“Turnout has far exceeded our expectations,” said Climb Moab Gym co-owner Kaya Lindsay.
She and fellow Moab local Britt Zale, along with fellow founder/investor Justin Beitler (based in Las Vegas) opened an indoor climbing gym, located in the Moab Business Park on south Highway 191, on January 19.
It’s been just about a year since they closed on the building that houses the gym. Zale and Linsday have been pouring energy into researching, training, designing and building the gym for many months.
In penciling out their operations costs, they hoped to have 200 monthly members; before the gym had been open a full week, they already had over 100 monthly members signed up.
“One of the things I’m really psyched about is that the community aspect immediately kicked into high gear,” Lindsay said.
One of her and Zale’s goals is to create a space for climbers to meet, socialize, and develop relationships. Within the first days of the gym opening, they said, they watched climbers arrive at the gym alone, meet on the bouldering mats, and by the end of a session, exchange numbers and make plans to climb outside together.
Design and research
Climb Moab Gym is smaller than gyms run by large franchise indoor climbing companies such as Movement, which operates climbing gyms in nine states. The maximum capacity at Climb Moab is 49 people; as of late January, the owners said there were 32 people there on their busiest night. A helpful feature on the Climb Moab website gives a count of how many climbers are there at any time.
To make the most of the small space, Zale and Lindsay had to be very deliberate in their design.
“Everything we have has meaning and is efficient,” Zale said. “Every single inch is accounted for.”
There’s a lot packed into the space, with a bouldering area, Kilter training board (a piece of equipment that allows for thousands of bouldering routes at varying steepness), several top ropes, a crack training corner, and an upstairs workout area—not to mention the front desk, retail space, lounge tables and bathrooms.
The many functional areas make the gym feel spacious to Zale and Lindsay.
“It feels bigger now than it ever did,” Zale said, comparing its current state to their first visit, before there was a loft, desk, bathroom or climbing walls.
Zale and Lindsay agree that they have complementary skill sets and approaches—this means that they often disagreed about how to achieve their shared vision, but those different perspectives have helped them reach a “really good middle ground,” they said.
The two did a lot of research before opening: they joined the Climbing Wall Association, a trade organization for indoor climbing gyms; Zale shadowed for a week at a climbing gym in Grand Junction.
They conducted surveys, talked with other gym owners and studied literature on climbing gyms. Both Zale and Lindsay have completed a Level 1 Climbing Wall Instructor certification through the CWA, and are pursuing continuing education.
Community engagement
Zale and Lindsay want the Climb Moab Gym to be not just a place to work out, but a hub for the Moab climbing community. They’re brainstorming events like movie nights and bouldering parties for members.
The two are also keen to establish partnerships within the non-climbing Moab community. They’ve already employed local builders and artists; they also plan to offer locally made Wild Bloom kombucha and other locally sourced retail items.
They will host a BEACON Afterschool climbing club for local kids and will promote outdoor climbing ethics in partnership with the Grand County Division of Active Transportation and Trails.
