Inside of Earth Treks Timonium, a quaint office hides beneath towering overhangs. This workplace contains everything one might expect a gym office to hold, save one detail. High above the computers and copiers, a huge message is written on the wall; a message that reminds ET's staff of the company's one and only mission. In ten-inch letters, it simply reads, "Share our passion for climbing," and that's precisely what Earth Treks Timonium does.

Built in 2002, ET Timonium set a new standard for what an American climbing gym ought to be. Having already found success in nearby Columbia, Maryland, owner Chris Warner had a vision of creating more than just another gym. He wanted a forum; an enormous gymnasium designed to take American climbing to the next level. Moving beyond pure square footage, Timonium was designed to support the climbing community both locally and nationally.

Nearly every stance in the giant gym yields a perfect view of the bouldering, lead climbing, and top-roping areas. As beginners learn to belay in one of three upstairs teaching areas, they are awarded with a front and center view of the 55 feet high, 20 feet overhung lead wall. Birthday party goers also share the higher mezzanine and often take breaks by gawking at the displays of animal strength inside the huge bouldering cave. This 16-foot cave is loaded with steep terrain and its horseshoe shape transitions into the lead wall so subtly that knuckle draggers are often found bouldering hard routes to the first clip. Those who dare tie in and tackle the lead wall are rewarded with hoots and hollers from the front desk staff below. The gym's remarkable visibility, spacious and open feel, and consistent steepness make it a first choice destination for larger than life events.

Even though Earth Treks Timonium has some pretty impressive dimensions, the community of ET climbers seems to be the company's pride and joy. A suburb of Baltimore, Timonium is at least four hours from any climbing worth writing home about. Notwithstanding, Timonium has established a population of climbers that seems to supersede the ordinary. Aside from being the home gym of some seriously strong athletes, ET Timonium has a genuine feel of camaraderie and acceptance (think Cheers with burritos instead of beers). Steel bar stools with climbing hold seats surround the climbing areas and an espresso bar hisses through the night. Many of ET's patrons arrive at the gym on rest days with no intention of climbing whatsoever. Some quietly sip coffee and tackle their homework while others hang around and cheer on climbers working their projects. On weekends, the parking lot is abnormally full from climbers using Timonium as a rally point for carpools to the Gunks or New River Gorge.

While drivability to out-of-state crags motivates ET climbers, the Timonium community has become so tightly knit that the gym has become a destination in and of itself. Climbers often train in the gym's weight room or cutting edge campus room in hopes to send their indoor projects. Big sends are celebrated and enjoyed in a way somewhat atypical of an old-school gym. Whenever a climber cries out on the verge of sending, the whole gym seems to drop what they're doing and shout words of encouragement. Timonium climbers don't climb at ET to train for climbing elsewhere; many simply climb because the gym inspires them to improve.

These climbers drive ET's programming to new levels through exclusive privileges like members only clinics and infamous after-hours festivities. Each December, Earth Treks invites its members to the gym after-hours for its biggest non-climbing bash. The annual holiday party overflows with hundreds of members, each bringing their foods and spirits of choice. ET executives plan months ahead by spearing the word, decorating the gym, and lining up beer sponsors while former counselors turned ET staffers dig deep into their bag of facilitation games. In years past, climbers were entertained by rousing (and surprisingly competitive) contests like bobbing for 'biners, gym stretching tyrolean traverses, human powered catapults, and slack line obstacle courses. The party is a celebration of each year's successes, both inside and outside the company.

Despite all the day-to-day happenings and annual shindigs, the strength of this community truly shined its brightest in May of 2004 when Timonium hosted the second Petzl Rock Comp. A full weekend event, the comp consisted of a professional bouldering showdown, a huge citizens comp comprised of over 250 competitors from around the nation, and hilarious slideshows from Jason Kehl and Timmy O'Neil. A dramatic pro final packed in over 700 spectators, all of whom were overwhelmed by three enormous big screen projectors and 40 finalists battling for thousands in cash. Finals competitors included uber-pros such as Chris Sharma, Stephen Jefferys, and Lisa Rands as well as local favorites like Charlotte Jouett and Matt Bosley. Not accustom to packing up early and getting a good night's rest, ET then threw an insane Red Bull after-party that raved straight into Monday. After all the dust settled, few could disagree that ET had thrown one the biggest and most successful comps in American history.

So how did ET Timonium build such a following? The secret of ET's success lies within its core foundation: the staff. Earth Treks employs over 30 full time staff and dozens of part timers, all of whom pride themselves in ET's simple mission. Drawn from all over the country, Earth Treks' staff is exceptionally devoted to the company as well as climbing. The owner is a world class mountaineer, the route setter and retail assistant are pro climbers, the instructional staff has experience on five continents within every genre of climbing, the executives are all former dirt bag trad climbers, and even the front desk staff is comprised of some serious athletes. The fact that ET has been able to bring all these folks out of their vans and rock climbing Meccas and into Eastern Maryland is a true testament to the gym's power.

This strong foundation is what allows Earth Treks to reach deeper into the climbing community through ETCH, an upstart climbing hold manufacturer tucked away in a small warehouse behind the gym. ETCH was founded by former ET route setter Ben Montgomery and is quickly becoming a serious competitor in the hold industry. Along with Timonium's current route setter Matt Bosley, Ben uses Earth Treks Timonium as a proving ground for new shapes and tweaks. The members certainly don't seem to mind cranking on new holds before they hit the market and the ETCH team can get instant feedback on recent experiments. ETCH's proximity to the gym has also given Ben the opportunity to throw pros an indoor curve ball by unveiling new shapes as critical holds in finals problems. All in all, ETCH has given the ET community a sense of pride and ownership rarely found in other gyms.

The success of ET Columbia and Timonium along with ETCH has provoked the powers that be to build a third Earth Treks in Rockville, Maryland. Opening in late 2005, Rockville seems to be the talk of the town within the ET community. While Rockville won't quite match Timonium's huge and spacious dimensions, it will boast an oversized bouldering area, two leadable arches, and tons of top-roping. If Timonium is the ET forum, then Rockville will be its finest training crag. Not to be outdone, Rockville will have an edge Timonium can't quite match. Despite its smaller housing, in terms of pure climbable terrain, Rockville will actually be ET's largest gym. Unlike Timonium's straight forward and powerful lines, Rockville will feature intricate, cutting edge surfaces designed to usher in a new era of indoor climbing facilities. After building two benchmark gyms by hand, the ET staff is confident that Rockville will raise the bar Timonium set only a few years ago. With that in mind, Earth Treks has expanded multi-gym membership plans in hopes that the Rockville, Timonium, and Columbia communities will all share their passion for the sport together.

Despite its distance from famous crags, Earth Treks has always remained true to its outdoor roots. Originally founded in 1992, ET was strictly an outdoor guide service until '97 when the Columbia gym first opened. Today, Timonium honors this heredity by offering a full spectrum of outdoor courses. Partnered with its sister gym, Timonium runs beginner courses near the Maryland and Virginia border, teaches multi-pitch seminars at Seneca Rocks, West Virginia, ice climbing weekends in upstate New York, and international mountaineering expeditions in five countries. While ET Timonium has a serious vibe of new school power climbing, many employees and members actively search the outdoors for new environments and inspiring learning experiences.

A great community, expert staff, notorious parties, huge comps, and even bigger walls have made Earth Treks Timonium a true indoor destination. Next time you visit Baltimore, hop on the light rail from downtown and ride to Timonium. Once the train stops you're literally a rope length from a cutting edge gym eager to push climbing to its next level. Walk in, cruise the retail area, gun for the lip of the bouldering cave, survive the pump fest of steep, towering walls, or simply have a cup of coffee and enjoy the show. But be careful, you may quickly find yourself deep in a community of friendly, passionate climbers that you simply won't want to leave.

Enlarge
Ben Montgomery, the man behind ETCH. Photo: Courtesy ETCC

Enlarge

Wide. Open. Steep. High. Photo: Courtesy ETCC

Enlarge

The scene between sends. Photo: Courtesy ETCC

NAME
ADDRESS 1
ADDRESS 2
CITY
STATE & ZIP
EMAIL (req)

NAME
ADDRESS
ADDRESS 2
CITY
STATE & ZIP
EMAIL (req)