About Us
Cincinnati's first climbing gym, located in Blue Ash. first opened its doors in 1993. As one of the first full-service climbing gyms in the Midwest, it set the stage for what would become a thriving climbing community across Ohio and beyond.
Now operating exclusively as a bouldering facility, Climb Time Blue Ash has been home to countless climbers — including Kris Hampton (founder of Power Company Climbing), Ray Ellington (author of the Red River Gorge Guidebook and accomplished first ascensionist), and Gabe Adams (Tension Climbing Co-founder).
Beyond its community roots, Climb Time Blue Ash holds a special place in climbing history — it was the birthplace of the American Bouldering Series (ABS) in the late 1990s, the competition circuit that ultimately evolved into USA Climbing, the national governing body for the sport today.
Our Vision
We are an instructional facility focused on enhancing the lives of people of all ages and skill levels, from first-time climbers to seasoned experts with sound climbing practices, while enthusiastically sharing our passion for climbing by supporting and building the climbing community.
Meet The Team
Brent Flenner | Manager & Head Coach
Brent was introduced to climbing at the age of 12, and he would ride his bike to CTOBA. Twenty-eight years later he's still climbing, and he's both the GM and Head Coach. Climb Time is his home, and the people who climb there are his family.
Quinn Kellog | Head Routesetter
Born in Rochester NY, Quinn has well over a decade of routesetting and climbing industry experience. He currently holds a USAC Level 4 certification and has set for both Nationals and Adaptive National events. Outside of climbing, he stays busy snowboarding, biking, playing guitar, cooking healthy meals or working on the many plants he has in his home.
Andy Lockwood | Assistant Head Setter
Hailing from Cincinnati’s West Side, Andy Lockwood developed his craft here in his hometown. He has been routesetting for over 12 years at various gyms throughout the country. Andy calls himself a boulderer, but enjoys all facets of rock climbing. He is also an established landscape photographer and has travelled the country photographing the beauty of America. Andy is a happy-go-lucky guy who is always willing to talk climbing or photography.
​Hunter Darst | Asst Manager & PT Setter
Resident pebble wrestler Hunter started his climbing career at Climb Time Blue Ash a little over two years ago. He quickly fell in love and joined the Climb Time Team. Now, you can find him in either gym chuffing up boulders or punting on lead.
Andrew Wheatley | Guest Setter
Andrew Wheatley, our Guest Setter, has been climbing for 22 years. He is also known (and honored to be known) as Erynn's brother or Mike's son. For Andrew, climbing is as much about family as it is sport. If you look carefully you can learn the Wheatley family history in the route names of our RRG FA’s.
Mike Wheatley | Setter
Mike Wheatley has had a crazy journey. He started climbing later in life at the age of 54 yrs old (and the whole thing terrified him). It's 20 years later and we are privileged to have him setting routes at Climb Time!
David Huff | Setter
Climbing and setting have been David's favorite activities for nearly two decades. Whether through climbing, route setting, teaching, or just chatting, he loves to explore the subtleties of movement. If you see him around, don't be fooled by his permanent serious expression - if David is around rock climbing, he's a happy man.
Jimmy Hoctor | Manager & Setter
Jimmy found climbing in 2010 at Climb Time Blue Ash and immediately dove in headfirst. After moving to the Red River Gorge in 2011, he’s climbed in over 100 areas across 30+ states, logging countless boulder and route first ascents along the way. A member of the Red’s 1000 Club since the late 2010s, and he has continued to chase choss since.