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!
Mentorship has a well-established role in the history of climbing. Not surprisingly, it has a key role in the indoor climbing industry as well. Understanding mentorship, and how to utilize it as a training and performance tool, can take your team from ‘epic-ing’ with every challenge,... Continue Reading
We’ve all done it: spoken airily about things that we would like to see or that ought to be. But when it comes to action, we seem to lack the conviction or the earnest desire to implement all that we can imagine. Since the events of spring and summer of 2020—I’m referring to the... Continue Reading
Ground Up Climbing Centre, Squamish, B.C.Photo: Ian Coll A little over an hour north of Vancouver, the mountain community of Squamish is perched below gargantuan peaks of the Canadian Rockies. The town boasts a population of around 21,000 and is an adventure haven. But when Lauren Watson moved... Continue Reading
In anticipation of the 2022 CWA Summit, May 18-20 in Salt Lake City, we’re highlighting conference sessions we can’t wait to see. Stay tuned each month as we spotlight the speakers and topics driving the future of indoor climbing! The CWA Summit brings professionals from every... Continue Reading
USA Climbing Olympic athlete Kyra Condie competing at the IFSC World Cup semi-final bouldering event in Salt Lake City, Utah in May 2022. Photos: Jake Byk/CWA Only a handful of years ago, competing in the Olympics seemed like an unrealistic dream for young climbers. Yet, last year in Tokyo, U.S.... Continue Reading
In most industries, even saying the word “networking” can warrant some eye-rolling. In commercial routesetting, it might seem odd to prioritize building a network when most of the year you are working with the same core crew in the same gym environment. However, I’ve found... Continue Reading
Many climbing gyms inform customers that “climbing is inherently dangerous” or that “climbing gyms cannot eliminate risk.” Although true, there are ways to reduce risk and when reducing risk, some methods are better than others. “All wall owners, operators,... Continue Reading
Photo courtesy of John D Mactavish Since 2018, Latitude Climbing and Fitness has been serving the climbing community of coastal Virginia. Whether it be supporting service members or expanding their events beyond a traditional climbing and fitness focus, Latitude has found success and grown in one... Continue Reading
If you’ve ever set with me, you know I talk a lot about feelings. Initially, I try to express how the route feels to me. Then I go through a long process to imagine how the route feels for someone who is way taller than me. Then shorter than me. Then heavier than me. Or someone who is... Continue Reading
Brick and mortar businesses like ours only have so much they can grow – a space to house what we offer, a space to house those that make or deliver what we offer, and after that...no more. That’s why it's important to consider scaling: growing beyond the single location and duplicate... Continue Reading
Mike Meyers, 47, at The Crag Nashville. Photo by Kyle Somers. Think all the way back to the ’90s when Spandex was neon, and everything was rad…or is that now? Chris Sharma and Lynn Hill were shining a spotlight on the sport, gyms were starting to pop up, and climbing was becoming... Continue Reading
Do you know what you should and shouldn’t do or say if a serious accident or other calamity occurs at your gym? Do you know what actions to take in the aftermath? Do you know who will speak on behalf of the gym, and take those actions? At the 2012 CWA Summit, the CWA explored crisis... Continue Reading
