Problem Solvers: How Armadillo Boulders Helps San Antonio Climbers Reach New Heights

By Nick Blevins

As temperatures in San Antonio finally begin approaching something we could call reasonable, finding fun ways to stay healthy and cool remain top of mind. For many folks in our sun-drenched city this year, that means exploring beyond the boundaries of typical fitness activities.

If you haven’t been indoor bouldering, there’s never been a better time than now to try it out! Climbing is an incredibly varied, approachable full-body exercise that can be done just about anywhere, though San Antonians looking for an inviting place to do so away from the sweltering sun have previously had limited options.

Enter Armadillo Boulders, an indoor bouldering gym with a fitness center and yoga studio, located just a stone’s throw away from the Pearl Brewery on 1119 Camden Street. On any given day, one can find climbers of all skill levels trading tips, cheering each other on, and attempting the myriad routes available for use.

While we collectively wipe the sweat from our brows and begin tentatively eyeing our cozy fall wardrobes, the fine folks over at Armadillo Boulders have been hard at work gearing up for a whole new slate of events. New and inclusive programming like the Texas Lady Crushers meetup provides space for women and genderqueer humans of all climbing levels to engage with climbing at their own pace. Wellness offerings are on the docket too, with Betty’s Co Mobile Clinic offering checkups and consultations . Finally, if you’re looking to take your climbing shoe game to the next level, Scarpa will be providing demos on site; make sure to get a free massage or consultation from San Antonio Sports Massage while you’re there! Check out their website for the full event programming available.

Looking to elevate your climbing? Armadillo Boulders consistently offers a range of pertinent classes on a weekly basis, including various levels of supportive yoga, a running club, and introductory climbing instruction to better master the fundamentals! Classes tend to be open to members and non-members, though prices may differ.

Bring the kiddos too! Whether they’re bouldering beginners or mountain maestros, they’ve got options. Club Climb focuses on recreation-oriented activities to get very young climbers engaged and accustomed to the sport, while Homeschool of Rock allows them to put those fundamentals to practice. The Development, or “Devo”, team comprises handy skills in a team setting for young climbers who are becoming more seasoned, while the “Quesadillos” makes it official, as a youth climbing team that participates in competitive events at the regional (and national!) level.

Armadillo Boulders’ annual Summer Swolstice competition wrapped up in August. As it coincided with their 5th anniversary since opening their doors in San Antonio, the vibe was electric, the anticipation palpable. Throngs of climbers gathered on the mats to watch teams give their all on the wall; they didn’t disappoint. Prevailing over stiff competition and seasoned climbers multiple times their ages, Armadillo Boulders’ own Campus Punks took the day, earning the four young ladies a Certificate of Congratulations from Mayor Ron Nirenberg (and undoubtedly a great deal of bragging rights). Leading up to the event, Scene in SA sat down with Andrew Andress, Director of Climbing and Head Youth Coach at Armadillo Boulders to talk about the event, the state of climbing in SA, and more.

So if you could, I’d just like a brief, book jacket version of how Armadillo Boulders came to be.

"The reality is, San Antonio is a city that was in need of a full-fledged climbing gym, and they [owners and avid climbers Michael Cano and Joe Kreidel] were the ones to do it. I don’t know that “overdue” is the right word; I think the timing was really good, and it’s been awesome, as far as the community goes. It’s been a great place for San Antonio and the [climbing] community."

Do you feel like Armadillo Boulders has become a hub more than just the gym itself?

"Yes, for sure. Having worked at multiple different climbing gyms, I think the ones that are doing it right become more than a climbing gym quickly, and I think that takes a lot of the people, whether that’s the staff, and the members; it’s a combined effort. It’s more of a family effort. Speaking of family–"

It’s at this point that Andrew’s partner brings over their baby. Andrew cradles him and continues:

"It’s crazy how much more it is than just climbing. I think there’re so many people who come in for a summer membership or a day pass and quickly become part of the community. We moved to San Antonio from Nairobi, Kenya, so we didn’t know anyone here, and I would say now we feel like we have a massive community."

I appreciate that. To comment on the vibe, it’s always fantastic; always feels welcoming, you never feel alienated.

“I think as climbing becomes more mainstream, climbing gyms are [also] becoming more mainstream. There’s no longer this fitness gym mentality of, like, you’re here to work out or you don’t belong. I think we do a great job of it, but I think climbing gyms as a whole are getting a lot better at being a really welcoming environment to those who come in and have no idea.”

I’d love to ask about Summer Swolstice. Is it all ages?

“It is all ages! There are some parameters in that you have to be [at least] three years old to climb here.”

Will tournament participants be competing against the staff as well?

“Some of our front desk staff who have no part in the route-setting process will be competing.”

Summer Swolstice seems like it’s gonna be a really cool event, and I see that you have a lot of youth events as well. Are there other events coming up?

“Let’s see. Obviously Swolstice is our biggest one of the summer, and then we’re gonna cap… off the Swolstice with a finals which is also a member night. It’s also our fifth birthday, so we’re gonna do a 5-year birthday party along with the member night, but it does coincide with Swolstice because it’s the finals. I don’t know if you’ve ever been to one of our comps or finals, but it’s under the lights, and it’s a thing. It’s really, really fun, and they’re pretty awesome.”

Campus Punks, center, took first place at this year's Summer Swolstice

What would you say to our novice climbers? A lot of people reading this may not have heard of Armadillo Boulders.

"I would say come climb with us! It’s worth coming and checking out. What’s awesome about climbing is the progression of the sport. And I would say my favorite four months of climbing were my first four months of climbing. You start on 0’s [0 to 10 indicating a problem’s level of difficulty], and you can feel accomplished on 1’s and 2’s. Then a month later, you know, you start climbing, you keep breaking grades, and so I feel like it’s more of a meteoric rise and you just feel like “Oh man!” Like that’s the catch, in the sense that it is a progression sport, so as you’re doing it, each time you come in, you’re gonna notice that you’re getting better, and it’s like, the route you were working on on a Monday may have felt really hard, but with a little bit of climbing and good rest, you come in on a Thursday and all of a sudden you find yourself at the top of it, and those grades, that just keeps going.

There are plateaus, which would be more of a plug for training, because eventually everyone hits a plateau, but it’s so fun because you can feel the progression, I would say more than any other sport or activity that I’ve ever done. It’s just, it’s like the progression is just so tangible, in a sense."

Well said. I definitely feel that. I was doing some 4’s, and I thought to myself “...am I gonna try a 5 today?” It is super cool! Well, then I just have a couple more rapid-fire questions for you. I love the t-shirt designs. Who does that?

“Most of it is done by Tanner at DeuxSouth; Tanner Freeman. He does most of our logos, most of our branding.”

I have a couple of the shirts, and I‘m always on the lookout– I like that one, too (pointing at Andrew’s white, minimally geometric AB-branded shirt)

“Well you should definitely give him a plug. He’s local San Antonio, and does most of our branding and design.”

And the music. Who–?

“The music is, we let the staff pick. We pay for some service you know that provides music for corporations, but like there’s all sorts of genres and options, so it’s typically whoever’s opening that morning, it’s highly likely that–”

–they’re the chef.

“–they’re who picked the music for the day. I rarely change it. I can sit and listen to anything. I know that like, later in the evening, whenever it’s more of a youthful, late-night crowd, the music may get a little more amped up.”

Well, there’ve been times where it’s like, I’m 80% of the way through a route and then Nujabes plays, and I’m like “What?”; some real deep cuts, you know?

(laughs) “I think sometimes they’ll shift it at like 9:30 to kinda calm everyone down and be like ‘It’s time to go home’”--

(sings the obligatory “Closing Time” by Semisonic)

“I used to, like, when I would open super early, we open two days a week at 6 in the morning, and I would usually, there’s like a surfer rock station, and that’s what I would always play. Heavy guitar, everything sounds like the Beach Boys-type of thing.”

Any word on an Armadillo Boulders mascot?

“I’m curious what you mean by that?”

I just imagine like a big head–

“–like a furry mascot running around?”

Yeah, like, climbing, yeah

“There’s a picture on the website of Joe, one of the owners, climbing in a huge armadillo outfit. It’s there! I can pull it up!”