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!
The CWA’s most recent industry report was conducted in 2019, surveying 146 climbing facilities and 96 different companies from a total of 577 commercial gyms in North America—a number representing an 8.7% growth in total facilities compared to 2018. The overall revenue for climbing... Continue Reading
The Climbing Wall Association Board of Directors is excited to announce Garnet Moore's promotion to the position of Executive Director. Garnet brings a passion for indoor climbing, strong industry relationships, and the skills necessary to lead the CWA. Since 2019, he has served the CWA in a... Continue Reading
Born and raised on the Colorado Front Range, Theresa Morris started climbing by doing family laps on the ironic Flatirons in Boulder. After becoming an educator, she recognized the important lessons climbing can teach youth and made it her mission to get climbing programs into as many schools as... Continue Reading
ASCEND Point Breeze in Pittsburgh, Pa., prior to its opening a few months later. In 2022, 36 new climbing gyms opened across the U.S. and Canada with “32 net new gyms open[ing] annually in the U.S. on average over the past 10 years,” according to the findings of a Climbing Business... Continue Reading
You’d like to think that if the time ever came when a government entity decided to shut down your indoor climbing gym, you’d know it was coming. You’d think there would be some communication, some due process, notices, or at least some warning. But for Mike Boyer and his gym,... Continue Reading
Over a decade ago, with the introduction and evolution of indoor climbing gyms, there was a recognition that not all facilities operate in the same way. Industry stakeholders got together to determine standards and guidelines for the operations of facilities for the industry as a whole. This... Continue Reading
An auto belay barrier designed by Neon, in CityRock Climbing Gym. Creating safety around auto belay use in indoor climbing gyms starts with understanding why accidents happen at all. In late 2022, a commissioned study conducted by Prof. Jon Heshka of Thompson Rivers University titled... Continue Reading
The CWA is excited to debut the CWA Community Hub, a new online platform for indoor climbing professionals to communicate, share ideas, work together to generate creative solutions, and contribute to industry growth and improvement all year long. Continue Reading
The 2023 CWA Summit starts this week, so we wanted to bring you a comprehensive guide to the event. Here's all the information you need to make this CWA Summit the best ever, with updates, the official event app, downloadable schedules, and so much more. Download the CWA Summit App! Our CWA... Continue Reading
Boulder, Colorado-based non-profit Mountains Without Borders works with indoor climbing gyms to recycle used climbing gear. Learn about how you can support their mission. Continue Reading
In no particular order, here are five hold sets that spark joy – or bittersweet fury – when I see them on the wall, as well as why you may want them for your indoor climbing gym. Continue Reading
Want to host a paraclimbing Competition at your gym? Learn how to prepare your gym, a budget, a marketing plan, and more. Hailey Caissie of the The Crag speaks with three experts to offer advice and guidance for your gym. Continue Reading
