Climbing Business Journal Podcasts

In this episode of the CBJ Podcast, we’re chatting with Jean-Marc de la Plante, who is a business leader in the Canadian climbing gym scene. He owns or co-owns several gyms in Canada under the UPLIFY development banner: three Allez Up gyms (Montreal), two Seven Bays Bouldering gyms (Halifax), two BoulderHouse gyms (Victoria), Up The Bloc (Mississauga), The Rock Oasis and Joe Rockhead’s (Toronto). A developer of facilities spread all throughout the country, de la Plante shares some insights in this interview on what he looks for when considering a new market or region for a gym, the evolution of the climbing gym industry in Canada, and what he appreciates most about climbing and gyms. Our host is Holly Yu Tung Chen with music by Devin Dabney, and sponsors Kilter and Vertical Solutions.

Today's guest is Stephanie Myr, a climber of almost a decade and a routesetter for just as long. Myr is currently the head setter at Climb Tacoma in Tacoma, Washington. She began her setting career volunteering at the local YMCA before joining the Climb Tacoma staff. In addition to routesetting, Myr also manages the gym and coaches the youth team. If you're wondering why she sounds so familiar, it's probably because you've come across an Instagram account she founded and co-manages, called Expensive Boulders. In today's wide-ranging conversation, Myr talks about social media's impact on routesetting, aesthetics versus function, her philosophy and approach, and, of course, rock climbing. Our host is Holly Yu Tung Chen with music by Devin Dabney, and sponsors Kilter and Trango.

Retail plays a key role in most gyms’ day-to-day operations, while also being a visual component of the facility, so today's conversation is all about gym retail: what sales strategies work well, what doesn’t work so well; what sells, what doesn't sell. We speak with Brad Werntz, President of the two Boulders climbing gyms in Madison, Wisconsin, both of which have retail components. As a longtime gym operator and former sales representative for various climbing brands, Werntz has seen the business value of a well-managed retail area, as well as some potential pitfalls to avoid. Our host is John Burgman with music by Devin Dabney, and sponsors Strati and Essential.

Sam Van Boxtel, a marketing specialist with experience in the climbing gym industry, shares valuable insights on using Instagram for marketing. He discusses strategies for engaging with members, the impact of non-targeted followers, the importance of user-generated content, and the differences between YouTube and Instagram. The podcast also emphasizes the importance of professionalism and offers free advice to listeners.

Jackson Scott told his parents that he wanted to open a climbing gym, and although there was a lot of hard work along the way, the end result was Crux Climbing, which is operated and co-owned by Scott and his parents. It was a family dream that became a family reality. Scott talks about that process of starting a family-owned gym in this episode. He also reflects on some of the lessons learned within the gym’s first year of operations, offering advice to anyone else who might be dreaming of opening a “mom-and-pop”-style climbing facility. Our host is John Burgman with music by Devin Dabney, and sponsors Vertical Solutions and TRUBLUE.

A couple weeks ago, Dr. Eugen Burtscher and Dr. Volker Schöffl (@volkerschoeffl) made headlines when they resigned from their volunteer positions on the IFSC’s Medical Commission. Dr. Burtscher served as the Chair of the Commission, and Dr. Schöffl was a Commission member for more than a decade. Following their resignations, a lengthy post on Dr. Schöffl’s Instagram page cited repeated “non-action” on the part of the IFSC to “detect, evaluate and help” athletes with disordered eating. “The current politics with regards to RED-S cannot be accepted,” the Instagram post stated, specifically referencing the broad condition of Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S). In this episode of the CBJ Podcast, Dr. Schöffl provides further background on his resignation, explains more about RED-S and its potential dire consequences, and offers some ideas and directions for possible solutions to the complex topic of disordered eating in climbing. Our host is John Burgman with music by Devin Dabney.

Siege Climbing is a competition series set for and by women, non-binary and gender minorities in the community. With us today is Hannah Barker (pronouns she/her), founder of Siege Climbing. Hannah is deep in the competition setting scene, and she works to mentor and uplift other underrepresented people in the industry. We also have Jiarra Chiang here (pronouns she/he/they), head routesetter and maintenance man at Vertical Ventures. Jiarra has set throughout the Southeast and is currently finishing up internships toward her L3 this USA climbing season. Last but not least, Hayley Moran (pronouns she/her). Hayley is an L3 routesetter and advocator of the professionalization of the routesetting industry. The trio finished up their first season of Siege Climbing comps last year and are now in the middle of the second one. Our host is Holly Yu Tung Chen with music by Devin Dabney, and sponsors Trango and Vertical Solutions.

Wade Desai is the Director of Climbing at ASCEND in the Pittsburgh area. As you'll hear, he certainly loves climbing, but he's also passionate about slacklining and accomplished at it too. Since starting at ASCEND in 2017, he's seen slacklining take off as a programming offering and has been helping lead the charge. Could more climbing gyms offer slacklining? And if so, what are some of the steps that a gym should take to get a slacklining program started? Those questions guide today’s conversation, and we’ll also hear more about Desai's fascinating transition from a doctor in the medical field to a director in the climbing gym industry. Our host is John Burgman with music by Devin Dabney, and sponsors Strati and EP Climbing.

Jackie Pettitt has been coaching for the past 12 years and specializes in climbing movement, technique, and mental toughness training. Over the years, she has helped athletes reach Nationals, Youth Worlds and other championship events. She also mentors head coaches, helping them become great leaders and establish well-rounded programs. In this episode, Pettitt brought her knowledge of the industry to the table, covering her career as a climbing coach, her thoughts on coaching education, tips on hiring a coaching team, and much more.  Our host is Zoe Leibovitch with music by Devin Dabney and sponsors Vertical Solutions and Butora.

Today’s episode features a conversation with attorney Jason Pill. Jason is a longtime climber, and he currently works with the Phelps Dunbar law firm in Tampa, Florida. His main areas of focus tend to be labor and employment law, but he's written articles for CBJ on a wide range of legal topics, including an entire Ask a Lawyer series. In this episode, Jason shares some insights about waivers and how protective they really are against lawsuits, some landmark cases and rulings that gym owners should know about, and legal challenges that gym owners might be facing in the years to come. Our host is John Burgman with music by Devin Dabney, and sponsors Kilter and Strati.