From the outside, California Climbing Collective doesn’t look like much. Two roll-up garage doors flank an unmarked gray entrance, all of which sit under a row of second-floor windows. But this unassuming SoMa facade hides an exciting development for the city’s robust climbing community.
Owners Summer Bombard and Radu Popescu opened the doors Oct. 11, when enthusiasts celebrated with free climbs, a DJ, and stick-and-poke tattoos. Bombard and Popescu signed the lease at 1264 Folsom St. in summer 2023. They’ve been using the location to train and practice with their competitive youth climbing team, while getting the gym ready for the public. For now, it’s open only for those with memberships or a punch pass. Day passes will be available starting next month.
Bombard climbs at CCC.
Memberships cost $79 per month, and day passes will be $25 — substantially lower than other climbing gyms in the area. Right now, CCC is open 3 to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the weekends. In early December, Bombard and Popescu hope to expand hours to 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on the weekdays and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the weekends.
Both owners are coaches and routesetters who, after working at other gyms in the Bay Area, decided to start their own — a place they hope will ditch the strict structures of large corporate gyms. “There’s no pre-existing expectations; you get to set the tone,” Popescu says. “That was a big driving factor of all of this: starting from scratch and bringing our experience of what worked and what didn’t work.”
Despite the popularity of rock climbing, small, independent gyms have become rare in San Francisco; the last one to open, Benchmark Climbing on Van Ness, debuted in 2021. Unlike Movement in the Presidio and Mission Cliffs, which are owned by national chains, CCC is funded entirely by its founders and the community they’ve built. “Myself and my business partner put all of our life savings, and his family has put a lot in,” Bombard says. “I think in the end, it’s going to create the type of community that we want.”
Bombard and Popescu with the gym’s unofficial mascot, Bernie.
A spray wall, designed for training.
Bombard and Popescu are deeply rooted in the local scene; both grew up in the Bay Area climbing at the Touchstone and Movement gyms. Bombard says she wanted to create the kind of safe, comfortable place she didn’t always feel she had growing up. “There were not a lot of coaches or routesetters in the entire Bay Area that were women,” she says. “So that frustration with the industry — not really feeling like it was a super safe or comfortable place for these kids that I really cared about to be growing up in — definitely propelled me.”
Compared to other gyms, CCC feels much more homey and local. Just past the entryway is the spray wall, used for training and covered in colorful holds. This is where you’re most likely to find the gym’s unofficial mascot, Bombard’s dog, Bernie, named for Bernie Sanders. Past the spray wall, climbers enter the bouldering area, where the walls reach a height of around 16 feet. Eventually, the owners plan to install autobelays, rope climbing systems that allow for solo workouts, so members can do endurance training. Upstairs is the workout and sitting area, with couches and weight racks; Bombard says they’ll be adding hangboards, a climbing-specific tool to train finger strength, as well as a stretching area and cardio equipment. There’s even a small area where members can work, complete with outlets and Wi-Fi.
Unlike most gyms, CCC does not grade its climbs, a decision that Bombard says eliminates some of the ego on display elsewhere. “People don’t seem afraid of trying and failing at anything, which is kind of the whole point of not having grades,” Bombard says. In the absence of grades, the owners encourage climbers to ask staff for recommendations; all are routesetters and coaches who have between six and 15 years of experience.
Most of the climbs are “competition style,” a designation that usually makes climbers picture large jumps and dynamic moves. CCC has plenty of these, but Bombard explains that’s just one aspect of competition climbing. “We also just have a lot of funk and confusing climbs, stuff that is supposed to be not physically difficult but just ask you a lot of different types of questions,” she says. “I think that’s a huge difference between us and most of the other commercial gyms.”
Because of these differences, Bombard says they’ve realized they’re going to need to offer classes to introduce people to new climbing styles and features. So far, CCC has about 150 members, many of whom are newer climbers and live in the neighborhood. “A lot of people have tried climbing a little bit, but the other gyms are really busy and really intimidating,” Bombard says. “I think people are liking the vibes.”
Bombard and Popescu are excited to be bringing something new to the Bay Area’s climbing scene. “I think what’s going to make a huge difference here is encouraging the mentality of not wearing your headphones and being part of the community,” she says.
Popescu agrees, adding that he hopes that, at the very least, people will give CCC a shot. “I’m excited for more people to decide for themselves if it’s for them or not.”
California Climbing CollectiveDate and time3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday