Experience That Counts
When opening a new climbing gym, there are often a number of questions and uncertainty that plague our customers: What climbing square footage would suit a building of a given size? What proportion of top-rope to bouldering should be included? What is the minimum ceiling height I should be looking for? How much should I charge for memberships and day passes? How much flooring is required? What is happening in the industry now? What should be included in the design to leverage the demographics in the area?
These are all valid questions when you begin the process, and we’re here to help. Because IMPACT has been intimately involved in the climbing industry for close to 20 years, we have learned a thing or two about the sport. Our expertise is always available to you and allows you to hit the ground running. With access to a wide range of knowledge and experience, our team can answer your most pressing questions and keep you informed of changes and trends in the industry.
Consulting
Our Consulting Package is designed to educate climbing gym administrators on the industry and to provide entrepreneurs with the necessary tools to secure funding for their climbing wall construction projects.
With the climbing market exploding, the creation of a modern climbing gym requires a tremendous amount of groundwork even before the first load of steel is delivered. Gone are the days when a handful of climbers would turn a truck full of 2x4s and plywood into a back alley climbing gym. Modern climbing gyms are real businesses that generate real profits. They provide specialized services like corporate team building and youth climbing programs, while dealing with real issues such as taxes and workman’s compensation audits. The best climbing facilities are run by experienced management professionals whose success depends as much on customer service and business management as it does on quality route setting and climber experience.
Business Planning
As you know, we have been designing and building climbing walls and gyms since 1991. There are a number of other climbing wall builders out there but none that have the experience that we do in building successful climbing gyms.
- Many climbing gyms built in North America
- Strong customer loyalty and customer referrals
- None of our clients have worked with another builder after using IMPACT
That’s only gyms… we have built thousands and thousands of climbing walls.
Every climbing gym we’ve built got its start with our Climbing Gym Start-up Consultation Package. This package is designed to give you all of the tools you need to get through the business planning and funding process.
Most of our clients claim that the most valuable part of the package is GymCalc – an Excel based spread-sheet financial model of a climbing gym. This powerful tool begins with your local demographic data (population, income, age) and shows you what size climbing gym you should build to meet the demands of your area. It then produces real estate requirements and start-up costs and lets you create monthly revenue and expense models. In the end it provides the Return On Investment (ROI) projections that investors want to see before committing to investing in your project.
Also included are the following supporting documents:
- Actual Financial Statements from an operating climbing gym – if you are relying on bank financing, this will be required. Potential investors also like to see what real numbers look like
- Operating Agreement- While all operating agreements are filled with generic corporate legalese, there are some specific provisions that should be considered. Having a copy of an operating agreement from an actual gym is helpful when starting the process of writing an operating agreement
- FAQ’s from other clients- Over the years we’ve assembled a document with questions that our clients have asked. We provide these along with my answers
- Industry Survey of Climbing Gyms - Back in 2002 the climbing industry did a survey of all climbing gyms. It is the only official survey of its kind that was done and we provide it here to show investors that you’ve done all of your homework
- Climbing Wall Association Operational Practices Manual - This isn’t too important until you have a gym to operate, but it’s a good thing to have on hand if an investor asks questions about how to operate a facility of this kind
Unlimited Telephone Support- Perhaps the most valuable part of this package is our support along the way. In the past 20 years we’ve been involved in more than 70 climbing gym start-ups. We’ve seen first-hand what works and what doesn’t. Our goal is to get you to the point where you can hire us to build the walls of your climbing gym. We are motivated to give you the best advice to help you reach this goal. Nobody in this small industry has the amount of experience that IMPACT does in this area. Having us in your corner will give you the support you need to make this happen.
The cost of this package is $3,500 + tax. It is priced to separate those who are serious about owning a climbing gym from the dreamers. Opening a climbing gym requires a ton of work and only the truly dedicated get it done. If you are 100% committed to opening a climbing gym, this package gives you everything you’ll need to reach your goal.
Once you have your funding and building secured and are ready to start building your climbing walls, we apply the cost of this package to your first payment on your climbing walls. Essentially, if you hire IMPACT to build your climbing gym, the start-up package is free.
Construction
The basics: All climbing walls and hardware is installed and/or supplied to meet all CE & EN standards. The constructions of the climbing walls comply with the governing Climbing Wall Association (CWA) design-build standards. The final shop drawings are stamped by a professional engineer licensed in all provinces.
Get down to business: Our construction crew is outstanding! They are awesome people who believe in what they do through working hard and efficiently to meet your deadlines. With care and consideration for our clients, the IMPACT install crew will not disappoint. When they’re finished with the job, your space is left exactly as you would hope, clean and ready for the next phase of your project. No one works like IMPACT!
Training
The basics: All climbing walls and hardware is installed and/or supplied to meet all CE & EN standards. The constructions of the climbing walls comply with the governing Climbing Wall Association (CWA) design-build standards. The final shop drawings are stamped by a professional engineer licensed in all provinces.
Get down to business: Our construction crew is outstanding! They are awesome people who believe in what they do through working hard and efficiently to meet your deadlines. With care and consideration for our clients, the IMPACT install crew will not disappoint. When they’re finished with the job, your space is left exactly as you would hope, clean and ready for the next phase of your project. No one works like IMPACT!
Maintenance
Let’s face it – there are a lot of climbing walls out there with lots of “experience” and in need of a structural integrity assessment and repairs. Because we have extensive experience building climbing walls, it stands to reason that we know what to look for in older walls that may need some TLC for aesthetic or safety reasons. This inspection service can also provide a structural engineering assessment from a professional engineer, if necessary. We can also take a look at and assess all climbing gear and equipment in order to recommend any replacements or repairs that are needed. Because IMPACT is a distributor for many of the big names in climbing gear and equipment, we can supply any needed upgrades or replacements. Contact us for further information.
