events
lunar new year &
anniversary celebration
February 1, Saturday, 4p
Everybody knows the real New Year's celebration happens at the Lunar New Year. And coincidentally, this year it falls on the same week as the 4 year anniversary of Uplift's opening. Let's have a party!
Climbing has always been the thing that’s brought us together, so what a great time to celebrate the members, the community, and the neighborhood that make Uplift special. You’ll need a day pass to climb, but it’s free to come enjoy the music in the evening!
FOOD TRUCK: 5p-8p
Kathmandu MoMoCha will be in our parking lot in the evening for you to enjoy delicious Himalayan Street Food! Get your session in, then enjoy some delicious dumplings.
LIVE DRAWING: 5p-6p
Our friend dozfy is BACK, this time with live art! If you enjoy the beautiful murals on our walls, or the Friendly Crewneck, make sure to come by and meet the man. Bring a photo of your pet and dozfy will send you home with a keepsake pet portrait!
LIVE MUSIC: 730p-830p
The Josh Hou Group is coming with a quintet to entertain you with modern arrangements of Chinese folk tunes, as well as plenty of Mando-pop, Canto-pop, and Tai-pop.
Live music starts at 730p, invite a friend (or your mom!) and bring a folding chair! There’s no cost if you’re just coming to enjoy the tunes, but there will be a tip jar for the musicians. No climbing once the music starts.
SHOP
Need to show the world how much you love climbing? Say no more. Craggu has you covered with handmade and upcycled climbing rope tote bags, and will have a bunch for sale during our event!
MEET-UP
Looking for your crew? Our friends at the Asian Climbing Collective are hosting their first ever Seattle meetup that evening! Come say hi and meet host Lin!
SUPPORT
A huge thanks to Flashed for the support in making this event happen. And for making the best chalk and bouldering gear in the business.
Arc’teryx Seattle can always be counted on for helping us throw a party. Thanks for helping with this one!
calendar
Urbanist Shoreline
Why aren’t there more small businesses in Shoreline and what can we do about it?
January 27, Monday, 6p-8p
It seems like every single person in Shoreline wants more coffee shops, more restaurants, more shops, more things to do. And wouldn’t it be nice to be able to walk to them too? So why aren’t we (yet) the small business utopia of our shared dreams? And how can we get there?
Join us for a conversation with Andrew Hou of Uplift Climbing, Nathan Daum, the City’s Economic Development Program Manager, and Lara Grauer, President of the Chamber of Commerce to discuss the role of policy and advocacy in shaping our small business environment. RSVP here!
She Rocks Climb Night
January 28, Tuesday, 7p-9p
February 25, Tuesday, 7p-9p
March 25, Tuesday, 7p-9p
April 29, Tuesday, 7p-9p
May 20, Tuesday, 7p-9p
Join She Rocks for a fun weekday evening of bouldering! Women and non-binary folks of all climbing levels are welcome. Discounted day passes for $15, with rental shoes included. Come join us for monthly fun, and look for Leigh our host in the blue tank top!
past events
uplift downgrade 2024
BOULDERING COMPETITION
ALL LEVELS
OPEN FINALS
The Uplift Downgrade is back for its third edition, and this year is gearing up to be bigger and better than ever! With multiple grade-based categories to compete in, you can climb with your friends and brag all summer when you take home the top step. We’ll still have our Big Raffle after the first two sessions, again with live music, this time from our friends Manazma Sheen. And with an Open Finals for the first time, you’ll get a front-row view to some of the strongest climbers in town.
routesetting clinics 2024
We’re proud to offer routesetting clinics once again at Uplift Climbing! We’re hugely passionate about the trade of routesetting, and love to provide opportunities for people to learn from the best. With two clinics to match varying levels of experience, this is a learning opportunity that you won’t want to miss.
Our clinics this year are led by Moé Corbett and Joshua Haynes, both seasoned veterans of the industry. With over 30 years of setting experience combined, they bring a tremendous wealth of knowledge and experience that they’re really excited to share!
Introduction to Routesetting Clinic
Our Introductory Clinics are open to people with little to no setting experience. If you’re exploring routesetting as a career, or looking for tips for your home wall, this is the clinic for you!
We’ll cover fundamentals such as the basic Goals of Routesetting, creating routes for others (not just you!), hold selection, grades, styles, and safety. You’ll learn about basic movement while exploring the difference between “progression” and “cruxes”. If you’re hoping to become a routesetter as a career, we’ll talk about what opportunities in the future look like, surrounding both career and health.
You’ll start the day with these basics, while putting holds on the wall under the watchful eye of expert instruction. Later on, you’ll set routes and forerun as a crew, with lots of hands-on attention from instructors. This is an opportunity you won’t want to miss!
I had an amazing time setting at the Uplift clinic. I've done a few other routesetting clinics but what made Uplift's stand out was that the instructors, aside from just teaching how to use tools and put holds on the wall, dived into details about the theory of routesetting and how to set quality boulders. I learned the most at Uplift! - Matin, 2023 Clinic Participant
Professional Development Clinic
This clinic is for existing routesetters that are looking to gain more experience in a professional setting. You’ll learn and work with other participants while receiving lots of hands-on attention from instructors, covering both the commercial and competition side of routesetting.
Topics covered include:
Advanced Setting Techniques and Movement Analysis
Aesthetics
Holds vs Volumes
Functional vs Contemporary
Working on a Routesetting Team
Communication, Trust, Adaptation
Decision Making
Setting/Forerunning outside of climbing style and “ability”
Industry best practices
If you’re another gym, this is a great opportunity to send your team to receive fresh ideas and learn industry best practices! Your routesetters will learn from the best, while also spending two full days collaborating with others in an environment that will bring out the best in them.
I felt really supported to explore movement and experiment in new ways during the clinic. Everyone brought something different; I learned from not just the instructors but from all the skilled setters in the group - Fig, 2023 Clinic Participant
Moé Corbett - Instructor
Moé Corbett was born in Tokyo, Japan, and spent most of her time growing up in Florida, where her passion and love for climbing and routesetting began. With almost 10 years of experience routesetting, she has set for a number of National and International competitions, and is currently a USA Climbing Level 4 Routesetter and an IFSC Level 2 Routesetter.
I love rock climbing, but I especially love how empowering it is. Although supported by friends and spotters to keep you psyched, it is really just you and the wall. To feel such vulnerability and fear, to have the thoughts of doubt, hesitation, and apprehension feel all so present, and to wonder for a moment if maybe it’s not possible for you, but to then have the mental fortitude to overcome it and try as hard as you can — I love all of that. It has also taught me so much: to be patient with yourself, that strength comes in many forms, to try hard and give it your all (and even what it means to try hard), and to, most importantly, always have fun.
Outside of routesetting, Moé spends her free time bouldering outside, reading, playing Magic, and watching her plants move very slowly.
Joshua Haynes — Instructor
Josh Haynes has been a professional route setter for over 20 years, and has set numerous championship level events including, but not limited to, USAC Adult Nationals, USAC Youth Nationals, and IFSC World Cups. He is a USAC Level 4 Certified Routesetter. Also an elite level climber, Josh has flashed boulders up to V13.
Having been the Director of Setting for several high profile, multi-location gyms, one of his primary focuses is mentoring and developing routesetters of all abilities. He continues to share his experience and knowledge through setting clinics.
Josh’s goals for setting are to continually push the boundaries and blur the lines between the “flow” of outdoor climbing, and the limitless possibilities of indoor movement. He also strives to inspire and push the community beyond their preconceived limitations, not only physically but mentally as well.
