The Climbing Wall Association's blog is a place for indoor climbing professionals to find useful and relevant information from industry and business experts. Stay on top of best practices, thought leadership, and trends by subscribing to our newsletter!
What goes up, must eventually come down. If there is one law of physics that rock climbers are always acutely aware of, it is the law of gravity. This law also applies to chalk–a necessary evil for indoor rock climbing. Regardless of size, all indoor climbing gyms face the same problem... Continue Reading
Climbing facilities face various challenges, from consistent operations that keep up with industry trends to finding new ways to engage members. You may not realize that the CWA has a network of committees working behind the scenes to address the issues you deal with daily. These committees are... Continue Reading
As we read in Part 1, so much of what routesetters are responsible for impacts the experiences of competitive athletes training in the commercial gym space. Article At A Glance Writer: Andrew Carter Smith, Head Coach at Triangle Rock Club in North Carolina. He specializes in content... Continue Reading
This year, the Climbing Wall Association (CWA) and USA Climbing (USAC) formed the new Competition Advisory Committee, to include indoor climbing gym operators in discussions of the industry, the future of competition climbing, and how to strengthen collaboration. “It has been a pleasure... Continue Reading
As a former sprinter (in the sports of swimming and track and field), I am completely fascinated by the sport of speed climbing. Speed climbing is arguably the fastest race-based event between two or more humans. The current world record for men’s speed climbing is 4.74 seconds, and the... Continue Reading
Spire Climbing + Fitness, located an hour and a half drive from Yellowstone National Park, is nestled into the beautiful and outdoor-centric community of Bozeman, Montana. This indoor climbing gym decided to utilize its community to build exactly what its community needed. Through trial and... Continue Reading
This article is sponsored content written by CWA staff. The American Alpine Club has recently released its groundbreaking Pay What You Can (PWYC) Toolkit for indoor climbing gyms. At the CWA, we were ecstatic to see this important work being done and to see so much of our membership help out.... Continue Reading
Routesetting in climbing gyms presents unique challenges, however, accommodating the diverse needs of all climbers is the primary concern. Gyms often cater to members who use the gym as their “crag” or are training for outdoor climbing. Article At A Glance Writer: Andrew... Continue Reading
This article is sponsored content. Brought to you in part by Agripp and Trango, with Proxy Climbing. The Setter Summit is more than just an event—it's a lifeline for climbing gyms around the country, especially those in areas where outdoor climbing is scarce. For me, it all started with a... Continue Reading
In the last several articles in this series, we have covered why investing in community building is worthwhile for your gym, focusing on developing non-climbing community-building offerings and leveraging the power of youth programs. Article At A Glance Writer: The... Continue Reading
oftenfocusedon A rose by any other name, the landscape of indoor rock climbing has been forever changed by competitive rock climbing. As the sport of rock climbing becomes more popular with the general public, indoor climbing gyms are noticing an ever-increasing divide between regular indoor rock... Continue Reading
Two-time U.S. Olympic athlete Brooke Raboutou competes in the Semi-Final round of the IFSC World Cup Bouldering Competition in Salt Lake City. Photo by Jake Byk/CWA EDITOR'S NOTE: This article was originally published with the first Olympic games to include rock climbing in 2021. It has been... Continue Reading
