The Valley Rock Gym: ‘Much more than just a gym’
Owners of the gym set out to build an accessible, safe and supportive community
By Kayla Jones, OMN Photographer
Oregon State University student Emerson Chase climbs for his first time at The Valley Rock Gym in Corvallis, Ore. on Dec. 9, 2021. Chase started climbing in 2019 but took a break when the pandemic hit. This was his first time climbing since.
February 14, 2022
Editor’s Note: This article was written and published for Beaver’s Digest’s winter issue “Best Of Beaver Nation 2022”
The Valley Rock Gym is Corvallis, Ore.’s very own bouldering and indoor rock climbing gym.
Bouldering is a type of free climbing that does not require ropes or harnesses on climbs that don’t go too high off the ground. The gym includes tons of bouldering routes, 20-foot climbing walls, climbing training zones, a party room, youth climbing areas, a fitness area, a yoga studio, offers training sessions with experienced climbers and is the 2021 Best of Beaver Nation winner for best recreation spot.
The gym was opened in April of 2021 by part-owners Johanna Garcia and Morgan Foster, and multiple other silent partners. Garcia and Foster have been working in outdoor recreation fields for years and when they moved to Corvallis, they thought it was finally time Corvallis had a climbing gym.
“I grew up in Corvallis and when I was a kid I thought there was a need for a gym in town,” Foster said. “When we moved back in 2018, we started thinking about the idea of us starting it ourselves, and making it a reality was pretty amazing.”
Although, they didn’t want the Valley Rock Gym to be just a climbing gym. They set out to build something much more than that.
“A climbing gym can be so much more than just a gym,” Garcia said. “It can be a place where people can come and gather, to learn from one another and support one another. It can be a sort of community center in a way, and that is what we are working towards.”
With that in mind, they created the four pillars that form the gym’s foundation and shape their goals and actions. Climbing, community, education and wellness are those pillars and they are reflected through the attitude and the environment of the gym.
Garcia wrote her thesis on climbing accessibility, an issue within the sport of climbing where there are, at times, daunting barriers to entry. Barriers like cost, knowledge, transportation and time all play factors in limiting the accessibility to the sport.
“When starting a gym I wanted to make it a place that felt accessible because there are so many barriers to entry when you look at the sport of climbing,” Garcia said.
First and foremost, there is the cost issue. Gear and training can be expensive and a huge deterrent to people who have an interest in climbing. That is why the gym is centered around bouldering, which does not require the costly harnesses, ropes and other equipment. The Valley Rock Gym is adamant that anyone can come in and start bouldering, all you need is a pair of climbing shoes and the $60 monthly membership for students/youths or $75 a month for an adult.
“There is also the narrative of what a climber looks like,” Garcia said. “A lot of people will think of a climber and picture someone who is young, white, able-bodied and male. For most of history, this is what climbing has been, so how do you change that narrative?”
Garcia and Foster are working to shift that narrative. The gym has partnered with Corvallis Climbers of Color to offer affinity climb nights for people of color and to host BIPOC meet-ups. Events like Queer Climb Night every first Friday of the month and Woman’s Climb Night every second Thursday of the month are also offered at only $5 a person with free shoe rentals. If you want to get into climbing but want a safe and supportive community to do it with, the Valley Rock Gym is where to go.
If you need more of a reason to want to get into the sport, leave it to Foster who has more than 22 years of experience to explain some of the benefits.
“Climbing is a great physical workout—it works all of your muscles at the same time,” Foster said. “There is also a big problem solving and puzzle aspect to it. Each route is different based on the terrain and the holds that it uses. It is not only a good physical workout but also a mental workout.”
It is a sport that tests mental and physical fortitude, and builds so many other skills like how to overcome fear, deal with adversity, teamwork and team building.
You can find The Valley Rock Gym in downtown Corvallis at 401 SW Jefferson Ave. It is open Monday through Friday 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and on Sundays 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Learn more about the Rock Valley Gym’s events and memberships on the website: valleyrockgym.com or find them on Facebook.
