in two phases, TRC RVA will open the phase one, 24,000 square-foot building with 13,000 square feet of climbing terrain. Phase two, which will feature an additional 15,000 square feet of terrain, has an anticipated 2018 opening. “Phasing it allows us to open the business earlier and start building the community sooner,” TRC Managing Partner Joel Graybeal told CBJ. “We’ve done our other two biggest gyms in phases and that has worked out quite well for us.”
Upon completion of both phases, TRC RVA could become the second largest climbing facility in the state of Virginia.
“The Triangle Rock Club team is excited to head North and we cannot wait to serve the well-established climbing community in Richmond,” Graybeal said. “With state-of-the-art Walltopia climbing terrain, a large fitness center including dedicated strength, cardio, and yoga space, a full retail shop, and ample parking space, we could not be more eager for all that is to come! We are looking forward to growing the climbing community in Richmond and becoming an active participant in the Richmond business community.”
The climbing, fitness, and yoga facility will be located in the northern end of the city in the former Richmond Athletic Club building. Richmond currently has one climbing gym, Peak Experiences, which opened in 1998. Peak Experiences also has a second gym in development which is planned to open sometime this year. This second facility is 11 minutes from the planned Triangle facility.
“We believe the market will support two indoor climbing facilities near the downtown Richmond area,” Graybeal said. “We know and like the Peak Experiences ownership team. We have openly communicated our plans to them ahead of time so that we can work collaboratively to grow the Richmond climbing community.”
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