Growth is up as new climbing gyms open in cities across the U.S. But costs are rising and workers are organizing at a pace the industry can’t ignore
By the numbers, 2025 was a year of genuine growth for indoor climbing gyms. The climb, though, got steeper.
Climbing Business Journal’s annual Gyms and Trends Report, drawn from a survey of 240 climbing facilities, shows that 53 new gyms opened in North America last year, adding 356,314 square feet of new climbing surface to the market. The net result: 41 new locations and a 4.7% net growth rate.
At the same time, 73% of operators surveyed reported challenging economic conditions in 2025, a year the report describes as marked by increased expenses and shifting customer traffic.
The outlook is cautiously optimistic, with 61% of operators saying they expect revenue to improve in 2026. CBJ’s report also includes the sector’s first-ever Optimism Index to track sentiment going forward.
Sender One Climbing sees the demand. The California-based climbing gym brand recently signed a lease for a seventh location at Janss Marketplace in Thousand Oaks. Set to open in 2027, the 24,000-square-foot gym will offer bouldering, rope climbing and yoga. The location choice was driven by demand, as Sender One reports its climbers have been making the trek over Sepulveda Pass to its LAX location.
“That signaled to us that the Conejo Valley had a need for a modern, indoor climbing facility, if people were willing to brave one to two hours in LA traffic to climb with us,” a spokesperson told Athletech News.
Vital Climbing, which operates gyms in New York, California and Washington, is also expanding, drawing climbers who skew young and active, looking for sport and social connection.
“We do have expansion plans in the works that we are quite excited about,” co-owner Dave Sacher told ATN. One announced project is a rope gym in Bellingham, WA.
“This should be an incredible gym, with rooftop climbing and gorgeous views over the bay,” Sacher said. “And it’s something the town of Bellingham really needs.”
There’s a parallel story unfolding, too.
As operators felt the squeeze in 2025, a labor movement was (and still is) accelerating across climbing gyms. From 2021 through May 2025, 15 gyms organized, and another 12 joined in the seven months after, according to Workers United, a progressive labor union. Notably, the most visible campaigns have centered on Movement Gyms and Touchstone, two of the largest chains in the country.
Vital’s New York locations are unionized, with its Manhattan gym becoming the first climbing gym in the country to finalize a contract with workers in 2024.
“It’s an industry that for too long gym owners have counted on workers’ enthusiasm for the sport to justify paying workers low wages,” Ben Bennett, Workers United’s deputy director of organizing, told ATN earlier this month. Workers United estimates roughly 10% of climbing gym workers nationwide are now represented.
