Founder Spotlight | January 2024 Newsletter

Aloha Maui Climbers!

Happy New Year and welcome to this second newsletter where I'll bring you up to date on everything that's happening at Aloha Rock Gym (ARG), Maui's first indoor climbing facility. 

A lot has happened since we touched base in October.

Aloha Rock Gym world headquarters — 72 Lauo Loop directly adjacent to the Costco gas station — is under construction. After months of moving heavy dirt and rocks, our developers are now pouring concrete foundation for the building — a major milestone that quite literally cements a promising future for our climbers. We are incredibly excited about the modern climbing wall designs we have drafted with Walltopia, the world's #1 climbing wall manufacturer to bring over 8,000 square feet of roped climbing and bouldering with 38-foot ceilings to Maui. Despite delays caused by the wildfires etc., we're on track to have our doors open late summer 2024.

We're not the first people to dream about bringing a climbing gym to Maui and it wasn't easy. We've worked for many years to make this happen and it has taken a dedicated team of pros. As we continue rolling out newsletters, I will be introducing you to the founding team of Aloha Rock Gym. For today, meet Aloha Rock Gym's director of youth programming and chief route setter, Tyler Dail.

TYLER DAIL, 29, has a killer mustache and laughs a lot. He's a brush artist that paints and sells octopi, whales and portraits among other things. He also drives Uber, trims coconut trees, and just quit a job at a coffee shop. In other words, he's 29 years old and trying to make a living on Maui.

Tyler grew up in Utah and discovered climbing at 13 when he and his friends "got hold of a climbing book and pretty much winged it outside." Soon they discovered a nearby indoor climbing gym and "got hooked."

"I climbed at my local gym, Momentum, for my whole life," Tyler told me. "That's where I met my best friends and fell in love with climbing. I never realized how much climbing can change you not only physically, but emotionally and even spiritually as well."  

Tyler parlayed his love of climbing into frequent gigs with Momentum working everything from front desk staff, to assistant coach to hold washer/wall stripper, manager, head coach, and route setter.

Setting: Tyler has set for national youth competitions and has his USA Climbing route-setting certification. He cites Shannon Cornellier, Momentum's celebrated head route setter, as his route-setting mentor.

Coaching: Before moving to Maui, Tyler was head coach at the Momentum Sandy gym.

"It's what I want to do," Tyler said of coaching. "I loved seeing the students' progression, the problem solving, unlocking sequences. I saw myself in them, the same stoke, and that's when I realized I'm not just a coach but a mentor. And suddenly my journey as a climber was not as important. I realized, I don't even need to climb anymore to be fulfilled and happy."

Qs for Tyler Dail

Year you moved to Maui:  

2019

Why you moved to Maui:

To see if this vision of opening a climbing gym could come true.

Your experience of Maui:  

Absolutely amazing and life-changing.  I've met friends who I can truly call family and feel how tight-knit the climbing community is here.

Your vision:  

My vision for Aloha Rock Gym is to see a community come together and make lasting friendships and family while at the same time promoting a healthy lifestyle.  I want to be a mentor and help the youth down positive paths. I want to bring something to Maui that will be authentic and beautiful.

In short, Tyler embodies what all the founders envision for Aloha Rock Gym. I'm so grateful to have a highly experienced route setter and coach on our team.

That's it for now. I'll profile another member of the Aloha Rock Gym founding team next time. Wishing you all a very happy start to the new year.

A hui hou!