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!
It is quite common for the customer service team of a climbing gym to wear multiple hats; performing the roles of front desk staff, retail, communications, floor patrol, and now—public health and safety officers. As climbing gyms and fitness facilities have rolled out reopening plans,... Continue Reading
As COVID-19 threatens the health of our global community, climbing gyms across the world are facing challenges unlike any we’ve seen before. As climbing gyms begin to reopen, operations cannot be business as usual. In this time of uncertainty and change, the indoor climbing industry has... Continue Reading
Since climbing gyms have begun reopening this summer, gym owners and managers across the country have been bracing themselves for what feels inevitable: the news that someone who’s recently climbed at their facility has tested positive for COVID-19. It’s a tough situation, and... Continue Reading
Developing anti-racist businesses, organizations, philanthropic ventures and so on, requires considerable long-term investments in labor and education. The nature of working towards a future without racism is complex, nuanced, place-specific, and emergent (ever-evolving). Companies that have... Continue Reading
Climbing gyms in many parts of the US have begun to reopen or are making plans to. The policies that gyms have created around occupancy, sanitation, and personal protective equipment are great guidelines for users. However, returning to running youth programming while keeping young climbers and... Continue Reading
The following is a letter written by the Climbing Wall Association to Members of Congress regarding COVID-19. The letter recommends the passage of high-priority financial relief measures that would help address the threat the ongoing pandemic poses to small businesses, including climbing gyms. A... Continue Reading
While shaping the CWA's Roadmap to Reopening, we’ve been monitoring the various guidance that has come from many states, counties, provinces, and countries in response to COVID-19. We’ve also been speaking to a lot of gym owners and operators and surveying the industry to gain insight... Continue Reading
As the months continue to pass, it is increasingly evident that our climbing industry is not likely to return to ‘normal’. For some, this might signal sadness and loss. For others, an opportunity has presented itself to finally address and change some very real and damaging aspects of... Continue Reading
In Part I of this article, I provided information about the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements for the health and safety of employees and practical approaches to managing workplace health and safety. There are many unanswered questions and areas of legal concern, so... Continue Reading
This post is Part II of a series on communicating with customers about the new realities of running a gym in the age of coronavirus. In Part I, we discussed setting up positive, proactive communication. Despite your best efforts, it’s still possible that you’ll have members and... Continue Reading
Posted By Laura Allured, Thursday, May 28, 2020Updated: Friday, May 29, 2020 It’s an understatement to say that climbing facilities have a lot to deal with right now. In addition to contending with the financial implications of getting members and customers back, gyms have to think about... Continue Reading
This post is Part I in a series on communicating with customers about the new realities of running a gym in the age of coronavirus. As the coronavirus outbreak took hold over the last few months, gym owners everywhere have been bombarded with big questions—from navigating payroll assistance... Continue Reading
