Boise-area rock climbing gym will close, citing lack of new lease agreement
A Boise-area rock climbing gym will close its doors later this year after more than a decade, citing leasing disagreements with the property manager and difficulty finding a new space.
Asana Climbing Gym, which has operated at 4977 N Glenwood St. in Garden City since 2017, announced the closure to members of its mailing list via email on Tuesday. Owner Jamey Sproull wrote in the message that Asana has “not been offered a new long-term lease agreement” and will close on Nov. 29.
Sproull did not immediately respond to a request for comment through the gym.
Sproull said the gym’s lease was originally set to expire at the end of June, but property managers granted Asana an extension through the end of the year. He said he has spent the past two years trying to “find a path forward” for the gym.
“I explored multiple options, evaluated every reasonable avenue available to me, and worked in good faith toward the possibility of entering a new lease agreement,” Sproull wrote in the message. “Unfortunately, there are factors outside of my control and property management has made it clear that they intend to lease to another party and/or repurpose the building for something else.”
The property is owned by TPC Glenwood, LLC, which is affiliated with The Pacific Cos., a developer and property manager that oversees businesses and housing across the Treasure Valley and the West.
The company did not respond to a request for comment on the leasing agreement with Asana or its future plans for the building.
Sproull said he also looked for a new location for the gym during the lease process and came up empty-handed due to the niche zoning and height requirements needed to house the climbing gym or the “significantly higher lease rates” at plausible locations.
He noted that Asana is financially stable and growing and said the closure is “not the result of any single event, disagreement, or the financial health or performance of the gym.”
“As the owner of Asana Climbing Gym, I am deeply disappointed. Furthermore, as a climber, I am heartbroken,” Sproull said.
He clarified that Asana Climbing — a separate business he operates that makes bouldering equipment — will stay in business.
Asana shared an FAQ document online to address questions about memberships, future operations and other concerns, as well as a timeline for anticipated changes.
According to the climbing gym’s website, Asana began as a manufacturing company in 1999 and in 2013 purchased The Front, a bouldering gym on Chinden Boulevard and 33rd Street in Garden City. It moved to its current location a few years later.
Asana is primarily a bouldering gym, meaning climbers ascend shorter walls without ropes or harnesses. The Treasure Valley’s other commercial climbing gyms, The Commons and Vertical View, feature larger top-rope climbing areas that require climbers to anchor to the wall.
