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!
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
In the second part of our Indoor Climbing Program Assessments, we will dive a little deeper into staff assessments. Get an example rubric for evaluation, the phases of implementing an assessment, and more. Continue Reading
CWA Summit session content will be focused on core topics for different employee types, building on a theme of collaboration 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
Pittsburgh might not be the first place you think of when you picture climbing. You might have some preconceived, and outdated, notions about the city, owing to its history as the Steel City prior to deindustrialization, images of frigid wind whipping off its famous three rivers, or even its... Continue Reading
