A climber scales a bouldering wall at Project 24 Micro. Provided photo.

In the wild and wondrous sport of climbing, there is an endeavor known as a project. A project is a specific route or boulder problem that the climber aspires to complete, but lacks the ability to achieve. “Projecting” is the act of repeatedly trying to scale the route, often unsuccessfully. Completion of a project requires grit, determination and a certain degree of relentlessness that is ingrained in every climber. It makes sense then, that when Austin Venhaus and Aaron Rutsky embarked on the adventure to open Sarasota’s first climbing gym, they picked a name that reflected their lofty aspirations.

Project 24—named after the year the pair aimed to open the gym—was technically open in 2024, just not in the way the pair envisioned. What had started out in 2019 as Venhaus’s idea to open a climbing gym morphed into Project 24 Micro—a compact, garage-style bouldering facility, with the intention all along of creating a much larger space that could accommodate the increasing crowds and different styles of climbing. “Originally we wanted a space that had rope climbing, bouldering, a fitness area and more, but due to financial restraints of starting the project, we decided to do just bouldering,” says Austin.

In 2023, Andrew connected with Aaron and Andrea Rutsky, who saw his vision for a unique, large-scale climbing gym in Sarasota. Together, the pair drew up a business plan and got to work picking out a site. The biggest challenge? Getting vertical. Venhaus and Rutsky needed as tall of a building as possible to accommodate what will be a 19,000 square foot facility, with 14,000 square feet of climbing area, including top rope areas and bouldering walls.

The team settled on a vacant lot in Lakewood Ranch to create Sarasota’s next great sports destination. Although Project 24 is merely a very large pile of dirt, the team plans to open in March 2026. It’s a space that Venhaus and Rutsky hope will transform Sarasota—a haven for experienced climbers and newbies alike, replete with fitness spaces, a podcast studio and a bevy of other auxiliary training areas—to learn and enjoy the sport that means so much to them. “Creating that community is a huge aspect of this,” says Venhaus. “We want to make the gym very welcoming and very encouraging to new climbers.”

Project 24 Climbing, 1401 Sarasota Center Blvd, Sarasota, 3420; Project 24 Micro, 2075 Global Ct., Sarasota, 3420.

A climber scales a bouldering wall at Project 24 Micro. Provided photo.

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