Wyatt Russ, manager of Santa Barbara Rock Climbing Gym, met his wife at the gym. But now the site of their love story is permanently closing its doors.

“It’s been a home for a lot of people, a home for myself and a place to get out of my shell,” he said. “Just thinking about all the connections made here would be impossible to calculate what this place means to me.”

In a Nov. 2 social media statement, the gym announced its Nov. 15 closure after rising insurance prices, lingering COVID-19 pandemic impacts and the opening of The Pad Climbing in Goleta, according to owner Will Russ.

“I feel like I let people down,” he said. “I have let myself and my family down because we have personally funded this gym and we’ve never seen a dollar in return.”

The 15-year-old-gym, at 322 State St. and hidden behind ongoing construction at the corner, displays towering climbing walls ranging from 15 to 25 feet. Memberships range from $70 to $110 per month depending on the plan. But, people can also take out a day pass, ranging from $20 to $40.

Will’s social media announcement garnered more than 60 comments of support from community members. But, he says he hasn’t gotten the strength to revisit the post to see what people are saying.

“Then where are they?” he asked as he gazed out toward his empty climbing walls.

As the days tick closer to Nov. 15, he says his biggest struggle is finding a company willing to help him clean out the place and deal with their towering walls.

Delaying The Close

Will let go of all of his employees, only keeping three managers on staff. He prided himself on paying his employees $1.50 an hour above minimum wage.

Will says it got to a point where he wasn’t taking home a paycheck.

He tried cutting back operation hours over the last six months in an effort to save money, but it wasn’t enough.

Usually, memberships cover the gym’s rent, but due to November’s closure, Will only charged half for the month, leaving him scrambling to find the rest of the money.

But, he doesn’t blame the rent price. Instead, he feels let down by the city.

“We don’t serve alcohol, we don’t serve food, so the city doesn’t really seem to care,” he said.

Russ says 2019 was the gym’s best year, seeing a boom in climbers scaling its walls. Then the pandemic hit, beginning its revenue decline.

Once making up to $70,000 at their peak, they were spiraling toward $40,000 or less a month.

An Inevitable End

Then, The Pad Climbing gym opened in the Magnolia Shopping Center in Goleta in September. The new gym is a chain with locations in San Luis Obispo and New York.

“That was the last nail in the coffin,” Russ said. 

The Pad boasts 37-foot climbing walls and 18-foot bouldering walls, which allows climbers to practice low-to-the-ground climbing without a rope or harness.

Monthly memberships cost $107.50.

However, some of the gym’s climbers might transfer over to The Pad Climbing. 

Wyatt, director of the gym’s youth programming, is currently in the middle of the competitive climbing season. 

Since the closure of the gym cuts into the competitive season, Wyatt says he might actually transfer the young climbers to The Pad Climbing, a move that stings but needed to continue training. 

“I just don’t want the end of this place to be the end of anyone’s climbing career; that would be the worst-case scenario,” he said.

More Than a Gym

Long-time member Andy Patterson saw the gym as more than a workout spot.

“It boils down to being a hub for the social dynamic of climbers in Santa Barbara,” he said.  

He fondly remembers the time he and his band, Santa Barbara Forge Metal Projects, named after his blacksmith business, brought the spirit of heavy metal to the gym.

“Most gyms would look at you with a weird expression, but Will said, ‘Yeah, of course bring your band,’” Patterson said.

As a climber of 20 years, he enjoyed the steep and powerful climbs the gym offered him. He liked to experiment with routes that maybe weren’t possible with real rocks. 

Patterson is sad to see the gym close and won’t transfer over to The Pad, saying the location is no longer convenient for him as a Carpinteria commuter. 

The Final Days

Will says a couple of his staff members have wanted to throw a farewell party for the gym.

“But, I emotionally can’t be in the building if that’s happening,” he said. 

He also says he plans to donate equipment to schools the gym has partnered with in the past. 

The gym has different operating hours leading up to its closing date. Weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. is for members only, while 4 to 10 p.m. is open to the public. 

Weekends will be open to the public from 12 to 6 p.m.