Many people in the indoor world ask, “What is the future of indoor climbing?” Well the answer might just be in Riverside, California at Thresh Hold Climbing Gym.

Dale Partridge, the man behind Thresh Hold is trying to break the dusty mold of American climbing gyms by incorporating health club attributes with dance club personality, the gym is on track to take over So Cal climbing and possibly the industry.

Routesetter.com tracked down Dale to find out how to make stronger climbers, why 20 foot top-outs aren’t scary and why he’s graced by God.

RS.com: 20 foot top-out boulders! Is that for real?
DP: Ya we have the country’s only collection of high ball mantling boulders. Our centerpiece boulder is 19.8FT, our Mid boulder is 15.8 FT and the rest of the gym ranges from 12-15FT. Our centerpiece high ball has got to be the best indoor bouldering training wall around. Our members are already sending much harder and we’ve only been open for 8 weeks.

RS.com: Tell me about the thought process behind 20 foot top-outs? Most people would consider that too high for the average gym climber. Are you worried about injury or under-use of the boulder?

DP: We figured most outdoor bouldering was higher than the often seen 12ft bouldering of most gyms. So cal hosts a huge palette of high ball bouldering from Bishop and the Tram to Black Mountain and J-Tree. We surprisingly have quite a bit of climbers on that wall. Since we only set V3 and up it seems to be a motivator for novice climbers. We have a raised floor under the boulder so the biggest fall you could take is only 10ft.

RS.com: With top-outs like that why have the token top-rope sector?
DP: We still have top rope and lead sections ranging from 26-32 ft High with routes as long as 55 feet long.

RS.com: Who is your head setter?
DP: Our Head route setter is Dominic Palermo but the setting system is managed by our GM Doug Dickens.
As for other route setters we have world renowned route climber Alan Moore and hardcore So Cal boulderer Joe Morgan as well as a handful of other strong climbers.

RS.com: Many managers have a hard time finding talented setters. How did you find Dominic Palermo and your GM?

DP: Gifts from God. If you build it they will come.

RS.com: You mentioned that the Thresh Hold climbers are sending harder then ever. Why do you think this is the case?

DP: Our walls are steep, are routes are changed systematically, and we have designated employees on the gym floor helping climbers with beta.

RS.com: How many problems and routes in the gym?
DP: As of now we have 155 Boulder problems and 42 routes but we still have some open spaces.

RS.com: What kind of route turnover do you have?
DP: We have a strict six-week turnover unless otherwise suggested by our members through our route suggestion book located at the front desk. We broke the gym into sections and new problems go up just about every day.

RS.com: I heard a rumor that Alan Ruck is an investor in the gym. How did “Cameron” (“Cameron” from Ferris Bullers Day Off) get involved with putting up climbing gyms?
DP: Ya not people know how big of a climber Alan really is but he recently sent many famous routes on the American wall up in Yosemite with my other partner Brady Bluhm (the blind kid from the movie Dumb & Dumber) they have done many movies together in the past and that is how the relationship began.

RS.com: How many sq feet of climbing does Thresh Hold have?
DP: We have 8200 square feet total and may have plans to add in the future. But our big mission is to saturate So Cal. We have 19 more gyms in the future. Watch out climbing gym industry here we come.

RS.com: Expanding to 19 gyms is a bold leap forward. How fast do you plan to expand? Can the So Cal market really handle that many gyms? Any plans to move beyond So Cal?

DP: It is a lofty goal. We have the backing to do so. We just want to make sure we take our time to do it right. The market is always changing so were not sure where they are all going but we do have a steady plan for the future, and I will say its aggressive.

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