CWA Blog Archive-Member Spotlight DynoClimb

Member Spotlight DynoClimb

Pdf Summary

This member spotlight profiles DynoClimb, a gym in DeLand, Florida, centralized between Daytona Beach and Orlando, illustrating how new climbing gyms find strong markets even in regions where outdoor climbing opportunities are few and far between. DynoClimb opened in fall 2019 and was already making waves. The 10,000-square-foot facility offers primarily bouldering but also includes top rope and auto belay, plus a variety of yoga classes ranging from hot yoga to yin yoga and even stretching basics for climbing injury prevention, alongside an abundance of group fitness classes offering functional fitness guidance that translates beyond the wall to all aspects of life. In the interview, CWA writer Alexandra Wojcicki asks founder Britt Frankel about DynoClimb's history and any obstacles unique to opening a gym in the area. Frankel explains a key challenge: there weren't many options when it came to taller buildings, so finding something suited to their needs, climbing requires height, was a process (the text continues into how they solved it and built the gym). The throughline is that DynoClimb demonstrates how a well-conceived climbing gym can thrive in a non-traditional, outdoor-climbing-scarce market like central Florida by offering a comprehensive, community-serving facility, and that opening such a gym involves navigating region-specific obstacles like finding suitably tall buildings. Despite Florida's limited outdoor climbing, DynoClimb found a strong market, opening in fall 2019 and quickly making an impact with its 10,000-square-foot space combining bouldering, top rope, and auto belay with diverse yoga and functional fitness offerings that serve a wide audience and extend value beyond climbing. Frankel's account of the building-search challenge, finding a structure tall enough for climbing walls in an area without many tall-building options, illustrates the practical, location-specific hurdles of opening a gym in a new market. For operators, the spotlight both showcases a successful entry into an unexpected market and offers relatable insight into the obstacles, like securing appropriate real estate, that pioneering gyms face, demonstrating that with the right facility, diverse programming, and problem-solving through region-specific challenges, a climbing gym can flourish even where the sport isn't already established and outdoor climbing is scarce.

Asset Caption

A member spotlight on DynoClimb in DeLand, Florida, which opened in fall 2019 and thrived in an outdoor-climbing-scarce market. The 10,000-square-foot gym combines bouldering, top rope, and auto belay with diverse yoga and functional fitness. Founder Britt Frankel describes a region-specific obstacle: finding a building tall enough for climbing walls.