Gaining A Foothold Recreation Equipment Manufacturer Fills Niche Building Indoor Climbing Wall Systems

Entre Prises USA is like a train struggling uphill, says its marketing director, Michael Ludeman.

It’s nearing the summit. When it starts down the other side, it can’t help but gain momentum.

“We’re a few years away from any great surge, but it’s going to happen,” Ludeman said.

Entre Prises USA, pronounced like the French “on-traprees,” manufactures and designs indoor climbing wall systems and accessories. It’s one of a growing number of recreation equipment companies that have found a foothold in central Oregon.

Others include Vertical Concepts, which also makes indoor climbing wall systems, and Metolius Mountain Products Inc., a manufacturer of clamps and other climbing gear.

“Bend is a hot spot,” said Alan Watts, an avid climber and co-founder of Entre Prises. “I bet well over 100 people are employed in Bend in the climbing industry.”

Thanks to the lure of Smith Rock, climbing businesses are on the rise here. A fringe sport just a few years ago, about as accessible to the average person as riding a barrel over Niagara Falls, climbing now is nearing the mainstream. Health clubs, universities and even military bases are purchasing indoor climbing wall systems.

“It’s rare anymore that when I tell people what I do for a living, there isn’t a flash of recognition,” said Watts, 35, a Madras native who has been climbing at Smith Rock since the third grade.

Entre Prises USA employs about 25 workers. Vertical Concepts has more than 20 employees. Both companies say this has been a breakthrough year.

“Climbing has just started to be accepted,” said Peter Wilkinson, sales director of Vertical Concepts and brother of its owner, Timothy Wilkinson. “It’s going to be an Olympic discipline in ‘96 and an Olympic sport in 2000. That’s good news for us.”

Both Entre Prises and Vertical Concepts, each founded in the late ‘80s, have had ups and downs because they were ahead of demand.

“In 1988 we were an industry leader, but we were a leader of nothing,” Watts said. “Now the company is in the position to grow.”

Entre Prises USA, which is linked to French-based Entre Prises SA, landed two large projects this year that are expected to push the company’s overall sales to $1.4 million.

The first involves a roughly 8,000-square-foot climbing wall for the Chelsea Piers Health Club in New York City. The wall is part of a massive renovation of old docks built for ocean liners.

The second involves a new Seattle-area outlet for REI, an outdoor retailer that’s been at the forefront of the climbing industry. Part of the REI design includes an 80-foot-high glass atrium. Entre Prises USA will build a 65-foot shell concrete climbing wall inside the atrium.

Watts said the atrium will sit along a freeway, and it will be large enough where motorists will be able to see climbers using the wall. “It’s not just tucked away in some building,” he said. “It’s part of the Seattle skyline.”

Entre Prises USA views these jobs as springboards, dramatic evidence that the climbing wall market is on the rise.

“Look at the wall at the Athletic Club of Bend and it’s packed with teen-agers,” Watts said. “It’s not a fad. People know it’s a sport.”