Reaching New Heights
After five years in the Indianapolis community, North Mass Boulder has completed its much-anticipated facility expansion. On top of its existing bouldering area, weight training section, group fitness and yoga studios and coworking café, it is adding 6,000 square feet for the community to enjoy.
According to North Mass Boulder Co-Founder and CEO Elliott Steward, the expansion includes an outdoor courtyard for events and socializing, a larger group fitness studio to fit up to 40 people comfortably, a new Tension Board 2 climbing board and a myriad of new strength training and cardio machines. Steward hopes this expansion will allow more members and guests to have a better experience and feel more included as they find space for their workout.
“We build the bones, but people really put the soul into the body of what this place is,” Steward says. “So getting them to actually get their hands on it, move equipment around, get their feedback on how they liked the space, how they would change it themselves, and dialing it in for how the community wants to use it. I think that’s a really exciting part of it.”
North Mass Boulder was started by three lifelong buddies — Elliott Steward, Zach Donovan and Colt Reichart — to ultimately bring people together through movement in Indianapolis. Steward came up with the idea in a Patagonia job interview after being asked what the best part of his day is. He immediately thought of the climbing gym he went to every day where he built all kinds of relationships with people around his daily fitness routine.
“That’s what really energizes me — some people I don’t even know their names,” Steward says. “I just know their faces and we know each other because we see each other, and we connect around the same thing. We connect through this form of movement.”
Steward lived in Seattle, Wash., at the time but grew up in Indianapolis and asked why his community there didn’t have a place like his Seattle gym. So in 2016, he decided he would open a gym in Indianapolis and give the community what he wished he had growing up. He partnered with Donovan and Reichart to ultimately build North Mass Boulder.
More than fitness, North Mass Boulder has many other sub-communities as part of its fabric. It often hosts events like karaoke, knitting and bingo nights. Even more specific interests make an appearance, such as events for making lures for fly fishing or rolling stamps. Steward strongly encourages people to check out its Instagram page to see how they can connect in their own way and find their people. If people have a new way they want to connect or a different type of club or event they want to see, North Mass wants to hear about it.
“If we’re lucky, and we get to live a long life, hopefully we have four or five big passions in our lifetime that we get to flex into and lean into and get to really see a unique and new side of who we are through those passions and learn something about ourselves and hopefully make the people around us better in the process,” Steward says.
On April 11, North Mass is putting on one of its biggest events, “Grip Fest,” a day where people can come and demo close to 100 different types of climbing shoes from different vendors. It is also hosting Kilter Board and Tension Board 2 climbing wall competitions with prizes. Even if people only come to climb, they can purchase $10 day passes available that day.
North Mass is also now offering its new “7-Day Pass.” For $20, new members get full access to the facility plus access to all classes offered for that week. The pass is for those who’ve never used the space before and for those who haven’t been a member in a while.
Steward encourages the Indianapolis community to try out the “7-Day Pass” or attend “Grip Fest” if they want to check out the newly expanded space, are interested in climbing or are looking to join a new community.
“A really heartfelt ask — if you like our place, tell your friends and your family to come check us out with you, and then also if you’ve never been in, now’s the time!” Steward says. “We’re a safe place for you to connect with moving your body. We love seeing new faces come in, so come check us out.”
North Mass Boulder is open daily from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. at 1411 Roosevelt Ave. in Indianapolis. For more information, visit northmassboulder.com. To stay updated on everything going on there, follow its Instagram page @northmassboulder.
