Wild Walls climbing gym plans to add approximately 2,000 square feet of floor space and 2,000 square feet of climbing space starting at the beginning of March. Wild Walls general manager, Todd Mires, explains, “The primary goal of expanding is to provide more climbing terrain for our members.” Year after year, the climbing gym has experienced tremendous growth, and hard-core climbers flock to Wild Walls to maintain their climbing fitness during the winter months. Local universities even offer credits for climbing classes at the indoor climbing gym. Thankfully, this new expansion won’t cost members any additional fees. “The Spokane climbing community is definitely growing,” says Mires, “but climbing is also one of the fastest growing sports in the world; therefore, I don’t believe the growth we’re experiencing is unique to Spokane.” Nevertheless, the climbing gym will be expanding into the northeastern corner of the Spokane Armory building.
This massive building originally provided space for the Washington National Guard after it was completed in 1908. Historian Carolyn Hage Nunemaker writes that it was also the venue for concerts, dances and sporting events before the Spokane Coliseum was built in 1954. Wild Walls occupies a significant portion of the building, and they’re eager to expand to meet the requests from the local climbing community. //
