In Fort Wayne, Indiana, a new chapter in the city’s fitness and community engagement narrative has unfolded with the opening of Summit City Climbing Co., the city’s inaugural commercial climbing gym. Founded by Edwin Chow, Collin Jester, David Detweiler, and Ryan Perkins, Summit City Climbing Co. officially welcomed members on April 27th, followed by a grand opening celebration on May 18th.
Prior to the establishment of Summit City Climbing Co., the founders would make regular pilgrimages to North Mass Boulder, an Indianapolis climbing gym located two hours away, to satisfy their climbing passion. Edwin Chow explained the motivation behind their endeavor, stating, “We were just waiting for someone to start a climbing gym [in Fort Wayne], because we were tired and we would probably save a lot of money [on transportation].”
Collin Jester and Ryan Perkins, both lifelong residents of Fort Wayne, shared a desire to showcase their city’s potential for a climbing gym. Jester emphasized Fort Wayne’s rapid growth, with approximately half a million residents and an extended reach of 1.8 million people within a 60-mile radius, underlining the demand for such a facility.
Securing a 3,400-square-foot space in close proximity to three universities, the team established their bouldering-focused gym, envisioning it as a stepping stone towards a larger top rope facility in North Fort Wayne within the next two years. The current gym boasts 2,130 square feet of bouldering surface on walls ranging from 10 to 15 feet, complemented by a fitness room equipped with weights for additional strength training and a retail area.
Beyond its role as a climbing facility, Summit City Climbing Co. is situated within a building housing multiple nonprofit organizations. Notably, the gym shares space with Empowered Legal Aid Network (ELAN), providing holistic legal assistance to immigrants in the Fort Wayne community, and Empowered International, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering young people for sustainable change.
Edwin Chow envisions the gym as more than just a fitness center but as a hub for integration and support for immigrants and refugees in the area. With plans to employ refugees and immigrants at the gym and offer discounted rates on a case-by-case basis, Summit City Climbing Co. seeks to create an inclusive environment where individuals from diverse backgrounds can connect and thrive.
In the words of Collin Jester, co-owner of Summit City Climbing Co., “The vision of the building is to be a place for immigrants to feel welcomed and loved…a climbing gym can be a place where those living on the fringes can be integrated into a place where you can actually meet one another and engage with one another.”
Summit City Climbing Co. not only enriches Fort Wayne’s fitness landscape but also embodies a profound commitment to community integration and empowerment, setting a precedent for inclusive spaces in the city.