ZEPHYR COVE, Nev. — Zach Fletcher claims climbing has saved his life twice, now he’s hoping to inspire others to share his love of of the sport by opening Adventure Fit Dojo.

Adventure Fit Dojo is a training center for committed climbers and adventure athletes.

“I’m super excited to bring a dedicated training center to South Lake and to me and my friends,” Fletcher said. “It’s kind of something I’ve thought about for a long time and I’m excited to be here.

“I’m going to get fit and hang out with my buddies. Why didn’t I think of this sooner?” Fletcher added.

Fletcher, who has lived in Lake Tahoe for 20 years, first started climbing in 2007, Feb. 4, 2007 to be exact.

He and his friend, Todd Offenbacher, went and climbed a route called Corrugation Corner at Lovers’ Leap.

“We had to hike through waist deep snow to get there and I was hooked,” Fletcher said. “Quickly, I realized, I want to go up big mountains.”

Fletcher had been an avid skier but suffered a serious injury. Climbing allowed him to get back outside and active. That was the second time it saved his life.

“Climbing takes you places, both physically and in your mind, you have to tackle places you don’t want to go,” Fletcher said.

The first time it saved his life was in junior high. He says he was basically illiterate, he could read but it was slow and arduous.

Even in junior high, Fletcher loved skiing, so he picked up a book that had rock and ice on the cover, thinking it was something close to his world. It was a book written by world-famous mountaineer Reinhold Messner.

“I just started slowly reading, it was the first book I’d ever enjoyed, probably the first book I’d ever finished and then I had an insatiable appetite for mountaineering books,” Fletcher said.

Without ever having picked up that book and igniting his love for reading, he might be in a very different place today.

Fortunately, Fletcher is in a good place. He and his fiance’, Melinda, just purchased a new home and are expecting their first baby soon. That’s on top of his opening Adventure Fit Dojo.

The training center is located at 183 U.S. Highway 50, Suite E, Zephyr Cove, Nev.

It features two walls that allow for the angle of the board to be adjusted from nearly vertical to nearly horizontal. One of the walls is a spray wall, which is a wall full of holds of varying difficulty that allows climbers to find their own routes.

The other wall is a 12×12 Kilter Board. The holds themselves never change but LED lights around each hold lights up to show the climber the route. The board can be controlled via an app that allows climbers to set the difficulty of the climb.

It also has a weightlifting and cardio area.

“One of the missions of the gym is to offer dedicated athletes a place where they can train… this gym is about creating a place where courage and commitment are contagious,” Fletcher said.

Fletcher is also passionate about working with kids. He was a long-time ski coach before his injury so now he focuses on empowering children through climbing.

During the summer, member hours will start at noon but before member hours start, he will be hosting kids’ clinics.

Memberships are $75 and because of the limited space, they are only accepting 50 members. He also offers day passes, for people who want to try it out.

To learn more, visit https://adventurefitdojo.com/.