The Climbing Wall Association's blog is a place for indoor climbing professionals to find useful and relevant information from industry and business experts. Stay on top of best practices, thought leadership, and trends by subscribing to our newsletter!
It's no secret that routesetting is a niche profession that many staff members have questions about. From the outside, especially for new staff and climbers, some days can look like we are just goofing off, having fun climbing, and the sets go up effortlessly. But other days are tenser, where I... Continue Reading
We’ve all been there, meandering through the aisles looking for something, anything, that would be the perfect gift. This holiday season, let’s prep our staff and website to be the best gift guides they can be! The front desk staff is the first to welcome shoppers into the retail... Continue Reading
A participant competes in a 'dyno' competition at The Crag Nashville. Photo by Kyle Somers. New climbers frequently ask my team, “Hey, how do you guys know where to put the pieces?” There’s also “Hey, are you just making it up or do you draw a map?” And my personal... Continue Reading
A key component to having a successful retail operation is how you merchandise your store. Merchandising is the art of laying out your store and making your store shoppable while thinking about how it looks to your customers. Of course, your shop should look neat and clean, but most importantly... Continue Reading
The Climbing Wall Association is excited to announce that ClimbInsure has been selected as our partner in Canada to create the first insurance program designed for Canadian climbing facilities. This partnership will help support the industry’s long-term goals of increasing access to... Continue Reading
USA Climbing athletes compete in the IFSC World Cup in Salt Lake City in May 2021. It’s hard to make someone do something exactly the way you want them to. People like to simplify things, even if in the end they’re making it harder on themselves. At least, that’s what chief... Continue Reading
The CWA's exclusive US insurance partner, Monument Sports, is excited to announce the hiring of Rebecca Bennett as their Claims and Risk Management Manager. Rebecca brings with her over 15 years of insurance claims handling experience. During her time at Markel Insurance Company and James River... Continue Reading
In many industries, especially during the pandemic years, there has been a big focus on employee wellness programs to decrease mental stress, increase physical activity, and improve overall morale in the workplace. In routesetting, while there has definitely been improvement in what gyms offer... Continue Reading
ABC Kids Climbing in Boulder, Colorado, has built something truly special. It was the first, and to date, the largest climbing gym dedicated to training youth athletes. It also trained two of the four Olympians on Team USA who competed in the Tokyo Olympic Games. The gym started inside the... Continue Reading
Please join the CWA in welcoming the newest addition to our growing team – Quinn Gordon, our membership coordinator. Quinn (he/him) has spent much of his professional experience in the public sector, working for local, state, and federal governmental entities. In each of these roles, he... Continue Reading
Now that climbing is an Olympic event, many new and returning climbers are eager to get involved in instruction and youth programs! Since Rock Gym Pro is the primary operating software for many climbing gyms across the country, let's dive into the following functions to help build and organize... Continue Reading
Nelli Crofts' designed hoodie for sale inside Momentum Indoor Climbing in Sandy, Utah. If you walk into the Momentum Indoor Climbing Sandy gym near Salt Lake City, you’ll notice a rack of apparel items for sale near the front desk. It caught my eye immediately – the material looked... Continue Reading
