Holding On
By Chris Van Leuven
Due to state orders to help slow the spread of COVID-19, the Spot Bouldering Gym, with facilities in Boulder and Denver, shuttered both facilities’ doors on March 15. And just like that, the climate-controlled space filled with bright color holds bolted to the overhanging walls went dark, and the walls were untouched for 60 days. Gone were the member appreciation parties and the après-climb beers on tap. Gone were team workouts, weightlifting, gear demos, and competitions.
As hard as it was to shut down, opening up will be even harder.
“There is a lot of trepidation,” says Scott Rennak, marketing manager for The Spot and publisher of the Climbing Business Journal (CBJ), about who opens first. His team has been talking to all the gym operators on Colorado’s Front Range about potential opening dates, and he says, “The best-case scenario is late May or early June. You’ll see the cities and counties dictate some of it.”
Before the shutdown, there were 37 climbing gyms in the Centennial State, with most patrons showing up after school and work to meet friends and pull on plastic. The future of indoor sport climbing, which was about to explode worldwide with its debut in the 2020 Summer Olympics, is now unclear due to the pandemic.
Now, nearly two months after closing, gyms are sharing opening strategies, says Rennak. Companies are turning to the Climbing Wall Association, a resource for the indoor climbing industry, as well as the CBJ, which reports on the indoor climbing world.
Dispatch: Eagle Climbing + Fitness
CBJ reports that gyms currently open in Georgia and Tennessee require everyone visiting their facilities wear face masks. “Climbing gyms are also open in Missouri, Arkansas, Alabama, Alaska, and Oklahoma, with more opening on Friday May 15,” says Rennak. In Colorado, Eagle Climbing + Fitness owner Larry Moore is hoping to be one of the first gyms to reopen in the state.
His facility is currently in the slow-opening phase, which is “helping us facilitate what to do in the future,” he says. “Some people are anxious to get back to our [climbing] community. Some are scared.” On May 4, he opened the gym’s fitness and yoga areas, allowing a maximum of 10 people for up to 90 minutes by reservation only for punch cardholders and members. At that point Moore stressed, “You cannot climb yet.”
With the gym walls still closed, some workouts take place on hangboards to improve grip strength, and also include isometric training, like planks, to strengthen the core. The equipment is disinfected after each class.
“May 25 is the target opening date for climbing,” Moore says, adding that he’ll have a new plan moving forward. He’s willing to extend the hours, keep sections of the gyms segregated by the number of people, and follow the state-mandated rules of allowing only 10 or fewer in an area. When the rules allow, he’ll go up to 25.
In the meantime, Eagle Climbing + Fitness member David Roetzel is training on a home wall in his garage and visiting off-the-radar climbing areas along the I-70 corridor—places like the Mudwall, No Name, and at the crags peppered along Glenwood Canyon. “Nobody visits Glenwood Canyon,” he says.
“As a climbing gear rep for Edelrid, I talk with accounts with regularity for sure,” Roetzel says. “Some of the gyms are withering, dying to open up. I know some people who would be psyched when gyms open again.”
One of these gyms is The Spot, whose front desk staff and route setters are anxious to get back to work.
Dispatch: The Spot
Opened in 2002, The Spot was one of the first bouldering gyms in the US, says Rennak. Less than a year before COVID-19 hit, the company opened a second location, in Denver. “We didn’t make it to our first-anniversary party,” Rennak says.
With all climbing gyms closed, climbers have three choices: give up the sport, build a home wall, or climb outside, which is a risky proposition considering social idstancing regulations. Rennak believes about 50% of the customers at his Denver location—five blocks from the Convention Center, home to the Outdoor Retailer Show—never climb on real rock. Without anywhere to practice inside, he expects this group to take a break from the sport. He’s seen many others meet up at the crags in Clear Creek Canyon above Golden, Colorado. “Some areas are experiencing heavy use. Clear Creek looks like a typical day before COVID-19,” Rennak says.
For Rennak, customer and employee safety are top concerns. “When we finally open again, no one will have climbed on those holds for months, so any virus germs on the holds will be dead,” He says. “It’s all about controlling what comes after. You’ll have to wear a mask. We’ll self-screen. You’ll have to wash your hands when you come to the gym. We’ll have sanitizer all over the place.”
As for a magic bullet for keeping virus germs off holds, “There is no guaranteed solution for climbing holds. We’ve been looking for it,” he says. “There are a few UV machines, but they are cost-prohibitive, and the frequency that you’d have to do it is unrealistic. Controlling what happens with humans before they touch the holds will reduce the amount of potential contamination on holds.”
“What you’re going to see is widespread sanitizer everywhere and social distancing. This way, you’ll minimize the number of hands on the holds as well. We haven’t decided if we’ll break up into zones yet. We’re considering many procedures like cycling routes, so people don’t climb on the same routes day after day. Like, ‘don’t climb on the blue routes today. Today we’re on red and black.’”
Changes Ahead, Planning Required
Rennak believes that due to social distancing measures, gyms will need to have people come in at different times of the day, not just the peak hours between 4 and 8 p.m. He also believes that the days of hanging out at gyms all day, every day, gym-rat style, will be slow to come back.
“You’re having fewer people coming in, and higher added hygiene, and all your costs will go up. Your capacity goes down,” says Rennak. “Economics 101 says that something has to give. That’s one thing that no climbing gym is talking about out loud. No one wants to know how the value of their climbing gym membership will change. Day prices will likely change.”
“Every gym will hit capacity during peak time. Many people will have to find a new time to climb, like making reservations online,” Rennak continues. “A lot of gyms will find their quiet hours will fill up. Some gyms will have to expand hours and stay open much later.”
Planning Builds Community
Since visits to the gym will come on a by-reservation basis, Rennak expects people to pair up and group up with more regularity, so the same people will be climbing together more often. This is where outdoor climbing and indoor climbing have differed. Meeting for outdoor climbing has always required setting a date and time and sticking with it. Gym climbing has been more casual, especially when it comes to bouldering, which, unlike roped climbing, doesn’t require a partner.
“You’ll want to climb with your close friends,” he says. “You’ll have to make a plan now. It forces an even tighter community.”