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Stevensville climbing gym in the works
PrevNextQUANTUM CLIMBING
By:Caroline Weiss
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STEVENSVILLE — A plan is in the works to bring indoor rock climbing to the Bitterroot with Quantum Climbing in Stevensville
Stevensville climbing gym in the works
“The Bitterroot doesn’t have its own climbing gym. It needs one,” said James Higginson, the founder and owner of Quantum Climbing. “Came into the opportunity here realizing that it could be a reality if we started small and worked our way up.”
Higginson is a contractor, a hobby physicist and longtime climber. He has been dreaming of opening a climbing gym for years
“As far as the name, so I’m kind of a nerd. I love physics, quantum physics, I study it,” he said. “I love to build, I love to climb and I love quantum physics. I’m gonna be the builder of the wall. I’ll get community help obviously. But, it sort of catches all of my interests, plus I love the community.”
Higginson is in talks to build a small indoor gym at Discovery Fitness in Stevensville
“The idea is to have a sometimes called a micro gym. It’s only about a 900 square ft space, 12-foot ceilings, overhanging walls,” he said. “I’m ready to give that to the Bitterroot community, Stevensville. I don’t want it to just cater to climbers though. I want it to be for families, for kids. I want people excited to be there, hanging out after school, just an avenue for something to do that can be year-round.”
Quantum Climbing is not the only proposed climbing gym in the valley, with others looking to build one in Victor. Higginson said that is a testament to the excitement about bringing indoor climbing to the Bitterroot
“Obviously, we’ve been growing for a while, the valley has. So that helps and there’s a lot of interest in climbing in general at all levels,” he said. “We’re big enough that we could handle a couple of small gyms.”
Higginson used to be a climbing instructor and guide. He wants the gym to have something for everybody, from rental shoes and classes to day passes and memberships and, potentially, even an area for people to set their own routes
His idea has grown, with help from his family posting an announcement on social media and with feedback from the community. Online, you can also find renderings of what the gym could look like
“Families are really excited about it, young kids. They want to make sure that it’s something where a family’s gonna want to be, and I get that because some climbing gyms are very much for climbers only. They don’t mean to be, but the climbers get there, and it kind of becomes their space,” he said. “I want this to be more than that. I want them to be equally excited about it.”
Now, Higginson is working on a lease with Discovery Fitness. He hopes to start building walls next month
“The goal would be all of August and into September, wrapping up so that we can open the doors Oct. 1,” he said. “It’s pretty ambitious, so I’m gonna need help. Route-setters is a big one.”
With the gym, Higginson said he wants to build a hub for climbing and more in the valley. For updates or to provide input or help, you can find Quantum Climbing on social media
“I want to do it for that camaraderie, that community that comes from it,” he said. “The opportunity to just get together and talk about the things you love, whether it’s climbing or quantum physics, you know, it’ll all be there.”
