This all might sound like selfish cries coming from someone who clearly feels like they were pushed out of their home
Sure does.
I’m still waiting for the investor to realize their opportunity to create gyms across cities that aren’t exactly like all the other gyms in said cities.
Or... you could do it yourself. You spent the first few paragraphs talking about how cheap it is. Personally, I don't see much business in catering to those who want to climb V10+, but maybe I'm wrong about that. (It certainly won't be my flabby V2/3 climbing butt.)
The actual article title is "How Indoor Climbing Became a Boondoggle", but that's not really better. Climbing isn't at all a "boondoggle". It's a business. It exchanges money for an experience; how much you get out of that experience is up to you.
Unlike some gyms, there seems to be little incentive to make it hard to quit or make unrealistic promises. You climb what you climb.
Interesting take. I've been climbing for 40+ years. Climbing walls (I'm a UKian) have definitely got much better, and there is definitely a huge community of gym only climbers, but I don't get the feeling that the better climbers and harder climbers are being pushed out of the walls.
My local wall (the very wonderful Frome Boulder Rooms) has problems that top out at about V8 or V9. But you know what, I haven't heard a single complaint that there are not enough hard problems. Most of the better boulderers there are working the V7s and V8s.
I'm intrigued by the claim that competition means that walls have less and less time to make a profit. To my mind, a good wall is like a good pub - it has both an offer and a culture that makes people come back. So good varied setting, and a good culture. Get those right and people will come back again and again.
Sure does.
I’m still waiting for the investor to realize their opportunity to create gyms across cities that aren’t exactly like all the other gyms in said cities.
Or... you could do it yourself. You spent the first few paragraphs talking about how cheap it is. Personally, I don't see much business in catering to those who want to climb V10+, but maybe I'm wrong about that. (It certainly won't be my flabby V2/3 climbing butt.)
The actual article title is "How Indoor Climbing Became a Boondoggle", but that's not really better. Climbing isn't at all a "boondoggle". It's a business. It exchanges money for an experience; how much you get out of that experience is up to you.
Unlike some gyms, there seems to be little incentive to make it hard to quit or make unrealistic promises. You climb what you climb.