The Source Climbing Center is Clark County’s only facility dedicated to indoor rock climbing. Whether you want to scale the walls for an hour, or make an afternoon of it, the company has over 6,000 square feet of climbing terrain that reaches 36 feet in height. There is also a fitness area that is equipped for members to train with cardio and weight equipment. A variety of programs are also offered, including corporate team building, community climbs and a youth climbing team that competes in U.S. climbing events locally and nationally.
The Source opened in 2011 and since then, they have been able to grow by 12 to 15% annually, until the pandemic changed everything. They were forced to close their doors for six months during 2020 in adherence to guidance and mandates from the state. Until July of 2021, the company operated under capacity limits, which required members and visitors to book their appointment ahead of time.
“This resulted in a 73% decrease in customer traffic in our facility during 2020,” said Michael Lary, co-owner and manager at The Source. “Fortunately, with the support of our members, we saw a lesser 56% decrease in our total revenues from 2019 to 2020. The good news is that we are getting back on track and projecting the fourth quarter of 2021 to meet or exceed our 2019 numbers. The climbing community has been a strong support.”
Lary said that they have also recently taken time to forge new relationships with other climbing facilities across the state as part of the Washington Indoor Climbing Coalition.
“Fortunately, our industry has taken the pandemic seriously and advocated for safe and cautious operations throughout the crisis,” he said. “Climbing is also inherently a socially distant sport that operates in large, open, tall and well-ventilated buildings. The exercise is non-cardio where participants can be physically distant and 100% masked.”
The company also recently started using liquid climber’s chalk that is a mixture of alcohol and magnesium carbonate, which can help reduce infectious particles from being transferred.
Looking ahead, Lary said that they are working hard to plan their official 10-year anniversary celebration in November, where they will be hosting a series of small pandemic-safe events.
The Source Climbing Center is located at 1118 Main St., in Vancouver.
