The Parks and Rec climbing gym remains on track to open May 30. Barring unforeseen delays, Teton climbers will finally have a gym again… a full decade after the Enclosure climbing gym closed its doors.
The gym’s Grand Opening will be held from 5pm – 8pm May 30. Memberships will be available for purchase in advance of the gym’s opening. Parks and Rec has yet to announce an on-sale date.
Those interested in purchasing a membership will need to create an account online, which may be done here. The Parks and Recreation has released the new facility fees, which will take effect with the opening of the new expansion at the end of May 2024.
Fees include admission to the new climbing gym as well as all other elements of the Rec Center.
The Teton Climbers’ Coalition was formed in March 2020 to ensure the climbing gym met the current and future needs of our community. Thanks to our community’s support, the gym’s size was increased from 5,750 square feet to 9,700 square feet. Equally important, an independent climbing gym consultant was brought in at the start of construction to ensure the gym’s overall quality.
Here’s a timeline of our advocacy:
- March-April 2020: Completed more than 70 hours of research on climbing facilities around the country to help inform the development of the Teton County Rec Center climbing gym
- July 2020: Published climbing gym survey with >300 responses
- May 2021: Organized a petition in support of the climbing gym that resulted in more than 600 signatures
- May 2021: Successfully advocated for the expansion of the Teton County Rec Center climbing gym from 5,750 to 8,500 square feet
- May 2021: Successfully advocated for the retention of an independent climbing gym consultant for the Teton County Rec Center climbing gym
- October 2021: Organized a letter-writing campaign that resulted in more than 100 letters to elected officials in support of a larger climbing gym
- May 2022: Helped secure final approval for full scope of Rec Center climbing gym, increasing its final dimensions to 9,700 square feet.
While the TCC has expanded our mission since our start to include everything from the Climbing Area Modernization Program to the Centennial Celebration of the first female ascent of the Grand to Jackson’s very own AlpinFilm Festival, the climbing gym’s where it all began.