When Vertical World, the climbing gym that preceded Summit Everett, was closing, Daniel Coltrane, Andrew Lange, Bryan Hawkins and Jim Brevig banded together to keep a climbing gym open in Everett. The four pooled their efforts to create Summit Everett.
The space that Summit Everett occupies is known by climbers as one of the longest-running climbing gym locations in the US. Originally Cascade Craig’s founded in the 1990s, it then became Vertical World in the early 2000s until 2015 when Summit Everett took over.
Coltrane has noticed a lot of expansion in the indoor climbing industry both in Everett and nationally, with gyms beginning to sprout up across the country and new climbers giving Summit Everett a try. Originally a niche sport, indoor climbing has grown so much that it will soon be represented in the 2020 and 2024 Olympics with three categories: speed climbing, sport climbing and bouldering.
One of the many benefits to indoor climbing is the sense of community it fosters, stemming from the connection it builds as groups collaborate to figure out how to tackle a problem together.
“Indoor climbing creates a sense of community," Coltrane said. “The people climbers meet here are the people they like to hang out with and the people that they get along with.”
With children as young as 5, to individuals in their 70s who have been climbing for decades, anyone at any age can climb. Summit Everett offers both rope climbing and bouldering, which are rather similar. Coltrane notes a few main differences between rope climbing and bouldering: rope climbing can generate different movements and requires more endurance. The physical difficulty of bouldering, however, is greater than rope climbing.
Coltrane understands the importance of keeping the climbing gym in constant motion. There is always something fresh for frequent climbers to attempt to summit, including new routes on the wall every week. The new and exciting challenges initially drew Coltrane to the sport, and is something that keeps him climbing.
Check out Summit Everett, located at: 2820 Rucker Ave., Everett, WA 98201