Whetstone Climbing, Llc
Whetstone Climbing, LLC operates Northern Colorado's largest indoor climbing gym in Fort Collins, Colorado, offering bouldering, rope and lead climbing, yoga, fitness, youth programs, competitions, and an on-site cafe to individual climbers, families, and competitive climbers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersFort Collins, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Whetstone Climbing, Llc does
Whetstone Climbing, LLC operates a single indoor climbing facility in Fort Collins, Colorado, founded circa 2019. At over 23,000 square feet of climbing and bouldering terrain, it is described as Northern Colorado's largest climbing gym. The facility supports bouldering, top-rope, lead climbing, a yoga studio, a fitness room with cardio and strength equipment, an on-site cafe (The Bivy) serving local food and craft brews, and a retail gear shop.
The business generates revenue across seven distinct streams: recurring gym memberships (monthly auto-pay and annual pre-paid), day passes and multi-visit punch passes, climbing and yoga/fitness instruction (classes and personal coaching), youth programming (camps, Prep School, Jr. Prep School, Stone Monkeys, after-school), entry-fee competitions and leagues (Battleship Bounty, Summer Bouldering League, Winter Rope League), private events and birthday parties, and on-site retail and cafe sales. Member-facing operations are powered by Redpoint HQ (membership portal, waivers, class registration), with KAYA App integrated for league scoring. Payment processing runs through Stripe and OpenEdge.
Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer at a single physical location, with sales conducted in-person, by phone, and via the company's website. Customer segments span individual climbers, youth and families, group/party bookings, and competitive climbers, with notable inclusion-focused programming (Ladies Climb, Pride Climb, Cruxing In Color). The company is privately held under founder Darrell Gschwendtner, with no institutional investors, funding rounds, or expansion sites disclosed in the available data.
Whetstone Climbing, Llc firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Whetstone Climbing, Llc
- Legal name
- Whetstone Climbing, LLC
- Website
- https://whetstoneclimbing.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Whetstone Climbing, LLC operates Northern Colorado's largest indoor climbing gym in Fort Collins, Colorado, offering bouldering, rope and lead climbing, yoga, fitness, youth programs, competitions, and an on-site cafe to individual climbers, families, and competitive climbers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Whetstone Climbing, Llc industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Indoor Climbing Gym
- NAICS
- Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (713940)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Climbing & Mountaineering Gyms/Guides (Indoor, Outdoor, Via Ferrata) (THAAAKAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Rock Climbing, Via Ferrata & Mountaineering (THAJABAE), Climbing & Mountaineering Gear Retail (CRAMAAAB), Climbing & Via Ferrata Guiding / Instruction (THAAALAH)
Keywords
Where Whetstone Climbing, Llc is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Fort Collins
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Whetstone Climbing, Llc business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Gym Memberships: Monthly auto-pay and annual pre-paid memberships providing unlimited gym access, plus Summer Pass seasonal membership at $57/month for four months
- Day Passes and Punch Passes: Single-day passes and multi-visit punch passes for casual visitors
- Classes and Instruction: Revenue from climbing classes (Intro to Movement, Learn to Lead), yoga, fitness classes, personal training/coaching, and adult training team programs
- Youth Programs: Revenue from youth camps, youth programs (Prep School, Jr. Prep School, Stone Monkeys), and after-school programs
- Competitions and Leagues: Entry fees for Battleship Bounty competition and Summer/Winter leagues
- Events and Parties: Birthday party packages, group events, guided groups, and community events
- Gear Shop and Cafe (The Bivy): On-site gear shop sales and cafe with local food and craft brews
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Monthly Auto-Pay Membership |
| Subscription | Annual | Annual Pre-paid Membership |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | One-Month Pre-paid Membership |
| Subscription | Monthly | Summer Pass |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Day Pass |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Learn to Lead Climb |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Intro to Movement |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Summer Camp Full Week Full Day |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Summer Camp Full Week Half Day |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Summer Camp Single Day Full Day |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Summer Camp Single Day Half Day |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Summer Camp Late Pick-Up |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Birthday Party Package |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Parent's Night Out |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Prep School (Ages 8-14) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Jr. Prep School (Ages 4-7) |
| Subscription | Monthly | Stone Monkeys (Ages 4-7) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Summer Bouldering League |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Winter Rope League |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Battleship Bounty Competition |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Whetstone Climbing, Llc product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Whetstone Climbing operates Northern Colorado's largest indoor climbing gym in Fort Collins, Colorado, with over 23,000 square feet of climbing, bouldering, yoga, and fitness space. The business sells memberships, day passes, group classes, youth programs, personal coaching, and hosts climbing competitions. An on-site cafe (The Bivy) and a retail gear shop round out the offering.
Product overview
Whetstone Climbing operates as a community-focused indoor climbing gym offering a comprehensive suite of products and services centered around its 23,000+ sq ft climbing facility. The core offering includes rope climbing, bouldering, yoga classes, and fitness facilities. The company extends its portfolio through structured instruction programs (Intro to Climbing, Learn to Lead Climb, Intro to Movement, Adult Training Team), youth development (Stone Monkeys, Prep School, Jr. Prep School, Summer Camps, After-School Programs), and personal coaching services. Events and competitions form a significant segment including the annual Battleship Bounty, Summer Bouldering League, Winter Rope League, and Throne of the Stone. Ancillary offerings include The Bivy cafe/bar, Gear Shop retail, various membership tiers (Monthly Auto-Pay, Annual Pre-Paid, Summer Pass, CLIMB Pass), and community events (Trivia Night, Partner Finder, Ladies Climb, Pride Climb, Cruxing In Color). The gym leverages Redpoint HQ for its membership portal and KAYA App for league scoring.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Climbing and Bouldering Facility Access
Companies that use Whetstone Climbing, Llc
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Whetstone Climbing, Llc technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Feature1 record
Whetstone Climbing, Llc partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- The Matthews HousecoreWhetstone is part of The Matthews House Business Membership Community. Received the '2022 Growing Stronger Together Award: Partner of the Year' from The Matthews House. Partnership involves ongoing community support and collaboration.
- Topo DesignsminorLocal partner offering 20% off any in-store purchase at their Old Town Fort Collins location for Summer Pass members. Part of rotating monthly local partner discounts for members.
- Old Town YogaminorPartner offering Summer Pass members one free yoga class and one free sauna session each month, plus additional class discounts.
- StripeminorPayment processing partner for handling credit/debit card transactions. Privacy policy references Stripe's privacy notice.
- OpenEdgeminorPayment processing partner for handling payment transactions. Privacy policy references OpenEdge's privacy policy.
- CLIMB PassminorNetwork of climbing gyms allowing Summer Pass members one day pass to gyms in the community each month.
- KAYA AppcoreMobile app used for league competition scoring (Summer Bouldering League, Winter Rope League). Members download the app and join the league to track scores and participate in competitions.
- Redpoint HQcoreMember management and registration platform powering the member portal, class registration, and program management.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Whetstone Climbing, Llc competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Life Time Fitness: Large national fitness club operator that includes climbing walls within many of its premium facilities — broader incumbent with overlapping fitness/yoga programming but not climbing-focused.
Direct peers
- Sender One Climbing: Indoor climbing gym chain offering bouldering and rope climbing alongside yoga, fitness, and youth programs — overlapping customer base and revenue model with Whetstone.
- Earth Treks (now Movement): Climbing gym operator with multiple locations focused on climbing, fitness, and youth programming — directly comparable to Whetstone's product and customer offering.
- Vertical Endeavors: Multi-location indoor climbing gym offering climbing instruction, youth programs, and group events — comparable in facility-based recreational climbing services.
- Movement Climbing + Fitness: Multi-unit climbing gym operator offering bouldering, top-rope, lead climbing, yoga, and fitness across multiple U.S. cities with strong youth programming and community events — Whetstone's most direct scaled peer operating a similar product mix.
- EVO Rock + Fitness: Climbing-focused fitness center chain offering indoor climbing, fitness equipment, yoga, and youth programs — comparable in facility scope, programming mix, and community-driven model to Whetstone.
- The Front Climbing Club: Indoor climbing gym in Salt Lake City with bouldering, roped climbing, yoga, fitness, and youth programs — directly comparable community-focused climbing gym operator.
- Momentum Indoor Climbing: Multi-state indoor climbing gym chain with strong youth and competition programming (similar to Battleship Bounty) — direct scaled peer in climbing gym operations.
Regional players
- Boulder Rock Club: Long-established climbing gym in Boulder, CO offering climbing, yoga, and youth programs — same Colorado Front Range market with overlapping demographics and product mix.
- Ascent Studio: Boulder, CO-based climbing and fitness facility offering bouldering, yoga, and training — overlapping Colorado Front Range market and similar product scope.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Whetstone Climbing, Llc social profiles
Digital presenceWhetstone Climbing, Llc financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Whetstone Climbing, Llc leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Whetstone Climbing, Llc funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Whetstone Climbing, Llc M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Whetstone Climbing, Llc
What does Whetstone Climbing, Llc do?
Whetstone Climbing operates Northern Colorado's largest indoor climbing gym in Fort Collins, Colorado, with over 23,000 square feet of climbing, bouldering, yoga, and fitness space. The business sells memberships, day passes, group classes, youth programs, personal coaching, and hosts climbing competitions. An on-site cafe (The Bivy) and a retail gear shop round out the offering.
Is Whetstone Climbing, Llc a public or private company?
Whetstone Climbing, Llc is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Whetstone Climbing, Llc founded?
Whetstone Climbing, Llc was founded in 2019. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Whetstone Climbing, Llc based?
Whetstone Climbing, Llc is headquartered in Fort Collins, United States, in the North America region.
How does Whetstone Climbing, Llc make money?
Seven revenue lines are on record. Gym Memberships are the primary driver. The others are day Passes and Punch Passes, classes and Instruction, youth Programs, competitions and Leagues, events and Parties and gear Shop and Cafe (The Bivy).
Who are Whetstone Climbing, Llc's main competitors?
Life Time Fitness is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are Sender One Climbing, Earth Treks (now Movement), Vertical Endeavors, Movement Climbing + Fitness, EVO Rock + Fitness, The Front Climbing Club and Momentum Indoor Climbing. Regional players are Boulder Rock Club and Ascent Studio.
Does Whetstone Climbing, Llc have an API?
No public API is recorded for Whetstone Climbing, Llc.
What industry is Whetstone Climbing, Llc in?
Whetstone Climbing, Llc's product category is Indoor Climbing Gym. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAAAKAG, Climbing & Mountaineering Gyms/Guides (Indoor, Outdoor, Via Ferrata), with a secondary code of THAJABAE, Rock Climbing, Via Ferrata & Mountaineering. Its NAICS code is 713940 and its SIC code is 7997.