WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. — If you’ve been looking for a challenging workout and an amiable social scene, you may want to rethink that gym membership for 2025.
At least at the traditional fitness center, you might’ve been considering.
Statistics show indoor climbing is booming, with more than 600 climbing gyms open in the United States by the end of 2023.
The sport, which has a relatively low barrier to entry, will soon come to Whitehall with the opening of the Gravity Vault Lehigh Valley.
The facility will include more than 17,000 square feet of climbing, General Manager Jordan Munoz said Thursday.
Like every Gravity Vault location, this one will be custom-designed and have a unique layout. It will include a workout area with full-service weights, kettlebells, a squat rack, dip stations, treadmills, and other aerobic equipment.
‘Cutting edge’
Munoz described the climbing features coming to Gravity Vault as “more on the cutting edge” of the industry.
“We do have a lot of similar terrain features that Gravity Vault likes to see, but our facility is more of a training center for climbing, something that a lot of other Gravity Vaults don’t have,” Munoz said.
“There are these things called system boards, which are boards designed for climbers to be able to climb things around the world, like the same things around the world.
“So someone in Japan can make something on their board, and a person we have in the Lehigh Valley could climb that same thing.”
That means route setting, or being locked into a gym’s pre-designed walls is a thing of the past. Instead, systems boards will offer specialized training areas allowing climbers to practice specific movements and techniques.
“So whether you’re newer to a climbing gym or more experienced, you’ll be able to operate it pretty much the same.”Jordan Munoz
“We have a couple of those boards, but something we went ahead and did is to get a larger one, about twice the size of normal,” Munoz said.
“Standard boards are 10 x 12 (feet). This one’s 10 x 24, so it’s 24 feet long and 10 or 12 feet high. And this wall is adjustable, meaning you could go from a flat wall to turning it inward, so you’re climbing up a steep hill, or kind of the other way around. You could push it backward and get an overhang feature, which is definitely unique to the Gravity Vaults in general.”
Munoz said the boards are user-friendly and have their own hydraulic control model.
“So whether you’re newer to a climbing gym or more experienced, you’ll be able to operate it pretty much the same.”
‘A community of climbers’
While no opening date has been set, Munoz hopes Gravity Vault Lehigh Valley can start to welcome in climbers by the end of February or sometime in March.
“We’re just really looking to kind of build a community of climbers, because there’s not particularly any close gym nearby, so we really wanted to kind of come in and develop this community.”Jordan Munoz
“It’s definitely been a very long-standing project,” he said. “Our owner, Jason, started this back, I think, in 2019 and that kind of fell through with Covid, and then we started this project back up about two or three years ago.”
Munoz called the new location at 1951 Whitehall Mall (site of the old Fusion Fitness) a great area to bring in climbers from around the region.
“We’re just really looking to kind of build a community of climbers, because there’s not particularly any close gym nearby, so we really wanted to kind of come in and develop this community.”
The new Gravity Vault will include day rates, member rates, full employee services and more.
“We really do have almost everything for everyone,” Munoz said.
“So whether it’s your first time climbing or you’re a seasoned veteran, you’ll definitely be able to come to our facility and have a good time.”
