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!
Creating robust recreational and competitive programs that fit in to your gym’s culture may be challenging, but the benefits of creating and developing life-long climbers that will fall in love with climbing create great culture and contribute greatly to your gym's revenue. Continue Reading
High turnover of employees costs businesses money and time, and can lead to a further trickle down of discontent on your team. Learn some reasons why employees are leaving your climbing gym and strategies to combat turnover while building a stronger team. Continue Reading
Many potential coaches in the indoor climbing industry feel that their climbing talent or background isn't strong enough to take the step to become a coach. Chris Oshinski is here to provide some empirical evidence to correct this misconception and bolster the ranks of coaches. Continue Reading
It’s a bluebird autumn day, golden leaves are raining from every direction, and I’m filled with joy as I drive home from my first yoga for climbers retreat at the Red River Gorge, Kent. While driving, I thought about where my professional coaching journey began and how far it has... Continue Reading
Coach at Momentum Indoor Climbing. Credit: Jake Byk/CWA at Momentum Indoor Climbing “You can’t grow as an athlete if you’re spending your focus on healing.” I’ve heard a lot of wisdom from my older sister over the years, and this bit of advice stood out. Sarah... Continue Reading
In our last blog post, we wrote about some lessons we have learned in our work supporting indoor climbing gyms and program teams in designing staff training. One of the key takeaways from our work is the power of assessment in identifying needs, means of change, and progress. With limited... Continue Reading
“Why do you throw up sometimes?” I asked my sister on our way home from school. Silence hung in the air. “I don’t know.” She breathed. In my freshman year, there was often tension between us. I needed her to know that I cared about her and that I was a safe person to... Continue Reading
Climbing is used by many of us for myriad purposes: stress relief, physical activity, pure pleasure, and so much more. Recently, our sport has gained a lot of traction for its constructive potential for neurodivergent folks experiencing a broad range of symptoms. I chatted with Molly... Continue Reading
Last year, after seeing the success of Rana Accawi’s Climb Like a Girl (CLAG) program at Brooklyn Boulders, I knew I wanted to trial a similar program at The Crag. While I have very little coaching experience and no formal coaching training - five years of full-time routesetting and climber... Continue Reading
As we learned from the CWA Summit, more routesetters are transitioning roles and switching companies than ever before. Whether it be for higher pay, better benefits, or to be closer to outdoor climbing, routesetters have limitless options to move considering we’re currently seeing gyms pop... Continue Reading
The lights dimmed, the music flared, and a silver mohawk walked out on stage. Paula Horwitz pumped her fist to the music and the crowd was stoked. As I looked across the hall, I knew I was with my people. Before she introduced our keynote speaker, Kevin Jorgeson, Paula shared a heartfelt story... Continue Reading
There are many reasons we work at climbing gyms, and no matter where you are on the career ladder, there are several skills and abilities we can develop to enhance our lives and strengthen our resumes.As we explore some of these areas of growth, we discover their interconnectedness and how they... Continue Reading
