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!
Posted By Laura Allured, Tuesday, January 21, 2020 The Reel Rock film festival has become a staple of the climbing community – an annual opportunity to see fresh films featuring some of the most accomplished climbers on the planet. As Reel Rock has grown in popularity, so... Continue Reading
A few months ago, the CWA held a professional development event at the Planet Granite in San Francisco – part of the CWA Meetings regional events program. As the owner of a brand-new gym trying to figure out how to be a gym owner, routesetter, and instructor all at the same time, I was... Continue Reading
Routesetters can work in many different scenarios – part or full time in a gym, setting for comps, freelancing for private clients, they can travel or stay in the same location or a combination of all those scenarios. The dynamic nature of the work can have routesetters juggling a lot... Continue Reading
Helen Cassidy of The Climbing Academy, a UK-based chain of climbing gyms, reached out to us to share the story of Sam, an experienced climber who recently took a fall from an unclipped auto belay. While Sam was very lucky to walk away from the accident with her life, the impacts of this... Continue Reading
Burnout as defined by The World Health Organization (WHO) is a syndrome that occurs as the result of chronic workplace stress. Burnout isn’t a temporary experience – in fact, it has become a societal epidemic that can have negative impacts on your business. With 1 in 5 employees... Continue Reading
Where websites were once the mainstay for prospective clients looking to learn more about a business, social media has now taken over–becoming the first-and-last stop for many folks interested in who you are as a business and what you do. This has created an opportunity to develop your... Continue Reading
In this article we will take a look at how we can take a positive approach to creating a culture for safety in the climbing gym environment. At the end of the article, be sure to download our one-page quick reference guide to developing a safety program. The term “Safety Culture” was... Continue Reading
As I’ve interviewed routesetters about their industry, topics that have come up over and over are diversity, variety, and professionalism. A major piece of the puzzle is a setting crew that can set for diverse climbers—and that means a diverse crew. Many gyms lack setters outside the... Continue Reading
Foundations are being laid for new gyms across the country and more folks are roping up to maneuver monocolor routes than ever before. Private capital, blockbuster movies, and the inclusion of rock climbing in the 2020 Olympics are creating a boom in the industry. At the same time, the United... Continue Reading
It’s almost that time of year again! The holidays are coming up, and as soon as January hits, there will be a renewed market of New Year’s Resolution-ers who are looking for ways to reach their fitness goals. Make sure your gym is well-positioned to seize this opportunity. The... Continue Reading
Physical activity has been linked to mental health benefits for decades. In a 1985 study published in Public Health Reports, three researchers found that physical activity not only helps alleviate moderate to severe depression but can also help with self-esteem issues, social skills, and stress... Continue Reading
Sell what people will use in your facility. That’s the #1 piece of advice Todd McCormick, Director of Retail Operations at ASCEND, offers for maintaining a successful retail shop in your gym. The Pittsburgh gym has a relatively small retail space – 600 square feet of the... Continue Reading
