BENTONVILLE -- Rock climbing is ascending the adventure sport list throughout the country, including Northwest Arkansas, according to the region's climbers.
The Bentonville Planning Commission recently approved plans for a two-story, 14,447-square-foot indoor climbing gym at the southeast corner of the intersection of Southwest 14th and Southwest I streets about 3 miles west of Interstate 49. It would be the region's fourth indoor climbing gym. The other three are Ozark Climbing Gym in Springdale, La Casa Pollo Sports Climbing in Fayetteville and the University of Arkansas Outdoor Center in Fayetteville.
The nearly completed Parks and Recreation plan says the city could use more "high adventure sports," such as zip lining and rock climbing. Having more recreational options helps Bentonville attract residents, said David Wright, Parks and Recreation director.
Making amenities available through the private sector also allows the city to use its money elsewhere, he said.
Ecological Design Group and Miller Boskus Lack Architects are working on the Bentonville gym. Bentonville P&R Fund, a company registered in Delaware, owns the undeveloped property it will be built on. The company has the same Bentonville mailing address as that of Walton Enterprises, the holding company owned by heirs of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton.
Attempts to get comments from the gym operator were unsuccessful.
Ozark Climbing Gym has grown over the past four years. The gym's revenue and attendance numbers have about doubled since Jason Groves and his wife, Bridgette, bought the gym with some friends in fall 2013, Groves said. He declined to give specific numbers. Jason and Bridgette Groves have since bought the others' shares and now have full ownership.
The gym offers memberships, punch cards and day passes. It opened in 2007. Jason Groves said the couple focused on being a place friendly to beginner climbers and to those who want to climb recreationally. The gym has a youth climbing team that competes in USA Climbing sanctioned events.
Climbing has physical benefits, encourages social interaction as climbers figure out how to complete routes and is a great personal development tool, Groves said.
"You have to make decisions on the wall," he said. "There's trial and error, action and consequence; there's learning to deal with failure."
Fayetteville resident Michael Wear "got hooked quick" with the rock climbing bug after he went climbing outdoors with a friend in January. It's mentally and physically challenging and a great competition against one's self, he said.
"It's like a physical chess match," Northwest Arkansas climber Rex Wren said. "There's not necessarily a wrong way to do it, but there are easier ways to do it."
Rock climbing fits well with the other outdoor adventure sports, such as kayaking and mountain biking, gaining traction in Northwest Arkansas, Wear said.
"The climate is perfect for a big gym right now," Wear said. Ozark Climbing Gym is about 2,000 square feet, and LCP is nearly 14,000 square feet, according to their respective owners.
Climbing will be an Olympic sport in the 2020 summer games in Tokyo. The general public's interest in climbing will likely increase as the sport gains more media attention, Wear said.
Wren said each gym attracts its own following, so a new gym in Bentonville would likely attract a new group of people rather than take climbers from other gyms. He added that he wants to see if the new gym will include a speed wall, an amenity not available in the area.
"If they have more competition-type walls, that'll bring in tournaments and things like that," he said.
Ozark Climbing Gym only offers bouldering, meaning climbers scale shorter walls -- usually less than 20 feet tall -- without a rope. University of Arkansas and La Casa Pollo Sports Climbing have bouldering walls as well as top rope climbing walls where climbers are fastened to a rope that is managed by a person on the ground.
The UA walls are only available to students, University Recreation members or guests, according to the university's website.
The proposed climbing gym in Bentonville is part of a larger plan for the 74 acres north of the municipal airport's runway. The Walton Family Foundation is spearheading a preservation project to assist with stormwater management, preserve the land's ecology, provide greenspace west of Walton Boulevard and connect the public to the airport, according to officials.
A tributary of the Illinois River runs through the property. Boardwalks and trails will wind through the land, giving the public an opportunity to experience the ecology and wildlife, including the beaver dams in that area, according to Martin Smith with Ecological Design Group, the landscape architect, civil engineer and ecological restoration company designing the project.
The dam at Lake Bentonville will be removed to increase fishing and kayaking opportunities and to allow the lake to expand when it rains, flooding the park rather than neighborhoods to the east.
The acres north of the park at Lake Bentonville will remain private property but will be open to the public, similar to Compton Gardens, the land owned by the Peel House Foundation, Wright has said.
A new flight center for the airport is under construction just south of the park. It will include a restaurant and exhibit hangar.
State Desk on 08/21/2017