Jory Kusy was looking for a way to get fit when he first walked through the doors of Alpine Climbing Fitness Adventures in Ripon.
He found that and more given the core business may be climbing and fitness but it also offers social aspects such as game nights.
“It’s a full body exercise that uses muscles in different ways than just one set of muscles as with deadlifting,” Kusy said.
Alpine Climbing Adventure Fitness is marking its fifth year on Saturday, April 18, with an open house from 4 to 9 p.m.
The 16,500 square foot indoor and fitness facility is at 1450 Garrison Way is visible to the west from Highway 99 south of the large Ripon water tower near the Jack Tone Road interchange.
Those new to climbing will find plenty of enthusiastic members offering to help you to learn.
And you will find out like Kusy did that climbing is more than physical.
“It’s more than your body, it’s mental” he said. “You approach routes as if you’re trying to solve a puzzle.”
The gym offers over 250 climbing routes and walls reaching heights of up to 55 feet.
Routes are reset weekly by Alpine’s route setting team to provide fresh challenges for climbers of all skill levels.
The facility supports multiple climbing disciplines including sport climbing (lead climbing), top rope climbing, and bouldering.
Alpine also includes an Adventure Center area equipped with Perfect Descent auto belay systems.
They offer various classes for all ages, abilities.
Kusy noted the youngest this past week was a young child that met the 35 pound minimum requirement as well as a woman in her 80s.
Amenities include an outdoor patio, snacks available for purchase, seating areas throughout the gym, work bar with outlets for laptops, lockers in restrooms, small lockers in climbing area, showers in restrooms, water fountains and bottle filling stations, climate controlled facility, upstairs viewing area overlooking the gym, and a private party room.
There are also gear rentals and a pro shop.
“We were inspired to open Alpine because of what climbing has done and continues to do in people’s lives,” said Jonathan Meek, co-founder of Alpine: Climbing Adventure Fitness, along with his wife Andrea.
“The Central Valley is often overlooked compared to the Bay Area, and we wanted to bring a modern, world-class facility here.”