A New Chapter for Vertical Endeavors

With Gratitude for the Journey

Last Friday, September 4th, 2026, we released a brief announcement that we sold Vertical Endeavors (VE). We would like to follow that announcement with a more thoughtful and thorough letter to you.

After more than three decades of climbing, friendship, hard work, challenges, accomplishments, and memories, the time has come for Vertical Endeavors to begin a new chapter.

With a tremendous amount of gratitude—and a mixture of emotions—we are announcing the sale of Vertical Endeavors and the retirement of Nate and Pam Postma.

This is not an easy announcement to make.

While the business is changing hands, the memories and relationships created along the way will always remain a part of our story.

We are proud to pass the torch to Brent Sugay and Adam Arling. They are experienced climbers, VE Members, and are committed to providing an even better customer experience.

A Slice of History

Vertical Endeavors has been such a significant part of our lives that it is difficult to think of it simply as a business. For more than 30 years, it has been more than just a place. VE has cultivated a community, a gathering point, a workplace, an adventure, and a labor of love.

It Started With an Idea

On October 17, 1992, the Grand Opening of the first Vertical Endeavors facility took place in St. Paul, Minnesota. Wild to think our 34th Anniversary is coming up!

At that time, indoor climbing was still in its infancy. Climbing gyms were few and far between. There was no guarantee that an indoor climbing business could succeed or be embraced as a recreational activity.

Opening that first facility required an enormous amount of work and risk. Just trying to obtain that first lease was difficult and required a personal “guarantee” on our part. A funny part of the

story was the landlord’s reaction – “You wanna do WHAT!?” But that’s not quite the wording he used.

Walls had to be designed and built, equipment acquired, permits and inspections navigated, employees trained, systems developed, routes set, customers gained, and countless other details that had to be figured out along the way.

The unknowns were plenty, but there was a belief that climbing could become something special and that belief became Vertical Endeavors.

Back Then . . .

At that time, indoor climbing was still in its infancy. Climbing gyms were few and far between. There was no guarantee an indoor climbing business could succeed or would be embraced as a recreational activity.

It Was Never Just Nate and Pam

Although our names have been closely associated with Vertical Endeavors, this was never a story that belonged to just two people. It was a true story of passion and innovation; a uniquely new business idea.

Vertical Endeavors was built by an extraordinary number of people. They contributed their time, energy, talent, ideas, resources, trust, and friendship.

That makes this announcement, first and foremost, a heartfelt thank you.

To our customers and members, past and present:

Thank you for walking through our doors.

Thank you for trusting us with your climbing experiences, your children, your families, your friends, and your celebrations. Thank you for allowing us to be part of your lives.

Your enthusiasm and loyalty gave Vertical Endeavors its reason for existing.

You were part of the foundation upon which everything else was built.

To our employees, past and present:

There simply aren’t enough words to adequately express our appreciation.

You gave Vertical Endeavors its personality.

You opened doors early. You stayed late. You taught people how to climb. You belayed. You coached. You set routes. You cleaned. You handled emergencies. You solved problems that nobody else even knew existed.

You laughed with customers, encouraged nervous beginners, challenged experienced climbers, and sometimes simply did whatever needed to be done.

Every one of you left a mark and Vertical Endeavors would not have become what it became without you.

To our vendors, manufacturers, sales representatives, contractors, consultants, and business partner, bankers, press, city officials and inspectors, etc.:

Thank you for helping us turn our ideas into a reality.

We appreciate not only what you supplied, but also the relationships that developed along the way.

To our volunteers and all of the people who helped simply because they cared:

Thank you.

Some contributions were large and some were small, but they all mattered.

To our stockholders and investors:

Thank you for believing in Vertical Endeavors and for taking the risks necessary to help us move forward. Building a business—particularly one based on a relatively new concept— required courage and confidence.

We are grateful that you believed in the vision.

To our families:

This thank you may be the hardest to put into words.

Thank you for your patience.

Thank you for your encouragement.

Thank you for your sacrifices.

And thank you for understanding that Vertical Endeavors was something we believed in deeply.

Thank you for working with us over the years and helping us become part of the communities in which our facilities operated.

To our sponsors and promotional partners:

Thank you for supporting climbing, climbers, programs, events, and the communities surrounding Vertical Endeavors.

And to the many people who don’t fit neatly into any of these categories:

Thank you.

There are friends, neighbors, advisers, fellow business owners, professional service providers, fellow climbers, occasional helpers, advocates, and countless others who played a role in our journey.

We know that we will inevitably leave someone’s name or contribution off this list.

There are simply too many people to name.

Looking Back

When we think about the journey from that first Grand Opening Day to where Vertical Endeavors is today, there are so many things we are proud of.

But perhaps what makes us proudest isn’t a particular facility, a particular wall, a particular route, or a particular business milestone.

It is the people.

It is the thousands upon thousands of people who walked through our doors.

It is the employees who gave us their best.

It is the customers who kept coming back.

It is the parents who brought their children.

It is the climbers who introduced their friends.

It is the friendships that lasted decades.

It is the people who met their future spouses at the gym.

It is the people who discovered a confidence in themselves that they didn’t know they had.

It is the people who looked up at a climbing wall and thought, “I wonder if I can do that,” and discovered that they could.

Those are the things that cannot be measured on a balance sheet.

Those are the things that made Vertical Endeavors special.

Passing the Torch

Now, after more than three decades, Nate and Pam are ready to retire. We’ll still be around as we are still running Nicros Inc. but plan to eventually retire from Nicros as well.

Vertical Endeavors has a history worth celebrating and a future worth embracing.

The sale represents a transition—not an ending—to the community and experiences that have made Vertical Endeavors meaningful to so many people.

We sincerely hope that the next chapter builds upon the foundation created over these many years and that Vertical Endeavors continues to provide people with the opportunity to climb, challenge themselves, make friends, and become part of something bigger than themselves. We are sure its legacy will perservere.

One Final Thank You

When we first opened the doors, we could not have known where the journey would take us. We certainly could not have imagined that more than three decades later, we would be sitting here reflecting on everything that happened between that first day and today.

It has been an incredible journey.

And most of all, it has been an honor.

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to be part of your lives.

As we step into retirement and Vertical Endeavors begins its next chapter, we leave with tremendous gratitude for the past and genuine optimism for the future.

We hope you will continue to climb. continue to challenge yourself, and continue to support the climbing community that has given so much to all of us.

From the bottom of our hearts, Thank you for the journey.

With deepest appreciation,

Nate & Pam Postma Vertical Endeavors Inc.

Climbing is dangerous, it involves inherent and other risks and cannot be eliminated. The information presented here does not describe all of the risks associated with climbing and is not intended to replace or supersede expert instruction and training.

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