[dramatic music] - Cliff Hangers is a really well-managed, well-designed indoor rock climbing gym.

- [Narrator] And part of the wave of popular extreme sports.

- Surfing, skateboarding, snowboarding, skiing, that's where I come from.

- [Narrator] That's Keith Johnson.

He and his family started Cliff Hangers in October, 2016.

- We just decided that we were going to build our own gym.

Incorporate a lot of different ideas from gyms all over the country.

- [Narrator] That concept involves several climbing walls for the most experienced to the beginner.

- Over 20,000 square feet of climbing terrain here.

So, there's a lot of climbing here.

From bouldering to speed climbing to lead climbing, we've got a training circuit board that you can change the angle of.

- [Narrator] As you might expect, safety is important at Cliff Hangers.

So, every newcomer receives an orientation.

- [Casey] And then I'll go through all the rules.

How to put the harness on, shoes.

- [Narrator] More instruction is needed to learn how to belay or secure a rope to the climber.

- Top roping and lead climbing, you have to have a belayer, which means that there is one person on the ground at all times, while the climber is on the wall.

While the climber is climbing, the belayer is to keep up with the slack of the rope.

- [Narrator] Regardless of age, beginners start in the kids' room.

- I started climbing in the kids' room.

The wall is shorter, the climbs are easier, so it's a great way to start.

- [Narrator] This is the main floor with several walls to choose from, like the boulder wall at 15 feet.

- Where you don't need any equipment you just need a chalk bag and you climb.

- [Narrator] Next, is the canyon wall at 40 feet.

- That was designed to be kind of a beginner wall and that's where we have a lot of audible lays.

If somebody is just single climbing, they just have to clip in and then they're good to climb.

- [Narrator] The tower wall is 50 feet.

- It was intentionally designed to have some very good vertical, but also some overhang.

And then we transition over to the speed wall that was created to train kids and adults for Olympics youth climbing.

The monster wall, that's the jewel here I think - [Narrator] 62 linear feet, including three different angle features.

- One, to create a world-class lead wall.

- [Narrator] For world-class athletes, and those simply trying to make the most of what they've got.

- I started when I was 50, and that was almost 27 years ago.

Keeps your body, your muscles, everything tuned up, your core, everything.

- And a lot of people think that rock climbing is all in your arms and your upper body, but it's not.

- It takes core, it takes legs, it takes all of it.

It takes a good mental strength as well.

- It's like playing chess on the wall.

- [Narrator] Except in climbing, the chess pieces are the holds and the moves are called routes.

- They change the routes regularly.

So, we always looking forward to something new to climb.

- We've got some good route setters.

so we've got a lot of really good and fun problems and routes here in the gym.

- [Narrator] These walls also offer more than simply reaching the top.

- Some people come in and they are maybe trying to work over a fear of heights.

I mean, you don't have to go high.

You could go three feet off the ground if you want.

- [Narrator] It's all part of the philosophy at Cliff Hangers.

- It's just to build community.

Be a place for people all over the community to just have a place to come and be a part of something.

- [Narrator] And they do that with a cafe, a fitness facility, yoga classes, birthday parties or group events, summer camps for kids, and of course, those wonderful walls.

- Cliff Hangers is a place that anybody can come in and really enjoy themselves.

- Try out your wall climbing skills at Cliff Hangers, located at 326 Oats Road in Mooresville, and they're open daily.

For more information, give them a call at [980] 444-2650 or go online to cliffhangersclimbing.com.