An all-season bouldering gym for Nederland Dino Moves’ owner and operator Carl Fritschel (right) and fiancé Audrey Gebhardt (left) pose while showcasing their bouldering skills. PHOTO BY CHRISTOPHER KELLEY[/caption]
The Peak to Peak region is home to some of the best sites for rock climbing in Colorado. With the natural formations of the mountains around us, adventurers have a variety of terrain to choose from, each choice offering its own appeals and challenges. However, weather conditions are not always conducive, and sometimes our busy lives, or seasonal tourists, can hinder the ability to enjoy our recreational hobbies and our physical, mental, and spiritual exercise.
Climbing and bouldering gyms build on the necessity for an all-season space by also providing newcomers with a safe place to practice, while enthusiasts are able to cultivate a community around their sport of choice. Now, thanks to a few dedicated locals imbued with the entrepreneurial spirit, Nederland has its own bouldering gym.
Dino Moves, located at 120 East 2nd Street, opened on Tuesday, February 2, 2023, and saw over 17 climbers on their first day. Carl Fritschel and Eric Gebhardt, the minds behind Dino Moves, along with Peter Chasteen and a handful of community members, helped to make the gym a reality and knew that such a place would be a perfect fit for Nederland.
“I was surprised when I moved here that there wasn’t a resource like this,” Fritschel told The Mountain-Ear. “And everyone I talked to agreed that Ned should have a bouldering studio, so we made it happen.”
Bouldering originated as a form of mountaineering training in order to build finger strength and stamina; it’s traditionally performed on small rock formations or artificial climbing walls. Bouldering also requires less equipment than climbing as it does not utilize any ropes; typically only climbing shoes and gripping chalk is needed.
The airy space housed within a former commercial garage features large industrial windows that allow the sunlight to pour in. Dino Moves has the capacity for up to 22 climbers, plus staff members, and features up to 22 routes in total, with the routes serving all skill levels, from beginner to advanced. They feature a slab wall (which is a slightly forward leaning practice wall that prioritizes foot work), a cave area, a vertical wall, an arete (which is an outside corner), an overhanging section, and a crack section.
The crack section highlights two ceiling-to-floor length cracks; a “finger crack” and a “hand-fist crack”, with the names of the cracks indicating their size. Dino Moves also plans to complete their full four walls of traversal by adding a campus board and a kilter board. A campus board helps to improve finger strength while a kilter board utilizes LED lights to highlight routes which can be selected using a smartphone app.
Currently Dino Moves is an open gym, available seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., though hours are subject to change as Fritschel and the Dino Moves team analyze the gym’s popularity over its first few months. There are day passes for $22, 10-day punch passes for $180. If a customer plans to utilize the gym on a regular basis they can purchase a yearly membership, the cost of which is discounted when adding a child of fifteen years old or younger to the membership. Children under the age of thirteen must be attended by a parent or guardian.
For its first month as a new business, customers will receive 20% off throughout the month of February.
Dino Moves also offers towel rentals, a shower room, chalk bag rentals, and climbing shoe rentals for adults, with children’s sizes coming soon. Fritschel noted that there are several workshops and classes planned to be hosted at Dino Moves in the near future, including an Intro to Bouldering class and an Aerial Yoga class hosted by his fiancé Audrey Gebhardt.
“I have to add that it’s also because of many dedicated community members who helped fund the gym during its last stages of development that Dino Moves is here,” Fritschel added, explaining passionately how Nederland benefits from those who volunteer their time, energy, and money to help bring such enterprises as Dino Moves to fruition.
For more information on Dino Moves’ “movement space and bodyweight training facilities”, go to: https://www.dinomovesgym.com or follow them on Instagram at: @dino.moves.
