New indoor climbing and fitness center Mesa Rim opens in Reno

A new indoor climbing and fitness center is now open in the Biggest Little City.

Mesa Rim Climbing & Fitness Center is a newly constructed, 24,000 square foot fitness facility at 970 Harvard Way in Reno. The center provides another fitness option for Northern Nevada’s many fitness enthusiasts.

“Reno is such an amazing outdoor community,” said Marlowe Kulley, co-founder and manager of the Reno facility. “For people who love the outdoors, this is a great way to train.”

The fitness center features 23,000 square feet of climbing terrain and 52-foot climbing walls.

“The goal with our facility is to create not only a big an impressive facility but an all-encompassing facility,” she said.

In addition to the climbing and bouldering area, the center also features a yoga studio, fitness areas with weights and cardio, locker rooms, a sauna, a gear shop, a deck, community spaces and more.

The facility officially opened July 31 and held its grand opening celebration Aug. 5. Day passes cost $19 and a membership cost $70 per month, both give people access to the entire facility and all of the classes. They also have discounted prices for students, seniors, military and first responders.

The routes along the climbing walls are frequently changed in order to provide a new experience for its members.

“Every time you walk in the door there is a new challenge,” Kulley said.

The facility caters to all every skill level of climber. Mesa Rim provides a range of programs and activities for kids, as well as team building and corporate retreat options that businesses can take advantage of in the area.

Prior to construction of the facility, the three-plus acre lot of land had sat vacant for many years.

“It was pretty special to be able to design a building from scratch specifically for this type of activity,” Kulley said.

Clark/Sullivan Construction served as the contractor on the fitness center and MBA Architecture + Interiors served as the architect. Kulley explained that they looked into renovating existing buildings but could not find a place that would fit their need of size, location, adequate parking, etc. Constructing the building from the ground up allowed them to design the facility to fit their vision.

“It is not just meeting the functional needs of being big enough and tall enough but we did a really good job of making it a fun and an aesthetically pleasing place,” she said.

Mesa Rim joins several other climbing facilities in the Reno area including BaseCamp’s 164-foot outdoor climbing wall and its 7,000-square-foot indoor bouldering park located within the Whitney Peak Hotel as well as the RockSport Indoor Climbing in Sparks.

Mesa Rim was founded in San Diego in 2010 by climbers Bob Kain and Ian McIntosh. They have several full-service climbing facilities and a dedicated climbing training center, all in the San Diego area. The Reno project is a joint venture between Mesa Rim, Kulley, her husband Mike Helt and some local investors. The couple saw Reno as a great place to expand the Mesa Rim brand.

“From a business side, we just feel so lucky that we got in a market that just has such great potential,” Kulley said. “(Reno) is really reinventing itself as a great place to live and work and play and for us to be part of that and to add another aspect for people to play is really exciting.”

According to Kulley, the business currently employs 20 people and already has more than 200 members.

Mesa Rim Reno is open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the weekends. For information, visit www.mesarim.com/locations/reno-nv.