The Rifle Climbing Center had its soft opening in mid-December, awaiting the construction of its final walls, the first climbing gym in the Garfield County area since the closure of the Monkey House in Carbondale, it’s poised to become a hub for new climbers. 

Jason Marshall and Karissa Dunbar, the gym’s owners, are seasoned travelers. They spent years exploring the U.S. and even lived in Greece for a year. Marshall said that year was the best of their lives. However, living in New Castle for two and half years is a tie for them. 

“I never really planned on opening the climbing gym. I had a friend open one in Washington and I didn’t want to make my passion a career,” Marshall said. “Then the Monkey House in Carbondale closed a year ago and Karissa and I would drive out to Eagle or Grand Junction for a gym, so there’s a need.”

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The couple have long been drawn to the area, particularly Rifle Mountain Park, where they climbed even before having kids. Initially, they considered Glenwood Springs for the gym but found the perfect space in Rifle.

“Most of the walls are 12 feet high and there’s one foot of padding, so there’s 11 feet between the ceiling and the ‘floor’,” Marshall said. “The highest you can climb is 13 feet.”

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The gym specializes in bouldering, so thick padding lines the floor to catch falls. Kids under 13 must be supervised, but one adult can oversee multiple children.

To accommodate families, the gym includes a play structure and slide for children who don’t want to climb. 

“We also have a space for adults to sit and check emails if they’re not climbing but their kids are,” Marshall said.

Daily rates are $20 for adults, $18 for students and military, and $14 for children. They also have gear to rent out and monthly and yearly passes. 

The gym also plan to offer beginner classes, which the couple says are in high demand.

“Since opening, we’ve been getting a lot of messages about how people are grateful we’re here and how there’s been a need for this,” Dunbar said. “We get folks of all levels coming in and we want it to be welcoming to the whole community.”

They also envision the gym as a venue for birthday parties once the final wall is built. The couple’s connection to climbing runs deep—they met while building a climbing gym in Oregon in 2003. 

“In 2003, I had just left the army and I was on a road trip,” Marshall recounted. “My last stop was in Oregon and my friend asked if my other friend and I wanted to help build a new gym and on my first day working there, I met Karissa, building a new gym.”

Dunbar recalled how the couple’s journey has come full circle.

“We want to be a welcoming space for all individuals,” Dunbar said. “I speak Spanish and our employees speak Spanish. We’re trying to reach out to the Spanish speaking community in Rifle so our website is in English and Spanish and we’re prioritizing bilingual employees.”

The couple is hiring more people for the gym and will only have six or seven employees when starting out. 

“We really want to have a space that connects the climbing community who love Rifle Mountain Park and the group who has never climbed at all,” Dunbar said. “We’re hoping to foster a space of climbing and connection.”

Marshall agreed, saying there weren’t many places to gather socially for climbers. 

“We’re hoping to be a social hub and it’ll spread and bring more people in who might not be a part of it,” he said. “We’re trying to prioritize friendly, outgoing and bilingual employees as opposed to experienced climbers, to build the staff to mirror the community as a whole.”

The Climbing Center is currently open from noon to 9 p.m. seven days a week. As soon as the other wall is finished, their hours will change from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday through Wednesday and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Thursday through Sunday. These new hours will start around the end of January or the beginning of February. The gym is located at 139 W Third Street. 

For more information, visit rifleclimbingcenter.com/.