How Much Does a Climbing Gym Cost?

Have you ever thought your climbing membership is expensive? Well today I’ll break down the costs and maybe you’ll feel a tad better about the expense. In the breakdown I’ll be considering start-up costs and annual operating expenses. Let me preface this varies greatly based on location and gym size.

This is ~$700k depending on location / gym size which will cause the cost to vary.  For simple math we’ll say that our dummy climbing gym wants to keep their membership at $80 per person / per month, which is $960 per year.  If they want to make JUST their initial costs back in 10 years (~$550k per year) - they’d need – 573 members and this isn’t even making any money. This would just be to keep the lights on and the gym running.

And as we can all assume no entrepreneur or investor enters a venture simply to reclaim their initial investment; the goal is almost always to earn a profit. The goal isn’t about making vast profits but ensuring sustainability and growth. When you start adding up all these costs, that monthly membership fee starts to seem more reasonable.

So, while the price tag might initially seem steep, understanding the backdrop of expenses and challenges makes it a bit more clear that the owners are not making a fortune off you. Also, you get a ton of intangibles when you join a gym; friends, exercise - a little climbing community. That said, in the end, it's your call to determine whether this expense fits within your budget.

🔥🔥🔥 Hot Take 🔥🔥🔥

A 5.12 in a gym equates to a 5.8 outdoors.

PS: These are not my personal opinions - this is meant to spark discussion

My Thoughts

I hadn't given much thought to the expenses involved in running a climbing gym. My only point of reference is the membership fee at the single climbing gym. Initially, I remember thinking the cost was a bit expensive, but that’s as far as the thought went. After visiting som friends in Colorado one of them mentioned the start up cost of a climbing gym, which sparked the idea for this article. Really I was going to give if it a go regardless of the joining fee, but after learning about the expenses it does make me feel a little better about the initial investment.