About
A neighborhood gym, not a chain
We opened in 2016 in a lumber warehouse with sixty boulder problems and a borrowed espresso machine. We have more walls now, but still the same rule: you should know somebody’s name by your third visit.
Our story
It started with rental shoes
Hank Ostrander was a civil engineer who took up climbing at 41 when a coworker handed him a pair of rental shoes. Naomi Ito was a school teacher and a college climbing coach. In 2015, they signed a lease on an empty lumber warehouse on Pioneer Way and spent six months hanging walls, much of it themselves.
Basecamp opened in the spring of 2016. Since then we’ve added a rope wall, a yoga room, a kids’ wall and a party room, and gone from eight rope lines to twenty-six. We’ve never added a TV.
- 2016First day, on Pioneer Way
- 14,000square feet of climbing and training
- 3setters, resetting every week
- 900+kids through our youth classes
The people at the front
Three of us run the floor, the setting and the schedule. You’ll see the same faces at the desk, and they’ll know your name.
Hank Ostrander
Co-owner & general manager
Spent thirty years as a civil engineer before turning a lumber warehouse into a climbing gym. He still tests every top-rope anchor himself.
Wilderness First Responder · Climbing wall instructor certified
More about Hank Ostrander
Naomi Ito
Co-owner & head coach
Runs Learn the Ropes, the youth programs and the Youth Team. Beginners say she’s the first person who made falling feel normal.
Youth climbing coach · CPR/AED instructor · Yoga teacher (200 hr)
More about Naomi Ito
Cole Brennan
Head route setter & coach
Leads the three-person setting crew, teaches the lead clinic and coaches adults who want to climb harder.
Certified route setter · Wilderness First Aid
More about Cole Brennan
How we run the place
Four things we promise.
- 1
Nobody gets left on the wall
Every belayer is tested, every kid’s coach is background checked, and our staff watch the floor all open hours.
- 2
Fresh problems every week
We reset a section weekly, so no climb stays up longer than ten weeks.
- 3
Beginners first
Learn the Ropes, Bouldering 101 and tours are always available, and they’re the classes we never cancel.
- 4
Fair prices, no contracts
Memberships are month to month and you can freeze or cancel at the desk.
In their words
- ★★★★★
“I was terrified of heights and signed up for Learn the Ropes mostly to prove I could. Naomi caught my first fall so gently I laughed. I’ve been back every Wednesday since.”
Jordan M.Learn the RopesReview on Google - ★★★★★
“Our daughter had her seventh birthday here and eleven kids climbed for an hour. The coaches never raised their voices, and the cake cleanup was somehow already done when we came back from the parking lot.”
Priya S.Birthday partyReview on Google - ★★★★★
“The setters really do change things every week. I’ve climbed here for three years and the cave still surprises me. Best gym in the county for the price.”
Tom W.Member since 2023Review on Google - ★★★★★
“My son is 11 and shy. Youth Club got him to talk to other kids by the third week, and now he’s trying out for the team. I can’t thank the coaches enough.”
Elena R.Youth Climbing Club - ★★★★★
“Went in for a pair of shoes and a chalk bag and left with the right size, no upsell, and a short lesson on how to resole them. Fair prices too.”
Dave K.Pro shopReview on Google - ★★★★★
“Climber’s Yoga on Mondays is the reason my shoulders still work. It’s a real class and nobody cares if you can’t touch your toes.”
Marisol G.Climber’s Yoga
Come see for yourself.
Take a free 20-minute tour with a host, or come on a Wednesday evening for Learn the Ropes.