In a place like Hong Kong, it takes courage to embark on a sports career, and likewise starting a business is considered as pursuing a wild dream. Now approaching the mature and independent age of thirty, Danny Ho has done very well on both counts. He has also turned his life passion and expertise — rock climbing — into a dynamic personal career.
Danny Ho joined the Hong Kong Rock Climbing Team at the age of 12. After winning titles at the All China Rock Climbing Championship and Kailas Rock Climbing Competition, he became “King of the Bun Tower” when he was 21 at the annual scramble as the youngest winner ever. Indeed, his sports career is highly successful. Today, he is the founder of a professional rock climbing gym with two outlets. Fully dedicated to promoting this sport that enhances total wellbeing, he aims to provide more suitable training venues for local athletes.
The rock climbing lover who found a place in the HK team
When asked how he first got involved with rock climbing, Ho says he met a rock climbing coach in the community centre when he was studying Form 1. That marked the beginning of his engagement with the sport. “I couldn’t reach very high spots when I first started, but I became more skilled with practice and managed to reach new heights and speeds which I thought were beyond me. I then took part in competitions and did quite well. I was also selected for the Hong Kong team.””
His greatest joy came from discovering the attractiveness of rock climbing. It is much more than meeting challenges. In this sport, you have to complete every climb on your own. Good stamina, strong will, determination, cool-headedness, analytical power and route planning are all requisites. When you succeed, that satisfaction is truly overwhelming.
Self-funded training to boost performance
Ho admits that he struggled with the thought of giving up rock climbing after graduating from secondary school. After all, the career path of a rock climbing sportsman in Hong Kong is unpredictable. Should he continue to pursue his dreamor is it better to find a stable job? The idea weighed on his mind. Eventually, he found that rock climbing was truly his life passion. At 18, he quit his job and spent his personal savings of about HK$20,000 on a two-month special training program in Korea.
This experience in Korea made him keenly aware that suitable venues are vital to the training of all athletes. The idea of a rock climbing gym came to mind. However, it was very difficult to find spacious venues in Hong Kong, let alone places that could accommodate 15m standard rock climbing walls. Only units with extra high ceilings would do. Finally, a 5,000 sf unit in San Po Kong came on the leasing market, and his dream of starting a business and offering professional training facilities became reality. Just Climb rock climbing gym, named by Ho himself, opened in 2010, the year that he won the Hong Kong Open Sport Climbing Competition.
Rock climbing gyms to share the pleasure of bouldering
Ho says frankly that his sportsman identity and personal expertise were bonuses when he started his business. They gave rock climbing beginners confidence and attracted rock climbing enthusiasts who wished to become coaches to join their league. He also says that rock climbing is yet to become a popular sport in Hong Kong and full-time coaches are few. Most coaches work on a part-time basis, including professionals who share his passion for the sport. Just Climb has a team that provides on-the-job training. The aim is to offer the best professional guidance and safety protection.
Just Climb has a broad-based clientele that includes kids, youths and people from all walks of life. Ho says rock climbing rewards different age groups in different ways. Children can practice balancing, fine tune motor skills and learn how to stay focused. Youths are top performers in this sport and gifted players can train to become professional athletes. As for adults, it is a good way to put down their occupational roles and pressures. At the wall, we all have the same starting point and goal, and we all depend on personal effort to reach the top.
Overcoming challenges ― second outlet up and running
As business expands, Just Climb’s new outlet in Paradise Mall opened this January. It is Ho’s wish to widely promote rock climbing in Hong Kong, so more people can enjoy the fun. As for his experience in starting a business, he says entrepreneurs and sportsmen have a few things in common. They both need to have great passion for what they do and they make steadfast effort to reach a clear goal. “If you start a business only to make money, you will easily get dispirited when there are challenges along the way. For example, I spent a long time looking for suitable venues and team members. Anyone without true passion would have given up. Potential business starters should therefore choose a sector or project that they really like. Set a clear goal and go for it, one step at a time. This way they can get results with half the effort.”
