history of b2
history of birmingham boulders
Humble beginnings
First Avenue Rocks was built in 2009 in the midst of an economic downturn with hopes of creating a place for climbers to congregate that went beyond the home walls of Birmingham, Alabama. Joe Ortega found a spot in the heart of downtown- it had great potential for a small local gym and it was just that. A homemade gym that felt like home. FAR became a gathering place for friends, strangers, and climbers to train, commune, and dream about road trips to far away crags. Any night of the week you could walk into the gym and smell climbing shoes and squint through the chalky air to pick out your next project or find your climbing partner.
In the Magic City known for its steel, we have thousands of pounds of steel holding up our unique Vertical Solutions’ walls.
An early look at the meeting points of the S-Wall and Comp Wall.
The Heart
Much like First Avenue Rocks, B2 was very much a homemade gym. The heart poured into it is a huge reason why it is such a special place. The centerpiece of our gyms was and has always been their communities. People coming together to help create something bigger than themselves and we owe much of what we are today to those people that gave of themselves in their labor, finances, and belief.
Carson Taylor placing the uniquely stained panels of a portion of our walls.
Tim Diegman working hard on cutting up panels for the walls of the gym.
The shell of what would turn into a hub of the Birmingham climbing community.
Bigger plans
FAR’s walls brought people to the world of climbing and encouraged them to explore the crags that litter the foothills of Alabama and beyond. As the small gym’s community grew, so did the desire to build a larger space that would allow for even more cumulative training. Joe Ortega began looking for areas for a second location and landed in west Birmingham. Working together with Tim Diegman and Vertical Solutions, they were able to design and build the training gym that was the dreams of climbers. They planned for a thirty foot, seventy-degree wall, multiple system boards, and another ten thousand square feet of climbing space. All of this within one building next-door to beautiful Red Mountain Park.
The start of something wild. A bare 70º wall in the making.
Joe Ortega working out the details of the walls and taking a break for a drink.
The Future
Birmingham Boulders is a space that is welcoming to any and all. With the foundations we’ve set over the past ten years, we’re focused on continuing to build a stronger community and stronger climbers. So stop by to try out our unique walls or just to say hello and chat for a bit.