climbing gyms
The indoor climbing industry is booming on a foundation bolted to Colorado’s Front Range
Colorado has 39 indoor rock gyms that are spurring innovation and growth while luring massive capital investment.
Climbing gyms used to only offer dead-end jobs. Now, they’re a foothold for a route through the industry.
As the rock gym industry has grown -- there were 507 in the U.S. last year -- and become more sophisticated, so has work keeping climbing routes fresh
Climbing gyms are hot, but longtime climbers worry gym rats aren’t learning basic real-world safety
Traditional mentorships that have passed down safety tips for generations are fading, even as the number of climbers is growing
