Uplift Climbing
A Vertical World Gym
Dear friends,
From the very beginning, Uplift has had two tenets:
We serve climbers.
No matter how hard we climb, always try hard.
These have been our north star, and have kept us going through 5 years of daily check-ins, summer comps, routesetting clinics, new hire orientations, BBQ potlucks, live music, COVID reservations, vaccination card checks, and more. And throughout it all, you, the climbers, have been the best of us. Uplift exists because you have all chosen to believe in what we do.
I believe so much in small gyms like Uplift; small gyms have such a unique power to know their members, build meaningful relationships, and focus on health over growth. However, there are also times where running a small gym can feel very lonely in a world where costs keep increasing and consolidation runs rampant. Being a family-owned business starts to feel more like a liability than an asset. I’ve regularly asked myself whether or not Uplift deserves to exist, and if I still have the strength to keep pressing on.
But as with most things in life, leaning into relationships is what moves us forward.
When I first started climbing twenty years ago in Olympia, WA, the mysterious “Vertical World” was always talked about as this top-notch facility with world class climbers. When I moved to Seattle, it was the only place I wanted to be a member. Then one day at Little Si, this tall, pale, lanky dude casually shows up with his wiener dog and warms up on Chronic (5.13b). “Hi I’m Bret” — we exchanged pleasantries, and I later told all my friends how I met a USAC National Head Routesetter.
Over the years, Bret’s and my path would cross back and forth. We’d see each other at the crag and talk about football and old cars. He’d tell me about how he grew up in the gym that his father Rich opened in 1987 as America’s First Climbing Gym. The day after I signed the lease for Uplift, I brought a pizza over to Bret’s house and talked for hours. Eventually, I went to Bret and Jamila’s wedding, and we later learned that both of us were becoming dads just 2 months apart. Any time I needed advice on something at Uplift, Bret was the first person I’d call. He’d often tell me “I love Uplift, and let me know when you’re ready to combine forces”.
On April 26, Uplift Climbing will be joining the Vertical World family.
In a world where small businesses are consolidated every day, it’s a rarity to see two family run businesses standing together. We’re companies where ownership climbs in their own facilities every day; our gyms aren’t just part of a portfolio. We hire and develop staff for years and decades. Many of our closest friends are also customers. We’re both rooted in the belief that climbing gyms are more than just facilities — they’re community hubs where climbing is life.
For me personally, the whole journey that brought me here has been miraculous, heartbreaking, joyful, despairful, and hopeful, all wrapped together. It’s been a big mystery to me how we’ve made it this far at all, and the fact that we get to continue onwards fills me with gratitude.
Outside of my family, Uplift is what I’m proudest of in life. Joining the Vertical World family reminds me that from the beginning, I’ve never actually been alone.
The Uplift name isn’t going anywhere — we’ll continue as a Vertical World gym, providing a try-hard centric bouldering experience with expanded access that covers the whole region. And now Uplift members have access to VW’s existing full-service gyms with top-rope and lead walls, kids areas, youth teams, and summer camps. I’ll still be around, flipping burgers at our next summer potluck.
What a journey this has been, and what a joy it is to step into this new direction. Throughout it all, I’m so grateful that I’m still here, Uplift is still here, and that you’re here with me.
Andrew