Want to start a rock climbing club in your area, but not sure where to get started? Follow these seven simple steps to set up your climbing club and host your first meetup!
Decide the goals & mission of your rock climbing club
The first and most important thing you should do is determine the overall goals & mission of your club. This will look different for everyone, and it really just comes down to what you’re most passionate about. I’ve seen some really amazing clubs over the years – here are just a few ideas to help you get started:
- POC Climbers Club
- LGBTQIA+ Climbers Club
- Plus Sized Climbers Club
- Women Climbers Club
- People with Disabilities Climbing Group
- Grab a Drink After the Sesh Climbers Club
Decide your rock climbing club’s schedule
This might change over time as you gain more members, but go ahead and decide on the best schedule for you to start out. Make sure it’s something you can stick with to avoid burnout while your climbing club is still in its growing stages. The whole point is to have fun and connect like-minded people, it’s not worth exhausting yourself!
Generally, most climbing clubs meet once a month. From there, just pick a day and time you know you’re usually free, and there’s your schedule!
Create a club name, logo, & social media account for your rock climbing club
First, you’ll need to figure out what social media platforms you’d prefer to use. I’d recommend Instagram.
Then, you’ll need to choose a name for your club that matches up with your handle/username. Don’t overthink it, but try to choose something that tells people right away where and what you are. If you’re in Seattle, for example @SeattleWomensClimbingClub or something simple like that will make it easier for people to find you online. See what’s available and have fun with it!
You’ll also need to create a logo for your climbing club that you can use as a profile picture. You don’t have to get fancy with this, but you can if you want! I’d recommend the free website Canva to create a professional looking logo for free. They have thousands of free designs to help you get started.
Try and make a few posts detailing why you’re starting the club, a little bit about you and any other members you may already have, club schedule, club mission, etc. That way, when people find your account, they don’t have to dig too much to figure out what it’s all about. Canva’s great for social media posts, too!
Create a FindClimbs Listing for Your Club
Create a FindClimbs listing for your club for the people that type ‘climbing club near me’ in Google and don’t look anywhere else. Your social media account will primarily help you stay in touch with your club members even when you’re not at a meetup, & your FindClimbs account will help you find more new members!
Talk to your local gym and let them know you’d like to host your climbing club there
As long as your club doesn’t have 20+ people attending at the same time, you should be fine to host it at your home climbing gym. It would be courteous to the gym to let them know, though. Plus, there’s a chance they could shout out your new club’s social media profiles and let more people know about the club, which will help it grow. 🙂
Let people know your rock climbing club exists
Most climbing gyms I’ve visited have bulletin boards with gym info and things like that. If you’re able to, put together a flyer for your climbing club and post it on your gym’s bulletin board. If you don’t have one at your gym, ask staff if you can put your flyer on a wall somewhere people would be likely to see it, like near the exit door or in the bathroom.
When making the flyer (I’d once again recommend Canva for this), be sure to include your club’s name, meeting schedule, and social media info so potential members can contact you if they have any questions.
Host your first climbing gym meetup
After all your hard work, you’re finally ready for your first meetup! Have fun, climb hard, and give yourself a pat on the back for bringing everyone together!
[…] How to Start a Rock Climbing Club: The Ultimate Guide […]