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!
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
On Thursday, May 13 the CDC updated their guidelines for fully vaccinated people. There’s been a scramble across every industry in the US to understand how these new rules affect them. But what does this mean for climbing gyms in the US? The most recent announcement from the CDC applies... Continue Reading
Image provided by Caroline Treadway “But don’t you feel lighter?” I overheard this at my local climbing gym the night after interviewing Caroline Treadway, the documentarian who recently released her breakout film, LIGHT, about eating disorders in climbing. I’ve been... Continue Reading
