Flagstaff Climbing: more than recreation

JENNA HAMM

Flagstaff is a hub for the climbing scene in Arizona due to its close proximity to a number of crags, such as those on Mt. Elden, The San Francisco Peaks and The Pit. Established in 1995 as Vertical Relief Climbing Center, what is now known as Flagstaff Climbing is the oldest indoor climbing gym in Flagstaff.

Flagstaff Climbing offers top-rope climbing, lead routes, bouldering, a gear shop, classes and more at its Downtown Crag location. The business also includes Main Street Boulders, a separate bouldering gym and the only 24/7 climbing gym in Flagstaff. Northern Arizona Yoga Center, located downtown, is accessible to members of Flagstaff Climbing. Members have access to all three locations.

Although the gym was created as a space for people to come together and climb, the mission of Flagstaff Climbing extends beyond recreation. The staff strive to create and maintain a strong sense of community within the gym.

Jason Henrie is the owner of Flagstaff Climbing. He has climbed and worked at the gym since its early years and has been the owner for the past 4 years. Since it was built so long ago, it has become a meeting place in the community, he said.

“You can walk in this gym and see climbers that have been climbing in Flagstaff for 40 years," Henrie said. "You can meet all your friends and some of them have never climbed before. So, you have this huge range of people and they’re all in the same room climbing around each other.”

Henrie said Flagstaff Climbing prides itself on fostering a space for a diverse community of climbers to come together and learn from one another. They also prioritize making contributions to the community as a whole.

Flagstaff Climbing has committed itself to donate 5 percent of its net profits to various charities and organizations, such as the Flagstaff Family Food Center, Northern Arizona Climbers Coalition and Victim Witness Services of Northern Arizona. In addition to donating to these organizations, they also offer employees pay for volunteering their time.

Any member can volunteer to help out at a Northern

Arizona Climbers Coalition Trail Day, and they will receive a 50 percent discount on their next monthly fee. These days are dedicated to ensuring the safety and accessibility of crags by reporting and replacing bolts.

From April 13 to 16, Flagstaff Climbing will host the Flagstaff Mountain Film Festival for its members. Staff will put up a screen on the wall and show a number of climbing short films.

Henrie said the gym is always trying to do something to bring the community together through fun events, whether that be barbeques, karaoke night, film nights or women’s climbing night. To stay aware of the dates and times of these events, information can be found on Flagstaff Climbing’s Facebook or Instagram page.

One of the main impacts that Flagstaff Climbing strives to have on the community is being a place to support mental health, Henrie said

“[Climbing] can be a super powerful tool for better mental and physical health,” Henrie said. “And at the same time, the gym is such a great place for social and community support.”

Sarah Holditch is a former manager of Flagstaff Climbing who started out in the NAU Climbing Club and worked at Flagstaff Climbing for nearly 6 years, working her way up to a manager position. She is a board member of the Northern Arizona Climbers Coalition (NAZCC), which helps with trail building and bolt replacements and is one of the nonprofits that Flagstaff Climbing donates to.

She said her job felt less like management and more like an opportunity to maintain a welcoming environment and that the staff commits to hiring people that hold values of inclusion and community.

“And just from the staff that we hire there, we make sure that they align with those values of welcoming anyone who’s never climbed before and showing them what it’s all about and just creating a welcoming and safe place for them to come climb,” Holditch said.

Climbing is a unique activity because it centers around building community, she said.

“Climbing, in its nature, fosters really close relationships with people because there are not that many activities that you do, maybe besides driving your car, with someone that you literally put your life in their hands,” Holditch said. “And so you really, whether you realize it or not, are creating a really strong bond with your climbing partners and I think that’s another reason why the climbing community in general, has a really strong community around it because people are open to building that trust with each other and open to being vulnerable around each other.”

Holditch said the staff at Flagstaff Climbing values outdoor climbing experience. They want to create a space that encourages getting out of the gym and utilizing the skills learned inside the gym on actual crags outdoors.

Josh O’Connor is a former student who graduated in May 2022 and was hired at Flagstaff Climbing after graduation. During his time at NAU, he was president of the Climbing Club.

“It’s just a gym for the community and fostering that community and being a pillar in it,” O’Connor said. “It’s not there to be a money-making business, which I think is pretty cool. It’s just a place for people to be happy and recreate.”

Flagstaff Climbing collaborates with NAU to offer a number of climbing classes that can be taken by students to earn course credit. There are currently three beginner and three intermediate sections being offered.

“If you’ve never [climbed] before and want to try it out, that’s a good way to do it,” O’Connor said. “They’re also a lot of fun. I took them when I was going to college and teach them now.”

Abby Schuh is a junior at NAU and currently has a membership with Flagstaff Climbing. She has been a member of the gym for the past two years.

“The community at Flagstaff Climbing has easily become one of my favorite parts about living here,” Schuh said. “I’ve met so many cool people, and it’s so fun to see people around and hear about their most recent climbing adventures.”

The welcoming atmosphere in the gym is what initially attracted her to it and has kept her a loyal member since then, Schuh said.

Left: Flagstaff Climbing employees Connor Yartz, Cody Nelson and Carson Schrage work to remove all the holds off one of the climbing walls at the Flagstaff Climbing Gym, Feb. 7. Each of the climbing wall holds is changed every two months.

Right: Flagstaff Climbing Gym employee Cody Nelson ties a knot in the rope after accending above it at the Flagstaff Climbing Gym, Feb. 7. Tying knots in the system creates safety measures in case equipment fails.

Bottom: Flagstaff Climbing Gym employee Cody Nelson ties a figure-eight on a bight onto an anchor point on a climbing feature before removing bolts and screws holding it in place at the Flagstaff Climbing Gym, Feb. 7. Figureeight on a bight is an essential knot used in rock climbing.

John Chaides | The Lumberjack