Brooklyn Uprising
Brooklyn, New York

Specs: Brooklyn Uprising is opening this spring in the DUMBO neighborhood of New York City, owned by Creative Director Emily Kollars and Business Director Tyler Tringas. Described by the owners as a “neoclassical” bouldering facility, the gym will blend old-school training with modern design, and contemporary features inside the space are being set up with outdoor climbing movement in mind. The owners are intentionally positioning the gym as a specialized, not-one-size-fits-all facility, in part because they’ve seen a demand for more specialization as the industry matures. Instead of an all-in-one model, they hope to provide “a boutique experience,” said Kollars, while “maintaining a connection to the outdoors,” per the gym’s homepage.

The idea for Brooklyn Uprising began about two years ago, when the owners wanted to give back to their climbing community and perceived a gap in the market of “locally owned and operated” gyms, Kollars stated. About 18 months ago, the duo began looking for a space and found what Kollars said was “not at all an obvious selection” for a climbing gym. “It’s this beautiful old building that originally was a torpedo manufacturing space and then eventually evolved into paper manufacturing, and then most recently it was an architecture firm,” she said. “So, it’s sort of unusual in its layout.” As a result, the team had to closely analyze the interior to maximize the gym’s climbing and training space. Kollars, for example—who comes from a design background—surveyed the space and created a 3D model to help with “looking at basically every possible iteration of wall layout,” she recalled.

Brooklyn Uprising was built in “a really special space” for Kollars and Tringas, Kollars said, in a neighborhood where they have both lived for several years. On the Brooklyn coastline, with a “view of the Manhattan skyline,” the gym is in a large, historic building with an “atrium skylight in the main area,” Tringas detailed. The building itself is “city-block-sized,” with classic artists’ lofts located above the main gym area, “filled with creative folks and studios,” Tringas told CBJ. The team is excited to provide building tenants and DUMBO residents new “opportunities to come in and be a part of a climbing community in New York City,” Kollars added.

Brooklyn Uprising will have amenities, programs and routesetting targeted toward training for individuals 16 and older. The 6,200-square-foot facility will have 3,500 square feet of climbing on walls reaching 15 feet, including a Tension Board 2. “We like to think of every gym as being its own crag,” Kollars said, where a distinct voice is developed through routesetting. The routesetting at Brooklyn Uprising will be focused more on outdoor movement and less on competition-style climbing, with the aim of helping climbers develop skills used to send their projects outside. Alongside the bouldering, climbers can access different fitness amenities at the gym, like squat racks and free weights, in addition to hangboards, a sauna, and co-working and lounge space. Brooklyn Uprising will also offer mental and physical coaching and training.

The owners plan to host community-focused events at Brooklyn Uprising as well, such as live music, dance parties and workshops, while incorporating member feedback into decisions for new offerings. “We want people to be able to have their voice heard and recognized and responded to so that this space is truly our space,” Kollars said. “Not just [Tringas] and me dictating what it will be and how it will be, but we want it to be something for our community.”

Walls: Walltopia
Flooring: Climbmat
CRM Software: Owner/Contractor
Website: www.bkup.nyc
Instagram: @BrooklynUprising

In Their Words: “Brooklyn is my home. I’ve been in New York for about 17 years, and Brooklyn is really very special to me. And to give a gift, essentially, to our climbing community here in New York, I think doing it in a space that really resonates for me personally felt like an important decision.” – Emily Kollars, Brooklyn Uprising Co-Founder and Creative Director

The post “Neoclassical” Bouldering Gym Opening in Brooklyn’s DUMBO Neighborhood this Spring appeared first on Climbing Business Journal.

Rifle Climbing Center
Rifle, Colorado

Specs: Rifle Climbing Center (RCC), a bouldering-focused gym owned by Karissa Dunbar and Jason Marshall, opened in February 2025 in downtown Rifle, Colorado, just 30 minutes outside of one of the state’s renowned sport climbing destinations. According to Marshall, the gym was created because there wasn’t a gym in town for locals to train, and after the nearby Monkey House Carbondale closed in 2023, Dunbar and Marshall were making an hour trek to Eagle or Grand Junction to climb indoors. “I wanted a gym nearby, and nobody was opening one, so I took it upon myself to open one,” Marshall said.

The town of Rifle has an interesting demographic of climbers, compared to other cities, Marshall explained, where there is a high concentration of advanced and expert-level climbers, as well as people who have never climbed before, but not many folks in between. Because “a lot of people go up to Rifle Mountain Park just to picnic and watch climbers and wish they could try it,” Marshall said, RCC acts as a gateway into climbing for many people, so the pair has made a concerted effort to help “build a whole new community of climbers.”

With that goal in mind, many programs and amenities at the facility are catered to newer climbers or designed to accommodate parents climbing with young children, such as the shorter, kid-friendly wall and gated toddler play area. Programming options include homeschool climbing sessions, after-school programs, birthday parties, “Parents Night Off” childcare events, and school partnerships with local gym classes. “Our eighth-grade gym teacher brings his classes here, so we get about 60 kids over two days who have never climbed before,” Marshall said. “And we’ve had a lot of luck with homeschool groups—that’s a demographic we didn’t expect.”

At the same time, RCC does cater to seasoned climbers. There are four different training boards at the gym, including a MoonBoard fixed at 40 degrees and a Kilter Board, Tension Board 2 and So iLL Connect Board that all reach at least 65 degrees. There are also weights, cardio equipment, hangboards, and amenities designed for traveling climbers and remote workers. “When we built it, we were thinking, what did we want as climbers when we were on the road?” Marshall recalled, so the couple realized having showers was a must.

To encourage climbers to spend spare time and rest days at the gym, the owners wanted to create a coffee-shop-style environment, with wifi, couches, standing desks, and tables. The gym sells snacks and drinks too, but the owners chose not to serve coffee to support nearby coffee shops instead. RCC also has a retail area designed for Rifle climbers, with just about “everything a Rifle climber needs: knee pads, ropes, harnesses, guidebooks, chalk and more,” the gym’s website details.

It was also important to the ownership team to be welcoming to the Hispanic community, because Marshall said Hispanic folks “make up almost half of the population of the city of Rifle, but they are wildly underrepresented in the climbing community.” Marshall added that RCC has “really tried to reach out to that community and try to make it as convenient as possible and for people who speak Spanish to use the gym as well.” When hiring, for example, Marshall sought out language over climbing skills, so several members of the staff speak Spanish. They also added a toggle option for their website so that users can easily switch from English to Spanish, in the hope that Spanish speakers would feel welcome and encouraged to climb in the gym.

Walls: Revival
Flooring: Revival
CRM Software: Rock Gym Pro
Website: www.rifleclimbingcenter.com
Instagram: @RifleClimbingCenter

In Their Words: “Our gym is probably the opposite of many gyms in terms of our demographic. We have people who are completely brand-new to climbing, and we probably have more 5.13+ and 5.14 climbers per capita than anywhere. So, our bell curve is kind of the opposite of normal. We don’t have a lot of intermediate climbers…An evening might have a couple of 5.15 climbers and then some brand-new high schoolers, and they’re interacting together and taking turns on the board, and it’s super cool to watch.” – Jason Marshall, Co-Owner of Rifle Climbing Center

The post Bouldering Gym is “Gateway Into Climbing” for Locals in Colorado Sport Climbing Destination appeared first on Climbing Business Journal.

Ascend Climbing Gym (Mexico)
Los Mochis, Sinaloa

Specs: Mexico-based Ascend Climbing Gym opened in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, in October 2025 and is owned by Kevin Ramírez, Arturo Escobedo, Allan Rodríguez, Israel Granados and Fredy Lizárraga. Ramírez grew up in Los Mochis, before studying in Guadalajara, Jalisco, for 12 years, where he started climbing. He then got married and moved back to Los Mochis in February 2024, building a 2017 MoonBoard in his backyard in March 2024 because he needed a place to climb. “I invited one friend, and that friend invited another friend,” Ramírez recalled. “We kind of created the climbing community in the city, because there was nothing of the sort in the city.” The backyard wall then became open for anybody else who wanted to come, free of charge, where they gathered every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and Ramírez started teaching new climbers.

Soon after the wall was gaining traction, Ramírez began dreaming of a bigger vision and started researching what it would take to open a commercial gym. “It was much more expensive than I expected,” he said. “I didn’t have the funds or the pool from a community to actually open it.” Because financing was the primary barrier holding up the project, Ramírez continued to focus on helping grow the climbing community in Los Mochis and making connections. Eventually, multiple partners—including his brother-in-law, Rodríguez, and childhood best friend, Granados—joined after seeing the project evolve, and they pooled resources to open the gym.

Construction for Ascend—which is unrelated to the U.S.-based ASCEND climbing gyms in Pennsylvania—began in July 2025 and finished in time for the gym’s opening on October 20^th. “We mostly built everything ourselves,” said Ramírez. “All of the carpentry, all of the woods, all of the things.” Originally, the team considered building in a warehouse, but they ultimately chose a house because of its visibility and layout. Ascend is located on a main street in an older neighborhood that evolved into a mixed industrial and commercial space. Ramírez described it as a high-visibility spot, with many people traveling by, and said it has ample parking due to nearby businesses closing before peak gym hours.

The 1,800-square-foot space was transformed to include 1,000 square feet of climbing wall surface, with different rooms and areas serving separate functions. For example, the front area has bouldering walls, interior rooms have been converted into training spaces, and the backyard has been reserved for future expansion, including the potential for a 40-foot roped wall. In addition to 14.8-foot bouldering walls, Ascend features hangboards, free weights, calisthenic setups, and the original backyard MoonBoard, which was transported and rebuilt. Ramírez says the team is planning to add more gym equipment in the future.

Walls: Owner/contractor
Flooring: Owner/contractor
Instagram: @Ascend.Climbing

In Their Words: “I started teaching whoever let themselves be taught, just to not climb alone. And now the people that I taught to climb in my backyard feel compelled to teach others because they were taught for free. So, whenever somebody new arrives, they also teach them. The community is really open to helping each other.” – Kevin Ramírez, Ascend Climbing Gym Co-Owner

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Gripped Fitness
Fayetteville, West Virginia

Specs: Gripped Fitness, a bouldering and pickleball facility in Fayetteville, West Virginia, opened last October after years of planning. Owned by Jeanna Crockett, Kensie Whitfield and Kim Shingledecker, Gripped started as an idea after Crockett and Whitfield “were splitting our lives between Charleston, South Carolina, and Fayetteville, West Virginia,” Whitfield explained. The two had been running Coastal Climbing in Charleston since 2012 but were drawn to the New River Gorge region for its “bulletproof sandstone, wild water, bikes, dirt and community,” said Whitfield. According to Whitfield, “People have tried for many years to build a climbing gym here [in Fayetteville], and it somehow felt like our turn.” They started talking with Shingledecker, “a local legend and owner of Pies and Pints,” in 2019, before “things got serious around 2022-2023,” he said.  The team felt “the community here deserved a proper climbing facility,” Whitfield added, and if they wanted it, they’d have to build it.

According to Whitfield, “the New River Gorge climbing community has grown a lot over the past decade—thanks in no small part to Gene and Maura Kistler, whose fingerprints are all over the culture here,” and since the pandemic “more and more climbers have been calling Fayetteville, West Virginia, home.” Located just miles outside of the country’s newest national park, Fayetteville is an entry point to the New River Gorge, and, with the recent population growth, the owners of Gripped were confident “this area could support a new social anchor point, a place to move, train, and be human together,” said Whitfield. “Gripped exists to strengthen those connections—to be more than just a gym. To be a kind of hearth for the community, made of plywood, foam floors, and honest sweat.”

The Gripped team started looking for property pre-pandemic, but nothing fit their vision. They considered renting, which they felt “puts you at the whim of the landlord,” then ultimately “made the decision that either we build it ourselves in order to control costs or it doesn’t happen,” Whitfield explained. Eventually, the trio found a flat plot of land where they built the facility from the ground up. Whitfield said he and Crockett “try hard not to make waste for the sake of convenience,” and during the build-out phase they “found a gym in Louisiana unloading beautifully built, barely used Walltopia walls.” Whitfield met a crew in Shreveport, Louisiana, tore down the walls with the help of OnSite, then transported and installed the walls in Fayetteville. “After years of operating my other gym inside a century-old building in South Carolina, having a space built intentionally for what we do feels like an unfair luxury,” Whitfield stated.

When considering the new gym’s location, Whitfield said it was important that the end result be  “a place that feels good to work in,” adding, “that matters just as much for our staff and the people who walk through the doors.” The facility is right next to a private airstrip, where Whitfield said folks can “glance out the bay doors to see a biplane cruising in or out.” Gripped is in proximity to the town’s grocery store and is just off Highway 19. “It’s tucked away, yet convenient and unmistakably Fayetteville,” Whitfield continued.

Gripped Fitness encompasses an 18,000-square-foot space with 3,000 square feet of climbing wall surface, including bouldering terrain, two adjustable Kilter boards (one with the Full Ride layout and one with the Original layout), an adjustable Treadwall, a crack machine, campus boards, hangboards and a fitness area.

Additionally, Gripped features a 10,000-square-foot area for pickleball, which includes four pickleball courts. Whitfield said they decided to include the sport because “pickleball runs on a business model that mirrors bouldering—low staffing, predictable surges, simple check-ins. It’s exploding nationally, and the tri-county area didn’t have a dedicated facility.” Additionally, they wanted a way to attract non-climbers to the gym. “Pickleball is accessible, disarming…It broadens the community in both directions,” Whitfield said. “And the space doubles beautifully as an event venue, or potentially even a covered arena for bigger regional climbing comps. Versatility is king when you’re building something from scratch.”

A standard membership at the gym provides access to both pickleball and climbing, and both sports are also accessible via a day pass. “Climbing has deeper roots here, so that crowd is stronger, at least for now. But the pickleball community is picking up energy fast,” Whitfield said. “It’s a great rest-day activity and an easy entry point into the building for people who might otherwise be intimidated by a wall full of holds.”

Walls: Walltopia (installed by OnSite)
Flooring: Strati Climbing
CRM Software: Rock Gym Pro
Website: www.grippedfitness.com
Instagram: @GrippedFitnessWV

In Their Words: “A gym is a community engine. If you’re not genuinely invested in people—their needs, their dignity, their quirks—then you’re building the wrong thing. Too many folks open gyms chasing expansion, clout, real estate holdings, or some hollow version of influence. But the real work is quieter: honoring your staff, paying them fairly, respecting the diversity of ideas they bring, and listening to the community you serve.” – Kensie Whitfield, Co-Owner and Operator of Gripped Fitness

The post Bouldering and Pickleball Facility Opens in New River Gorge Town appeared first on Climbing Business Journal.

In this episode, Scott Rennak interviews Brett Jessen, the Head of Climbing Environments at Bouldering Project. Brett talks about his extensive journey in the climbing industry, from his early days as a climber and routesetter in the ‘90s to his current role in building cutting-edge climbing gyms. He discusses the evolution of climbing gyms, the design and construction process, and the importance of community and culture in climbing. Brett also offers valuable advice for aspiring gym owners and reflects on the future of the climbing industry.

General Topics Covered

• Brett’s path to his current role
• Collaboration between architects and engineers during the design process
• Advice for aspiring gym owners on understanding a market and building requirements
• The significant planning and budgeting that comes with constructing a gym
• Challenges of working with historical buildings
• Importance of educating climbers about outdoor ethics

Show Notes

• • Bouldering Project
  • CBJ article about St. Paul BP

Thank you Rúngne, Approach, Essential, Flashed and OnSite for your support!
And thank you Devin Dabney for your music!

The post Building Gyms and a Career in Climbing – CBJ Podcast with Brett Jessen appeared first on Climbing Business Journal.

[Editor’s Note: This list was first published on September 26, 2024, and was most recently updated on February 27, 2026.]

Opening a new climbing gym is not a small undertaking. It takes a labor of love to go through the research, business planning, financing, staffing, design, construction and other essentials required to bring a new gym project to life. Yet those hurdles haven’t discouraged gym developers from taking on the challenge and opening multiple or (in a couple instances) over 20 climbing facilities in communities around a country. This article highlights the climbing gym businesses in the United States with the most locations, based on CBJ’s proprietary dataset.

Each business on this list has a unique story, but one thing they all have in common is that every one started as a single-location facility going through the grind of a first-time gym operator, before bringing the benefits of climbing to more people and places. That rite of passage is a good reminder that, for all the recent growth, the climbing gym industry is still relatively small compared to other industries out there, and even the largest gym businesses in the industry have humble beginnings behind their success and expansion.

Without further ado, below are the gym developers that have grown their small businesses into the largest climbing gym brands in the U.S. In conjunction with this report, be sure to check out the Largest Climbing Gyms, Largest Bouldering Gyms and Tallest Climbing Gyms in America.

9. High Point Climbing & Fitness

• Open Gyms: 8
• Region: South
• States: AL, FL, TN
• Roped/Mixed Gyms: 6
• Bouldering Gyms: 2
• Self-Built Gyms: 7
• Acquired/Merged Gyms: 1

High Point Climbing, tied in 9th place with eight open gyms, is a Southern climbing gym developer with roped and bouldering facilities scattered throughout Alabama, Tennessee, and now Florida. The first High Point location opened in 2013 in downtown Chattanooga, and the Tennessee-based gym developer has added six more self-built gyms since then—including High Point Orlando, the Largest New Climbing Gym of 2025, and High Point Mid City, the Second-Largest New Climbing Gym of 2019. In 2015, High Point added a second Chattanooga gym by purchasing Urban Rocks (now High Point Riverside), which originally opened in 2008. In addition to its climbing gyms, High Point operates a Zip Adventure zipline based on Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga.

9. VITAL Climbing Gym

• Open Gyms: 8
• Planned Gyms: 1 (WA)
• Region: Nationwide
• States: CA, NY, WA
• Bouldering Gyms: 8
• Self-Built Gyms: 6
• Acquired/Merged Gyms: 2

Since opening their first facility in 2010 in Carlsbad, California, the VITAL team has expanded their gym business to include eight locations, tied for 9th most in the U.S. VITAL initially focused its development on the West Coast but jumped across the country in 2021, opening VITAL Brooklyn—the Largest New Bouldering Gym of 2021 and one of the Largest Bouldering Gyms in America—and acquiring Steep Rock Bouldering’s two Manhattan gyms later that year. VITAL is well known for operating bouldering-focused gyms (several with 24/7 access). The business opened its latest one (VITAL Lower East Side) in Manhattan, in 2024, and has its first roped gym on the way in Bellingham, Washington.

9. Momentum Indoor Climbing

• Open Gyms: 8
• Planned Gyms: 2 (TX)
• Region: Worldwide
• States: TX, UT, WA
• Roped/Mixed Gyms: 4
• Bouldering Gyms: 4
• Self-Built Gyms: 8

Also tied for 9th place, Momentum Indoor Climbing opened its first U.S. location—in Sandy, Utah—in 2007. Since then, Momentum has expanded throughout Utah as well as into Texas, Washington, and even Bulgaria. Today the business’s primary shareholder is Bulgaria-based Walltopia, and several other shareholders are in Utah and Texas. In total, Momentum operates eight locations in the U.S. and two in Bulgaria. The second-largest of those U.S. gyms—Momentum Fort Union in Midvale, Utah—opened at the end of 2024 with 31,000 square feet of climbing; the Fort Union gym and Momentum Millcreek (34,302 square feet of climbing) fall just outside the Largest Climbing Gyms in America list. In 2026, Momentum has two more U.S. gym projects underway in Houston and San Antonio, Texas.

7. Rock Spot Climbing

• Open Gyms: 9
• Region: New England
• States: CT, MA, RI
• Roped/Mixed Gyms: 5
• Bouldering Gyms: 4
• Self-Built Gyms: 8
• Acquired/Merged Gyms: 1

New-England-based Rock Spot Climbing is tied for the 7th-largest climbing gym developer in the U.S., with nine open gyms (five roped and four bouldering-focused). The team’s first location opened in Lincoln, Rhode Island, in 1995 and was originally named Rhode Island Rock Gym, before the gym moved to a new facility in 2002 and rebranded to Rock Spot Climbing. Since then, Rock Spot has opened seven other facilities and acquired an early 1990s gym—Prime Climb, in Connecticut—in 2022. The most recent of those new gym builds were two bouldering-focused locations—in Brookline, Massachusetts, and New Haven, Connecticut—that opened in 2024, expanding Rock Spot’s footprint in the Northeast.

7. Climbing Collective

• Open Gyms: 9
• Planned Gyms: 1 (PA)
• Region: East Coast
• States: NC, NY, PA
• Roped/Mixed Gyms: 7
• Bouldering Gyms: 2
• Self-Built Gyms: 7
• Acquired/Merged Gyms: 2

Tied for the 7th-largest climbing gym developer in the U.S. is Climbing Collective, an East Coast business with nine facilities across North Carolina, New York and Pennsylvania. The first location, Philadelphia Rock Gym (PRG) Oaks, opened in 1994, followed by four additional PRG gyms around the Philadelphia area, then Hudson Boulders in New York. In 2023, PRG’s parent company, Climbing Collective—not to be confused with the Climbing Collective in Colorado, which is a separate business—was formed and acquired Inner Peaks’ Matthews and South End gyms in North Carolina, then opened Inner Peaks NoDa the following year. In 2026, Climbing Collective has a new bouldering-focused gym (PRG University City) on the way in Philadelphia.

6. Hangar 18

• Open Gyms: 11
• Region: West Coast
• States: CA
• Roped/Mixed Gyms: 7
• Bouldering Gyms: 4
• Self-Built Gyms: 5
• Acquired/Merged Gyms: 6

Hangar 18, in 6th place for the largest climbing gym developer in the U.S., operates 11 gyms in California. The West Coast business opened its first location in 1998—Hangar 18 Upland—and has since expanded throughout Los Angeles through a mix of self-builds and acquisitions. In 2012, Hangar 18 made its first acquisitions, purchasing The Rock Gym (now Hangar 18 Long Beach) and Beach City Rocks (South Bay); the team then purchased TruHold (Mission Viejo) in 2013, Thresh Hold (East Riverside) in 2014, Arcadia Rock Climbing Gym (Arcadia) in 2017, and The Factory Bouldering (Orange) in 2020. Altogether, Hangar 18 operates seven roped gyms and four bouldering-focused gyms in the Los Angeles area.

5. Bouldering Project

• Open Gyms: 13
• Region: Nationwide
• States: AZ, DC, MA, MN, NY, TX, UT, WA
• Roped/Mixed Gyms: 2
• Bouldering Gyms: 11
• Self-Built Gyms: 9
• Acquired/Merged Gyms: 4

In 5th place for the largest climbing gym developer in the U.S. is Bouldering Project (BP), with 13 gyms nationwide—all but two of which are bouldering-focused. The first BP location opened in the Poplar area of Seattle in 2011. In 2015, BP then opened its first gym build outside Washington—in Austin, Texas—and expanded into Minneapolis two years later. In 2022, BP took a big leap on this list by acquiring three Brooklyn Boulders gyms in Boston, Brooklyn and Washington D.C., then opened a new gym in Salt Lake City, Utah, later that year. And in 2024, BP acquired Oso Climbing Gym in Dallas. Today, BP runs 13 gyms across eight states/districts—including four of the Largest Bouldering Gyms in America as well as the Largest New Bouldering Gym of 2025 in St. Paul, Minnesota.

4. The Gravity Vault

• Open Gyms: 16
• Planned Gyms: 3 (NJ, PA, TX)
• Region: Nationwide
• States: CA, NJ, NY, PA
• Roped/Mixed Gyms: 13
• Bouldering Gyms: 3
• Self-Built Gyms: 16

In 4th place for the largest climbing gym developer in the U.S. is The Gravity Vault, with 13 roped gyms and three bouldering-focused gyms. The Gravity Vault opened its original location in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, in 2005, then added a second location in the state (Chatham) in 2009. In 2014, the team made headlines by opening the first franchised climbing gym in the U.S. and has since started several other franchised locations—including one on the other side of the country, in Marin, California. The Gravity Vault founder Lucas Kovalcik owns and operates multiple climbing gyms, but the majority of The Gravity Vault gyms are owned and operated by franchisees. With three new gyms in the works across three states, The Gravity Vault is closing in on the 20 gyms mark and currently has more planned gyms announced than any other developer on this list.

3. Touchstone Climbing

• Open Gyms: 18
• Region: West Coast
• States: CA
• Roped/Mixed Gyms: 11
• Bouldering Gyms: 7
• Self-Built Gyms: 18

Touchstone is the 3rd-largest climbing gym developer in the U.S., with 18 locations across the state of California. Touchstone opened its first climbing gym in San Francisco in 1995, then expanded into the Sacramento, Oakland, San Jose, Fresno and Los Angeles areas. In addition to opening new locations, the team at Touchstone has also expanded existing locations, adding 9,000 square feet of climbing to Pipeworks in 2015 and 6,000 square feet to Dogpatch Boulders in 2016, for example—the latter of which is the Largest Bouldering Gym in America. Touchstone also operates the Largest Climbing Gym in America—Pacific Pipe Company, which unsurprisingly won the Largest New Climbing Gym of 2021 award. In 2025, Touchstone opened the new Hyperion gym in Redwood City, between San Francisco and San Jose, shortly before the business celebrated its 30-year anniversary.

2. Central Rock Gym

• Open Gyms: 29
• Region: East Coast
• States: CT, FL, GA, MA, NY, RI
• Roped/Mixed Gyms: 16
• Bouldering Gyms: 13
• Self-Built Gyms: 25
• Acquired/Merged Gyms: 4

The 2nd-largest climbing gym developer in the U.S.—founded by Joe and Ed Hardy—is Central Rock Gym (CRG), which operates 29 locations throughout six states. Originally based in the Northeast, CRG opened its first gym in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 2009, then added new builds throughout the state as well as in Connecticut, New York and Rhode Island. In 2023, CRG expanded into the South for the first time, opening two gyms in Florida, in addition to three gyms in the Northeast. CRG further expanded its footprint in the South in 2024, acquiring the four Stone Summit gyms in Georgia, CRG’s first acquisition. Although not first on this list, CRG does wear another crown: the only climbing gym developer in the U.S. to have opened more than 20+ gyms entirely through self-builds (i.e., not part of mergers or acquisitions). Two more self-built gyms—in Troy (NY) and Fort Myers (FL)—opened in 2025 and early 2026, respectively, making CRG one of only two developers in the country with 29+ climbing gyms.

1. Movement Climbing, Yoga & Fitness

• Open Gyms: 34
• Planned Gyms: 1 (VA)
• Region: Nationwide
• States: CA, CO, IL, MD, NY, OR, PA, TX, VA
• Roped/Mixed Gyms: 23
• Bouldering Gyms: 11
• Self-Built Gyms: 12 (as Movement brand)
• Acquired/Merged Gyms: 22

The largest climbing gym developer in the U.S. is Movement Climbing, Yoga & Fitness, the first climbing gym business to operate 30 open locations across the country, from coast to coast. Movement’s origins date back to the 90s, with the founding of Maryland-based Earth Treks by Chris Warner and California-based Planet Granite by Micky Lloyd. In 2017, the two climbing gym companies merged under the El Cap parent company, which later acquired the Colorado-based Movement gyms in 2019. Mike and Anne-Worley Moelter opened the original Movement location in Boulder, Colorado, in 2009, then added two more gyms in the Denver area over the next decade. Following the acquisition, America’s largest climbing gym network unified under the Movement umbrella and continued to expand across the country through self-builds and acquisitions, purchasing four Summit gyms in Texas and acquiring The Cliffs’ five gyms in New York and Pennsylvania. Movement also boasts some of the Largest Climbing Gyms in America—Englewood (3rd), Rockville (7th), Lincoln Park (8th) and Design District (10th). With 34 open gyms and one planned gym on the way—coming to Fairfax, Virginia—Movement’s total gym count (open or planned) makes it the largest climbing gym developer in the world. In 2024, Movement named Anne-Worley Moelter as the new CEO of the company, a title she held 15 years prior as co-founder of the first Movement gym. (Click here and here for exclusive interviews with Anne-Worley).

The post Largest Climbing Gym Developers in America appeared first on Climbing Business Journal.

Lake Travis Bouldering
Austin, Texas

Specs: Lake Travis Bouldering, owned by gym President Rashell Backer and Director of Operations Colin Backer, is planned to open this spring in Bee Cave, Texas, a city northwest of Austin. The gym was founded when the Backers sold the cleaning company they opened together in 2016 and were looking for their next venture. “After months of searching for the right fit, it dawned on us that we could bring our love of climbing to the Lake Travis area, an area full of health-conscious, adventure enthusiasts but lacking an indoor climbing gym for everyone to enjoy,” Colin said. The Backers decided it was an ideal time for them to open the facility because they saw “the area is growing rapidly, with many young families searching for more active things to do,” they explained. “It seemed like the right fit to bring a new gym to the area.”

The pair found a preexisting building that matched their vision and is “in the heart of Lake Travis,” they stated. “On the main highway through town, a mile from Lake Travis High School, and a half mile from the Hill Country Galleria,” the facility offered an opportunity to “build an outdoor climbing boulder as well, along with a large deck for yoga, and lawn for additional games like cornhole, all backing up to a greenbelt for beautiful hill country views from atop the boulder.” The Backers noted that they did have to make many building upgrades to increase the occupancy of the preexisting space.

Lake Travis Bouldering will feature 5,000 square feet of indoor space and 4,000 square feet of outdoor space, with about 2,800 square feet of climbing terrain. Bouldering options at the new gym include a 2024 Moon Board, a boulder cave and an outdoor boulder. Other amenities include a weight training area with strength training tools and hangboards, in addition to a birthday party room, a large deck for yoga and a yard for outdoor activities.

Walls: Eldorado Climbing
Flooring: Strati
CRM Software: Approach
Website: laketravisbouldering.com
Instagram: @Lake_Travis_Bouldering

In Their Words: “Bouldering is growing rapidly across the U.S., making this a great time to open a new gym in areas that are missing out on the excitement. Follow your passion and expect challenges.” – Rashell and Colin Backer, Owners of Lake Travis Bouldering

The post New Texas Gym to Offer Indoor and Outdoor Bouldering, Yoga, and Yard Games appeared first on Climbing Business Journal.

National Climbing Center
Nieuwegein, Netherlands

Specs: The Dutch National Climbing Center (NCC), which is part of the Climbing Network chain, is under construction in Nieuwegein and expected to open in phases throughout 2026. Climbing Network, which operated as Mountain Network from 2006 to 2026 and announced its rebrand last week, is owned by Johan Cave, Leopold Roessingh and Frederick Houtenbos—all of whom are active directors and closely involved in operations and long-term strategy at the business. Founded as Cave Outdoor in 1986, Climbing Network opened its first indoor climbing gym in 1994 and has gradually focused purely on climbing—including boulder, lead, speed, indoor and outdoor climbing—transitioning out of alpine sports.

Demolished as part of the chain’s redevelopment plan, the original 1995 gym closed at the end of 2025 and was located a “stone’s throw” from the new build, the Climbing Network website states. Planning for the NCC began roughly ten years ago and was temporarily paused due to COVID. Houtenbos said the team waited until the business was stable and trending positively before proceeding with the project, ultimately beginning construction on May 7^th, 2025. The gym is opening in phases, with some offerings already available, such as 28 top rope and lead climbing lanes and an introductory bouldering section. Other features are expected to be added over the next few months, before the gym will be fully open in the spring. A Climbing Network post describes the new build as “one of the largest climbing gyms of Europe” and a place that expands upon the previous Nieuwegein gym’s offerings, “with more space, facilities and climbing.”

Centrally located in the Hoeverijk District of the Netherlands, Houtenbos said the site for the NCC was selected after long-term planning and government collaboration, and it supports Climbing Network’s ambition to create a flagship-level facility. The gym was designed to be easily accessible for international teams via Amsterdam’s airport and rail network. Part of a mixed-use development including residential buildings, the gym acts as a sound barrier between the nearby houses and the business park. Large glass walls were designed to improve visibility and interaction between climbers and the surrounding neighborhood, with a goal of attracting non-climbers through observation, openness and hospitality. “People living there will see people climbing, even on the outdoor wall,” Houtenbos said. “By creating a low entry-level—coffee, walking in, watching climbers—we hope to attract new people to the sport.”

At completion, the new gym will be 5,100 square meters (54,896 square feet), with over 5,500 square meters (59,202 square feet) of climbable surface, split among an outdoor wall, 27 auto belay lanes, bouldering terrain, lead walls reaching 18 meters (59 feet) and speed climbing. Additional climbing amenities will include training zones with a spray wall, two Kilter Boards and an Olympic-style bouldering wall for elite and aspiring athletes. The gym’s ground floor, featuring top rope and lead climbing, has opened first to accommodate existing members, and the main lead, bouldering and training features are opening next. The gym will also have a strength and conditioning area, physiotherapy amenities, a conference room, terraces, an outdoor plaza for events and comps, and youth programming. “We really try to support that customer journey—the journey of a climber,” Houtenbos explained, adding, “People can start with an introduction area and then step by step move into higher levels.”

Because retail, food and hospitality are viewed as core components of the gym experience for Climbing Network, the gym will have a gear shop with La Sportiva and Petzl products, a restaurant run in-house, and an athlete residence for Dutch and international climbers. Houtenbos said the restaurant will be larger than those at other Climbing Network gyms due to the scale of the NCC facility. The athlete residence will include an in-house guest house, with approximately 20–23 beds, and was designed primarily for international teams, although it will also be open to visiting climbers. The idea behind the concept is to encourage multi-day visits and attract climbers from across Europe and beyond. “It will be available for international teams that want to come to the Netherlands and train here,” Houtenbos said. “We’ll also make it available for people who want to spend a whole weekend climbing and training…It really makes it easier for people who don’t live close by to visit.”

For Climbing Network, the NCC project represents the beginning of a company-wide transformation, during which the brand aims to develop more gyms offering all disciplines under one roof. Several existing Climbing Network gyms already follow this model, Houtenbos explained, and more mixed-discipline gyms are planned. “Bouldering has been booming over the last ten years, and financially it’s very attractive for gym owners,” he stated. “At the same time, we are a lead climbing company at heart, and we love that discipline. The challenge is creating the right mix that brings in new people, keeps existing climbers challenged, and still makes sense for the business, not just today, but five or ten years from now.”

Walls: Citywall
Flooring: Citywall
CRM Software: Sportivity
Design: WRK Architecten
Website: https://www.climbingnetwork.nl/indoor/locatie/national-climbingcenter-nieuwegein
Instagram: @MountainNetwork

In Their Words: “What we’ve learned from operating multiple facilities is that you need to support the full journey of a climber. Someone might come in for a kids’ party or a first introduction course, and from there they should be able to grow step by step into bouldering, lead climbing, speed climbing, and higher levels of difficulty. We try to offer all disciplines and all levels in one building, so climbing can really become a long-term lifestyle.” – Frederick Houtenbos, Financial Director and Co-Owner of Climbing Network

The post 55,000-Square-Foot National Climbing Center Opening in the Netherlands appeared first on Climbing Business Journal.

Sender One Aliso Viejo
Aliso Viejo, California

Specs: Sender One opened its first facility in 2013, a mixed-discipline climbing gym in Santa Ana, California, and has since opened five more facilities and a training center. The latest Sender One gym opened in Aliso Viejo on February 1^st, and the California gym chain has plans to open a new facility in Thousand Oaks in 2027. For the Aliso Viejo and Thousand Oaks gyms, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer Wes Shih said the Sender One team raised funding differently than they had in the past. “Instead of bringing in outside capital (e.g., larger institutional investors like a private equity), we leaned into one of the qualities that makes climbing gyms special – community,” he stated. “We can’t disclose who our owners are, but we raised nearly all of the capital for Aliso Viejo from preexisting members of our gym community, most in and around the new location, and they are co-owners of Aliso Viejo along with Sender One.”

The Aliso Viejo gym is Sender One’s fourth full-service facility and offers a mix of roped climbing and bouldering walls. In addition to a Sender City—the chain’s interactive climbable center concept, where both kids and adults can climb modeled towers and buildings on autobelays—the Aliso Viejo location has 16,500 square feet of climbing wall surface on walls reaching 45 feet. The 23,000-square-foot facility is in the San Joaquin Hills of Southern Orange County, southeast of Los Angeles. Located in the Commons Shopping Center, Sender One Aliso Viejo is in proximity to coffee shops, marketplaces and restaurants. Shih said they chose this city for the project because Sender One’s original location is in nearby Santa Ana, and many climbers were driving from further away regions of Orange County to access a gym. “Some of them even stopped climbing once their lives changed, i.e., professional or family commitments, such that traveling from South Orange County to Santa Ana became too difficult for them,” he explained.

The Thousand Oaks location, which will be Sender One’s fifth full-service facility upon completion, is expected to open sometime in Q1 or Q2 of 2027. Northwest of Los Angeles, this city is one of the largest in Ventura County. The new gym will be constructed in Janns Marketplace, in proximity to the Oaks Mall and surrounding retail corridors, and is accessible from the 101 freeway. Co-tenants will include Gold’s Gym, Dave and Busters, and a Sky Zone. Like other full-service Sender One gyms, the Thousand Oaks location will have a Sender City as well as fitness and yoga offerings, but the specifics of the wall design and size are still in the works for the 23,000-square-foot-plus facility. Similar to the Aliso Viejo gym, Shih said the location was chosen because of the trek many climbers had to make to access other gyms. “We have long had members travel from over the Sepulveda Pass in the LA area (where I-5 and the 101 meet), who drove many times 1-2hrs to climb at our LAX location,” he explained. “They would really love to not have to drive that far to climb at a Sender One.”

Shih said that because the Sender One business is located “in one of the largest markets where real estate is challenging,” expansion is “as it was when we first started, often opportunistic and happenstance.” Sender One looks to expand “when one of our locations starts to feel really busy, or on the flip side, we hear about places that are underserved,” he added. “These days, i.e., under current macroeconomic challenges, which have been challenging, we’re trying to find buildings in areas that don’t require us to stray too far from what has worked well for us, to minimize the risks of expanding when it isn’t the easiest time to.”

Walls: Dreamwall
Flooring: Flashed
CRM Software: RGP
Website: www.senderoneclimbing.com/alisoviejo/
Instagram: @SenderOne_AlisoViejo

In Their Words: “Expansion, particularly the second and third locations, adds so much complexity to how your company needs to operate overall, and you need to prepare for that.  It’s not really a 1-2-3; it’s more like 1-3-5 or 7 in terms of what it felt like scaling.  After three locations, particularly if they are not too close to each other, the added complexity of each new location doesn’t have that big ramp up.” – Wes Shih, Sender One Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer

The post Sender One Opens Aliso Viejo Facility, Co-Owned by Preexisting Members appeared first on Climbing Business Journal.

At this time last year, analysis of the North American climbing gym industry revealed an array of somewhat contrasting trends; commercial gym development was booming, whereas operators of preexisting climbing gyms—that is, gyms that were already in operation when the year began—were citing significant headwinds. This year, as we reflect on the trends of 2025, we can say that the overall trends were more aligned and many key indicators trended downward.

Specifically, the number of new climbing gyms that opened in North America was down for 2025 compared to 2024, and so too was the total amount of climbing wall surface built across those new gyms. And based on the results of CBJ’s first Gyms & Trends Survey, traffic and revenues were largely flat or down at many preexisting gyms around the continent. Adding to these hurdles, and perhaps playing a major role in consumer habits throughout 2025, was an uptick in expenses and general macroeconomic woes referenced in the survey responses—all of which prompted some gyms to scale back their plans for growth and expansion.

In short, it’s safe to say 2025 was a challenging year for the climbing gym industry in North America. “Boom times are over,” summed up one operator at a multi-location climbing gym business. “Profitability is much harder unless you have scale and infrastructure to support institutional growth or mergers and acquisitions.”

That assessment echoed many others expressed via CBJ’s Gyms & Trend Survey—more of which will be featured throughout this report. We also highlight key statistical takeaways from the survey results, which span 240 climbing facilities (85% United States, 8% Canada, 3% Mexico, 4% other countries) and can be viewed in full in the CBJ Climbing Gym Operators Forecast Dashboard. The interactive dashboard displays in-depth trends from 2025 in climbing facility revenues, expenses, traffic, prices, programs, amenities and more, as well as expected trends for 2026.

While feelings of “uncertainty” and “concern” underscore much of this year’s analysis, there were also some bright spots that shone through the data, including a rise in youth program sign-ups that buoyed some gyms last year. Read on for more high-level takeaways from the survey results, and more statistics on new climbing gym development in North America can be found at the end of this report and in the CBJ Climbing Gym Industry Growth Dashboard.

In tandem with this report and the accompanying dashboards, be sure to check out the 2025 CBJ Gym List Awards, which lists all the new climbing gym openings and closures in North America last year, as well as the leading gyms and suppliers.

Key Statistics on North American Climbing Gym Growth in 2025

53 newly opened climbing gyms (40 USA, 11 CAN, 2 MEX)
(60 in 2024: 48 USA, 7 CAN, 5 MEX)

12 permanent climbing gym closures (12 USA, 0 CAN, 0 MEX)
(8 in 2024: 7 USA, 1 CAN, 0 MEX)

41 net new climbing gyms (28 USA, 11 CAN, 2 MEX)
(52 in 2024; 41 USA, 6 CAN, 5 MEX)

4.7% net growth rate (4.2% USA, 6.5% CAN, 5.0% MEX)
(6.3% in 2024; 6.5% USA, 3.7% CAN, 14.3% MEX)

356,314 square feet of climbing across new gyms (307,832 USA, 41,562 CAN, 6,920 MEX)
(460,997 in 2024; 404,311 USA, 23,200 CAN, 33,486 MEX)

Access the Report & Dashboards

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• CBJ member at any paid level? Just log in to view the report!
• CBJ member at the Plus or Premium level? You can also access the CBJ Climbing Gym Operators Forecast Dashboard here and CBJ Climbing Gym Industry Growth Dashboard here!
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The post Gyms and Trends 2025 appeared first on Climbing Business Journal.