It was 1985, and as the owner of a Wasilla gymnasium training competitive athletes, Reynolds was quite cognizant of the value of rope climbing for grip and upper-body development.

He drew several sketches of equipment ideas. Although those sketches were soon buried under a mound of daily duties, he kept thinking about it. His workout partner, Fred Maestas, later asked if he might be interested in building a prototype of the rope machine in his shop.

By late 2006, with the help of Maestas and computer experts at Triverus, a cutting edge design and manufacturing facility in Palmer, that dream culminated with the formation of their company, Axios, and production of the Endless Rope. The firm's name, taken from the Greek word, means “equal worth, to be in balance.”

“We realized that, after all, life is about balance,” said Reynolds, who owns Denali Gymnastics and Fitness Inc. in Wasilla with his wife, Sandy. Their corporation offers a variety of fitness programs for all ages, plus gymnastics training for teens, including an award-winning cheerleading squad.

The 200-pound, upper-body fitness machine, complete with heavy-duty casters for ease of mobility, uses a loop of thick nylon rope to pair upper-body strength training with aerobic development.

The user may sit on the machine and pull the equivalent of hundreds, even thousands of feet of rope, pacing the exercise time and tension of the rope to fit his or her ability.

To date, Axios has sold 40 of the nearly 8-foot-tall Endless Rope fitness machines, which retail for $3,495. Clients include fitness clubs and fire departments, an Anchorage firefighter who bought one for his home, and Gainesville State College in Watkinsville, Ga. Another is currently being tested by Navy SEALS.

Before going to Triverus to refine their product, Reynolds and Maestas also tested their workshop-built models with students at Colony High School in Palmer and Wasilla High School.

Then they went to Hans Vogel of Triverus, whose company took the idea and developed it into a refined design, complete with the electronics to set workout time, distance and tension goals. The unit's small workout area footprint of 4x6 feet makes it ideal for training in confined facilities or for residential use. All of its hydraulic components are maintenance free.

“You can do it standing, sitting, standing backwards,” said Vogel, who was eager to demonstrate the Endless Rope one January morning, as he prepared to ship out three more of the machines.

Triverus, working with the initial model of Endless Rope, did all the digital and conceptual work, Vogel said. “It started with a computer-derived design. We're trying to make a case that manufacturing can be done right here in Palmer,” he said.

The machines are available in several colors. While white is the traditional color for gymnasium equipment, other colors, including red, also are proving popular, Vogel said. The company uses an environmentally friendly electrostatic powder-coating process to produce the gleaming finished product. The process involves electrically charging the product to be painted so it attracts the paint powder. The product is then baked at 400 degrees, producing a quality finish with no hazardous emissions into the air.

Reynolds and Maestas said they feel the product has infinite potential for fitness buffs and others whose success on the job requires great strength and endurance. While they have no military contracts to date, they are eying the possibility of future sales there.

On the Web: www.endlessrope.com