Oregon climbing gym first of its kind

BEND, Ore. — Lilian Kral predicted board climbing would be the next phase in climbing facilities, so she founded Boardworks Climbing, a 24-hour climbing facility and the first of its kind in the country.

Boardworks features six climbing walls, five of which are adjustable between 10 and 65 degrees. The walls have more than 100,000 boulder problems combined, with new routes added every day. Unlike static bouldering walls, the Kilter Board, Decoy Board and Moonboard are designed to work in tandem with a smartphone.

Traditional indoor bouldering and climbing routes are all one color, leaving it up to the climber to decide where they will place their hands and feet. But once a route is selected on a board climbing wall, the holds light up yellow, green, blue and purple. Green holds designate where a climber places their hands, yellow holds show where the climber places their feet, blue holds are in the middle and purple represents the final holds on the route.

Climbers are able to set their own routes or climb routes professional climbers have set, Kral said.

“The fact that you can flip through different routes so quickly allows you to get in a really good workout in a really short amount of time,” Kral said. She added that she’s been able to climb the same route for years, thereby improving her technique, strength and skill level.

The model keeps Kral’s operating costs low since she doesn’t need a crew of setters to frequently refresh the routes.

“I’m able to provide this at a more accessible rate, which is important to me,” Kral said. “I want to be able to create a space that maintains an accessible price point.”

Members and punch pass holders are provided a barcode that allows them to come and go at their leisure.

“It kind of fosters this feeling that it’s their gym, it’s more of a co-op feel,” Kral said.

Kral is aware that board climbing is a new concept, so she’s offering free 90-minute introductory boarding basics classes on Tuesdays at 6 p.m.

Having worked in the climbing industry since she was 15, opening her own facility has been a dream of Kral’s for years.