Advice needed for Stone Walls Rock Gym in Idaho Falls

Have any ideas on how to make the place better? Post it here.

Any more details? My rock gym in Monterey was pretty shitty- inattentive staff, boring routes, old equipment. What's your beef? And what do you want - bigger? Better? Better routes? A locker room? Fewer noobs? Better store? Better hours?

The owners (non-climbers) approached me and asked for ideas on how the make the place better. How to make the place generate more revenue. Kind of a topic unique to just this one gym. I do like the locker idea.

I have climbed at a gym that was at first run by a guy who climbed on occasion, and then later by a guy who is really in to climbing. The difference is impossible to ignore. Management needs to have the love for climbing, and that passion will bleed in to the entire gym.

What's their market? That would help determine what to focus on if they're not going to try to generalize.

Increase revenue and a better climber's gym can be pretty murky from a business standpoint from my observations. Their largest margin has to be birthday parties. So anything that caters to more parties and kid play-lands would increase volume and more than likely repeat customers.

I bet *shudders* a slide to get down from a bouldering top out would bring far more cash money than *sadly* a well built crack wall.

I climb at stonewalls pretty regularly during the winter. Being open sundays would be great. But that is just me personally. More routes/ wall climbing space would help. Advertising would help. Most people I have invited there didn't even know it existed.

Cozeth

Not open on Sundays?!? Oh, that must be an Eastern Idaho thing. Probably won't get around that, but that would be one of my first suggestions. Partly the birthday party thing and partly for the climbers who can't get their after work and want a day to climb. Closed on a Monday seems like a smarter business practice.

Newspapers moving online is a way for them to embrace the changing world. Businesses in eastern Idaho being open on a Sunday seems akin to newspapers sticking with paper but if their readership wants paper, they want paper. The gym might attract more climbers on a Sunday but might sabotage themselves with the local community if they don't toe the party line.

Perhaps some classes on beginner and advanced technique? My old gym had a Women of Rock class for women ad a variety of skills classes, some for the gym, some or outdoor activities.

Perhaps any activity that brings people in the doors, to try the retail side, snacks and bars and drinks. Like movie nights, talks, seminars, free classes, etc. Try and get people in the doors, so they can establish a relationship. They come for a free movie and then mane they decide they want to try it, or have their birthday party there.

How are the hours on the days they are open? Do they fit the schedule climbers that frequent, or would to frequent, the gym?

Mike,

Sundays is definitely an Eastern Idaho thing....

The hours seem pretty good otherwise. Open in the evenings on weekdays and afternoons on saturday. The gym itself does not have a lot of space for movies, retail, events etc. Just a little birthday party room.

They do have a beginning climbers class. But more and different could be good.

Has anyone had experience with the TRUBLUE auto belay thing?
autobelay.com/

I worked at a gym in Seattle that had the TrueBlue auto belay. People will love them or hate them, but I don't know of anyone who joined specifically for them.
B-Day parties were big. The gym I worked at had a separate kids room upstairs where they could run around and climb on holds that weren't necessarily routes, but they were too young to care. This way it also separated them from people who really wanted to climb.
As big a lead wall as possible.
Classes, classes, classes. Beginning climbing, like how to tie in and belay someone on top rope. Indoor lead classes. This gets people psyched to just come in and climb. I think those were the two biggest, and there was an advanced technique class too, but the beginners and indoor lead were definitely the biggest sellers.
If you can get good setters for bouldering as well as roped climbing. I've bouldered maybe 3 times outside, but sometimes its nice to go into the gym solo and get a good workout in in an hour.
And let's face it, good looking people behind the counter always helps.

I was at a gym that installed trublue devices. At first I thought it was a stupid idea, since a human belayer is so much better, but after a while I became a fan. First on days when your partners can't make it, being able to run in and get a climbing workout done on your own was great. And second, when doing that, I found I was meeting a lot of new people; if I'm climbing the 5.10 autobelay route over and over, and another guy is doing the same, it's a really obvious thing to say "Hey let's climb together so we can do some different routes."

So while I wouldn't have joined because of autobelays, now I like them, and I'd rather go to a gym that has a few if possible.

+1 for auto belays

kevinhansen wrote:Has anyone had experience with the TRUBLUE auto belay thing? autobelay.com/