Gym Climbing - What would make you feel safe"er" returning to a climbing gym?

Hello All,

I have been pondering this question. I work in the climbing industry and I see many of the gyms I sell to struggling. A LOT of climbers do not feel safe going back into gyms yet. What are gyms missing? Is there something they could do but are not doing to make you feel safe to return again? If there is nothing, what is the number one thing you are worried about that is keeping you from returning to the gym.

Another way to work it is: If you were a gym owner or a gym manager, what steps would you be taking and what would you do to make people feel safe to come back to the gym?

Thank you for your input!

There is a disease that spreads quickly in indoor spaces so I’m not going back unless that disease is eliminated or the threat is gone. I think most people don’t want to go back till that threat is gone and so far none of the solutions have been proven to be effective. 

Princess Puppy Lovr wrote: There is a disease that spreads quickly in indoor spaces so I’m not going back unless that disease is eliminated or the threat is gone. I think most people don’t want to go back till that threat is gone and so far none of the solutions have been proven to be effective. 

Yep. There is nothing you can do to make gyms safe (or safe enough for me to go back). They are inherently dirty. 

I have been climbing at my local gym probably at least once a week since they opened back up. I don’t necessarily feel unsafe. I realize the gym can only do so much and I want to support them as much as I can. So I’m taking a risk. I try my best not to touch my face while I’m there. I wash my hands when I arrive and when I leave. I have had to work most of the pandemic in close proximity to my co-workers so perhaps I’m a bit desensitized. Hopefully things will pick back up for them. I really enjoy gym climbing and would like to make sure my local gym can survive. I do enjoy the gym being a lot less crowded. It’s a double edge sword from my perspective. I’m sure owning a gym is really hard right now.

-R

Kassia Thormahlen wrote: Hello All,

I have been pondering this question. I work in the climbing industry and I see many of the gyms I sell to struggling. A LOT of climbers do not feel safe going back into gyms yet. What are gyms missing? Is there something they could do but are not doing to make you feel safe to return again? If there is nothing, what is the number one thing you are worried about that is keeping you from returning to the gym.

Another way to work it is: If you were a gym owner or a gym manager, what steps would you be taking and what would you do to make people feel safe to come back to the gym?

Thank you for your input!

Considering they are struggling, and also forced to reduce the wall space used for set climbs, seems like temporarily lowering the price of memberships would be a start. Right? 

Personally, I cant do any hard work in a mask. I can barely get my shopping done with the mask on; climbing is literally impossible with it. I'm waiting on the mask mandate to go away before Id consider going back. Kind of the opposite for most, but I cant work out in a mask.

Matthew Jaggers wrote: . I can barely get my shopping done with the mask on; 

oh come on now.

Quite a few gyms are in warehouse style buildings with garage doors. If gyms advertised that these would be open during operating hours I’d be more comfortable climbing at them. But for any gym that is completely “indoors” I’m not sure there is much that could be done to convince me to climb indoors.

I also think requiring masks when indoors is necessary. I look to the hair stylists in Missouri as an example of their efficacy. Everyone was wearing a mask and the only people to get Covid were the two hair stylists who hung out without masks on. 

Wait... you’re in sales and asking us to brainstorm a new product or procedure to, no doubt, sell back to climbing gyms? I understand the catch 22 here but are you just getting us to do your job lol? 

I'd like to be able to apply my personal occupancy threshold beneath which I'm willing to climb in the gym - without my having to go to the gym to check the current level.

I do think gyms should be able to have as many people as allowed by the governing authority.  Still, everyone is going to feel differently about what that threshold should be for themselves.  Right? I mean that we are all already making personalized decisions about what is acceptable risk with COVID.

So enable individual users to determine their own threshold assuming the gym is still admitting.

How? I am imagining a web page that dynamically updates with the number of people actually at the gym.  Then anyone can check on the current occupancy level just before making the, say, half hour trip to the gym.  If it's below one's personal threshold, it's a go.  When there, and if it seems the threshold was a poor choice, one can mentally adjust it.

Note:  If a gym already checks in individuals (e.g., card swipe), they might need to also work in some software / hardware to deal with also checking out.  And maybe every so often (hourly?), staff makes a manual count and adjusts the web-based one accordingly for the occasional missed check in or check out.

I feel it needs to be that dynamic.  We're all adjusting to life with COVID-19.  We're going to continue to adjust when we learn more, or when some non-100% vaccine arrives that not everyone is going to take, or when we decide we'd rather risk a somewhat greater chance of dying rather than wait for the gym to have only 10 people in it, or etc..

Getting rid of the climbers would be a start.

Bill Lawry wrote:  
How? I am imagining a web page that dynamically updates with the number of people actually at the gym.  Then anyone can check on the current occupancy level just before making the, say, half hour trip to the gym.  If it's below one's personal threshold, it's a go. 

Two gyms in the area have something similar - 

- One requires to preregister for 2:45H sessions at two fixed times, 3pm, and 6pm. 15min in between are used to limit intersection of climbers in the both groups. Face masks are required, hand washing is encouraged - washing stations right on the floor. Hand sanitizer is provided. Powdered chalk is allowed. Failure to show up for the session without cancelling carries 7.5USD fee.
- Other displays member of guests on their website. Requires face masks, hand washing before climbing. Requires liquid chalk, powdered chalk is  not allowed. Bouldering area has limited number of climbers allowed, there is tracking system in place.

Luke Roberts wrote: Wait... you’re in sales and asking us to brainstorm a new product or procedure to, no doubt, sell back to climbing gyms? I understand the catch 22 here but are you just getting us to do your job lol? 

Hey Luke, no. Not at all what I am asking you to do :-) Since right now is not the time to be selling I have dedicated my time to helping gyms brainstorm. I like to talk to people and as I hear of problems come up in gyms I can give them direct feedback. It is more of just being able to converse with them on a level of speaking to what their members want. In the long run it is you they want to hear from and in some gyms a barrier to this. Nothing I get from this is something I sell so there is nothing I can sell back to the gyms based on this thread. I just see so many gyms hurting and in the dark and I like to be able to provide perspective. 

I am also a part of the CWA and we get together once a week to all brainstorm for gyms about how to serve members and having insight is BIG on those call as well. I hope that makes sense.

Bill Lawry wrote: I'd like to be able to apply my personal occupancy threshold beneath which I'm willing to climb in the gym - without my having to go to the gym to check the current level.

I do think gyms should be able to have as many people as allowed by the governing authority.  Still, everyone is going to feel differently about what that threshold should be for themselves.  Right? I mean that we are all already making personalized decisions about what is acceptable risk with COVID.

So enable individual users to determine their own threshold assuming the gym is still admitting.

How? I am imagining a web page that dynamically updates with the number of people actually at the gym.  Then anyone can check on the current occupancy level just before making the, say, half hour trip to the gym.  If it's below one's personal threshold, it's a go.  When there, and if it seems the threshold was a poor choice, one can mentally adjust it.

Note:  If a gym already checks in individuals (e.g., card swipe), they might need to also work in some software / hardware to deal with also checking out.  And maybe every so often (hourly?), staff makes a manual count and adjusts the web-based one accordingly for the occasional missed check in or check out.

I feel it needs to be that dynamic.  We're all adjusting to life with COVID-19.  We're going to continue to adjust when we learn more, or when some non-100% vaccine arrives that not everyone is going to take, or when we decide we'd rather risk a somewhat greater chance of dying rather than wait for the gym to have only 10 people in it, or etc..

Do you mean things like this but for all gyms?

https://asanaclimbinggym.com/  - They have a live people counter. Is this what you are referring to?

Limiting occupancy, mandating social distancing and mask wearing and running sustained solid ventilation. The Boulder Rock Club, where I work with a training group, has been doing a good job on all these fronts.

Peter Beal wrote: Limiting occupancy, mandating social distancing and mask wearing and running sustained solid ventilation. The Boulder Rock Club, where I work with a training group, has been doing a good job on all these fronts.

Same down in Golden. I climbed at my local gym over lunch and felt fine. there were 10 people total in the entire gym...

Surely people will feel safer in gyms once they've been to gyms a few times. And it's the bad weather that will drive people back to trying gyms, right?  I feel like this is a problem with a time limit.

I have not been back to a gym, but I'd say sanitizer at the base of every climb would make me feel better. Indoor holds are grosser and more infective than just about anything this side of a sewer pipe, and that was before COVID.

JonasMR wrote: Surely people will feel safer in gyms once they've been to gyms a few times. And it's the bad weather that will drive people back to trying gyms, right?  I feel like this is a problem with a time limit.

I have not been back to a gym, but I'd say sanitizer at the base of every climb would make me feel better. Indoor holds are grosser and more infective than just about anything this side of a sewer pipe, and that was before COVID.

Nope.  I was open to the idea but one trip set off my sketchdar and I haven’t been back.  Their climate control was really poor so It was a combination of poorly circulated AND ridiculously hot + humid.  Made climbing with a mask intolerable and I sweated through my mask, which basically makes them useless.

Ok I’m aware that this a very strange idea but most people have already said most of the important things. I think with the boom in home walls if climbing gyms could get holds in bulk for cheap (or use they have but don’t use much) They could sell them for a marked up price. It’s not long term but for quick cash it could work at least a little.

My gym claims that they are doing all or at least most of the suggestions in this thread, however when I went a month or so ago, most things weren't being enforced. There was a gaggle of unmasked folks under one lead tower, and another gaggle by the bouldering wall. I saw employees remove their masks to cough (no, really. How dumb do you have to be to do that?), and noone wears their masks while climbing. I'm going to just climb outside for the next year or two until we get covid under control, or I get it some other way. I do realize that I'm a bit privileged since I can basically climb outside year-round within a 20 minute drive from my house, so folks in the midwest may have a different outlook than I.

The Movement gyms put out info on what they're doing, quoted below, which I think is all good. They also have a live occupancy counter on their website, masks are required at all times, and they've closed off the water fountains and locker room shower and changing areas (toilets still accessible of course).

From Movement:
- Active monitoring of state and county data, and responding with increased measures as necessary⁠
- Reservation system to ensure plenty of room to social distance, max capacities are as follows:⁠
-- Boulder: 50 people⁠
-- Baker: 100 people⁠
-- RiNo: 100 people⁠
- Masks required at all times in our gyms
- Hand sanitizer stations throughout the facility⁠
- Staff sanitizing and disinfecting touched surfaces⁠ between reservation blocks
- Staff screened for temperatures and Covid-19 symptoms before every shift⁠
- Social distancing guidelines enforced. Climbers must have at least one top rope or anchor between each climbing party at all times. Those bouldering must have 6 ft between climbers and only one person climbing at a time per taped zone
- Exercise equipment spaced apart⁠
- Members and guests required to sanitize hands before and after climbing⁠ and before and after belaying

When asked about their HVAC on Facebook they said "The gyms have robust HVAC systems because of the chalk factor. All of our HVAC systems are running at higher efficiencies now than they have in the past because we're filtering through way less chalky particles since we're only allowing liquid chalk and chalk balls. All 3 Movement gyms have cattle fans and fans in all cardio and fitness rooms, which are running while we're open. These fans, in addition to the 2-3 new industrial fans, are placed at each location to help pull in more outside air and pull in air from areas with more concentrated filtered air in smaller less-used rooms. Some have certain doors propped open to bring in even more outside air."  

I don't know if that's enough for me - and I'm particularly concerned about fans blowing someone's Covid breath onto the next person over - but I'm glad they're at least thinking about ventilation.

I would additionally love it if they would take out all cardio equipment for the duration. That level of sustained heavy breathing is bound to increase the amount of lung miasma that makes it through or around masks and into general circulation.

Dylan Pike wrote: My gym claims that they are doing all or at least most of the suggestions in this thread, however when I went a month or so ago, most things weren't being enforced. There was a gaggle of unmasked folks under one lead tower, and another gaggle by the bouldering wall. I saw employees remove their masks to cough (no, really. How dumb do you have to be to do that?), and noone wears their masks while climbing. I'm going to just climb outside for the next year or two until we get covid under control, or I get it some other way. I do realize that I'm a bit privileged since I can basically climb outside year-round within a 20 minute drive from my house, so folks in the midwest may have a different outlook than I.

Ooofffff. Yeah, taking your mask off to cough is no bueno! Was this at Movement there in Sandy?