Since it’s opening in 2006 the Climbing Works bouldering gym in Sheffield, England has been one of the most innovative gyms in the business.

And earlier this month Percy Bishton, owner of Climbing Works, brought English climbers a new way to get psyched about bouldering.

The gym has always set problems modeled after the famous Fontainebleau circuits. These are usually made up of 40 problems that get progressively harder as they go.

But now sending these circuits will get you more than just pumped. Scarpa Shoes has teamed up with Climbing Works to provide another incentive to send.

Local setter & Scarpa sponsored athlete, Andy Earl, has set two 10-problem elite circuits, one for men one for women, that are graded “hard to harder”. If you’ve got the sand to step up to 10 problems and try to send them all in one session then you deserve something in return. How about a new pair of shoes? Sounds good to me.

Since not everyone has a chance to crush the elite circuit, the Climbing Works setters have also set a 40 problem circuit for the mortals (V0 – V8). Anyone that sends all 40 problems in one session gets put into a drawing for a new pair of shoes.

It should be noted that the circuit will only stay up for 18 days! That’s what I call turnover.

Check out this video of Andy and crew setting and forerunning (and jumping) their new elite circuit.

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But Scarpa is not the first gear company to sponsor the happenings inside Climbing Works. Besides Scarpa, Ben Moon’s Moon Climbing, outdoor gear company Berghaus, grip maker Holdz and four others have sponsored sections of walls and even entire comps.

“All of the original sponsors who signed up for a years deal when we opened have paid up for another year, so I guess it must be worth it for them, and likewise we are massively grateful for the financial support!” said Bishton.

In England, sponsoring indoor gym walls is nothing new. The Foundry Climbing Centre, also in Sheffield has been selling it’s wall space for years. The practice has also been seen across the pond in Quebec, Canada at a Tour de Bloc bouldering comp hosted at the Action Directe climbing gym.

So, should gyms around the World take up selling their wall space? Well, since Scarpa signed on to sponsor Climbing Works’ circuits and walls Bishton tells us, “We have already been approached by other sponsors who want their own circuits. It is an awesome marketing tool for sponsors who can post online topos for the circuit, tips and tricks [and] beta videos for specific problems.”

For those gyms getting ready to struggle through another summer, selling billboard space in your gym might be a good alternative to swarms of bratty kids at summer camp.

But in a day when advertising is inescapable and permeates every part of our lives, do we really want it in that most sacred of places, our climbing gyms?

As for me, I’m for anything that might get more people into gyms and help off-set the high cost of operation; namely paying setters!

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