By Ben McCarthy
After beginning construction back in the winter, Mark and Holly Messner are looking to get the doors at their Rendezvous Climbing Gym open and climbers off the ground this weekend.
Holly, a teacher at Center Middle School, and Mark, a former educator, say that the doors at the former OfficeMax location (13124 State Line Road) have officially opened and will celebrate its grand opening on Friday, June 28, at noon.
The building, closed since 2018, began leasing to the Messners in August, with an aim to turn it into a space for climbers of all ages and experience levels. Climbers will have access seven days a week to ‘bouldering’ (a type of rock climbing that doesn’t require ropes or harnesses) across the gym’s 150 different wall routes. Mark says he personally selected 4000 different climbing hold pieces (at a cost of about $80,000) to place along the walls and give climbers unique challenges.
“It’s going to be a fun place for groups, or couples (with or without kids),” Mark said. “It’s a great way to keep kids active, maybe just to get them out of the heat during the summer months but keep them active.”
Messner says, “Everyone who comes in has to go through training on how to fall properly before we let them go.”
That falling technique looks a lot like how professional wrestlers land on their backs in the wrestling ring. Climbers at Rendezvous will land on a 15-inch thick memory foam landing pad that will absorb that impact, even if they descend rapidly from the summit of the gym’s 16 foot high walls.
The two educators hope to find partnerships with surrounding school districts next year to bring students in and showcase the different mental and physical benefits climbing offers.
Rendezvous will be open 10am to 10pm, Monday through Saturday, and 10am to 4pm on Sundays. Costs vary, starting at $65 per visit, but individual and family package memberships start at $75 per month. For more information, visit http://www.rendezvouskc.com
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