Behind the First Impact Route Activation: 234 lbs. of Plastic, One Climb at a Time

I’ve thought a lot about how to describe what happened at Valley Rock Gym on May 17 - but the only way to really say it is this:
It worked.

Lucas and I have spent months building the Impact Route activation behind the scenes. A concept born from the same mission that drives everything we do at ZIGZAG: building innovative ways to make real environmental impact not just possible, but effortless.
Impact Chalk was made to embed that mission directly into what climbers already do: chalk up. We spent nine months making sure it would outperform everything else, to make the choice effortless. Impact Routes would be a natural evolution of Impact Chalk - same mission, but stripped of the product. Just the climber, the movement, and the impact.

So when the 4th annual Rally in the Valley competition rolled around - a comp we’ve proudly been title sponsor of for three of its four years - we finally had a shot to bring it to life.

The Day Begins

We got into town the night before and landed at my brother-in-law’s place about 50 minutes outside Corvallis. A couple beers and some good conversation later, the need for sleep finally overpowered the excitement for what was coming the next day.
The next morning, we hit the road early with coffee and drive-thru breakfast sandwiches (our personal favorite). When we pulled up to the gym, we were greeted out front by Floor Manager Mark Frost with a big hug and a warm welcome. Valley Rock Gym was the first gym ever to carry ZIGZAG gear, and showing up always feels a little like coming home.

We unloaded the packed car and quickly got our extensive ZIGZAG display all set up as the first wave of climbers began prepping to compete.

The Climbing Begins

As climbers warmed up and scoped out the wall, they started to notice something new: bold route tags titled “Impact Route - Top this route to remove 1 lb. of ocean-bound plastic.” You could see the curiosity start to spread.

Then, during the competition rules brief, Mark shared that something new would be happening at the comp:

“You may have noticed your scorecards have a highlighted route - these are called Impact Routes. If you top an Impact Route, one pound of ocean-bound plastic will be removed. Just like ZIGZAG’s Impact Chalk, your climbing today is going to make a massive environmental impact. Pretty awesome, am I right?!”

The room shifted, and people started cheering. Mark kicked off the competition, and climbers quickly dispersed throughout the gym.

One teenager walked directly up to Mark as we stood nearby and said, “Just point me to the route that saves the earth and I’ll top it.”


That’s when we knew: the idea didn’t just make sense - it connected.

Climbing for Impact 

Throughout the day we watched climbers through the five divisions (Youth, Rec, Intermediate, Masters, Open) gravitate to the Impact Routes. Soon after starting, two kids - (maybe 8 or 9 years old -  ran up to Lucas and I at our ZIGZAG Booth and said:
“We both climbed the route that removes the plastic! We both did it, that’s two pounds of plastic!

Moments like that… hit different

This was exactly what we’d dreamed it would be: sustainability, integrated directly. An added element of excitement and environmental stewardship that we could layer into the comp with zero friction - and seeing climbers fully understand that their actions can make a meaningful difference was everything.

The excitement stayed high throughout the day climbing sessions, with big grins after every Impact Route top. And the climbers topped a ton.

The Community Coming Together

Climbing wrapped up around 4:30 p.m. While the setters prepped for Finals, we had a chance to pause and talk with Mark and the Valley Rock Gym team. The stoke was just as high with them as it was with the competitors. That meant a lot to us - one of our biggest goals was making this system frictionless for the gym too. We know how hectic it is to run a comp like this.

Mark later told us it was all “as simple as throwing up tags and giving 30 extra seconds to explain it,” and that “it drove a ton of excitement for the climbers and community by enabling them to change the world by doing what they’re already doing - like ZIGZAG’s whole goal with Impact Chalk.”

That’s exactly the point. This isn’t a marketing gimmick. And it’s not charity. (And for the record - we love both those things.) This is a fully built, scalable system - traceable, measurable, and integrated directly into the comp format - that simply activates sustainable action into what everyone is already doing.

Before Finals began, during the Day Climbing awards ceremony, Mark shared that the community had already removed 180 pounds of ocean-bound plastic. The crowd erupted, and we were hyped beyond words. But that wasn’t the end of it - we had something else planned.

The Valley always throws an electric Finals comp, and this time, it featured an Impact Finals Route. Each Finals category (Men’s, Women’s, and Non-Binary) had one Impact Route built into their set of three. For each Zone, 1lbs of plastic. For each Top, 5lbs of plastic would be removed – and for a little extra fun, each competitor who topped an Impact Route got to throw a bag of Impact Chalk into the crowd.

By the end of the Rally in the Valley, climbers had removed a total of 234 pounds of ocean-bound plastic.

More Than Just a Comp

One of the biggest surprises wasn’t the number on the scoreboard - it was the response from parents, staff, and climbers of all ages. Dozens of people stopped by our booth, not just to talk about chalk and gear, but to discuss the entire ZIGZAG mission. A lot of them couldn’t believe we were just two brothers from Oregon running a startup. One parent who was also a competitor that day said, “I’ve never seen something like this at a comp. It’s not just cool, it feels meaningful.”

We also brought out the LINK Pads and set up a mini table bouldering side game. Kids, adults, and curious spectators kept coming by to give it a try, and it was always fun to watch.

The Drive Home

We left Corvallis around 9:30 that night — exhausted, sore from standing all day, and grinning like idiots. Before we even left the parking lot, I turned to Lucas and said, “Did you see how excited everyone was? This is the stuff that makes all the grinding worth it.”.. We were wired the entire 2.5-hour drive back. The only time we stopped talking about the day was when Lucas got out the car to pump gas, and while eating our Taco Bell. 

What’s Next

This was the first. But it won’t be the last.

We’re bringing Impact Routes to more comps - with more partner gyms, in more cities. If you’re a gym owner or event organizer reading this and thinking, “my community could get behind this,” let’s talk. The beauty of this system is that it fits right into what you’re already doing, and helps amplifies it.

Because climbers care.
And when given the chance, they’ll show up for something bigger than themselves.

– Matt
| Founder, ZIGZAG Climbing

**Photos courtesy of Zach Horowitz