Centre County’s only rock climbing gym to close after 6 years in business
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Climb Nittany announced its closure effective 6 p.m. Sunday, May 31, 2026.
- Owners cited unsustainable occupancy costs and exhausted restructuring options.
- Prorated refunds and punch pass, summer camp and youth class reimbursements have started.
After six years in business, Centre County’s only rock climbing gym announced it plans to close its doors at the end of the month.
Climb Nittany, located at 328 Discovery Drive in Boalsburg, made the announcement Sunday on its Instagram and Facebook pages. The posts garnered hundreds of combined reactions and comments from disappointed customers and area residents, with some calling for solutions to keep the space open.
Climb Nittany wrote that the closure is necessary after “exhausting every restructuring option” in the face of unsustainable occupancy costs. The gym will close for the last time at 6 p.m. Sunday, May 31.
“We didn’t make this decision lightly,” the post reads. “To every person who ever pulled on a hold, belayed a nervous first-timer, brought their kid to camp or just needed somewhere to go after a long day — thank you. You are the reason Climb Nittany mattered. Come climb with us one last time.”
Climb Nittany opened in October 2020, offering rope climbing, bouldering, a training area, advanced movement workshops and classes on belaying, rappelling, lead climbing technique and more.
Over the years, the gym grew into a space beloved by its customers, as indicated by the several who left heartfelt comments on the Instagram and Facebook posts. Then-manager Michael Molony told the CDT in 2020 that the gym filled a recreational hole in the area, bringing together dozens of local climbers that wouldn’t have had the opportunity to meet without Climb Nittany.
While there are climbing walls at the Penn State Intramural Building, 679 Curtin Road, and at the State College YMCA, 677 W. Whitehall Road, once Climb Nittany closes, the next-closest dedicated rock climbing gym is Boulders and Bubbles in Northumberland County, about an hour and 10 minutes away.
Many commenters on both the Instagram and Facebook posts have suggested ways to save the gym from closing, such as starting a GoFundMe, or exploring if it could be taken over by the State College YMCA or Centre Region Parks and Recreation, although an official effort to save the gym has yet to be launched.
“What can we do as a community to keep the gym open?” one Facebook commenter wrote. “It’s one of the places that connects our children to State College, a great place which has a significant impact on people of all ages.”
Moving forward, Climb Nittany shared in the posts that route setting stopped immediately, and that the routes currently on the climbing walls are the last sets that visitors will experience. It was also shared that refunds would be given for various purchased services.
Those who purchased an annual climbing pass will receive a prorated refund for unused climbing time, punch pass refunds will be processed and distributed by Tuesday, June 2 and summer camp refunds began on Sunday. Additionally, all youth class memberships were cancelled after each class’s last session and charges for month memberships were halted Sunday.
Until its closure, Climb Nittany will operate under its regular hours — closed Mondays, and open from noon to 10 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 3-10 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
More information on the gym’s closure and future plans will be shared on its Instagram and Facebook pages, and on its website at www.5.life/climbnittany.
