Today we’d like to introduce you to Dan Bartz.
Dan, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My co-founders (Jon Shepard, Joe Zentmyer, Dave Hudson) and I are all Chicago climbers who were living and working in Chicago, doing the best we could to pursue our passion for climbing with no proper gyms and the closest real rock to climb hundreds of miles away. We decided to team up to bring a world-class climbing gym to the city we call home. We had seen the success of climbing gyms in other major cities and knew that a climbing gym would be successful here – Chicago is full of active, adventurous people, and the hibernation effect is quite real 6 months out of the year. We raised capital through a network of avid climbers in Chicago, secured a bank loan, found a site that met our tight real estate constraints, and built our first location, First Ascent Avondale, from the ground up. Since opening in August of 2015, we’ve seen Chicago’s climbing community grow leaps and bounds, and we’ve seen long-time climbers achieve more than they ever thought possible now that they have a place to train and connect with other climbers. We’ve also opened two more locations: one in Uptown and one in Humboldt Park. We have even more slated for 2018; keep an eye out for FA Block 37 coming to the heart of the Loop in Q1 and FA Arlington Heights, our first suburban location, coming in fall 2018.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
We met many people that had tried and failed to start a climbing gym in Chicago, and we hit all of the same roadblocks they did along the way. The biggest challenge when developing a climbing gym is finding the real estate. When pursuing our first project, we searched endlessly for the right site to build a large, full service facility, and we finally found a site that would work in the South Loop. We negotiated a deal, designed the facility, and were days away from signing when we announced the project to the public, only to have the deal pulled out from under us by the seller at the last minute. We had to start all over on a new site in Avondale, the site that is now home to our first location. That pivot was a difficult moment in the startup phase. Luckily, we have a group of committed investors backing our project and a deep bench on our management team. I could see how that moment might have been the end of the line for a less committed group.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with First Ascent – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
First Ascent Climbing & Fitness builds conveniently located world-class climbing gyms in Chicago. Our facilities feature a large variety of climbing terrain, top-notch climbing, yoga, and fitness classes taught by expert instructors, and a community vibe that welcomes new and experienced climbers alike.
Climbing is an inherently social sport, and we do everything we can to build the community around climbing, from staffing our facilities with friendly, knowledgeable people that help new climbers feel welcome from day one to hosting monthly events that bring climbers of all abilities together to connect with one another and enjoy the sport they love in a new and different way. People are looking for a new way to work out, one that’s fun, invigorating, rewarding, and communal. Slogging on the treadmill and tugging on cable machines are out. Let’s climb!
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We will continue building locations in Chicago and Chicagoland and running those locations with the service people have come to expect from First Ascent. In 2018, look out for another bouldering gym in First Ascent’s fleet coming to the Loop and a full-size rope gym, our biggest location yet, coming to Arlington Heights.
Pricing:
- Day Passes: $19 adults/$15 students (i. Day Passes include an all-access pass to climbing, yoga, and fitness for the entire day.)
- Rental Gear: $6 shoes, $4 harness
- Monthly Memberships: $79/month with a $79 enrollment fee
Contact Info:
- Address: 3516 N. Spaulding Ave. Chicago, IL 60618 (Avondale Headquarters)
- Website: https://firstascentclimbing.com
- Phone: (773) 563-9815
- Email: info@firstascentclimbing.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/firstascentclimbing/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/firstascentclimbing
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/fa_climbing
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
