Rock-Climbing Gym Coming To Austin

AUSTIN, TX — Mesa Rim Climbing Centers plans to open a yoga and fitness facility in northeast Austin featuring 55-foot climbing walls, officials announced on Thursday.

San Diego-based Mesa Rim Climbing Centers has partnered with Austin-based Metis Capital in bringing the 50,000-square-foot gym space at 1230 Sheldon Cove, a site located just northeast of Interstate 35 and U.S. 183, officials said in a press advisory. Construction is expected to start in the third quarter of this year, officials said, with plans to open in mid-2021.

The gym will feature an array of rope climbing and bouldering terrain, 55-foot tall climbing walls, a yoga studio, cardio and weight training areas, sauna and spa-quality locker rooms and community space, according to Mesa Rim officials. "The facility will cater itself to the city’s existing community of climbers as well as the area’s large population of fitness-minded individuals looking for a healthy and fun activity they can enjoy with friends and family," officials wrote in their press release.

Ian McIntosh, president and CEO of Mesa Rim Climbing Centers, suggested the space would yield a community focal point beyond the hard-core enthusiasts in promoting healthy lifestyles: “Climbing is much more than a sport — it’s a lifestyle,” he said in a prepared statement. "Our climbing gyms serve as a community hub that facilitates an untold amount of positive and healthy human connection. Climbing and yoga can be transformative experiences — physically, mentally, socially, and beyond.”

Company officials singled out one Austin resident with a true vested interest in the site's construction. Austin attorney Colin Laitner, senior developer/real estate agent and co-founder of Metis Capital that's developing the facility, is also a rock-climbing enthusiast of more than 15 years, officials said.

Envisioning a world-class climbing facility as complementary to the dynamics of Austin, Laitner got to work amassing a list of 500 email addresses of owners of climbing gym owner/operators with facilities in North America while courting each one to build in the capital city.

“What I didn’t do was go to the market saying: ‘you need to come here.’ Instead, I relayed why I thought our site and team would be an ideal fit – and made it clear that this would be a very collaborative endeavor,” Laitner said in a prepared statement.

He got hundreds of responses, company officials said, before he whittled the options down to Mesa Rim given the company's best-in-class offerings. Laitner's pursuit was fortuitous as Mesa Rim had been considering Austin for quite some time while seeking the right partner.

“We have been looking at Austin for years as a perfect match for a Mesa Rim climbing facility and we are thrilled to have developed a strong partnership with a local developer to bring this vision to life in service to the Austin community,” McIntosh said.

Prospective gym members will be able to purchase a day pass to the facility as well as monthly and yearly memberships, Mesa Rim officials said. The facility will offer all the amenities of Mesa Rim’s other locations — including, climbing, yoga, and fitness classes for people of all abilities and skill levels — officials said. The facility also will host youth and collegiate teams and clubs, corporate retreats, team buildings and community events, officials added.

In addition to the climbing gym, Laitner said Metis Capital offered this tantalizing bit of news: Construction is poised to concurrently start on another, 32,000-square-foot flex building on a speculative basis. The project team assembled for the two buildings include DKC Construction Group as the general contractor and Tenet Design Partners as the architect. An engineering firm has yet to be inked, and company officials provided no details.

Related story: Crux Climbing Center To Open Gym In Round Rock

Mesa Rim's announcement comes on the heels of news related to another rock climbing gym expanding into Round Rock. Crux Climbing Center, an Austin-based fitness center focused on bringing together climbers of all skill sets, announced its plans to open a third location in Round Rock. Slated to open late 2021, the new facility will sit on 5 acres of land at 1989 Steam Way about 20 minutes north of Austin. Company officials said their facility will encompass 55,000 square feet, and feature 65-foot tall climbing walls.

About Mesa Rim

Mesa Rim has been a hub for people to explore the sport of climbing since first opening its doors in San Diego in 2010. Its founders dreamed of creating an inclusive space where people of all walks of life and abilities could venture out of their comfort zones in pursuit of a remarkable movement experience. Mesa Rim’s community has expanded to include four facilities in California and Nevada, with a fifth opening in San Marcos, California later this year.

For more information, visit https://mesarim.com/.