I’m on a road trip around the US in Summer 2025. I just spent a few hours bouldering and climbing with autobelays at Triangle Rock Club in Durham, South Carolina.
The whole experience was great. The staff were quite friendly and helpful. I went at about 12:30pm on a Thursday. Not too crowded, so if something was occupied there was ~always another boulder problem or wall to climb.
But let’s talk money. It cost $20 for a day pass. It turned out ~2 hours of climbing was plenty for me.
That was some of the best $20 I’ve spent in a long time.
This was entertainment, recreation. I’ve certainly spent $20 and ~2 hours in recreation ways that I now regret. Looking at you, solo computer gaming.
But with this, I got solid exercise in, I felt better, met other climbers, and actually had fun. And the whole thing cost $20.
I absolutely feel like I received more value from this experience than I paid for.
I would definitely come back and spend $20 again.
It’s a good reminder that, when I run a business, this, how I feel right now, this is the emotional state I want my customers to be in after they interact with my business. Feeling like they’ve received incredible value, more than the dollars they spent.
Now I just need to find more climbing friends… 👀