Donavin Garcia, 19 and a business major at Saddleback College, has been bouldering for only six months but already his passion tells him that he is going all the way to top.
Garcia, an avid surfer, was also involved in water polo in high school. But because of his lean body awareness, 6 foot 2 inch frame and 74-inch wingspan, he is able to do boulder runs others cannot and has already climbed to a V5 or V6 level.
The “V” or Hueco Scale was devised by John Sherman at Hueco Tanks State Historic Site in the 1990s. Today it is the most widely used system for climbing in North America.
The V system ranks climber’s abilities and currently covers a range from V0 to V16, with VB designating a beginner. It is also common for people to use ‘+’ or ‘-’ grades to indicate if a climb is easier or harder for that particular grade.
Rock Climbing vs. Bouldering
Bouldering and rock climbing are often used synonymously but are actually different sports. Rock climbers are drawn by the outdoor beauty and allure of the climb described as a “sheer adrenaline rush.” Rock climbers use ropes and protection gear such as nuts or hexes that are pieces of metal wedged into cracks of a mountain to prevent falls.
On the other hand, bouldering is the art of free-climbing with no ropes and involves relatively little safety gear.
Indoor climbing centers have bouldering rooms built with walls typically 9-12 feet high to reduce the risk of injury as well as special matting to break a fall. Climbers are assigned a spotter to prevent a person from landing badly.
These lower walls are fitted with various bolts and climbers traverse the wall without aid, or tackle a certain obstacle such as an overhang.
Bouldering was originally developed as practice for rock climbers, but has grown into a solo sport of its own.
The Outdoor Industry Association puts total participation in the sport in the United States at 4.7 million to 6.9 million people.
According to the New York Times in August 2011, the Eastern Mountain Sports Company reported sales of crash pads for bouldering having grown “about 15 percent in the last year.”
Eastern Mountain Sports also stated that “sales of rock climbing shoes has grown 70 percent over five years while sales of ropes and other gear used only for traditional climbing grew 40 percent in that time.”
The Aesthetic Climbing Gym
When Garcia first visited the Aesthetic Climbing Gym in Lake Forest, Calif. with his mom, who he describes as “being in good shape,” he was intrigued. “My mom took me the first time and I kicked her butt!”
But it was after he went to the Gear Co-op climbing event and his friend gave him two free passes that Garcia claims, “I’ve been stuck to it ever since.”
Garcia credits his enthusiasm and quick progress to his climbing club and its founders. The Aesthetic Climbing Gym is owned and operated by three guys who share his passion. They are also surfers passionate about climbing and they wanted to start a business they could enjoy getting up and going to every day.
Trevor Arndt, 24, quit his job as a physical therapist to start this venture with his brother Dillon Arndt, 22, and Jeremy Meza, 26. Meza was the most experienced climber of the three ranked at a v10 level and was number three in the nation when he was just 17. Meza is also part of the U.S. National climbing team.
To love climbing was one thing, but as it turned out for these guys, starting a business was a whole other adventure.
Turns out they were naturally suited for the job. “We are entrepreneurs,” Trevor says. “I think we break the mold for our families.” The brother’s shared love for climbing helped sustain them through the tough times as well as the knowing that they could do it better than other clubs that I had already seen.
In business since September 2012, the company is close to breaking even and expects to see a profit before the year end.
As young entrepreneurs, all three founders feel they have a different perspective on succeeding at a new business. Dillon explains, “Every young person thinks it’s awesome and says, ‘I wish I could do that.’ But older people worried about us failing,” he said.
Trevor agrees that even their parents were nervous at first, but they taught us, “If you want something, you have to work hard to get. They have become our biggest supporters,” Trevor adds.
To promote their business, these entrepreneurs are willing to try lots of new things including social media. Not one of them was a business major, so everything they learned was on the streets and they acknowledge “hitting a few speed bumps along the way.”
After trying organizations such as the Small Business Advocacy Council and Small Business Administration, they hit a wall with no one wanting to “fund a bunch of guys who wanted to own a gym and climb for the rest of their lives,” Trevor said.
For their grand opening they decided to hold a big competition with a large cash prize. Dillon says, “It was a big gamble at the time, but it got us recognized across the nation.”
Trevor adds, “V16 is the hardest level of climbing and at our competition, we had two of them [because of the promotion].” This kind of marketing got the climbing industry buzzing about the Aesthetic Climbing Gym in that little-known-town of Lake Forest, Calif.
Enrollment has grown to as much as 200 members per month. Their programs include discounts for students and on the last Friday of every month, students can climb free.
Little kids can have their birthday parties at the gym where ropes and harnesses are provided for safe climbing opportunities.
There are also specialized classes held just for women as well as slack lining classes that are like tight-rope walking.
For the fitness minded climbers, including Donavin Garcia, the Aesthetic Gym opened a new 5,500 square foot facility upstairs on Feb. 21 that provides classes for various kinds of yoga such as Hot and Bikram yoga. These classes are meant to develop core strength for power and are geared to stretching and mobility for climbers.
Garcia has big dreams when it comes to climbing. In August, the American Bouldering Series climbing season begins in Anaheim Hills and it will be Garcia’s first national competition.
With Jeremy Meza as his coach, Garcia says he can’t wait to compete, “Yes, I’m really excited.” So excited is Garcia that he consistently puts in 12 to 15 hours a week in training at the club. “Work, go to school and train here -- that ís my life.” His goal is to be a professional climber in 10 years.
For successful climbers it can be a lucrative sport by gaining the right sponsorships - shoes, gear, as well as the chance to make money doing photo shoots for magazines and possibly be in a movie about climbing.
“Alex Honnold made $1 million last year,” Dillon Arndt says. “He has climbed Yosemite without ropes.”
Garcia’s main strength is “my length and upper body strength. Climbing is a weight to strength ratio.” His favorite moves include “upside down stuff - where you hang. Dynamic moves and jumping to stuff,” he said. “It’s an adrenaline rush.” But what Garcia says he loves most about this sport is that “it’s an amazing experience. It is social, like having all of these friends, and everyone is so humble.”
Trevor Arndt explains it best, “climbing is not one of those sports where you try and show you are better than others. The more humble you can be, the louder your voice is heard. Climbers are not elitist.”
Arndt adds, “[We] don’t speak competition, these are peers and everyone are friends.”
That kind of attitude makes it so much easier for both young men and women to get into the sport. Meza says, “Climbing is one of those things where you either love it or you don’t.” He also said that oftentimes women are “better climbers because they feel comfortable on the wall and just do what comes natural.”
But what Meza loves most about having a bouldering business is that “we can create a moment -- for surfers it is that perfect wave. For climbers, it is that one move, or that special area.”
Dylan Arndt explains, “In the 70s, California had the best climbers. We want to get that back.”
“In California we have three of the world-renowned climbing spots in Yosemite, Bishop and Joshua. If you are a climber at all, you know about these places,” he said.
Climbing outside always becomes “searching for rock,” Donavin Garcia said, which means always finding fresh spots that bring new climbing challenges.
Garcia says he won’t climb solo at this point because “if I get hurt, I can’t compete.” But he does prefer to be outside so “you can be creative with the rock,” and where there is so much more to explore.
Achieving goals and conquering fears is a feeling that these three guys agree can’t be replaced. “It’s exhilarating,” Meza says. And it is part of what keeps them coming to the gym every day.
And one other thing Garcia adds, “I expect to win.”
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