NEW! Facility Updates
Building a community where all climbers feel welcome + engaged.
With a front entry renovation in Seattle and an expansion project expected in Bellevue (stay tuned for details!), we expect that everyone will have a lot of questions. Below are a few of those answers.
HONORING STONE GARDENS’ HISTORY:
Undeniably, Stone Gardens is “The Climbers Gym” with 25 years experience “providing the best climbing at every experience level—from beginners to seasoned climbers—and a knowledgeable, friendly staff ready to help.” It is this long standing passion and drive that will stay with us as we carry through into the future.
GROWTH
Also undeniable is the amount of growth that has happened in the sport of climbing since 1995, when the Seattle gym first opened. With all of this growth, comes change and with change comes opportunity. The biggest of which is the opportunity to expand the meaning of the word “climber” to be more inclusive and welcoming, and to repackage what it means to be “The Climbers Gym”.
WHO IS A “CLIMBER”?
The days of the dirtbag climber might not be fully behind us (some of us can still dream! #vanlife), but today’s answer to the question of “who is a climber” is open to so much more potential and possibility. It is this exciting growth in diversity that has been a driving factor for our entire industry to be better, more inclusive and more modern.
At Edgeworks, this is a challenge we have always embraced with excitement; believing that everyone should feel at home inside our gyms.
We’re working to build a space where:
- Seasoned climbers know they’ll still find the best, most challenging and fun boulder problems and routes.
- Weekend warriors can run laps on the wall to maintain their endurance and train in the off season when they can’t get outside.
- New climbers feel welcome and unintimidated, as they walk through our door.
- Kids can be introduced to a sport that builds confidence, communication skills, responsibility, teamwork and a healthy dose of calculated risk.
- Community happens, built upon a shared interest in climbing, fitness, and fun (and sometimes beer!).
All in all, we aim to create a space that feels active, vibrant and welcoming. Where people choose to hang out even if they aren’t climbing because they know that this is where they will find their people and it’s where they belong.
WHY RETAIL?
We can’t think of a better way to answer that question than with a question:
What’s the 2nd most popular thing climbers love to talk about most? GEAR. And that’s true for us too!
In recent years, we’ve seen many of our beloved, locally owned gear shops close their doors. From Marmot Mountain Works in Bellevue and other similar shops in Seattle + Tacoma. These stores offered services that aren’t always easy to find with big retailers; leaving a gap that we can help fill.
Our staff are experts in climbing gear and combining this knowledge with thoughtfully curated retail options for our members allows us to:
- Offer a complete user experience for all climbers; new and experienced.
- Get you closer to the vendor with shoe demos, special orders, product questions, etc.
- Connect with our members and build community.
WHAT ABOUT THE CLIMBING?
As an indoor climbing gym, our walls and our route setting program are our #1 products. In order to provide the best experience for our members and customers, it’s crucial that we keep diversity in mind as we work to update our facilities, build new walls, and develop our setting teams.
We are committed to providing the time and resources to ensure that we’re meeting, if not exceeding, your expectations (and ours) with the following:
- Route quality and density
- Variety of setters and routes; including complex, challenging and thoughtful moves
- Available, varied and accessible terrain
If at any point if feels like we’ve taken something away, trust us that we have a plan to provide something better in its place.
EDGEWORKS CLIMBING + GUIDING
When our new outdoor signs are installed in Bellevue and Seattle, you’ll notice this new tagline on the outside of our buildings. As part of our rebrand in 2020, Edgeworks Climbing + Fitness and Edgeworks Climbing + Guiding were both adopted as 2 interchangeable taglines; the first to highlight that which our facilities offer and the second to highlight our outdoor programs.
The decision to use “Climbing + Guiding” in both Bellevue and Seattle stem from multiple considerations:
- The Seattle facility has a strong history and focus on climbing with little space dedicated to fitness.
- As part of the agreement with Crossroads Shopping center in Bellevue, we’ve opted not to include “fitness” on the outside of the building but do have plans to grow our fitness offerings inside!
- Guiding is a huge part of who we are, what we do and why we do it. This is our chance to highlight our commitment to this program and share our favorite wild spaces with more of our community.
We can’t wait to share these new spaces with our community!
