Indoor climbing gym to open in Tea

May 14, 2020

A new indoor climbing business is weeks away from opening in Tea.

Climberz is owned by Travis Klinghagen, who grew up in Tea, moved away and discovered when he returned that there few options for climbing in the Sioux Falls area. He discovered the sport after originally training to be an Olympic weightlifter.

“I kind of missed the outdoors, so I started getting outdoors and loving it and started climbing, and it seemed like that’s where my lifestyle was heading,” he said.

When he returned to his hometown, “the closest thing for climbing was one of the university walls or one in Sioux City or Omaha; there’s really nothing. And I decided to just go for it,” he said.

The 4,100-square-foot space is in a building at 1207 N. Carla Ave. on the north side of Tea that had been built a couple of years ago but never occupied.

While climbing gyms usually feature high ceilings, finding a vacant spot that would work and stay within budget was tricky, Klinghagen said.

“So we decided to go with a bouldering route, which is a lower height of walls,” he said. “So we have walls that go up 16 feet high, but instead of a traditional rope and harness, it’s all free climbing. We have 16 inches of foam matting under each wall. So you free climb all the routes up to 12 or 16 feet, and basically it’s just you and the wall.”

There are four zones, including one for toddlers, another for kids, “which is pretty easy climbing, for beginners,” and a section up to 16 feet “and open for anybody who feels comfortable,” Klinghagen said.

A fourth section pairs with an app and is designed for those training for climbing. The app activates an LED light on the wall that shows where the next move will be. Players can choose from 18,000 routes of varying difficulty and compete against others from around the world who are using the app.

“It’s a cool way for people to gauge how they’re improving their climbing,” Klinghagen said.

A typical climbing session lasts 90 minutes, he said. Climberz will sell day passes and memberships. The space also includes an area for parties as well as a lounge.

“There’s such a young demographic in Tea, and they’re always looking for something to do,” Klinghagen said. “So I think we’ll have a large youth presence, and I’d love to get more of a family vibe in here, so hopefully they bring their parents, and they can start and have fun with it together.”

He’s hoping to be ready to open by June 1. To start, he plans to limit the number of patrons who come in to ensure people keep enough distance for coronavirus guidelines. Other climbers have introduced him to a form of liquid chalk used when climbing that’s 90 percent alcohol and allows for sanitizing as you climb.

“So we’re using that as another line of defense, and we’ll be going around cleaning throughout the day,” he said.

“We’re just buttoning up things and putting holds on now and getting routes set. We’ve got a few things to do, putting down mats, but other than that, we’re basically ready to go.”

Another climbing gym on the east side of Sioux Falls, Frontier Climbing, is still under construction.

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Indoor climbing gym to open in Tea

 A new indoor climbing business is weeks away from opening in Tea.

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