Resources-Free Climbing at Your Gym?

Video Transcription

Video Summary

Khaled, community and facility manager at Cragix in Victoria, describes how climbing helped him settle in Canada and inspired efforts to make the sport more accessible. Newcomers and others may face barriers including cost, equipment, language, belonging, racism, disability, and finding a welcoming community.<br /><br />Cragix’s nonprofit partnership program offers a pathway into climbing: train an organization’s staff to belay, host introductory visits, then help the organization secure grants for lessons, equipment, and punch passes. If someone becomes a frequent climber, the gym can provide a full membership. Over three years, about 100 people have participated; five now hold full memberships, and roughly 25 use shared punch passes. Some participants have built lasting friendships, found jobs, and brought family and friends to the gym.<br /><br />A separate sliding-scale membership is open to individuals, with applicants choosing what they can afford without financial checks. The gym reports that most choose near-full price, and fewer than 5% of members use the option.<br /><br />Khaled emphasizes that programs should fit each gym’s capacity, that staff can handle much of the organizing, and that building trusted partnerships—and having an enthusiastic internal champion—helps make the effort work.

Asset Caption

In this session, Khaled & Kenneth from Crag X will explain the Idea behind three programs and how they operate together to help reduce financial barriers, support local organizations, and create pathways into climbing for people who may never have considered the sport accessible to them.
They will discuss the challenges of implementing these programs and the impact they have had on both the business and the climbing community. Attendees will leave with practical ideas and tools that can be adapted by climbing gyms of all sizes looking to build a more inclusive and sustainable community.

Keywords

climbing

accessibility

community

nonprofit partnership

sliding-scale membership

Victoria

barriers to entry

inclusive recreation