Rob Hardin / Chief Photographer / rh124104@ohiou.edu

Kate Campbell scales a wall inside Solutions Rock Gym, 24 E. State St., on Tuesday.  The gym focuses on rope-free bouldering.

For seven years, Jaime and Tim Rice have spanned the country in search of vertical landscapes to conquer. And now they are looking for something different. 

The couple owns and operates Solutions Rock Gym, Athens’ first indoor rock climbing gym, located at 24 E. State St., which opened in May. The idea of bringing indoor rock climbing to the Athens area and its “well established climbing community” made sense, Jaime Rice said. 

The gym specializes in bouldering — a unique and liberated form of rock climbing that is done without the assistance of a rope. Instead, climbers test their strength as they freely scale the walls with a crash pad waiting below to cushion a fall.

Bouldering helps condition climbers, and it is a good form of strength training, said Dan Vorisek, assistant director of outdoor pursuits at Ohio University.

But don’t let no-rope rock climbing fool you into thinking you have to be a rock climbing pro. Solutions Rock Gym welcomes climbers of all ages and all skill levels and offers lessons for less experienced climbers.

Rice and her husband also head guided trips to local outdoor rock climbing hotspots, such as Sells Park, located off East State Street.

Both OU alumni with degrees in adventure recreation and outdoor education, Jaime and Tim Rice planned to bring alternative forms of exercise to all Athenian adrenaline junkies.

The couple has ascended the heights of Las Vegas’ Red Rock Climbing Center and conquered Rocktown, Ga., an outdoor venue known for its intense sandstone bouldering routes. But they hope Athens is next on the list for themselves and others.

While Ping Center caters to the needs of OU students, Jaime Rice sees a definite need for a more accessible alternative.
Ping’s rock wall is free for students and membership holders. Faculty and un-enrolled students and adults pay $6 and $7.50, respectively.

At Solutions Rock Gym, a daily pass runs $6 for children and students and $7 for adults. They also offer long-term memberships.

The gym, which opened with a climbing competition open to the public, has already experienced great success, Jaime Rice said. The turn out has been exceptionally good considering the majority of the gym’s promotion has been by word of mouth.

On the gym’s opening day, a man in his early 30s greeted her with enthusiasm, Rice recalled.
“I’ve been waiting six years for a place like this to open,” the man told her.