Climbing center aims to give kids more to do in Tri-Cities
In a new climbing gym coming to Richland, there are no ropes and no harnesses. If you slip — it is going to be a free fall to the ground below.
But it’s all safe, assures Pat Howard owner of The Rock Shop. Climbers will land on a heavily padded foam floor.
The 40-year-old Richland High grad made his return to Tri-Cities this summer after 15 years living in Western Washington.
He is opening The Rock Shop, a bouldering gym that has been three years in the making in the new Ford Group building on Fowler Street near Cost Less Carpet.
“I really wanted to give kids growing up here now the same opportunities the kids on the west side have,” he told the Herald.
Howard said he chose Tri-Cities for his gym not just because he still has family living here, but because climbing gyms — let alone bouldering ones, were not available to him as a teen growing up.
While living in Bellevue, he had access to at least a half-dozen climbing centers — some tens of thousands of square feet.
Climbing differences
Bouldering is different from the general perception of climbing, he explained.
For indoor bouldering, the climbing walls are only 15 feet tall compared to 50 feet in sport climbing. Whether indoors or out in nature, there are no harnesses, ropes or belayers.
“With bouldering, you don’t have to have any climbing experience at all,” he said.
That was true for Howard when he got his start.
Howard has been a longtime golfer. His time playing competitively goes back to when playing for Richland High School in the 1990s.
He left Tri-Cities to follow a career in golf, living in the Bellevue area for 15 years where he worked as a golf pro and played professionally throughout the region.
“I was playing professional golf — the Canadian Tour in 2010. I realized I was good locally and regionally, but I wasn’t good enough to be on TV every Sunday. That was not ever going to happen, he said.
As it was, he burned out on golf and refocused some of his energy on other sports.
He joined a climbing gym with the intention of learning to sport climb.
Instead, he found another style — one that perhaps is more inviting to beginners and one that is social where he could join a group of friends for a climb.
“Most of these people are completely unfamiliar with climbing or have little experience,” he said.
That was 12 years ago. Howard is now gearing up to open The Rock Shop gym by the end of November.
What’s in store
The climbing walls will be built by a manufacturer in Canada and shipped soon.
A specialized installation team working with the manufacturer will then spend four to six weeks in Tri-Cities putting in the equipment.
When Howard opens the gym, it is a sport an entire family can join.
The gym will have 4,500 feet of wall space with multiple sections and routes with varying levels of difficulty. Each section will have color coordinated holds to make it easier to use — even for young family members.
For kids we have smaller holds and shorter distances, he said. “They are very easy and don’t go all the way to the top.”
Climbers will have access to lockers rooms, free weights — and even a lounge to hang out in and drink coffee while taking a break or watching while other friends and family climb.
And they will be regularly rotating the routes to keep it interesting.
“You literally can come in the door and sign a wavier, and be climbing in a few minutes,” he said.
Details
- Location: 1965 Fowler St., Richland in the Ford Group building.
- Cost: Day pass, $13 adults, $10 youths; memberships, $50 adults, $40 youths; punch pass $100 for 10 trips. Plus rental fee for climbing shoes if you don’t have your own.
- Hours: Open daily, exact hours not finalized.
- Contact: rockshopclimbing.com or The Rock Shop Facebook page
If you know of a retailer, restaurant, coffee shop or other business that is opening, closing, expanding, remodeling or changing its focus, send an email to reporter Allison Stormo at astormo@tricityherald.com.
This story was originally published September 29, 2020 at 5:00 AM.