Ogden is quickly becoming Utah’s new hotspot for everything outdoors and adventurous. Inner city Ogden is home to several outdoor adventure and climbing equipment retail stores, indoor sky-diving and surfing, and three indoor climbing walls, one of which is located on Weber State University’s campus.
Gord Clifford, an Ogden native and outdoor enthusiast, said he is happy with the options his home city has to offer.
“I couldn’t live anywhere else; this is my home,” Clifford said. “Ogden has everything I need. Where else in Utah can you rock-climb, surf, sky-dive and ski all in one day?”
Rockclimbing.com reported that Ogden Canyon alone has almost 20 different climbing sections. There are routes for beginners all the way up to ones for the most advanced climbers.
WSU biology student Danielle Aranda, who works at the Recreation Outlet in Ogden, said she loves to get outdoors with her friends and husky puppy.
“Ogden has a ton of climbing that not a lot of people know about, and it’s sad,” Aranda said. “If the word got out there, there’s no doubt all of our secret spots would be exploited. But that’s cool. The more people out there having fun and living life, the better.”
For those wanting to keep their feet on the ground, Weberpathways.org provides an updated map each year. Trails are broken into categories for hiking, biking, horseback and cross-country skiing.
“We have such an amazing backyard; we have hiking, climbing, bouldering, backpacking, skiing, snowboarding, kayaking, mountain biking, road biking and more, all within a 15-20-mile radius,” Aranda said. “We’re also home to a great marathon, and we are home to the very first Ragnar Race. That is accessibility to the outdoors right there.”
With so much to do in Ogden, outdoor and adventure retail stores and outlets are making Ogden City their new home.
“Ogden is a gateway to adventure; we need outdoor stores in Ogden to supply the demand,” Aranda said. “There’s way too much to do in O-town to not have a comprehensive outdoor shop around.”
The Recreation Outlet quickly outgrew its store and moved to a larger location. The new store opened on Oct. 15 at 2326 S. Washington Blvd. There will be a grand opening celebration on Nov. 8 and 9.
The Front is home to Ogden’s newest indoor climbing wall, and down the street is iRock, located at the Salomon Center. Both locations offer routes for the climbing novice to the advanced and bouldering for those who want to try their hands at something new.
The Front hosted the American Bouldering Series Local Competition on Saturday, Oct. 27. Quincy Brezea was in attendance and cheered on her friends who were competing.
“I have never been to anything like this before; it’s been quite the experience,” she said. “I didn’t realize the climbing community was this big.”
Ogden’s newest equipment store, Gear:30, will open in November on Washington Boulevard. The retail stores plans to offer gear for every outdoor enthusiast’s activity, including alpine, rock and ice climbing, hiking, camping, standup paddle boarding, and kayaking.
Aranda said that winter is no reason to stay indoors.
“Winter in Ogden is beautiful,” she said. “Snowshoeing is a great way to be outside, be warm and stay in shape — aside from snowboarding and skiing, of course. Ogden also has great indoor climbing gyms and tons of arts to see in the winter.”
