Story by Jasmine Baker
The Rise of Indoor Climbing Gyms In North Carolina
JASMINE BAKER: What was once a niche sport for daredevils and risk-takers is now available for all to try. Climbing in North Carolina has grown exponentially due to the rapid increase of indoor climbing gyms in the state.
Joel Graybeal, part of the ownership group of The Triangle Rock Club, credits the appeal of indoor climbing to eliminating the variables of the environment.
JOEL GRAYBEAL: Probably 70% of our members will never climb outside. They are able to get the exercise, they’re able to get the community, they’re able to climb whenever it’s raining or snowing. All their desires of this sport are being met indoors.
In the beginning, a bunch of climbers were sitting around saying wouldn’t it be cool on a pouring down rain day, if we could train and climb something.
BAKER: After learning safely at gyms, some climbers dare to venture to the mountains.
As the owner of Yadkin Valley Adventure, an outdoor adventure outfitting company, Bryce Mahoney assists climbers with adapting to the new terrains.
BRYCE MAHONEY: Rock climbing gyms have become so much more accessible and that’s helping give people the jump start into it. The next part from there is “We want to go outside, how do we do it?” Now you have this seamless. “Ok, these are the people I can trust.” The hope there is that their first experience outside is in a well-maintained, educated aspect.
It solidified the reason they are a member here. They go outside and touch that real rock. Then they come back here and you translate that as much as you possibly can into the gym.
BAKER: Climbing has been on the rise in North Carolina for the past 10 years and indoor gyms have allowed kids to start climbing as young as 4 years old. President of the University of North Carolina Climbing Club Phillip Hooper has seen the evolution firsthand.
PHILLIP HOPPER: We transferred from people discovering climbing when they first got here to kids who have been climbing since they were 8 years old. So that’s been a really big shift to go from the big focus on the outdoors and developing skills to having freshmen come in that are many levels beyond what you can offer them.
It’s exciting but it’s a change and I was a bit disturbed by it at first that they were losing some of that outdoor stuff but now that I’ve gotten accustomed to it- they’re just as stoked as we were. It’s just a different flavor, I guess.
BAKER: Indoor climbing has changed the rock climbing culture in a big and lasting way. But whether it’s a 19-day climb up Yosemite’s El Capitan or a lunch break spent at the gym, the climbing community built on trust and collaboration remains.
I’m Jasmine Baker reporting.
