Vertical Climbing & Fitness is coming to 6063 Glen Afton Blvd, Concord, at the Afton Ridge Shopping Center, bringing a community-focused climbing and fitness concept to the area. CEO Dustin Griffin told WhatNow Charlotte the project is being designed as more than a place to climb, with an opening targeted within the company’s roadmap, although an exact date has not yet been announced.
“We really are trying to make people understand that we want to be more than just a climbing gym,” Griffin told WhatNow Charlotte. “We want to be a space where people feel welcome and feel like they’re a part of a community.”
Rock climbing will be the primary offering, with the facility also planned to include fitness, group fitness, saunas, physical therapy, massage, coworking and a cafe. Griffin said the climbing area will offer new challenges regularly, with routes reset each week.
“What a lot of people don’t know with climbing gyms is that those routes on the walls are reset every week, and there are multiple new challenges every single week,” Griffin said. “It’s never the same. There’s a new challenge every week.”
The cafe will be operated by a successful local business that Griffin said will be announced later. It is expected to serve coffee, breakfast items, protein-focused and healthier options, along with baked goods, pastries and desserts.
The coworking component will provide another reason to spend time at Vertical, whether visitors are working, exercising or simply relaxing.
“You can work, you can play, you can eat, you can hang out,” Griffin said. “You can truly do all the things you could do in life under one roof and have a life. That’s what this was meant to be.”
Griffin described Vertical as a “true third space” designed for everyone, including people who may not be interested in climbing.
Accessibility is another key part of the concept. Griffin said Vertical is being designed with adaptive climbers and people with different sensory needs in mind, with tools including headphones, fidgets, laser pointers and communication equipment planned to support climbing sessions.
The company’s guiding philosophy is simple: “Climbing is for everyone.” Griffin said that principle has influenced the facility’s layout and amenities.
“It might look like luxury, but it’s not meant to be luxury,” Griffin said. “It’s actually meant to be welcoming and cozy and make you want to stay for hours, not get in and get out.”
Membership is expected to be around $89 per month, with additional-member pricing, family specials and day passes planned.
If the Concord location proves successful, Griffin said the company would like to take the model into additional markets.
