CWA Blog

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 It’s undeniable – following the Olympics, people discover and try new sports. Called the ‘Olympic Bump,’ folks tend... Continue Reading

UPDATE Please join us on August 17th for a webinar covering the gyms act and our upcoming campaign in partnership with Access Fund to help raise support for this important legislation. Register for the webinar today The CWA has been working to help secure direct stimulus for climbing gyms... Continue Reading

Photo taken at The Front Climbing Club Many of us underestimate the impact we have on each other. As coaches and instructors, it's important to consider our role as leaders in our climbing communities. We get to influence the next generation’s perspective in climbing and in life – but... Continue Reading

With the indoor climbing industry beginning to roar back after the pandemic, the CWA has been seeing an increasing number of gyms looking to add new certified climbing wall workers or renew their existing staff. While there are still some pandemic-related travel challenges impeding a return to... Continue Reading

Lillian Chao-Quinlan, the president of Sportrock, got a call from someone who identified themselves as “D.J. from the White House” late one night in May. She thought it was spam and continued her evening. Shortly thereafter, the Mayor of Alexandria, Va., texted her. “Have you... Continue Reading

As routesetting becomes recognized as a more long-term professional career path in the climbing industry, it is important for gyms to evaluate what professional opportunities they are offering to their setting teams in order to keep them growing. One option is scheduling a professional... Continue Reading

When USA Climbing athlete Natalia Grossman launched up the final boulder problem of the IFSC World Cup’s second weekend in Salt Lake City, it was hard to stay seated. Everyone at the 3,000-person event was fists to the sky in all-out exuberance. Grossman took Gold, with Olympic athlete... Continue Reading

Websites are so often the first impression a climbing gym makes on the general public, so they carry a lot of weight. While it can feel disorienting to be writing about climbing during a global pandemic, a part of me still appreciates how small nudges to be better for each other can ripple out... Continue Reading

Starting in 2017, the CWA began establishing an industry research program to develop information that aides climbing gym owners, industry vendors, and prospective gym owners in their decision-making processes. Our goal is to provide reliable data and business metrics for industry stakeholders... Continue Reading

Get your climbers pumped to come back to the gym! The Inside Voices campaign supports climbing gyms recovering from the pandemic. Share the new video, which features the US Olympic Climbing Team - Brooke Raboutou, Kyra Condie, Colin Duffy, and Nathaniel Coleman! FACEBOOK Hit the share button... Continue Reading

Photo provided by Hailey Caissie Parents have spent more time with their children the past year homeschooling, overseeing dining room Zoom, and more. As we open our doors and rebuild our communities, it’s important to focus on parents who are coming in and engaging with children most... Continue Reading

In preparation for our Retail Webinar Series, we assembled a team of experts to discuss why retail is a great opportunity for climbing gyms, considerations for starting a retail program, and some common potholes to avoid along the way. Below are some of our favorite pieces of advice from the panel... Continue Reading