Revolutionizing Indoor Climbing

The beginnings

At DevZone, we have always been captivated by innovative startups with promising concepts and unwavering enthusiasm. One such collaboration that stands out is our partnership with Clift Climbing. Back in 2019, when we first met with the Clift team, we were immediately drawn to their vision and passion for transforming the indoor climbing experience.

Clift Climbing has been leading in providing digital routes for indoor climbing gyms for a while now – let’s jump into the story of Clift, their evolution over the past few years, and their ambitious plans for the future, unfolded by Andras, the co-founder of Clift. Currently, Clift has routes in indoor climbing gyms in 15 locations across 8 countries, and their goal is to expand their presence in the USA and potentially other continents and countries. However, let’s not rush ahead; let’s start from the beginning.

The idea of Clift originates from a research project in 2016, which was the spark of the concept. Andras got into the world of climbing and later saw the pain points of climbing gyms, including the trouble of rebuilding routes that require a professional team, not to mention the loss of profit when the wall is down – these are all the problems that Clift offers a solution to. After realizing the issues of the gyms, the idea was conceptualized, and the innovation of the new system began to take shape. As they have been working on the project, they have come to the conclusion that it would be beneficial for climbers to be able to track their performance and progress through a mobile application.

“If we’re going to incorporate LEDs into the routes, why not use them to measure the performance of the climber?”

A year later, in 2017, they developed a measuring technology and a prototype. Briefly, the new system provides four main characteristics:

1. Sensors to measure the climbing ability
2. Attached magnet, which snaps onto the back of the hold
3. LED lights
4. Mobile application and climbing backend software

In 2019-2020 DevZone came into the picture as a key partner to help deliver the product. Our two main contributions included working on the backend of the system as well as developing the mobile application, which was mainly a Native-Flutter application for both iOS and Android. DevZone worked on establishing and perfecting the backend system of the application to ensure its smooth and steady operation.

What sets Clift Climbing apart?

First, they operate in a B2B2C model, meaning that their clients are climbing gym owners, but at the end of the day, climbers are the end-users of the routes who will use the climbing routes and the mobile application. For climbing gym owners, there are a few advantages to consider if choosing Clift, for example:

• Gym owners can save a lot by not having to build physical routes by replacing classic routing with LEDs
• On the backend interface, you can find out statistics, such as the operator dashboard, and data collection on climbers’ habits

Eventually, climbers are the ones who are using the routes. What can Clift offer them?

• A significantly much better climbing experience
• The possibility to measure their performance, so they can learn how to be better climbers
• A unique and a one of a kind combination of bringing the measurement systems of elite athletes into the recreational scene of everyday athletes

Additionally, the app has extra features from which both climbers and gym owners can reap the benefits. Gym owners can create an online competition through the app; climbers can compete with each other without having to be at the same gym. A recent challenge was reaching 800 meters, which had to be collected in 1 month, and the points collected were used to compete with each other. Exciting prizes, such as climbing gear and accessories, await the lucky winners, enhancing their climbing experiences further.

However, Clift’s most significant and unique benefit is their commitment to providing the best application for climbers – their priorities lay in customer satisfaction and making climbing the best user experience.

What does the future hold for Clift?

Since wall climbing became an official Olympic sport following the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, there has been a surge of interest in the sport, particularly in Asian countries, especially Japan. Due to this, Clift has been strategizing their expansion into Asia to seize this opportunity. As Andras pointed out, they have many new product ideas in store, both in the app and on the hardware side, that build on the core technology. Also, they aim for the Olympics, which will be held in 2024 in Paris.

As they continue to soar to new heights, we are proud to be their dedicated software support partner, providing them with the technical support and assistance they need to achieve their goals. We look forward to the future and the exciting innovations that Clift Climbing has in store, and we wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors!

Have a look at their website here:

https://www.cliftclimbing.com