About Us (updated 2024)
OUR DRIVE
We are driven to create climbing products because we firmly believe that climbing has the ability to better lives.
Escape Climbing is a purpose-driven organization committed to our mission of promoting a healthy lifestyle. As climbers, we believe the best way to achieve this is by sharing our passion for the sport of climbing. Our vision is simple: to get Every Hand On A Hold (EHOAH) by growing and supporting the climbing community through the products we make. We are dedicated to this mission and vision because we have experienced firsthand the physical, mental, social, and emotional benefits that climbing provides.
To get every hand on a hold, we focus on one thing and one thing only—climbing. We serve one culture—the climbing culture. We have one political and social agenda—climbing. In a fragmented and divided world, climbing rises above, providing common ground through a shared passion. It unites people who might otherwise only see their differences, building connections through a common pursuit.
Rock climbing often feels transformative because it taps into our very design. We are designed to move, be creative, solve problems, trust others, and engage in community. Climbing enriches lives because it does all of this, and we want to share that experience with as many people as possible.
For those who venture outdoors, the climbing experience goes even further. Climbing brings us into environments where we can experience natural beauty, explore cliffs, and connect with something greater than ourselves. It has a unique way of making us feel small in the best possible sense. Climbing on a cliff, surrounded by vast landscapes, we are reminded of our place in something much bigger.
We are here to support the climbing journey for every climber, at every level, through the products we make.
PRODUCT CREATION
How we create our products is just as important as the products themselves. Here are the two most crucial factors we focus on:
In-House Manufacturing: We aim to produce as much as possible in our 24,000-square-foot facility. Our in-house manufacturing is fine-tuned to produce climbing holds, wall panels, volumes, training products, and custom pad sewing. This approach allows us to maintain superior quality, competitive pricing, and quick turnaround times while also supporting manufacturing jobs here in the USA. However, to offer even more value, we partner with both domestic and international manufacturers for products we can’t make in-house—whether due to cost or tooling. Our hardware is a perfect example; we excel at designing it and then work closely with our partners to produce it to our exact specifications.
Sustainability: The impact of what we do is a constant focus for every employee at Escape. We understand that sustainability is an ongoing journey, not a final destination. Every decision we make either brings us closer to becoming more sustainable or adds to our environmental footprint.
We take pride in every achievement, big or small. Whether it’s an employee reducing scrap in a process or repurposing materials that would otherwise go to waste, these small wins add up over time, much like saving a few dollars each day compounds into significant savings. Across our team of approximately 20, these collective efforts lead to a meaningful impact.
At the same time, we are committed to pursuing larger sustainability goals. We’ve made substantial investments in our facility, which is fully powered by solar energy and features a stormwater and rain garden system to manage runoff responsibly.
For more details, check out our [Sustainability Report here].
OUR HISTORY
Design and a passion for climbing have been at the heart of Escape since day one. It all began when Ryan fell in love with climbing in an area with no access to the sport. This challenge drove him to apply his design skills, leading to the creation of climbing holds and the building of a community wall and climbing space in his parents' barn in north-central Wisconsin in the early 2000s.
That first project underscored the importance of high-quality holds—not just for enhancing the climbing experience, but for improving technique and learning new moves. This realization sparked a relentless drive to offer route setters more variety and options.
For years, Ryan continued making holds in his spare time while managing setting crews at Vertical Endeavors in Saint Paul, MN, where he met his business partner, Richard. In 2012, they took the leap and dedicated themselves to running Escape Climbing full-time. Initially, the focus was on climbing holds, hardware, and training tools. As Escape grew, we acquired several climbing hold brands to expand our offerings.
By 2018, Ryan and Richard realized that to better serve our customers, they needed to apply their expertise beyond holds, hardware, and training products. They turned their attention to sourcing and designing essential climbing gear such as chalk, apparel, and crash pads—areas where they saw opportunities to add value in the industry.
From the start, they knew that staying true to their climbing-focused vision meant remaining a family-owned business, run by the two original partners who founded it. This decision is especially important in an industry where many competitors have been acquired by private equity or investment groups, often leading to a shift in priorities—from enhancing the climbing experience to maximizing profits. We are grateful that our founders, who are climbers themselves, still own the business and prioritize keeping our mission and values intact.
WHAT’S NEXTAs we continue to expand our offerings and advance the technology behind our climbing holds, volumes, and training tools, we aim to leverage the same design expertise, climbing knowledge, and passion for better gear to create technical clothing, packs, and other climbing essentials—always with climbers at the center of our focus.