Climbing Gyms: The Good and the Bad

I'm very happy with my not absolutely perfect gym. I mean, I can climb inside when there's an absolute blizzard outside!

I'll handle a few oddities, no problem.

Am I the only one that dislikes the walltopia overly textured wall surfaces?

Also, I find that gyms that use same colored holds rather than tape consistently use less total hands and feet.

Eric Carlos wrote:Am I the only one that dislikes the walltopia overly textured wall surfaces? Also, I find that gyms that use same colored holds rather than tape consistently use less total hands and feet.

Those gyms just need more holds. Touchstone and Planet Granite seem to have figured it out.

There is just no reason to ever go to a climbing gym.

Crowded. Completely artificial. Noisy.

Sort of defeats the entire purpose of going climbing, doesn't it?

Tommasini wrote:There is just no reason to ever go to a climbing gym. Crowded. Completely artificial. Noisy. Sort of defeats the entire purpose of going climbing, doesn't it?

Sort of depends on your purpose for going to the gym, doesn't it?

I guess some of us like to get a good workout but don't always have time to make it to the crags. That apparently isn't what you want. That's OK, you can just ignore any threads about gyms from now on and we'll all get along fine.

Tommasini wrote:There is just no reason to ever go to a climbing gym. Crowded. Completely artificial. Noisy. Sort of defeats the entire purpose of going climbing, doesn't it?

To the contrary, I've sometimes wondered if folks who don't like gyms might also dislike climbing, the sheer physicality of climbing itself.

They might enjoy communing with nature, or scaring themselves or playing with gadgets, but the sheer physical act, which is perfected by good setting, maybe isn't of interest to some.

Same with folk who hate on boulderers.

@Eric- I detest the Walltopia texture. I avoid gyms that have it as much as I can. Really grateful that Earthtreks isn't my home gym for this reason.

Walltopia must be owned by vibram or some other shoe rubber company.

Tommasini wrote:There is just no reason to ever go to a climbing gym. Crowded. Completely artificial. Noisy. Sort of defeats the entire purpose of going climbing, doesn't it?

When I lived in Vegas I could easily get to the crag in 10 minutes from my house for an after work session. For the past 6 years I've had to drive 1-1.5 hours to get on worthwhile rock. Hitting the gym 2-3 days during the week ensures that I can stay in decent enough shape to climb the routes I want to on the weekends.

Mark E Dixon wrote:@Eric- I detest the Walltopia texture. I avoid gyms that have it as much as I can. Really grateful that Earthtreks isn't my home gym for this reason.

So I hate the walltopia texture on actual walls, but it would be really nice to put on some of my homemade volumes. Anyone know what this stuff is or where I can find something similar?

My first concern is safety. Bad gyms have had worn ropes and Gri-Gri's that didn't really hold (worn cams). One bad gym had climbing team teenagers bouldering directly under climbers without asking permission to pass under. The coach saw no problem with their behavior.

Good gyms have holds that feel like real rocks. Good gyms have cool staff that discretely make sure patrons follow rules. One good gym is a repurposed grain silo so I can climb 150 foot routes.

Leslie Bails wrote: One good gym is a repurposed grain silo that is a novelty with shitty route setting that you go to one time because it is there.

FTFY

Walltopia is pretty brutal but they also have the most interesting gyms, great angles and features. So it is a trade off.

Russ Keane wrote:Gyms are ruining the notion of climbing grades. Too many people think 5.10 (for instance) indoors is the same as 5.10 outdoors. In bouldering this is especially the case. And plus, it behooves a gym to rate softly because it makes their customers feel good. Ideally indoor climbing would have its own rating system.

I gotta agree. I'm seeing people outside more and more get in sketchy situations because of it. It's not just a matter of hangdoggong or having to lower off, its things like taking a fall on a 5.8 over a ledge because it's so much harder to them. Broken ankle. True that.

There's a general overconfidence and lack of the longer mentoring process a lot of us went through.

1) Quality of the wall is my main key. I hate those slippery brown walls where you don't see the color of the holds.
2) Hight of the wall (nothing under 15m) . ( i don't like short walls because the routes on short walls are not enjoyable or as smooth)
3) Quality of routes ( i look for the sequence of movements, style, variety of holds and volumes: that tell me they have competition-level route setters)
4) Competition & Motivation between climbers is very important to me.
5) I simply don't climb in a warehouse-style gym (a warehouse transformed into a gym)
6) I also look at how dirty the holds are, this tells me that they don't change the routes often.
7) I like gyms with hard routes overall. ex: im my main gym i climb 12A, in other gyms i was able to flash 13B and 13C so this tells me that they are easy gyms.

Muataz Jabri wrote: 1) Quality of the wall is my main key. I hate those slippery brown walls where you don't see the color of the holds.
2) Hight of the wall (nothing under 15m) . ( i don't like short walls because the routes on short walls are not enjoyable or as smooth)
3) Quality of routes ( i look for the sequence of movements, style, variety of holds and volumes: that tell me they have competition-level route setters)
4) Competition & Motivation between climbers is very important to me.
5) I simply don't climb in a warehouse-style gym (a warehouse transformed into a gym)
6) I also look at how dirty the holds are, this tells me that they don't change the routes often.
7) I like gyms with hard routes overall. ex: im my main gym i climb 12A, in other gyms i was able to flash 13B and 13C so this tells me that they are easy gyms.

Which quality gyms produce climbers that bump year old threads to beat dead horses.

The Good:

1. Varied routesetting. A wide variety of kinds of problems, with a wide variety of styles, so I can always be identifying my weaknesses and working on them. "Good" or "interesting" routesetting is subjective, "varied" is less so.
2. Well-maintained quality equipment. One of the things I really liked about The Cliffs at LIC when  I lived there is that they had good ropes and good pads.
3. Inexpensive coaching and classes for adults.
4. Good use of space. One of the biggest improvements my local gym (BC's Climbing) made after they bought it from the previous owners was to get rid of the lead walls. It's just too small a space, and it's much better now as solely a bouldering gym.
5. Decent training equipment. Nothing fancy, just a few hangboards, a campus board, and some weights.

The Bad:

1. Silly safety policies. Don't blame insurance: it's not that hard to work out reasonable safety plans with an insurance company--they're run by humans, and they can be persuaded.
2. Devoting a ton of gym space to kids stuff. I get that they're often the biggest money-makers, however.
3. Expensive.
4. Bad hours. I like being able to go to the gym in the morning.

The Ugly:

1. Constant events and promotions that make it impossible for members to climb. There's nothing worse than a gym that prioritizes getting new members over serving existing members. Extra credit for constant spamming about said promotions.
2. Infrequent route-setting.
3. Kids out of control. This can get outright dangerous.
4. Incompetent staff. I recently at a gym was informed that I could not lead because I wasn't lead certified (which is fair) but they didn't have anyone on staff who knew how to lead and could test me on it (what?).

Slippery walls are neither bad nor good. They are just another tool. The idea behind slippery gym walls is one cannot smear to cheat that move. Use those holds a setter has screwed in and only 'em to perform the move.

My gym is fun.
Routes are set fairly often so turned over. Left long enough to work on but not up for too long. The ropes are usually all taken but you wait a minute or so and that is it. Good rest time. Super friendly patrons. Lots of renters asking all sorts of questions and just having a general good stoked time. Bouldering cave is usually a bit busy but I dont boulder anyway. Plenty of Auto belays and top ropes. couches. Tv with climbing movie. Separate workout area and yoga classes. It just has a good vibe and the people that go are never got headed. Everyone is always wicked friendly and talkitive. If you don't want to talk then put headphones in. Open until 11