Resistance Climbing co-owner Angus Kirk said the indoor bouldering gym had quickly outgrown its Moray Pl spot because they were so busy.
It had been there since March 2021, but plans were now in motion to move into a new site in Parry St, hopefully by the end of June.
There had been ‘‘pretty substantial growth’’ from the beginning and they were hitting their current building’s limit most nights, Mr Kirk said.
‘‘Almost since the first year, it's just been packed at the current facility — people cancelling their memberships because it's just so busy.
‘‘It's a good problem to have, I guess, but I've been trying to work on it for a couple of years.’’
The gym had at one point bought a building in Maclaggan St with plans of demolishing it and moving into a new build, but this was ultimately deemed too costly, he said.
Its members had already been told about the impending move to Parry St and were ‘‘stoked’’.
But Mr Kirk admitted he was ‘‘a little bit nervous about outgrowing it again’’.
‘‘It will keep them at bay for a wee while, hopefully.
‘‘Its about two and a-half times the size, the climbing area and then a bigger normal gym section, weights and cardio equipment.
‘‘It’s just bigger in general, which is nice.’’
The biggest difference, aside from the scale, would be the addition of a new hydraulic spray wall that could change angles.
The gym usually noticed a big fluctuation in demand when international students were in town — bouldering was very popular in the United States and Europe, Mr Kirk said.
The sport’s popularity was growing in New Zealand, too.
‘‘To put it in context, I'd say climbing in Colorado in the States is probably like rugby for us.
‘‘The outdoor scene is massive, it's just their sort of daily sport in cities like that.’’
The clientele at Resistance Climbing ranged from late-teens to early 30s, but a lot of children and ‘‘old-school climbers’’ stopped by, too.
Their members had been waiting for years to move into a bigger space and he could not wait to see people literally climbing the walls.
‘‘It's been a lot of hard work getting to this point; it will be nice once it's done.’’
