Meet Kat Whistance Super Mom and Owner of Ibex Climbing Gym
Most of us in the Kansas City Climbing Community learned to lead climb at Ibex Climbing Gym in Blue Springs, Missouri. And, you already know that Ibex is a world-class facility with world-class route setting. But have you taken the time to meet Kat Whistance, the owner of Ibex?
In this interview, we cover:
- The latest news for Ibex West
- Get to know Kat in 15 seconds
- What is new at Ibex
- How Jon Whistance (Kat’s husband) overcame severe elbow tendinitis
- The history of how Kat came to own Ibex Climbing Gym
- The best places to eat near Ibex
- Why Ibex routesetting may be the best in the Kansas City area
- Tips for adding rock climbing to your fitness routine
- And, lots more…
Ladies and Gentlemen, please meet Kat Whistance:
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Ibex west is coming along; slowly, but coming along. I want to make this gym a climber’s dream — a climbing gym for climbers. I want nothing but the best for people who come in and climb. Safety is big on my list, too. I want to make sure I am picking the right everything for the gym and the climbers.
Do you have an opening date yet?
Well last time I gave one, I jinxed myself with getting the right permits and missed it. So, I am not telling anyone a date until I get these last few things taken care of.
Get to know Kat in 15 seconds:
The last good book I read was: The Wild
The last show I binged watched was: Top Chef
What were you looking at the last time you said, “Wow, now that is awesome!” Saturday night when my family was all on the couch watching Sporting KC game together.
What were you looking at the last time you said, “There is no way I’m cleaning that up!” Well, I am a mother of 4 and own a climbing gym..I can never say that. I have cleaned up a LOT of stuff.
A perfect relaxation session includes: Sitting at my kitchen table before all the kids get up with my cup of coffee and just being with myself and thoughts before the day starts.
HCRB: What’s new at Ibex?
Kat: Lately we have new paint up, new brand of shoes, and of course, new holds.
HCRB: What is the most popular item you sell out of your pro-shop?
Kat: Shoes — and now we carry Five Ten
HCRB: What is something that Ibex is doing better for its members?
Kat: I bought the gym for the love of climbing. Everything we do is for our members. I once was a member – if you can believe that. I want a member to come in to our gym and feel like it’s home or at least a piece of it.
HCRB: Jon overcame some terrible elbow tendinitis. How did he do it?
Kat: He had to listen to his body and give it a break. I bought him for Christmas a forearm massager and he loves it!! Its the forearm pain relief roller called ForearmRX.
HCRB: What advice do you have for someone recovering from a climbing injury?
Kat: Give your self some time. When you have an injury everyone expects to come back and be right where they left off. Depending on the injury, you can’t rush anything. Ease back into it and don’t be so hard on yourself. If you lose the love of climbing you shouldn’t be doing it.
HCRB: What is a technique or tool that your members use to overcome an injury, that you always hear positive results?
Kat: Rest and strength training. I have heard the Black Diamond blue donuts things work great for strengthening your fingers. Foam rollers after climbing is a must as well.
HCRB: What heath or self-care tools do you sell in your pro-shop?
Kat: LOVE the bars we carry and we started carrying healthier items in our snack machine. One of my must-haves is Joshua Tree salve. LOVE IT
HCRB: How long have you owned Ibex?
Kat: Bought Ibex 6 years ago in December. I have been with Ibex since 2000
HCRB: How did you come to own Ibex? Did you say to yourself, “I want to own a climbing gym?”
Kat: The previous owner was selling it and had it on the market for 2 years. Someone came in and was thinking of changing it into a honey baked ham warehouse. And someone else talked of turning it into more of a workout gym. I came home upset and we talked about it. Well, one thing lead to another and I just couldn’t sit and see Ibex not be Ibex anymore. On Christmas Eve that year, she was mine.
HCRB: What is one business mistake you made that you wish you didn’t make?
Kat: I don’t regret anything. I have made some mistakes along the way and I have learned from each one of them
HCRB: What is the most rewarding aspect of owing a climbing gym?
Kat: Watching someone who has never climbed before start with their introductory belay class (Ibex’s is called Ropes and What Knot)
HCRB: What are some excellent places to eat near Ibex.
Kat: Back in the day Applebee’s was the place. It still has good food. Now, one of my favorite places is Thailand Restaurant. And Taco Bueno is a great restaurant, too.
HCRB: Give 3 business tips to a new business owner or entrepreneur.
Kat: 
- Be honest.. don’t be a sneaky business owner.
- Love what you do before you go into business.
- Don’t go into it to make money, but do it because you are chasing your dreams or passion.
HCRB: What was it like to switch from taped routes to hold-color routes?
Kat: The transition itself was awkward. We had hundreds of colored holds but not enough for the whole gym. And then, when we thought we had ordered enough to finally try setting the entire gym tapeless, we could never find jugs for the easier routes. WHERE ARE ALL THE JUGS?!?!?
We also found, initially, that using only one particular color was very limiting in the movements we could include and the types of grips that we could use. As a collective group we sincerely wanted to move away from tape, but I think every one of us had our moment of “going tapeless is so dumb!!! I want to use THAT hold and I can’t… Waaaah!!”
Several thousands of new holds later, it is hard to remember how it used to be. Not being tapeless is hard to imagine. I know some of us still have nightmares of having to re-tape the whole gym.
HCRB: How many total holds do you think Ibex has? (on the wall + storage?)
Kat: We have about 10 different colors of holds and close to around 1,000 – 2,000 of each color. Currently, we probably have nearly 40 or 50 volumes that we rotate in and out as well.
We are constantly ordering new sets of climbing holds from our favorite climbing grips manufacturers and designers. Some old favorites like SoILL, Rock Candy, E-grips and Teknik we have been purchasing for many years. There are many relatively fresh companies that we are loving as well: awesome shapes from Kingdom Climbing, volumes from Blocz and large features from Thrive have been our newest additions.
HCRB: How good is your route setting right now?
Kat: All of the roped climbs are on a 10-week rotation. Our 60+ top rope and lead cave climbing area has the best route quality that Ibex has ever seen.
What makes our setting so incredible? Our setting staff. We employ three Level One routesetters and together they have many, many years of consistent setting experience. Setting (especially taller roped walls) is simple – put holds on the wall in a way that is climbable – but having the patience and humility to stick with setting a particular route to make it as perfect as possible and consistently difficult is not easy. It takes countless hours trying, failing, adjusting, failing… and only by sticking with the route can something truly unique and enjoyable come out. Our setters have put in the time and their products speak for themselves.
HCRB: How good is your boulder setting right now?
Kat: Our bouldering is being turned over and refreshed faster than ever before. Each of our 50+ bouldering problems is on a 6-7 week rotation. And those same incredible setters are working their mysterious setting voodoo on our bouldering walls just like our roped climbing walls.
HCRB: What makes a good routesetter?
Kat: There are many qualities to look for in a good route setter. Vision, passion and creativity to name a few. But what we focus on at Ibex is, ‘What makes a great route setter?’ Like I said 
earlier humility plays an important role. If you set something and a few of your route setting peers climb the route and say, “yes it’s cool, but you really need to have another foot there, and that sequence up top is way too hard.”
A great route setter does not argue why they shouldn’t fix the route. A great route setter does not try to prove his or her point. The consensus of the group is usually correct. A great route setter swallows their pride, ropes up and makes some changes.
HCRB: Give 3 tips for someone looking to start climbing or for someone adding rock climbing to their fitness routine.
Kat: Tip 1: Just get started! Most climbing gyms have an introductory class. Just take it. Don’t try and “youtube” your way through a belay test. We can tell. There is a tiny leaning curve to getting started and who best to learn about an extreme sport from… industry specialists or PewDiePie?
Tip 2: Climbing is a perfect compliment to a balanced lifestyle. Just like any sport or physical activity, ease your way into it. Especially if you are loving climbing and you are ticking off difficult grades quickly, let your tendons and other soft tissues catch up with your ego. We want you to have a long and enjoyable climbing career. Be the tortoise, not the hare.
Tip 3: For your first outdoor trip hire a guide or go with a group who knows what they are doing. Again, I repeat, do NOT “Youtube” your way through your first outdoor experience. There are a great many resources available here in Kansas City. The Kansas City Climbing Community might be the most cooperative and comprehensive – check them out on their website and Facebook.
Climb on, Kansas City!
Learn more about getting started with rock climbing in the HCRBeta’s Beginners category.
Jason Clements is the founder of and writer for HCRBeta, Hike Climb Relax: How to… Jason is a former President of the Kansas City Climbing Club where he grew the club from 100 to 1000 members. He lives in Shawnee, Kansas and also runs the cell phone recycling company, Cells for Cells, which recycles cell phones to raise money for families battling cancer. You can follow Jason on Facebook or on Twitter @jasonclements.
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