The owners seek to create a space where climbers of any experience can thrive.
Charlie Malone, with Gravity Lab, sets up a route as his co-worker Autumn Raasch tries out one of the established routes at Gravity Lab, a new climbing gym in the Grandview area on the north side of US 160. (Jerry McBride /Durango Herald)
Gravity Lab owners Sebastiaan Zuidweg and Laura Chase have always been avid climbers. In fact, the married couple were rock climbing partners before they were married.
It comes as no surprise that the two jump at the chance to open Durango’s newest rock climbing gym.
“We immediately saw a vacancy and a niche that needed to be filled in the community,” Zuidweg said.
Durango has not had a rock climbing gym since Rock Lounge closed in 2021 after 11 years of operation. Zuidweg was surprised that there were not more rock climbing facilities in the area due to the community’s love of outdoor recreation. He said the closest rock climbing gyms to Durango are in Grand Junction or Albuquerque.
“Smaller mountain towns like Durango tend to have climbing gyms, so for us it was kind of an obvious dunk,” Zuidweg said.
It is at 732 County Road 233 on the north side of US Highway 160 between Three Springs Boulevard and Elmore’s Corner.
Amenities will include multiple workout boards, such as a Kilter board and a spray wall, as well as yoga equipment, cardio equipment, and a rack of weights.
The gym allows for various styles of climbing, including bouldering, top rope climbing, and lead climbing.
A big part of Gravity Lab’s mission is community inclusion: Zuidweg wants Gravity Lab to be a place where everyone can enjoy exercising and climbing.
Gravity Lab co-owner Sebastiaan Zuidweg inside the new rock climbing gym in the Grandview area on the north side of US 160. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)
“Climbing is a fun way to exercise in a different way than going to the gym and walking on the StairMaster,” he said.
Zuidweg and Chase moved to Durango four years ago from Crested Butte. Chase works as a nurse anesthetist and Zuidweg is the clinical director of Open Sky Wilderness Therapy.
They felt that opening the gym was a perfect way to combine their love of the outdoors and helping people. To start the business, the couple sold off two properties they owned in Crested Butte, and the rest is history.
Zuidweg plans to build another facility next to the current one to add other climbing options. He said he would like to have a higher ceiling so that more advanced climbers can have more room to climb with lead.
Gravity Lab is scheduled to open in late November, but has already gained interest from other organizations in Durango and elsewhere looking to collaborate with the gym.
“All the middle schools and high schools have already contacted us to incorporate their physical education programming outside of here,” Zuidweg said. “The Hive and other programs have come close.”
Gravity Lab, a new rock climbing facility, is at 732 County Road 233 on the north side of US Highway 160 between Three Springs Boulevard and Elmore’s Corner. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)
He said he would also like to collaborate with the Adaptive Sports Association to create a more inclusive climbing community.
The grand opening of the gym will be on Monday. Zuidweg said he doesn’t want to limit customers to long-term memberships and offers a plethora of different short-term options.
Gravity Lab offers a $20 adult full-day pass, a $16 junior day pass, and a $16 college student day pass.
Gravity Lab employees select handholds for the walls at the new climbing gym at 732 County Road 233 on the north side of US Highway 160 between Three Springs Boulevard and Elmore’s Corner. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)
Brayden Russ, with Gravity Lab, climbs at the new rock climbing gym in the Grandview area. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)
A climbing wall upstairs at the Gravity Lab climbing gym. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)
The gym also has a 10-day pass for $180 for people who want to come more than once but won’t be using the gym enough to justify a monthly membership.
A standard monthly membership for adults is $79 per month and a monthly membership for minors is $74 per month.
“We want this to be welcoming, inclusive, accessible to people and as a hub for people to come together and have fun,” Zuidweg said.
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