Joe Robinson, Author at Climbing Business Journal

North American Wall Builder Makes Leap to Europe

Joe Robinson — Fri, 16 Aug 2024 09:51:38 +0000

OnSite’s recent build at La Zipette—pictured on the gym’s July 30th reopening night—may be the first instance of a North American wall manufacturer completing a climbing gym project in Europe. (Photo courtesy of OnSite)

Last month, La Zipette climbing gym reopened in the French city of Chambéry, following an expansion of the gym. The atmosphere at the laid-back, small-town bouldering gym was like that of a first-time opening, with a DJ, taps flowing, climbers sending. Amid the party, one detail wasn’t lost on the industry insiders at the event: the new climbing walls in the gym were built by OnSite, a Canadian manufacturer. While it has been common for wall builders originally founded in Europe to complete gym projects in North America, rarely—if ever—has the opposite happened. In fact, according to CBJ’s research and conversations with other wall builders, OnSite may be the first wall manufacturer originally founded in North America to have completed a commercial climbing gym project in Europe.

At the reopening night, OnSite’s founder and CEO, Francis Larose, told CBJ that he had long had his sights set on entering the European market. Before running a climbing wall business, Larose had a business in the video game industry that extended into Europe, and he founded OnSite with that goal in mind. Already, the company had been distributing home climbing walls outside North America, but it had yet to complete a gym project in Europe. With OnSite being based in French-speaking Montréal, Quebec, France was a logical choice for the experiment. “We have always wanted to build in Europe, but now was the moment everything came together,” said Larose. “It was the right time, the right location, and the right partner.”

The pieces started falling into place when La Zipette co-owner Aurélien Di Piazza got connected to Quentin Manzato—a construction team leader at OnSite and the eventual foreman of the expansion project—through a mutual friend. “Our gym just kept getting busier in recent years, especially in the evenings. We also wanted to offer more varied wall terrain in the gym,” said Di Piazza. At first, he was thinking of adding an expansion above the existing climbing walls; then, serendipitously, the trampoline park that had been next door moved further down the street, allowing the gym to move in. Larose felt the timing was also right for OnSite to make the leap to Europe—following the DÉLIRE acquisition last spring, and now that the industry is more removed from the economic shocks of the COVID pandemic. The two business owners met to discuss the project in Montreal, and soon the transatlantic collaboration was underway.

Completing a gym project on a different continent for the first time wasn’t a walk in the park. Some challenges the OnSite team had to navigate were increased taxes, VISAs for the construction crew, complex production and shipping logistics, and foreign market conditions. The market price of a new climbing wall can be much different depending on the location, Larose said, so they had to find alternatives to keep the project within La Zipette’s price range—sourcing the steel structure, wood panels and other essentials from different countries, for instance. Di Piazza also understood the two companies were in unchartered territory and was patient during the project, Larose added. Manzato’s ties to Chambery helped speed things along a bit, allowing the crew to source some equipment for the build from his contacts in the area.

The end result is a gym that’s around 1,500 square meters in size (4,921 square feet), compared to 750 square meters (2,461 square feet) when the gym first opened, in 2018. OnSite handled the design and construction for the renovation. Part of that work involved repositioning much of the original climbing walls to open up the space, redoing the supporting structure, and weaving in new panels. With the extra room, La Zipette’s owners opted for a new boulder with an arch as the centerpiece; training areas that will soon be getting fitness equipment, campus boards and three training boards—a Moonboard, Kilter Board and Tension Board 2—on OnSite’s adjustable frames; a larger social area with tables and cubbies; and upgraded flooring. Altogether, the new layout amounts to La Zipette 2.0—the same chill, local bouldering gym, just bigger.

As for what’s next for OnSite, Larose hinted that another gym project abroad is already underway, and more may follow. “For us, La Zipette was a relatively small project, but it shows gyms in Europe what we can do,” said Larose. “We’re here, and hopefully here to stay.”

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Janja Garnbret Wins Second Olympic Gold; Team USA Climbs to Two Medals and World Record in Paris

Joe Robinson — Sun, 11 Aug 2024 14:18:47 +0000

Janja Garnbret put on a show in Paris, becoming the sole sport climbing athlete to have won two gold medals at the Olympics. (Pictured: Garnbret training at Le Bourget, the site of the sport climbing action in Paris, prior to the start of the event; photo by Drapella / Jan Virt / IFSC)

Multiple new world records, twice as many medals, upsets, last-minute heroics, star-studded podiums…sport climbing’s second Olympics had it all. Didn’t have a chance to catch the show in Paris? This quick recap will help you get caught up.

For more Olympic climbing coverage, be sure to scroll down to the bottom of this page for results-related commentary from climbing media outlets around the globe.

Aleksandra Miroslaw broke her own world record and didn’t lose a race in Paris. (Pictured: Miroslaw celebrating after her record-setting run in qualifications; photo by Drapella / Virt / IFSC)

Miroslaw Perfect in Speed; Hunt Misses Out on Medal

The sport climbing event at the Paris Olympics ran from August 5-10, and Speed climbing kicked off the medal rounds. After thrice besting her own world record time—previously 6.24 seconds, set in 2023—in the qualification heats on Monday, lowering the women’s world record to 6.06 seconds, Aleksandra Miroslaw (POL) came out flying again in the finals. She had flawless runs in the quarterfinals and semifinals, then capped off the perfect week by finishing .08 seconds ahead of runner-up Lijuan Deng (CHN) for gold. Moments before the final race, her compatriot Aleksandra Kalucka (POL) claimed the first sport climbing medal at the Games in Paris, besting Rajiah Sallsabillah (INA) for bronze.

A slip in the Speed finals didn’t discourage Emma Hunt from continuing to embody the Olympic spirit: “Hunt stopped time and time again to cheer on competitors who were still climbing and exchange hugs with athletes who had also been eliminated,” reported USA Climbing. (Pictured: Hunt standing beside her coach, Oleksii Shulga, during the training days in Paris (click here to read about how Shulga helped Hunt reach the Olympic stage); photo by Drapella / Virt / IFSC)

For Team USA, Emma Hunt posted a quick time of 6.36 seconds in qualifications, but a slip in the quarterfinals ended her chance of earning a medal and resulted in a 5^th place finish, and teammate Piper Kelly placed 12^th out of the 14 women competing in Speed.

Veddriq Leonardo was unstoppable in Paris and climbed just .01 seconds off of Sam Watson’s record-setting pace on route to gold. (Pictured: Leonardo (left) training next to Bassa Mawem (right) in Paris; photo by Drapella / Virt / IFSC)

Leonardo Hangs on for Gold; Watson Breaks Own Record

In the men’s Speed competition, a new world record was being set left and right. On Tuesday, Sam Watson (USA) made headlines after coming away from qualifications with the fastest time—.04 seconds faster than the previous world record (4.79 seconds) he had set earlier this year. Watson came up .08 seconds short in the semifinals race with Peng Wu (CHN), but he still ended the day on a high note, further lowering the men’s world record to 4.74 seconds and edging Reza Alipour Shenazandifard (IRI) for bronze. Veddriq Leonardo (INA) had also been climbing fast all week, and he ultimately saved the best for last, racing to a personal best time in the finals to beat Wu by .02 seconds, for gold.

Sam Watson was the fastest speed climber in Paris, coming away with a new world record after qualifications and finals. (Pictured: Watson waiting for a training run prior to the competition; photo by Jan Virt, courtesy of USA Climbing)

Zach Hammer, for Team USA, also competed in the men’s Speed event and, following the two seeding heats on Tuesday, got a tough draw in the elimination heat that pitted him against Watson, preventing him from reaching the finals and resulting in a 14^th place finish.

Still a teenager, 19-year-old Toby Roberts’ steady bouldering and lead climbing made all the difference in Paris. (Pictured: Roberts competing in the Boulder semis on Monday; photo by Drapella / Virt / IFSC)

Roberts an All-Around Star; Duffy Falls Few Holds Short

Different from sport climbing’s Olympic debut in Tokyo, the combined event in Paris consisted of only bouldering and lead climbing, and this time the scoring was based on a points system. For the semifinals, the Boulder and Lead action took place on separate days, whereas the two disciplines took place on the same day—30 minutes apart—for the finals.

Sorato Anraku (JPN), Toby Roberts (GBR) and Jakob Schubert (AUT) were the top-seeded athletes coming into the event, and none of them disappointed. In the Boulder finals on Friday, Anraku took the lead early and never gave it up, topping the first two problems—including a flash of the first one—and came just short of sending the final two. Then in Lead, Schubert set a high point that only Adam Ondra (CZE) could match, just one hold shy of the top. But in the end, it was Roberts who donned gold, following up his top-three performances in Boulder and Lead during the semis with another all-around day in which he scored top-three in both disciplines. Anraku finished in second place and Schubert—who had already won bronze at climbing’s Olympic debut, in Tokyo—added a second Olympic bronze medal to his collection.

Colin Duffy improved upon his result in Tokyo, rising to a 4th place finish in Paris. (Pictured: Duffy bouldering in the semifinal round; photo by Drapella / Virt / IFSC)

Team USA’s Colin Duffy—who placed 7^th three years ago in Tokyo—came just about as close as it gets to winning an Olympic medal in sport climbing. Needing a top to end his Boulder final, Duffy came out on the dynamic last problem—featuring two lache moves separated by a double-paddle—and stuck the concluding lache with less than 25 seconds remaining, finishing just one point out of first. That score and his mark on the Lead wall kept him in a podium spot until the very last climb, which left him three points short of a medal. Teammate Jesse Grupper also competed in the Boulder/Lead event and finished in 18^th place out of 20 climbers.

Not even a finger injury could stop Janja Garnbret from climbing to a second Olympic victory. (Pictured: Garnbret on her way to gold in the Lead final on Saturday; photo by Drapella / Virt / IFSC)

Garnbret Legend Continues; Raboutou Brings Home Silver

In the Women’s Boulder and Lead event, Janja Garnbret (SLO)—who won gold at the Olympics in Tokyo—was the favorite coming into the Games in Paris, and she further solidified her legendary status in the competition climbing world. Even after injuring a finger on the last problem of the Boulder final, she still rose to the occasion in the Lead final, closing out the sport climbing in Paris with a climb that netted her Olympic gold for a second straight summer Games. Only Jessica Pilz (AUT) and Ai Mori (JPN) climbed to a higher mark on the Lead wall; Mori finished in 4^th place, while Pilz gave the Austria team its second bronze medal in Paris.

In Paris, Brooke Raboutou became the first American woman to win an Olympic medal in sport climbing. (Pictured: Raboutou swinging through the start of the last Boulder final problem; photo by Drapella / Virt / IFSC)

Brooke Raboutou was the other star of the show on Saturday. After narrowly missing out on a medal in Tokyo, Raboutou looked every bit the part in Paris. She joined Garnbret as the only two athletes to top three of four problems in the Boulder final, and her score in Lead kept her atop the podium until the very last climb of the week. Raboutou’s silver medal marked the culmination of a multi-year redemption story and earned Team USA its highest showing at the Games in Paris. Teammate Natalia Grossman excelled in the Boulder semifinal—putting up the 5^th highest score—but just missed out on qualifying for the finals, finishing in 11^th place.

Below are the complete results of the sport climbing event at the 2024 Olympic Games:

Full Sport Climbing Results at the Paris Olympics

Women Speed

1.Aleksandra Miroslaw (POL) – Gold
2.Lijuan Deng (CHN) – Silver
3.Aleksandra Kalucka (POL) – Bronze
4.Rajiah Sallsabillah (INA)
5.Emma Hunt (USA)
6.Desak Made Made Rita Kusuma Dewi (INA)
7.Yafei Zhou (CHN)
8.Leslie Adriana Romero Perez (ESP)
9.Beatrice Colli (ITA)
10.Capucine Viglione (FRA)
11.Manon Lebon (FRA)
12.Piper Kelly (USA)
13.Sarah Tetzlaff (NZL)
14.Aniya Holder (RSA)

Men Speed

1.Veddriq Leonardo (INA) – Gold
2.Peng Wu (CHN) – Silver
3.Sam Watson (USA) – Bronze
4.Reza Alipour Shenazandifard (IRI)
5.Amir Maimuratov (KAZ)
6.Matteo Zurloni (ITA)
7.Bassa Mawem (FRA)
8.Julian David (NZL)
9.Rahmad Adi Mulyono (INA)
10.Yaroslav Tkach (UKR)
11.Jinbao Long (CHN)
12.Euncheol Shin (KOR)
13.Joshua Bruyns (RSA)
14.Zach Hammer (USA)

Women Boulder/Lead

1.Janja Garnbret (SLO) – Gold
2.Brooke Raboutou (USA) – Silver
3.Jessica Pilz (AUT) – Bronze
4.Ai Mori (JPN)
5.Erin McNeice (GBR)
6.Chaehyun Seo (KOR)
7.Oceania Mackenzie (AUS)
8.Oriane Bertone (FRA)
9.Miho Nonaka (JPN)
10.Zhilu Luo (CHN)
11.Natalia Grossman (USA)
12.Camilla Moroni (ITA)
13.Yuetong Zhang (CHN)
14.Zelia Avezou (FRA)
15.Ievgeniia Kazbekova (UKR)
16.Lucia Doerffel (GER)
17.Mia Krampl (SLO)
18.Laura Rogora (ITA)
19.Molly Thompson-Smith (GBR)
20.Lauren Mukheibir (RSA)

Men Boulder/Lead

1.Toby Roberts (GBR) – Gold
2.Sorato Anraku (JPN) – Silver
3.Jakob Schubert (AUT) – Bronze
4.Colin Duffy (USA)
5.Hamish McArthur (GBR)
6.Adam Ondra (CZE)
7.Alberto Gines Lopez (ESP)
8.Paul Jenft (FRA)
9.Yannick Flohe (GER)
10.Tomoa Narasaki (JPN)
11.Sam Avezou (FRA)
12.Yufei Pan (CHN)
13.Alexander Megos (GER)
14.Hannes Van Duysen (BEL)
15.Dohyun Lee (KOR)
16.Luka Potocar (SLO)
17.Sascha Lehmann (SUI)
18.Jesse Grupper (USA)
19.Campbell Harrison (AUS)
20.Mel Janse Van Rensburg (RSA)

More Results Commentary on Sport Climbing at the Paris Olympics

Pay What You Can: It’s Not Just for Nonprofits (7 Tips for For-Profit Gyms)

Joe Robinson — Fri, 24 Feb 2023 11:25:15 +0000

Boulders Climbing Gym has been bringing in more climbers as well as more revenue through its Climb4Community membership, a pay what you can system that has already been adopted at other for-profit gyms. (Photo of Boulders Eastside, courtesy of Boulders)

The concept of more equitable pricing structures has long been part of the climbing gym industry in North America. Discounts for students and seniors have existed since the first U.S. climbing gyms opened in the 80s and 90s, scholarships have expanded access to youth teams and summer camps for decades, and more recently general gym membership scholarships as well as sliding scale memberships have become almost commonplace components of EDI initiatives around the country. But arguably the most radical expression of more equitable pricing in the industry today is the pay what you can model (also referred to as “pay what you will,” “pay what you want,” or sometimes “optional pay”).

When hearing the term “pay what you can,” if you’re like me then your mind immediately goes to Memphis Rox—and with reason. Founded in 2018 as a nonprofit climbing gym―one of only a handful in the entire country―Memphis Rox’s unique pay what you can model and the impact of the staff’s work in the Memphis community have catapulted the nonprofit gym to near stardom in the climbing world practically from the get-go. Yet it’s no secret that running a nonprofit gym can be costly, and an unanswered question for the hundreds of existing for-profit gyms has been, “Can this work at my gym?”

Fast forward to the summer of 2020, when one climbing gym operator began experimenting with an answer to that very question. Boulders Climbing Gym, a two-gym chain in Madison, Wisconsin, first started offering a pay what you will membership option to local community organizers doing critical unpaid work in the background of that year’s protests. Since then, Boulders’ pay what you will model has blossomed into a whole not-for-profit entity called Climb4Community (abbreviated in this article as C4C, but not to be confused with Climbing For Change), an EDI initiative comprising a network of pay what you will programs, affinity groups, and additional EDI efforts―all structured to be self-sustaining and applicable at other for-profit gyms. Already, in 2021, The Pad Climbing became the first gym chain to adopt its own version of the C4C initiative, and more for-profit gym partners may soon be on the way.

In catching up with the operators of Boulders and The Pad, several takeaways stood out that we wanted to share with you, as you consider trying something similar at your gym. Below are seven “dos and don’ts” for getting started with pay what you can pricing at for-profit gyms.

Memphis Rox—based in Memphis, Tennessee—popularized the pay what you can model since opening as a nonprofit in 2018; today, multiple for-profit gyms are experimenting with the concept. (Photo courtesy of Memphis Rox)

1. Do Incentivize Buy In

In its simplest form, a pay what you can membership consists of just that: climbers paying more or paying less for a gym membership depending on how much they can afford to pay. At its core, the goal of such a membership is to expand gym access to climbers who would otherwise be excluded by a gym’s standard membership price. The trick, of course, is keeping the books balanced.

It’s no secret that Memphis Rox started with a multi-million-dollar donation from founder Tom Shadyac, a Hollywood movie director, which reduced the gym’s ongoing operating costs. And as a nonprofit gym, tax-deductible donations help offset the remaining balance. “We don’t have a mortgage, construction loans, or investors to repay. These are huge monthly operational expenses of commercial climbing gyms that we are not dealing with,” Memphis Rox’s Operations Director, Jon Hawk, told CBJ in 2019.

The building purchase and climbing walls construction at Memphis Rox were covered at the outset, an operational expense that most for-profit gyms need to account for in their pricing structures. (Photo courtesy of Memphis Rox)

As a for-profit gym with higher operating costs, getting buy in from climbers who will pay more than a gym’s standard membership rate becomes even more important. At Boulders, part of incentivizing that buy in has meant making their C4C membership the very best membership at the gym. “The secret to this initiative is that it’s actually a premium membership for the bulk of our members, with better benefits and exclusive SWAG and events,” says Brad Werntz, the founder and President of Boulders.

Whether paying more or less than the gym’s standard membership price of $89 per month, all C4C members at Boulders get the standard membership benefits―access to Boulders’ two locations, 10% off pro shop purchases, 50% off most classes and private instruction, etc.―plus unlimited free first-timer guest passes, more monthly guest passes, unlimited free rentals (for guests too), an extra 10% discount in the pro shop, free C4C gear, a free class, and discounted day passes at participating C4C gyms.

The results speak for themselves. “Over 10% of our members are now C4C members, with the vast majority of them paying more for their membership than less,” says Werntz. “The program is already beyond self-sustaining—it’s improved our profitability and raised our average membership rates.”

The C4C membership is designed to be a premium membership; C4C members at Boulders, for instance, get 20% off retail buys, along with other perks. (Photo courtesy of Boulders)

2. Do Prioritize a Humanizing, Holistic Approach

Extending premium benefits to all C4C members, not just those paying more than the standard rate, was not a decision taken lightly. Rather, this strategy was one part of the Boulder team’s effort to prioritize a more humanizing approach than what they’d seen certain gym scholarship programs adopt.

“The downfall of many ‘scholarship’ programs is that no one wants to wear a t-shirt that says, ‘I paid less/nothing to be here,’” Werntz says. “With C4C, it’s just the opposite: Most C4C members pay more, so there’s a cachet (not a stigma) associated with people having a gym membership this way, and this status transfers to folx who otherwise would’ve been highly marginalized and ‘othered.’”

Bringing in more money through the pay what you can model does come with a social responsibility to redistribute those funds in the same spirit that brought them in. Ultimately, more equitable pricing should be only one part of a holistic approach to making a gym space more inclusive; other EDI programs are essential to that goal as well, and that’s why any profits from Boulders’ C4C membership are earmarked for donations to local affinity groups and affinity group night discounts ($10 for a day pass instead of $20) at the gym.

“If you’re queer and you’re black and you’re female, you can come to Queer Climbing Social, Madison Women Climbers and Madison Climbers of Color, and then we also have weekly Fem Plus nights,” says Werntz, who makes a point to reinvest any profits from these climbing nights back into the affinity groups and other C4C programming, as well. “Our memberships cost a lot because of the real estate size of our gyms, and yet we have these kinds of pathways that, if people are creative, they can get into the gym and get their needs met climbing and not feel rejected because we have higher rates.”

“The affinity groups at Boulders are phenomenal. They’re all led by community members, and we mostly just hold space for them. A lot of the affinity group nights also have focused coaching—top-rope or learn-to-boulder classes―integrated into them,” says Keevil. (Photo of a Madison Climbers of Color night at Boulders Eastside, courtesy of Boulders)

3. Don’t Make It Only About the Consumer

At any for-profit or non-profit business, it’s possible to get caught up in the mission you’re trying to accomplish and overlook the work environment for the people who are essential to getting there. There’s truth to the idiom “the ends don’t justify the means,” and that idea can be applied to pay what you can memberships. Climbing gym businesses don’t just provide a service to climbers; they are also spaces of work, and the conditions of and compensation for that labor is part of the equation here.

At The Pad, that factor has meant including gym staff in C4C membership discussions before applying changes, and reprioritizing work hours so that employees aren’t overworked. “Our goal is to make sure we profit even with all our philanthropy, as goal number one. My team and their departments deserve every dollar that goes to them,” says Kristin Horowitz, The Pad’s founder and CEO. “My team had to be open to me asking for their help and enthusiastic buy in, since they do the bulk of the selling of this program. But they did, and so far, it has not disappointed any of us.”

From phone calls to marketing, there can be a lot of on-the-ground work that goes into making the C4C membership successful. “Our marketing team did a beautiful job putting together visuals on the website and dropping the information into all our touch points,” Horowitz says. “Our front desk crew, as well, have to understand and love the program, and bring it up during their conversation with members and visitors.”

The Pad’s C4C membership also comes with more perks than its standard membership, such as free harness, shoes, belay and chalk rentals. (Image of one of the visuals built by The Pad’s marketing team, courtesy of The Pad)

At Boulders, hiring a dedicated employee with roots in the local community to focus specifically on facilitating the C4C initiative has been beneficial since day one. That person is Margo Keevil, the Community Director at Boulders. Keevil is from the Madison area and has been instrumental in getting the gym’s initial mutual aid membership of 2020 off the ground, connecting with the Memphis Rox team to iron out some of the C4C membership details, and managing all the applications that come through.

“Our very first C4C members were dear friends of mine who were doing organizing work in that era and are still members and still climbing to this day,” says Keevil. “And then, ultimately, we were able to open it up to this wider audience, which had been the vision that Brad [Werntz] had had for a long time. He was talking about C4C-esk stuff since I was a kid on the team way back in the day.”

4. Do Create a Safe Space for Signing Up

One hesitation to trying a pay what you can pricing structure might be a worry that people will take advantage of the system. Or it may be tempting to build in safeguards like requiring proof of income that’s below federal poverty lines for members paying below the standard membership rate. Boulders and The Pad, however, have found trading this red tape with a trust-based system to be more effective.

“The principles of C4C assume that those in need will ask and be respected in response without invasion of privacy or having to prove need to us, and it assumes something we have learned about people over the decades, which is that those with means are happy to share to enable others if asked, as well,” says Horowitz.

The C4C membership at The Pad doesn’t come with prerequisites, aside from the application; instead, the system relies on the sincerity and generosity of the gym members. (Image of another marketing visual, courtesy of The Pad)

At The Pad, new C4C applicants fill out a simple, confidential form that asks for basic contact info, a little about themselves and why they are applying, how much they wish to pay, and if they qualify for government assistance or volunteer with a partner program (not required). From there, applications are either automatically approved or applicants are asked by email to clarify their situation. “The most important piece to me is the trust aspect. We no longer are asking people to prove their qualifying poverty level, and it takes away the financial aspect,” says Horowitz.

Boulders makes sure to have a phone conversation with each applicant, and Keevil handles most of those calls. “We believe that, if people are feeling stretched and might be in a position where they’re going to lie to us about their finances, it’s harder to do that if you’re talking to someone whose name you know, who you’ve built a relationship with,” Keevil says.

Creating safe spaces for those hard conversations matters too. “I go into all of those calls assuming that people are already doing their best and trying hard and want to climb, and that they are putting in effort and overcoming a hurdle just to fill out the application,” says Keevil. “Even though they’re not paying extra financially, they’re doing additional labor in order to access our space, and we want to value that. It’s harder to be here when you’re the only person in the room that you feel like you identify with.”

Only when paying below $40 per month at Boulders and $45 per month at The Pad are C4C applicants asked to show some form of community engagement—which is kept flexible on purpose, since members paying below the standard rate are often already doing unrecognized mutual aid work in their families and communities—in order to maintain the relationship. “Every part of our membership process expects that people will be honest and will be able to self-regulate their finances,” adds Werntz. “So far, we’ve found that model to be incredibly successful, with some folks even returning to increase their membership dues after securing new employment. Trust and open avenues for communication go a long way in community building.”

Both Boulders and The Pad had gyms with established gym communities and room to welcome more climbers, two factors which may have contributed to the C4C membership’s initial success and expansion. (Photo of Boulders Downtown, courtesy of Boulders)

5. Do Know Your Capacity and Market

Still, every climbing gym and community is unique, and it’s important to note a couple contextual caveats that may have contributed to the C4C membership’s success at Boulders and expansion to The Pad. Both gym chains, for starters, were looking to add more members and had room to do so.

“The period directly after beginning this program, we saw the longest sustained membership growth in the history of Boulders. Over 95% of our C4C members who are paying less than normal were not already members prior to their application,” says Werntz.

The Pad, which operates gyms in California and Nevada, was able to welcome more climbers as well. “I have 500+ people between both gyms that weren’t members who decided to join at a lower rate,” says Horowitz. “That’s revenue we wouldn’t otherwise capture.”

Keevil echoed that sentiment. “We’re sort of in a unique position as climbing gyms in that the thing we’re selling, unless we’re hitting capacity, doesn’t really have an inventory,” says Keevil. “If we were going to get nothing from somebody, and now we’re going to get $50 or $70 a month, you can think of it as a loss or you can think of it as $50 or $70 more a month that we wouldn’t have had otherwise.”

Additionally, both Boulders and The Pad had gyms with established gym communities who were no strangers to EDI initiatives. Before shifting to a for-profit model, The Pad SLO was the first nonprofit bouldering gym in the U.S. and had long experimented with equitable pricing initiatives—such as sliding scale memberships and free memberships for volunteers at community partner organizations—which made shifting to the C4C membership a smoother transition. “We have 20 years of a trust-based space (including piloting 24/7 gyms) that literally gave away memberships to those who couldn’t afford it,” Horowitz says. “We carried that value system into the for-profit world, and really like the intent and direction C4C has taken it.”

Boulders, for its part, first opened its Eastside location back in 1996. Werntz had observed other EDI initiatives at Boulders over the years and was confident the C4C initiative would receive support from members willing to pay above the standard rate. “We have a very affluent and politically active customer base, and so we are definitely getting the benefit from people who are inclined to support this program who are already big fans of our gym,” Werntz says. “We’re interested to see how this works in other markets—some larger markets, some smaller markets, some bright red markets, some bright blue markets—to figure out if there’s a common element.”

The first expansion of the C4C initiative from Wisconsin to California has been met with largely positive results, but the pay what you can model still needs testing at more for-profit gyms. (Photo of The Pad Henderson, courtesy of The Pad)

6. Don’t Forget the Bigger Picture

For now, determining whether there is that common element requires further testing, so it’s important to note that pay what you can pricing at for-profit gyms remains an experiment. Currently at The Pad, for instance, there are significantly more C4C members paying below the standard membership rate than above it. Horowitz, however, is pleased with the initial results regardless. “Right now, success for C4C at The Pad means more people who need equity and access getting it and those who care about their community being able to support that,” Horowitz says. The Pad partners with several local organizations, and some of the members of these community groups who have been accessing the gyms through the C4C membership include “at-risk/foster youth” and “individuals without access or proximity due to cost or culture,” per The Pad’s website.

Even if the initiative is not self-sustaining straightaway, there is still therefore immeasurable value in having a pay what you can membership from an equity, diversity and inclusion perspective that’s worth backing. “We really feel that all of our C4C members are bringing something extra into the gym, whether that’s directly through their funding or bringing a different demographic that we haven’t had in the gym before, which is valuable for all sorts of other reasons,” says Keevil. “Even just walking in the door, as someone who hasn’t historically had access to these spaces, is adding something premium to the gym.”

For gyms not seeing a profit right away, one impulse might be to put a cap on the number of members paying below the standard rate and implement a wait list. Werntz, however, advises against doing so, encouraging gyms to find new ways of tapping into the generosity of their community members instead.

“In terms of the cap, we would just use that as an opportunity to market the program, not as a wait list for a [gym membership] scholarship. Personally, I think that a wait list for a scholarship is dehumanizing and othering. It’s not going to create sticky members who are happy to be here,” says Werntz. “It’s really just a question of whether you have an abundance or a scarcity model, and we’ve chosen to build this from an abundance model.”

That abundance model can be applied at an industry level, too. Although it’s more of a pie in the sky right now, Werntz isn’t against the idea of a profit-sharing model down the road, where a C4C partner gym seeing positive returns in one market could support the C4C program at a partner gym seeing negative returns in another market. “We’ve thought about that, and that’s one reason why we set it up as a separate not-for-profit,” says Werntz. “We designed Climb4Community to be an open-source effort in the hopes that other gyms would want to adopt it. It’s a standalone entity, and not part of our business model.”

Every climbing gym operates in a unique context, but there are shared values that unite all climbing gyms. Community is one of these values, and the C4C initiative is giving a new expression to that term via “an open-source effort” that’s available for all gyms to try. (Photo courtesy of The Pad)

7. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help

For the moment, though, the focus at C4C is on increasing the initiative’s sample size in partnering with more gyms. (Werntz is looking for up to ten beta gym partners.) If you are a gym operator interested in trying a pay what you can membership at your gym, remember that you don’t have to do it alone. Cliché or not, we’re stronger together, and there’s efficiency to be gained by not reinventing the wheel.

“By partnering up with other gyms, we hope to both incentivize the investment in implementing these programs, and provide enough resources to make the implementation process more efficient and thus the programs more sustainable for a wider range of business models,” Werntz says. “A new gym upon joining our initiative can expect to be handed step-by-step instructions for implementation of any of our various programs or initiatives, along with pre-written copy, other promotional materials, and all of the tips and tricks we’ve learned through the last few years of trial and error.”

Also in the works at C4C is a partnership with the climbing gym management software company Approach, which would help C4C partner gyms using the Approach software to more easily implement the C4C program on the back end. “We’re trying to make this as frictionless as possible for gyms who want to adopt it, but also for consumers who want to use it,” says Werntz.

With all the success of the C4C experiment thus far and with more developments on the way, it’s fair to wonder whether pay what you can memberships will one day become more mainstream than anomaly. “We essentially want to make it easy enough that it doesn’t make sense not to do it, you know what I mean?” says Keevil. “Like, ‘Why wouldn’t I do this?’”

The post Pay What You Can: It’s Not Just for Nonprofits (7 Tips for For-Profit Gyms) appeared first on Climbing Business Journal.

Living in a War Zone: Workers in Ukraine Keep Moving Forward

Joe Robinson — Thu, 25 Aug 2022 12:51:48 +0000

On the ground in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine and the city where climbing hold manufacturer UkrHolds is based. As the war reaches the half-year mark, the workers have been trying to find a way forward with everyday life in a war zone. (Images courtesy of Andrew Zhyhariev and Roisin Boileau-Nigoul)

The war in Ukraine has impacted the climbing industry the world over. Still reeling from the economic shocks of the ongoing Covid pandemic, climbing gym supply chains linked to the region have had to navigate economic sanctions as well―complicating the construction of climbing walls, for instance, which are often made from Baltic birch. On the comp scene, athletes from Russia and Belarus were suspended from IFSC competitions, and World Cups in those nations were cancelled.

But nowhere have the consequences of the war been more devastating than in Ukraine itself, where millions of people have been displaced and lives have been destroyed. In response, “As Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine and commits devastating and indiscriminate military attacks on civilians, many in the climbing community have united from nations across the world to support and demonstrate solidarity with the Ukrainian people,” reported Natalie Berry on UK Climbing, listing multiple ways you can help. Ukrainian climbers, themselves, launched a fundraiser called Climbarmy “to help protect other climbers who are defending their country against invading Russian forces,” wrote Berry (donate here).

In the climbing industry in Ukraine, meanwhile, “Ukrainian industry workers consolidate their efforts toward repelling Russian forces. Ukrainian athletes take it upon themselves to fight for their country’s independence. Those that cannot fight vocalize a need for support from the communities in which they have influence. Although Ukraine’s climbing gyms have closed to sport, they remain open in support of resistance,” reported Noah Walker on Gripped, citing climbing gyms in Lviv and Kyiv which had become makeshift bomb shelters, humanitarian aid distribution centers, and refugee shelters (donate here).

Part of that story on the ground is UkrHolds, a climbing hold factory in Kyiv, and its partner company FormAT, a climbing wall manufacturer and climbing gym operator in Kharkiv. As the war drags on, workers at the two businesses have balanced fighting on the front lines with returning to work to provide for their families. In hearing from the owners and their business partners, the pride of the Ukrainian people is unmistakable. They didn’t ask for more donations at this stage, just the chance to tell their story. We are honored to do so.

Oleksandr Paukaev, in uniform, at the UkrHolds factory in Kyiv. Since the start of the Russian invasion, the team’s first priority has been the safety of their families and supporting the war effort.

Joining the Fight

UkrHolds first opened its factory at the turn of the millennium, in 1999. Ukraine had been an independent nation for eight years, since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, and at the time there were reportedly no other manufacturers of climbing products in Ukraine. Co-founders and owners Andrew Zhyhariev and Oleksandr Paukaev decided to change that in launching their hold manufacturing company, which officially became UkrHolds in 2007 and later teamed up with FormAT to solidify its market position. The wall manufacturing side of FormAT employs a team of 30 engineers, designers, installers and other professionals and, since its founding by Anton Grishkov and Nicolas Silevich in 2013, has completed over 60 projects in ten countries across Europe and Asia.

But on February 24, life at both workplaces drastically changed with the start of the Russian invasion. In Kharkiv, which is located east of Kyiv on the Ukraine-Russia border where the advances of Russian forces have been concentrated, many FormAT workers and their families had to leave their homes behind. In Kyiv, the nation’s capital which has been the target of Russian missiles since day one, the families of almost all UkrHolds workers were separated due to the conflict as workers stayed behind and enlisted in the fight. After helping bring his family to safety, Paukaev bought arms and joined the army, and Zhyhariev turned his attention to buying and transporting other logistics for the war effort.

“We are alive and well, which is the main success for people in Ukraine right now,” Grishkov told CBJ in an email. “From the beginning of the war, we moved our families from Kharkiv to a safer region. We left all our homes, cars, and many other things behind, with the hope to return in some time―if Russia doesn’t destroy it.”

Outside the UkrHolds factory, which was fortunately not damaged by the initial bombings in Kyiv.

A New Normal

Yet as the war has continued, so has day-to-day life and the need to return to work and make a living. After a few weeks, one of UkrHolds’ workers who was on patrol in Kyiv decided to check in on the factory. Surprisingly, the building remained standing, and the operation inside was still intact. In fact, a monthly hold delivery the team had been packing before the invasion was found exactly as it had been left.

Some of the holds that were recovered by the UkrHolds team.

That delivery was for French-based Digital Climbing Holds, one of four hold brands produced in the factory by UkrHolds’ team of seven employees. Digital is part of Les Arts de la Grimpe Distribution, a decades-old climbing gym and brand family located east of Paris. Proudly made by Volx―the French company which produces IFSC official speed holds―as the pandemic hit Digital sought a change of pace and decided to transition the bulk of its holds to fiberglass and dual-texture, but they required a new producer to do so. UkrHolds’ capabilities fit the bill, and soon Digital’s molds were on their way to Kyiv.

“We did an old-school agreement, a solid handshake,” said Roisin Boileau-Nigoul, co-owner of Digital with husband Frederic Nigoul, who founded Digital in 2010. “Through many months of exchanging emails, we realized that we shared both professional ambitions and ideals, so eventually, in August 2020, we flew to Kyiv and also visited the [FormAT] factories in Kharkiv. By October we were setting up in Kyiv and have never looked back.”

Left: Frederic Nigoul (right) working alongside Andrew Zhyhariev (left) for the first time in Kyiv. Right: Roisin Boileau-Nigoul (left) and Anton Grishkov (right) at last year’s World Cup in Briançon, France, before the start of the war.

At the outset of the Russian invasion, Digital and UkrHolds’ discussions were far from business. “At first, all we could talk about was saving our friends and what we could do to help,” Boileau-Nigoul told CBJ. “Of course, our entire production came to a sudden halt, but we did not care. We were both in a state of shock and fear…Our conversation topics were only of night-vision goggles and wartime accessories.”

Eventually, with many UkrHolds workers on the wait list to enroll and Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, urging everyone who could do so to return to work to save the economy, the UkrHolds team and Digital agreed to restart production. “At first we were reticent to let the UkrHolds team work for us, as we did not want them in danger and, above all, we did not want to take advantage of the situation,” recalls Boileau-Nigoul. “But our friends in Ukraine said they all want to work, so that is what we are doing.”

Andrew Zhyhariev and the UkrHolds team have been eager to get back to work, and have been finding ways to keep things light-hearted despite the very challenging conditions.

Pivots and Setbacks

Of course, working in a war zone is far from easy. “Literally between bomb scares they produce, while never neglecting their duty,” Boileau-Nigoul said. Especially with some of the more experienced workers on the team working for the war effort at the same time, maintaining top quality has been challenging. Raw materials were also harder to come by at first, with the UkrHolds factory’s previous supply chain for polyurethane completely grounded and other essential materials like boxes and sandpaper all missing. Even obtaining Digital’s metallic logo that goes on the holds was a hurdle, following the disruptions at FormAT’s factory in Kharkiv, where that part was produced. “But we have managed to find alternatives in Europe and continue production,” said Boileau-Nigoul.

FormAT had to pivot even further, moving much of its machinery to a new location and reorganizing distribution logistics. “We also partly shifted our climbing wall building production, so now we are mostly focused on adjustable boards,” Grishkov said. The company’s light-up Brand Board and mobile app system is one of the newest entrants to the training board market, a “100% Ukrainian invention with a full worldwide patent,” confirmed Boileau-Nigoul. But the Ukrainian wall manufacturer is still committed to being a leader in the climbing wall sector. “We are finishing a montage of a 5-axis machine, which will permit us to produce all kinds of climbing walls,” said Grishkov.

Finding alternatives has been the name of the game for both the teams at UkrHolds (pictured here at work) and FormAT, who have been adjusting production to the new normal.

Alongside climbing walls, adjustable boards, and auto belays for climbing gyms, part of FormAT’s recent production has also been going directly to the war effort. “We help the Ukrainian army with special equipment supplies (quadrocopters, body armor, etc.),” detailed Grishkov, who mentioned a humanitarian project that’s in the works as well. “Being experienced in plywood goods production, FormAT started to develop modular houses for temporary migrants, which are totally ecological, safe, insulated and comfortable. This is the start of Ukrainian mobile modular houses in the climbing industry,” said Grishkov.

The finished product: some of Digital’s new dual-tex macros, made by UkrHolds, which are being produced in support of UkrHolds workers.

How You Can Help

With the war still raging, the immediate future for both FormAT and UkrHolds remains unstable, but fortunately many of their business partners have been reaching out and continuing to do business despite the delays. “We have had a huge amount of support from our usual partners in France and from our 13 distributors,” said Boileau-Nigoul. “We (Digital and UkrHolds) take all of the risks financially. All of the orders are only paid on delivery, as we cannot guarantee delivery nor meet deadlines. Other than that, it is business as usual.”

Usual or not, business has continued for many Ukrainians, and all who can do so are encouraged to consider supporting their work. UkrHolds and Digital’s latest creation is a special dual-tex series sporting the iconic blue and yellow colors of the Ukrainian flag, and when ordering there is an option to have the official support Ukraine logo added onto the holds. The new grips―shaped by Digital and made by UkrHolds in Ukraine―can be ordered here (English), here (French) and here (Ukrainian), with all proceeds going to keeping the UkrHolds factory going and the workers employed at a time when many businesses in Kyiv have closed. Already this month, the new series was used at the highest level of competition climbing, with the organizers of the European Championships in Munich featuring the holds in the bouldering portion of the women’s combined final.

If you would like to place an order for other climbing holds made by UkrHolds, email contact@ukrholds.com. If you are interested in becoming a North American distributor for FormAT’s Brand Board, contact brandboardclimb@gmail.com. For Digital Climbing Holds, reach out here.

“All that we want is for you to help them help themselves,” concluded Boileau-Nigoul. “The world is discovering Ukraine and their people. We are lucky to already know them. They are already so determined to rebuild. I am so proud, and privileged, to have our production there.”

The post Living in a War Zone: Workers in Ukraine Keep Moving Forward appeared first on Climbing Business Journal.

Workers Organize America’s First Climbing Gym Union

Joe Robinson — Wed, 13 Apr 2022 13:39:30 +0000

Climbing gym workers at Movement Crystal City (pictured here) will soon become the first in the industry to be part of a certified climbing gym union and will be represented by Workers United. (All images courtesy of Movement for Equal Footing)

Workers at Movement Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia, recently announced the imminent certification of their climbing gym union, reportedly the first in the United States. The process was overseen by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), an independent federal agency that enforces the National Labor Relations Act and “protects the rights of most private sector employees to join together, with or without a union, to improve their wages and working conditions,” per the NLRB’s website.

According to a previous announcement, Crystal City workers sent a notice of intent to unionize to El Cap―the parent company of Movement, one of the largest climbing gym chains in the world―on June 29, signed by fifteen members of the union organizing committee. An election to unionize, conducted by the NLRB, was later held on November 14-16, with workers voting 28 – 14 in favor of unionization. However, three objections were filed, the last of which the NLRB Board overturned on March 21, recommending the certification of the union. There were no further appeals by the April 4 deadline, and the NLRB is expected to officially certify the union as the workers’ representative for collective bargaining.

“We are proud to be the first unionized gym in the country, and are encouraged by our management’s commitment to dialoguing with workers. We look forward to coming to the table in good faith to bargain for improved working conditions and strengthen our excellent community,” organizer Wendy Low said.

Collective Bargaining

Referred to as the Movement for Equal Footing (M4EF), the formation of the first certified climbing gym union in the United States is a major development in labor relations in the industry―for workers and gyms. According to the NLRB’s website, “Once a union has been certified or recognized, the employer is required to bargain over your terms and conditions of employment with your union representative.” After creating a constitution, electing leadership and establishing bargaining committees, the next step for the M4EF union will be working with Movement leadership to reach a collective bargaining agreement on matters related to compensation, benefits and working conditions.

“Through a union contract negotiation, the workers will decide for ourselves how we want to be represented as a group, what we want to prioritize, and what we’re willing to compromise on,” said Gus Mason, also an organizer and worker at Movement Crystal City. The M4EF union organizing committee is comprised of over a dozen full-time and part-time workers at the gym, from coaches and instructors to shift supervisors. Fellow organizer Sylvain La said, “We’re excited to give the workers at Crystal City a seat at the table and establish open lines of communication and improved transparency.”

In the previously mentioned election, the workers also voted to be represented by Workers United, and more specifically the Workers United Mid-Atlantic Region Joint Board. Workers United is a larger union organization with over 86,000 members that serves several major industries―including the fitness industry. In being represented by Workers United, the local M4EF union receives support throughout their unionizing but retains the right to be self-governed. “The contract will be our own between the employer and workers at Movement Crystal City,” clarified Low. “We have the support of Workers United for resources and legal representation, but all decisions are made by us, the workers.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CYPZN31pUQE/

A Growing Trend?

Although the M4EF unit will be America’s first certified union at a climbing gym, it’s worth noting that it’s not the first collective action by workers in the climbing industry. As documented in John Burgman’s High Drama, as early as 1990, some of the workers at Jeff Lowe’s JMB wall company went on strike ahead of that year’s Berkeley Rockmaster competition. (“They went on strike for the duration of the Berkeley Rockmaster, refusing to work unless Lowe agreed to pay them in advance going forward.”)

But public and formal organization of collective worker action in the industry may be on the rise of late. More recently, as reported in CBJ’s Gyms & Trends report, in 2020 workers organized at the Brooklyn Boulders and Hoosier Heights climbing gym chains to demand significant changes by their respective gyms’ leadership, launching petitions (here and here) that obtained hundreds of signatures.

Workers have been organizing in adjacent industries like the outdoor industry as well. In January, workers on Outside magazine’s editorial staff issued a statement declaring their intent to unionize with the Denver Newspaper Guild and Communications Workers of America (although an election was not held). And just last month, workers at an REI store in Manhattan voted in favor of unionization―a first at an REI store―and will be represented by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union.

These examples of collective action have been hitting headlines at the same time as labor movements at even larger corporations, such as the unionizing at more than a dozen Starbucks locations―which like the M4EF union are represented by Workers United―as well as Amazon. Only days ago workers at an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island voted in favor of unionization in what has been called “one of the biggest worker victories in modern U.S. labor history,” although Amazon is filing objections to the vote.

As always, the climbing industry is not immune to these labor struggles and, as the industry evolves, more collective organizing and unionizing by workers may therefore be on the way at climbing gym businesses. At the moment, all eyes are on Movement’s.

“We strive to provide employees with a unique chance to pursue a career doing what they love in a community where staff members at all levels care about and communicate with one another,” Movement’s CEO Robert Cohen told CBJ. “We are committed to remaining the best place to work in our industry―a place where coming to work every day is meaningful, engaging and fulfilling, and a place where people work together to make the difference they want to see in the world.” The Movement climbing gym chain is the largest in North America and consists of 19 facilities spanning 7 states, with a 20^th facility on the way in Dallas.

Stay tuned to CBJ for more updates regarding union and other economic developments in the industry as they become available. More information about the Movement for Equal Footing can be found in this Common Climber article, which first broke the story.

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DEI Concerns Highlighted in CEC Survey of Climbers in Canada

Joe Robinson — Fri, 03 Sep 2021 08:35:35 +0000

All images from Climbing Escalade Canada’s 2021 Demographic Survey Report. (Background photo of Alannah Yip by Greg Locke)

Climbing Escalade Canada (CEC), the national governing body for competition climbing in Canada, recently released the results of its demographic survey of climbers in Canada. The survey―which CEC noted was forthcoming in its 2020 annual report―had 1015 responses in total, 844 of which were deemed complete for analysis. According to the CEC, the survey was the biggest of its kind regarding climbing in Canada. The research was conducted by Daniel Wigfield, a University of Waterloo PhD Candidate, in partnership with CEC’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

In addition to covering demographic information, climber characteristics, and motivations for climbing, the report provided insights into constraints to participation in climbing as well as perceptions of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in the climbing community. “The findings of this study will hopefully help climbing facilities and climbing organizations implement appropriate programs and activities to target barriers to participation,” reads the CEC’s announcement.

Constraints to Participation in Climbing

Gym membership and access fees, for instance, was one of the most often mentioned constraints to participation (34%)―more so than transportation issues (24%) and behind only lack of time (50%). That figure was even higher among respondents identifying as women or gender minorities, who on average reported significantly more constraints than men―especially gender minorities. 40% of women and 58% of gender minorities identified gym membership and access fees as a constraint, whereas that figure dropped to 24% among men. Gender minorities (40%) and women (11%) also more often expressed fear of discrimination or exclusion as a constraint, which was almost non-existent for men (3%).

“As a trans climber, a lack of clear policy and statements of inclusion from sports organizations and competition organizers at ALL LEVELS makes me hesitant to compete. I do not know if I will be welcomed and supported by organizers, fellow competitors, and the wider community,” shared one respondent.

Women, gender minorities and racialized people reported more constraints on average, and racialized people who also identify as gender minorities reported the most constraints.

Noticeable differences were also seen across answers from respondents identifying as racialized and those of white respondents. Racialized people reported significantly more constraints, on average, and more often reported gym membership and access fees (45%) and fear of discrimination or exclusion (16%) as constraints than white people (30% and 6%). In fact, according to the CEC’s summary in the report, a climber’s gender and race/ethnicity appeared to influence the impact of all five major participation constraints: financial, health-related issues, access to training and skill development programs, fear of discrimination and exclusion, and perceived skill or ability.

Perceptions of EDI in the Climbing Community

Similar patterns were observed when comparing perceptions of EDI in the climbing community. Across the board, women were more likely to feel alone in the climbing community and believe that great effort needs to be made to decrease barriers to participating in climbing; women were also less likely to perceive climbing to be a diverse sport, see people of their same gender in the climbing community, feel accepted and welcomed by fellow climbers or the gym, and feel like they belong in the climbing community. And gender minorities reported even more challenging experiences than women for all these statements.

As with participation constraints, differences also existed across the responses of racialized and white respondents regarding EDI perceptions. For every one of the aforementioned statements, racialized people reported more challenging experiences than white people. “It’s a very white male dominated sport. And in most climbing gyms, it feels inaccessible for BIPOC folks,” shared another respondent.

Women, gender minorities and racialized people reported more challenging experiences, on average.

Finally, CEC’s report highlighted additional EDI perspectives in the climbing community that respondents had mentioned in the survey. It was common for climbers identifying as LGBTQ+, for example, to point out the impacts of the “often-dominated misogynistic culture within the sport.” The culture that comes with young, white males dominating the sport was a turn-off for respondents of all identifies, including older climbers. Respondents also shared that coverage of climbing in the media may be ineffective in portraying the diversity of Canada’s climbing community. And respondents who work in the industry noted the importance of not only focusing on enhancing diversity among participants but also in the workplace, by addressing factors like pay gaps and lack of advancement opportunities.

The full results of the CEC survey of climbers in Canada can be accessed here.

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Olympic Climbing Results: American Nathaniel Coleman Medals

Joe Robinson — Fri, 06 Aug 2021 17:27:34 +0000

Nathaniel Coleman celebrates a top in bouldering finals at Tokyo. (All images by Dimitris Tosidis / IFSC)

Sport climbing’s highly-anticipated debut at the Olympic Games finally came to a close today. Five years since it was announced that climbing would be at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo―which were delayed to 2021 due to the pandemic―six climbers became the first to win Olympic medals. Janja Garnbret (SLO), Miho Nonaka (JPN) and Akiyo Noguchi (JPN) won gold, silver and bronze in the women’s division; Alberto Ginés López (ESP), Nathaniel Coleman (USA) and Jakob Schubert (AUT) in the men’s.

40 climbing Olympians in total competed in the sport climbing event, which took place from August 2 to 6. The event consisted of a combined format (speed, bouldering, lead) and two rounds of climbing (qualifications, finals). From North America, four athletes climbed for Team USA―Coleman, Kyra Condie, Colin Duffy and Brooke Raboutou―and two athletes for Team Canada―Sean McColl and Alannah Yip. Besides Coleman, Duffy and Raboutou were among the eight athletes (per gender) to qualify for finals.

In case you missed the medal rounds of climbing’s Olympic debut, here’s a quick recap of how Team USA performed and how the medals were won.

Colin Duffy works through a hard third problem in bouldering finals.

Coleman becomes first American climber to win an Olympic medal

Coleman’s silver medal was spurred on by a strong bouldering performance in the men’s final yesterday. After placing 6th in speed, Coleman finished 1st in bouldering by flashing the first of three problems and being the only athlete to find a top over the last two. When all was said and done, Coleman had climbed just high enough in lead to place 5th in that discipline and 2nd overall. With that result, Coleman became the first American climber to win an Olympic medal.

Coleman’s teammate, Duffy, finished 7th overall. At 17 years old, Duffy was one of the youngest climbers to compete at the Games, and the youngest in the men’s final. After an unfortunate false start in speed, Duffy flashed the first bouldering problem to place 4th in that discipline and climbed to the 3rd highest spot on the lead wall, behind only Schubert and Adam Ondra (CZE).

Gold medalist Ginés López won every race in the knockout-style speed final. Despite placing 7th in bouldering, the 1st place in speed and 4th in lead earned Ginés López the victory in sport climbing’s Olympic debut. Before the night had ended, Schubert wrapped up the men’s final by reaching the sole top in lead, soaring to 3rd place in the standings.

Brooke Raboutou on her way to qualifying for finals in Tokyo.

Raboutou finishes among top five climbing Olympians

Raboutou, the sole American in the women’s final today, just missed out an Olympic podium. Placing 7th in speed―and a tenth of a second behind Garnbret in one of the races―Raboutou put pressure on Garnbret throughout the bouldering discipline and twice came up just short of a top. An early error on the lead wall cut short the hopes of a podium, but Raboutou still finished 5th overall among 20 climbing Olympians.

Gold medalist Garnbret, after placing 5th in speed, proved unstoppable in bouldering and lead. Garnbret was the sole finalist to top a bouldering problem―twice―and later set an unmatched high point on the lead wall. In the end, Garnbret was the only athlete in any round of the competition to win two disciplines. Noguchi and Nonaka performed well in all three disciplines in finals, giving the home team―Japan―two medals.

The full Olympic climbing results (and links to more commentary) are listed below, and a full breakdown of the results can be found at Olympics.com. The next Olympic Games for sport climbing will take place at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris. Twice as many medals will be on the table then: 6 in speed climbing and 6 in bouldering/lead. Stay tuned to CBJ as more Olympic updates become available.

Kyra Condie, who finished 11th overall, climbs in lead qualifications.

Women’s Results

1.Janja Garnbret (SLO)
2.Miho Nonaka (JPN)
3.Akiyo Noguchi (JPN)
4.Aleksandra Miroslaw (POL)
5.Brooke Raboutou (USA)
6.Anouck Jaubert (FRA)
7.Jessica Pilz (AUT)
8.Chaehyun Seo (KOR)
9.Viktoriia Meshkova (ROC)
10.Shauna Cosey (GBR)
11.Kyra Condie (USA)
12.Yiling Song (CHN)
13.Julia Chanourdie (FRA)
14.Alannah Yip (CAN)
15.Laura Rogora (ITA)
16.Petra Klingler (SUI)
17.Iuliia Kaplina (ROC)
18.Mia Krampl (SLO)
19.Oceania Mackenzie (AUS)
20.Erin Sterkenburg (RSA)

Men’s Results

1.Alberto Ginés López (ESP)
2.Nathaniel Coleman (USA)
3.Jakob Schubert (AUT)
4.Tomoa Narasaki (JPN)
5.Mickael Mawem (FRA)
6.Adam Ondra (CZE)
7.Colin Duffy (USA)
8.Bassa Mawem (FRA)
9.Alexander Megos (GER)
10.Jongwon Chon (KOR)
11.Rishat Khaibullin (KAZ)
12.Jan Hojer (GER)
13.Aleksey Rubtsov (ROC)
14.Yufei Pan (CHN)
15.Michael Piccolruaz (ITA)
16.Christopher Cosser (RSA)
17.Sean McColl (CAN)
18.Kai Harada (JPN)
19.Ludovico Fossali (ITA)
20.Tom O’Halloran (AUS)

Sean McColl, who represented Team Canada alongside Alannah Yip, cuts feet in lead qualis.

Olympic Climbing Results Commentary

Highlights from Olympic Sport Climbing in Tokyo (Gripped)

3,000 People a Day Become Climbers. We Know Olympic Sport Climbing Was Popular, But Really? (John Burgman, Climbing)

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Sport Climbing: Women’s Final – Report (Natalie Berry, UK Climbing)

Post-Olympic Interview with U.S. Athlete Colin Duffy, A Men’s Combined Finalist (Francis Sanzaro, Climbing)

Who Won, Who Lost, And Why At the Men’s Olympic Sport Climbing Finals (John Burgman, Climbing)

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Sport Climbing: Men’s Final – Report (Natalie Berry, UK Climbing)

Alannah Yip Competes in Olympics, an Inspiration to Canadian Climbers (Gripped)

Let Sport Climbing’s Olympians Cry In Private! (John Burgman, Climbing)

Tokyo 2020 Day 2: Women’s Qualification – Report (Natalie Berry, UK Climbing)

Congrats to Sean McColl on Achieving Olympic Dream (Gripped)

Surprises Abound as Climbing Makes History in the Olympics (John Burgman, Climbing)

Tokyo 2020 Day 1: Men’s Qualification – Report (Natalie Berry, UK Climbing)

The post Olympic Climbing Results: American Nathaniel Coleman Medals appeared first on Climbing Business Journal.

Meet John Burgman, U.S. Comp Climbing’s Top Journalist

Joe Robinson — Tue, 03 Aug 2021 15:50:53 +0000

Behind the Desk is a series that highlights people who work in the climbing industry. In this segment, we veer from the norm and “interview the interviewer,” CBJ’s own Senior Editor John Burgman. John is the pre-eminent comp climbing journalist in the United States. He has authored three books, the latest being High Drama: the rise, fall and rebirth of American competition climbing. John has been especially busy during the build-up to the Olympics, reporting extensively for Climbing and appearing in industry media like Plastic Weekly and non-endemic outlets like NPR. In between covering Tokyo and interviewing climbing’s greats, John sits down with us to chat about his career thus far: breaking into the field of climbing journalism, living in South Korea and researching North Korean defection, working on the High Drama project, and the future of comp climbing.

Before writing High Drama, John Burgman got his start in climbing media by freelancing for publications like CBJ, Crux Crush and Climbing.

JR: So let’s start at the beginning: What were your pre-climbing days like, and how did you get into climbing, journalism, climbing journalism in particular, and writing for CBJ?

JB: I’m from the Midwest like you, so I didn’t grow up with access to the mountains or anything like that. I gave climbing a try in college because there was a fairly state-of-the-art climbing wall at the university’s rec center. I fell in love with it right away. It’s not an exaggeration to say it was definitely a life-changing moment, obviously, since it shaped the course of my life and career in many ways.

But at that time, I had no idea what I wanted to do for a career, I just liked writing [laughs]. So, I got some jobs―paid and unpaid―working for various magazines and literary journals. It was everything from editing articles to just reading submissions―the slush pile, as they call it [laughs]. Eventually I got a job at a magazine in New York City as a staff editor. That was the beginning of my “journalism career,” for lack of a better phrase, but I didn’t think of it in that way at the time. I was just happy to have a job that wasn’t making minimum wage at coffee shops and bookstores―which was what I had been doing up until that point.

Several years later, I ended up getting a Fulbright research grant, which allowed me to move to Asia and broaden my interests and journalism opportunities. It was actually while I was living in Asia that I started reading CBJ. A year or so after Mike Helt started CBJ [in 2013], I cold-emailed Mike and said, “I love this. I’m a dedicated reader and not a gym owner, but I like the behind-the-scenes stories you tell about the industry. I’ve done some writing and I would love to write for you.” And he was kind enough to reply and asked me to pitch him some ideas. That got the gears churning and eventually I also started writing World Cup recaps for Climbing magazine.

In addition to writing, John also coaches young climbers and helps out with his family’s summer camp business, which runs trips to the Boundary Waters in Minnesota.

**I want to ask about your time living in Asia. You talk about some of your experiences in South Korea in your book Island Solitaire. What were some highlights of your time there?**

I look back so fondly on all my time in South Korea. It was such an enriching experience, it’s hard to distill the whole thing into favorite memories. I lived in Seoul for a year, and then I moved to Jeju Island—which is what Island Solitaire is about. But during my time in Seoul, I was researching North Korean defection through that Fulbright research grant. That whole experience of talking and getting to know some North Korean defectors is still vivid in my memory.

People who defect from North Korea, if they escape North Korea and end up in South Korea―which is not everyone, as many people end up settling elsewhere in Asia―then they have to spend time in programs, first held at a live-in facility called a hanawon, and then optionally at a “hana center.” There are various goals at the hana centers, but a main aim is to support the North Korean defectors’ transition to a whole new way of life—a life in South Korea. In North Korea, things like education and finances are totally different than in South Korea, so the programs focus on teaching people a new way of life, teaching people how to manage their finances in South Korea, how to get jobs, that sort of thing.

So, like I said, my research grant consisted of interviewing people who had defected from North Korea―primarily teenagers―who were either living in or had recently exited these facilities. I spoke Korean conversationally, but I would usually do the interviews with a translator, especially because there are different dialectical differences between North Korean and South Korean language. I wanted to publish a book from the interviews, but that didn’t end up happening.

Beyond compiling the research into a book, what was the goal behind interviewing the people who had defected from North Korea?

There were a few goals, but one of them was just uplifting their stories. You know, journalists are often looking for spectacular or heroic narratives, but what I had found was that every single person who made that journey from North Korea was heroic in certain ways. On one level, just their adjusting to South Korean society is a monumental achievement. There are so many challenges along the way, not only the geographic escape [from North Korea] itself, but the economic challenges that come with it. And anytime there’s poverty there are also potential related or ancillary barriers to overcome like gambling and substance abuse. There were just so many stories…

For example, one person who I had interviewed, she was 18 and had escaped from North Korea by herself. She had managed to come through all that and was now in a university in South Korea, pursuing a career. How is that not a story that the world should know about, if she wants to tell it? In some cases, people escaping from North Korea would be shot at by guards. I remember interviewing one person who pulled up her pant leg and showed me a scar on her ankle. She said, “This is where the bullet grazed me.” Even just talking now, you can see why these stories need to be heard. Fleeing, searching for and hopefully finding a better life…these are stories of the human spirit and perseverance. When you hear stories such as those, you realize this is the goal. Just hearing the story is the goal of the journalism.

Would you ever work in that field again in the future?

Yeah, it’s still something that I follow closely to this day, everything happening with North Korea and defection. When I was living in South Korea, I even thought about settling there permanently and getting a job at a hana center or a nonprofit in Seoul that supports people who are defecting from North Korea. It’s definitely something I’m still interested in—and still interested in writing about.

John on Jeju Island in South Korea, where he taught English & Literature at a university after completing his research on North Korean defection.

Moving on to your most recent book, High Drama, I love Kevin Corrigan’s quote on the back cover about how you “[unearth] the human stories behind the sport that otherwise may have been lost to time…” What were some of the highs and lows of working on this project?

I love that quote from Kevin too because that was my exact motivation for writing the book. I wanted to read about this history. I was starting to cover the competition climbing scene more, and as a journalist you have an obligation to know the history of whatever your subject is. So, I started looking for some background, and the first thing I did was go to Amazon and type in something like “competition climbing history” in the search bar—and there really weren’t any relevant results. I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “write the book that you want to read,” and I literally wanted to read a book on American comp climbing history…yet it didn’t exist. So, I decided to start doing the research and write it myself.

The timing with the Olympics was definitely a high. It wasn’t at all something I’d planned around when the book was in its inception stage. But right when I started to get serious about the research and after doing a bit of the initial outline, it was announced that climbing was going to be in the Olympics. That created a nice, rough framework for the book. The Olympics were going to be part of the book anyways, because there has always been this Olympic buzz about climbing being included in the Games. And when that actually came to pass, that in a sense was the climax of the book: finally having competition climbing designated as an Olympic sport and having American climbers qualify for Tokyo. So that was a serendipitous, happy accident so to speak.

I don’t know if any lows stick out. The tricky thing with writing a book is that the history is so extensive and it is still ongoing. The book could have been twice as long, because there’s so much else that I could have included. But you have to make cuts, for length, which was too bad.

In writing the book, did you notice major themes from the early days which are still going on today? The labor issues, for instance, stood out to me.

That was something that I noticed too. When you talk to people about the ‘90s and they say, “Yeah, I worked at a gym in the ‘90s…didn’t get paid much and it was really hard work,” that quote could just as easily come from someone in 2021. You and I both worked at gyms, and we know that a lot of people working at gyms do it more for the love of climbing than the pay. And I think we’d all like to see more money able to be paid to people who work at gyms―especially routesetters, who work so darn hard and put their bodies through a lot of toil. Routes are the core product of a gym, and setters should be paid like they are providing the core product of the gym. But I do want to acknowledge the changes that have been made to pay people more livable wages; hopefully things keep moving in that direction.

John put U.S. comp climbing’s history down on paper in High Drama, connecting the dots from America’s pre-climbing-gym days to the Olympics.

**You must have spoken with so many people when writing High Drama, and throughout your career. What were some of your most memorable interviews, during this project or other?**

I gotta say, it was cool interviewing [CBJ publisher] Scott Rennak, which sounds like we’re just scratching each other’s back [laughs]. But I interviewed him before he was the publisher of CBJ, and I just knew of him because of the American Bouldering Series (ABS). In my mind, ABS is this legendary entity, because that was where my fandom for competition climbing really began. When I first started climbing in college, I’d read Climbing and Urban Climber magazine―which doesn’t even exist anymore―and I’d flip to the back and look for ABS results. Then to actually be able to interview the person who created that competition series…it was just surreal. And the fact that Scott ended up giving me an hour and a half of his time, that meant a lot to me. Anytime someone gives you so much time for an interview, it’s almost like they’re telling you without telling you that they think your research is worthy. It’s a compliment of the research you’re doing and the book you’re trying to write. So, Scott giving me that blessing through the time he gave, that just meant the world to me.

Saving the easy question for last…What is the future of comp climbing and climbing journalism?

Well, my personal goal for the future is to make competition climbing the biggest sport in the world. People can think that’s ridiculous, fine, but that’s still my goal―ridiculous or not. So I hope that competition climbing continues to get bigger, and hopefully the Olympics helps. I hope there’s more prize money, so that climbers can focus on the competition scene and not feel like they need to do other activities alongside that just to get by.

I would also like to see more media outlets and more media members being willing and able to focus exclusively on the competition climbing scene. It’s tricky because I think there’s the chicken or the egg effect here. A lot of media may be reluctant to start a platform like that because they believe it’s not where climbing’s biggest fanbase is. I understand that line of thinking, but I have always thought that if the media seem stoked about something then they can play a role in creating more fans. If we have writers, editors and videographers who are stoked about the comp scene, people will get stoked too.

In addition to outlets like CBJ and Climbing, there are some really solid video channels and podcasts that have popped up by people who cover the comp climbing scene. For instance, my friend in Canada, Tyler Norton, runs Plastic Weekly on YouTube. Gym Climber has emerged as a great web/print resource. Natalie Berry at UK Climbing does fantastic journalism as well. Eddie Fowke’s Circuit Climbing Instagram account delivers fantastic content practically every day, almost like photo essays of the competition scene. Same for The Short Beta Instagram account. So, there are many resources out there already, and more endemic media seem to be popping up all the time. I hope that continues.

Thank you John!

Olympic Articles by John Burgman

Let Sport Climbing’s Olympians Cry In Private! (Climbing)

Surprises Abound as Climbing Makes History in the Olympics (Climbing)

Meet the 2020 Olympic Climbing Athletes (Gym Climber)

Brooke Raboutou – An Eye on Olympic Gold (Climbing)

Olympic Climbing 101: Everything You Need to Know About Climbing at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics (Gym Climber)

Why Aren’t Alex Honnold—And Other Climbing Greats—In The Olympics? (Climbing)

Who Can Beat Adam Ondra and Janja Garnbret In the Olympics (Climbing)

Derided By Many, Speed Climbing Could Still Decide Who Gets Olympic Gold (Climbing)

What We Learned from the American Climbers’ Olympic Press Conference (CBJ)

The Olympics Are in Tokyo, Is Team Japan Poised to Beat Everyone? (Climbing)

The post Meet John Burgman, U.S. Comp Climbing’s Top Journalist appeared first on Climbing Business Journal.

DEI Connections Database: Submit Your DEI Initiative

Joe Robinson — Wed, 10 Mar 2021 17:47:20 +0000

The nonprofit Climbing for Change (C4C) is compiling a comprehensive database of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) organizations and initiatives in the climbing industry. Called DEI Connections, the searchable database will allow users to find DEI opportunities near them and across the industry. Users will be able to filter for areas of interest, specific demographic groups, specific regions and/or enter keywords.

All DEI organizations and initiatives in the industry are welcome and encouraged to be submitted, including those of nonprofits, gyms, brands and any others. To submit your organization or initiative, please take a few minutes and complete the form on the Climbing For Change website. The page on the website where the database will be publicly available is currently unpublished until it can be adequately populated. Any questions can be emailed to admin@climbing4change.org.

“One of Climbing for Change’s major goals is to amplify diversity and inclusion initiatives in the outdoor industry, so people are more aware of the support and opportunities available in their community,” says C4C founder Kai Lightner. “If you run an organization that offers inclusion initiatives such as regular social events, discounted rates, scholarships/grants, or any other opportunities that aim to increase access and participation of underrepresented groups―including BIPOC (Black, Native American, Asian, LatinX, …), individuals with disabilities, LGBTQ, and women―in rock climbing and/or the outdoor industry, we want to raise awareness of your programs.”

The announcement of the DEI Connections database project comes one month after Lightner’s nonprofit opened its first round of grants for BIPOC individuals. Since then, C4C has opened applications for two additional programs: the Diversity in Guiding Grant, which “aims to provide funding for AMGA certifications for BIPOC individuals,” as well as the Spirit of Alpinism: Climbing for Change Scholarship, which encourages BIPOC individuals “to take the next step in advancing their technical backcountry and mountain leadership skills by participating in one or more of the [American] Alpine Institute’s programs.”

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Climbing For Change Opens First Round of Grants for BIPOC Individuals

Joe Robinson — Fri, 12 Feb 2021 15:20:32 +0000

Image courtesy of Climbing For Change

Climbing For Change (C4C), the nonprofit founded by professional climber Kai Lightner in 2020, has opened the application process for its first four grant programs. The grants range from outdoor climbing to competition and leadership opportunities, all with the purpose of “[increasing] BIPOC participation in rock climbing and the outdoor adventure activities.”

One of the four programs, offered in partnership with Black Diamond, is called the Gym To Crag Grants. These grants “help BIPOC individuals’ transition from indoor to outdoor climbing” by providing up to $1000 in funds for program fees and/or travel costs. According to the C4C website, Black Diamond will also help with equipment needs for activities funded by the company.

Other awards include the Competition Climbing Grant, which assists BIPOC individuals with expenses related to “[attending] high level climbing competitions in the United States or abroad,” as well as the more general Adventure Outside Grants for “outdoor recreation activities.” Like the Gym To Crag program, both grants may award recipients up to $1000 for participation fees and/or travel costs.

The final program, the C4C Leadership Grants, is an open grant which “[encourages] BIPOC individuals to become leaders in rock climbing or the outdoor recreation industry.” Examples of careers noted in the program description include routesetting and guiding, and grants are intended to help applicants “elevate [their] status in these spaces.”

“We are incredibly excited to launch these programs and help increase diversity in the next generation of outdoor sports enthusiasts!” Lightner said about opening the organization’s first round of grants. According to Lightner, more grants are due to come out in the next three to four weeks as well. These next grants will help BIPOC individuals obtain AMGA Single Pitch Instructor (SPI) certification by covering the costs of SPI courses and exams at the New River Gorge, Red Rocks, and in Washington state.

Applicants may apply for the first four grants at the application portal here, which can also be accessed via the C4C website. Once at the portal, click “Sign-Up” on mobile devices or “Register” on desktops to create an account and start an application.

C4C has raised over $100,000 since launching its inaugural fundraising campaign. To make a donation and help reach the goal of $200,000 please click here.

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