Rock climbing is more than a passing fad. The most recent survey conducted by the Outdoor Foundation found that over 6.5 million Americans engaged in rock climbing in 2013. This is 2.7 percent of the total population. Out of that number, more than 4.5 million made use of indoor climbing facilities. These are just the latest numbers from a growing trend that has seen the popularity of this lifestyle sport grow every year.
Why are these numbers so high, and why should a fitness club pay attention? Rock climbing is just one facet of a desire by Americans for functional fitness that is both engaging and enriching to their entire lives. People want an activity that helps them define themselves and that they can treasure forever. It’s not enough to be fit — they want to be fit for their entire lives. And it’s not enough to work out, either. They want to work out well and have fun doing it.
It is thanks to this enterprising spirit that we will see a whole host of alternative fitness fads come and go. But the ones that will last are the ones rooted in the past times that connect to a basic human element. People will always want to run, bike, swim — and climb. These are the activities that we can do in the gym to train for our grander adventures elsewhere in life.
The challenge then becomes how you serve this audience. One route is to build a large, purpose-built rock climbing wall within your facility. But that has many logistical challenges. You’ll need to undergo an extensive architectural and engineering process, hire new staff, implement safety training and add on additional insurance. For some gyms, this can be well worth the cost. You can end up with an impressive architectural showcase for your gym. But the reality is that it is tough to compete with the many dedicated rock climbing gyms opening up around the country. These recreational facilities can be upwards of 30,000 square feet. Your focus should revolve around what you do best — fitness.
If you keep in mind why your members come to your gym, what equipment will serve them best and what experience will keep them coming back, you can’t lose. Climbing can be an amazing test of fitness and a huge motivator to get in shape. You need to capture that element, focusing on the trim bodies of worldly, fun-loving people. Leave the heights, technical rope work and scary situations in the entertainment world.
Luckily, there are a few simple ways to capture this idea for your members who love rock climbing, adventure or just want something new to add to their regimen. If you have a lot of space, you can build beautiful showcase bouldering walls — either 360-degree boulders in the center of a room or large structures attached to your existing walls. If you have minimal space, you can simply take out a few mirrors and replace them with a small traverse wall consisting of pre-threaded panels that allow you to attach climbing holds all over the wall. These spaces can be incredibly valuable, offering a nice padded stretching area with attachments on the wall for resistance bands, suspension training systems and other fun elements. If you really want to capture the fitness element, there are larger, free-standing climbing walls that allow your members to safely climb thousands of feet and create scalable challenges as easy or intense as the individual demands.
However you end up bringing climbing into your club, know that it will allow your clients to experience a new dimension of fitness. It will motivate them, entertain them and keep them coming back for more. You will end up expanding your member base and providing many people with tools for staying healthy and having fun while doing so.
Garnet Moore is the COO of Brewer’s Ledge. He can be contacted at 781-961-5200 or by e-mail at garnet@treadwall.com.
