Climbing to new heights is easy with a dedicated community and the right space.
With over 6,000 square feet of colorful climbing routes ranging from beginner-friendly to expert, Stone Co. Climbing gym provides a fitness facility and yoga studio all in one. The Aggie owned and operated facility provides a space for people of all ages, including kids, to get a taste of what climbing is.
Stone Co. owner John Pritchard, Texas A&M Class of 2008, says in his previous role as a management consultant he was exposed to unique places across the globe, which inspired him to create the gym in College Station.
“As I was working in business, I picked up a variety of skills and once I hit all my goals in that field, I was left wondering what my next calling was,” John says. “I snapped a picture of a boulder in the mountains of California and when I came back to Dallas, where I was living at the time, I started planning my future business on a whiteboard.”
As an Aggie and health-oriented businessman, John knew he could bring this business to life in the Brazos Valley with nothing else like it around.
“You can go to the movies, but you're really not talking,” John says. “Climbing is an activity that's healthy and challenging to the mind and the body."
With an emphasis on building community, Stone Co. makes sure for every time someone falls down, there’s someone there to encourage them to get back up and keep climbing, John says.
All skill levels are encouraged to participate and new climbers are met with training and beginner level routes.
“For people that are a little more risk averse, or any time someone comes in, the first thing they do is go through an orientation to teach how to properly get up, get down and fall down,” John says. “Anybody, theoretically, should be able to do the lowest level, it is similar to climbing a ladder. We have members at the gym of all ages, with our highest being in their sixties.”
John says it can be intimidating for beginners, though with all of the safety precautions in place guests can relax and enjoy the challenge.
“A big safety component is really the thickness of the pads,” John says. “We make sure that, even if you're on a difficult route, there's always a few down climbs, which are just really good grips to climb down on.”
Alongside climbing, John says they’ve also got a yoga studio set up and host classes frequently which complements climbing well.
“A big part of climbing is how you control and move your body,” John says. “You could have the strongest person come into the gym and not be able to do some of it because they don't yet know how to turn their body or use their feet.”
By offering yoga, John says he hopes to have a little bit of everything available for families to utilize.
“We have family memberships where, if mom’s really into yoga, dad lifts weights and the two kids wall climb, it's all right there,” John says. “We have some families that basically live at the gym”
Just recently, Stone Co created a bouldering team for climbers interested in competing and have the benefits of a competitive coaching staff.
“It's really rewarding to see people coming together, you know,” John says. “We started a bouldering league recently, and people gather together to compete socially. I love seeing our climbing teams form the youth teams, the actual programs and the summer camps.”
For the future of Stone Co, John says he’s excited to see people continuing to come together and spend quality time together with something they’re passionate about.
“It's just exciting to see the excitement,” John says. “The brand and space is taking on a life of its own. Customers consider it a second home in some cases, and it's their space and their gym.”
Before going to Stone Co, John recommends bringing comfortable clothes, but participants can also rent out climbing equipment at Stone Co.
Stone Co. Climbing is open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 10 p.m. The gym is located at 777 Graham Road in College Station. For more information about the gym, visit stonecoclimbing.com or call (979) 446-9410. Climbing is an activity that's healthy and challenging to the mind and the body.
