Opening Skyhook Bouldering: Lessons Learned from Our Journey
Opening Skyhook Bouldering was a dream come true, that depending on how you look at it, was either 1.5 years in the works, or has been in progress for 8 years, or was set in motion when I started working at a gym when I turned 18. My name is Cody, and I am the owner, and founder of Skyhook. For as long as I can remember, when people asked me what I wanted to do, while I couldn't answer with an exact job, I knew the answer was to help people.
This post is a look back at our gym, why we opened, how that process went, and now that we are open, what has worked well, and what we would do differently. I was inspired by another local gym owner's post on reddit, talking about how his gym wasn't a wild success on day 1, and what that has been like. I wanted to give another perspective, from someone who has worked in the fitness industry his whole life, opened and run another successful gym, and three months into our Bouldering gym being open, is loving every minute.
The Dream and the Drive
I always knew that I wanted to help people. I grew up with two amazing, loving parents who were (and still are!) psychologists. I remember quite vividly both of my parents telling me, you can do whatever you want when you grow up. Thanks to their unending love and support, I wholeheartedly believed that, even when maybe I shouldn't have. I graduated high school with my associates degree, and took a gap year due to breaking my back and not being able to pursue the athletic scholarship that I had lined up. After my recovery, I needed a purpose until school rolled back around, slightly longer than a year out. I had always loved coaching and with help from my parents personal trainer who was a part owner of a snap fitness franchise location, I started working at snap fitness, and got certified as a personal trainer.
Years went by, I went back to school and switched majors many different times, from premed, to physical therapy, to engineering, all the while working as a personal trainer. I had four clients who lost over 100+ pounds, with my biggest loser losing 147 pounds. I was making a difference and helping people, but at the same time, it felt like a drop in the bucket. I wanted to do more, and open a gym that actually wanted to help people, instead of a gym that wanted to take your money, and preferred it if you didn't actually come in and work out. I wanted to open a climbing gym, but at the time, 8 years ago, Portland's climbing scene was fairly competitive. Movement had opened a new location fairly recently, The Circuit, the gym chain I grew up climbing at, had opened its third location in town, and Portland Rock Gym was still chugging along.
So, looking for a new physical challenge I started training for American Ninja Warrior. With no Gyms in Portland, I built the obstacles myself, and using them with clients, they saw results and had fun. I had a small home woody, and some ninja obstacles, and some traditional fitness equipment. When I diversified my disciplines like that, I immediately saw more clients than I ever had before. I convinced my parents to invest, as well as a venture capitalist in California, that combined with all of my savings allowed me to think I could open a gym.
I opened Skyhook Ninja Fitness, which was 30% bouldering, 30% american Ninja Warrior, 30% Parkour, and 10% functional fitness. If you can't tell, I have ADHD, and I opened the gym I wished was around when I was a kid. I didn't think we could compete with any of the climbing gyms, but since there weren't any ninja gyms, I didn't have to worry about competition!
While I love what we made at Skyhook Ninja Fitness, and its been such an incredible thing to make a difference in so many young lives, I also always wanted to pursue my original dream, opening a climbing gym. I knew a gym that had a focus on phenomenal setting, with euro holds, and tons of volumes would do well. When we combined that with what I knew from running a Snap fitness, and made it 24/7 access, and added in what we had learned from Skyhook Ninja, which was genuine care and space for community to flourish, how could it not succeed? I wanted to pursue that dream, and after years of effort, and 8 years of saving up, paying myself just enough to get by, we made it happen, and bought a building in SE portland.
Click here to read part two of this series!
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