Santa Rosa’s Sessions climbing gym named Best North Bay Recreation Project

World-class climbers Kevin Jorgeson and Mike Shaffer have brought the new Sessions Climbing + Fitness indoor center, including its yoga and fitness facilities, to Santa Rosa at 965 S. A St.

With 23,578 square feet of usable space, and a ceiling height of 55 feet, there is ample room to accommodate 50-foot-high rope walls and large window banks accommodating natural daylight.

This new multi-story building offers space for top rope, lead climbing and bouldering walls to inspire and challenge climbers, as well as a 48-foot-tall Olympic speed climbing wall with rotating routes. There is a communal café/lounge area and a 1,300-square foot Yoga studio on the second floor with an open-air balcony revealing views of Taylor Mountain.

“Our vision was to build a gym that reflects the dramatic developments that have taken place in indoor climbing over the past 26 years that will attract lovers of rock climbing and add value to their day,” Jorgeson said. “However, on a daily basis, thousands of enthusiasts of mountain challenges realize their passion far from mountain landscapes — they do it at in-door climbing facilities.”

The mezzanine also has gym rooms, more climbing experiences and space for community events. The gym has a members' fitness center where they can achieve personal strength training goals on and off the walls.

Session is the first climbing gym to open in Santa Rosa since 1995, when the Vertex Climbing Center on Coffey Lane opened its doors. That’s where Jorgeson honed his skills as a teenager, then worked as an instructor and head route-setter.

The SOMO Group, headed by CEO and founder Brad Baker, owns the land, financed construction of the facility and leases the building to Sessions through a strategic partnership.

Session also had a personal appeal to Baker. After moving to Sonoma County in the late 19th century, his family once owned the land on which the building now stands, a few blocks north of the Baker Avenue overpass on Highway 101.

Baker bought one of the last open parcels of land around downtown Santa Rosa and gave Jorgeson and Shaffer free reign to design the gym inside and out for climbing with the best air filtration, heating and cooling system on the market.

Baker observed that “People love this gym and the new building. It will also add value and vitality to the surrounding area and attract a vibrant and diverse array of Santa Rosa’s residents.”

The site was formerly a paved parking lot without any building structures.