Defying Gravity, Lubbock

Confined to mountainless Lubbock until his wife completed med school, Jeremy Roberts decided to create his own crags. Today 7,200 square feet of his 10,000-square-foot gym, Defying Gravity, consists of surfaces for top-rope climbing and bouldering. After staffers walk them through techniques for safe climbing, students of all skill levels can scale green, pink, orange, and blue terrain. Shorter walls cater to beginners, while a towering rock wall challenges advanced climbers and intermediate Peter Pans. The personnel also provide military training, host climbing parties, and rent out gear such as harnesses, chalk bags, and climbing shoes.