Adaptive Climbing Tour - Catalyst Sports

We made it! The Adaptive Climbing Tour has come to an end! It all started back in April and in the past 6 months, we have visited 14 different climbing gyms, in 7 states!

The goal of the Adaptive Climbing Tour was to bring visibility and availability of adaptive climbing to the Southeast.

At each stop, volunteers completed adaptive climbing training prior to each event. Our volunteers were the welcoming faces, the reassuring voices, and the supportive hands at every event. In total, 205 volunteers were trained and involved in the Adaptive Climbing Tour.

The Tour Stops
SportRock Climbing, DC
LEF Climbing, Lexington, KY
The Crag, Franklin, TN
The Climbing Center, Knoxville, TN
RockSport Climbing, Louisville, KY
High Point Climbing, Huntsville, AL
Stone Summit, Atlanta, GA
Active Climbing, Augusta, GA
High Point Climbing, Birmingham, AL
The Riveter, Asheville, NC
Vertical eXcape, Bowling Green, KY
High Point Climbing, Chattanooga, TN
Climb Nashville, TN
Vertical eXcape, Evansville, IN

Highlights from the Tour

Over the 14 stops, we reached 243 adaptive climbers. Often, climbers would bring their family and friends along for the fun, leading to an awesome sense of community at each location. After climbing, everyone would gather to share food and stories of their day.

First time climber, Josie from Huntsville had a blast on the Wellman chair. Her mom Catherine brought her to try out something new. As a first-time climber she made it to the top and will definitely be back for more climbing.

Veteran, Brian Liebanow from Knoxville, TN made it to 3 stops of the Adaptive Climbing Tour. He has progressed in climbing since January. He climbs with his right arm. He has decided to join the Catalyst Climbing team and take his climbing to the next level.

Delaina Parrish traveled from Florida to attend one of the events.

“This past weekend in Asheville North Carolina, I brought some of my biggest supporters to watch me take on an indoor rock climbing gym. With an absolutely incredible team of volunteers, problem-solving skills, hard-core endurance, tenacity, and a tad bit of fearlessness, I made it to the top!!!”

More photos from the Adaptive Climbing Tour! GALLERY

At the end of the tour, The Adaptive Climbers’ Festival was the ultimate opportunity for climbers who had attended one of the tour stops, to try climbing outside, together with an incredible community of other adaptive climbers. The Festival this year took place in October at Red River Gorge, Kentucky, and it was a weekend filled with great climbing and great fun!
Read all about this year’s festival in Climbing Magazine, an article written by Emily Chen-Newton (who also volunteered on the Adaptive Climbing Tour!)

Outcomes from the Adaptive Climbing Tour

As a result of the tour, there are three new chapters offering adaptive climbing in their local community. Huntsville, Al, Evansville, IN, and Bowling Green, KY are now equipped and trained to provide monthly climbing programs for individuals with physical disabilities. These programs are made possible thanks to the volunteer coordinators who stepped into the role and the climbing gyms who supported them.

In 2023, Catalyst Sports will continue to offer indoor adaptive climbing at chapters across the Southeast as well as lots of opportunities to climb outside. Find an adaptive climbing program near you!

Thank you to our Tour Sponsors: Ottobock, Petzl and Bionic Prosthetics and Orthotics

Thank to our City Sponsors:
Columbia, Farmers Bank and Trust, Crocker Law Firm, Phoenix, REI, BAC, Fruit of the Loom

Thank you to all of our climbing gym partners. We could not have done it without you!