Why I Built Ascendit: Turning Every Climbing Wall Into a Shared Digital Canvas

Indoor climbing gyms are hubs of creativity and movement, defined by routes that change every week. Unfortunately, most of that experience disappears the moment you walk out the door. Problems are stripped and route cards are replaced. Unless you took a photo or kept a detailed log, your projects and your progress simply vanish.

That always felt wrong to me.

Climbing is inherently social because we share beta, celebrate sends, and remember the specific challenges that pushed us. Yet, the tools we use to track our progress are often stuck in the past. You can record that you climbed a V4, but you lose the context of which V4 it was, what it looked like, and how the community interacted with it.

Ascendit started with a simple question: what if every climbing wall could be interactive?

Instead of searching through lists or typing out route names, Ascendit offers a camera-first experience. You scan the wall to confirm the route and instantly join a shared project that anyone in the gym can contribute to. These scans become personalized thumbnails, building a visual timeline of your growth rather than just a chart of numbers.

But tracking was only the beginning.

Each project serves as a living page where climbers verify sends, leave tips, and help one another progress. As first scans are recognized and completions are shared, the wall transforms into a community-powered archive. It reflects what is happening in the gym right now, staying as current as the community itself.

This approach keeps the focus exactly where it belongs: on the climbing and the people around you.

Ascendit began as a personal project to help me remember my own climbs and stay motivated between sessions. However, once other climbers joined in, it became clear that this could be something much bigger. It is a way for gyms to build a shared history and for climbers to feel more connected to the spaces where they train.

We are just getting started. There is incredible potential in turning physical spaces into digital communities, leading to better progress tracking, richer collaboration, and new ways to support route setters. Ascendit will continue to evolve alongside the climbers who use it, shaped by real feedback from real sessions on real walls.

Every climb tells a story. Ascendit ensures it doesn’t disappear when the holds come down.