Boston Rock Gym

Surprised this isn't on here already but i'm not on "the" facebook or twitter so it could be the talk of the town, but i've heard multiple confirmations and no denials that the Boston Rock Gym is closing. A shame as it's such an awesome spot that continually turns out some of the best climbers around. Typically i run with rumors (and scisssors) but i'm hoping that this is false info...

I saw the post, so it looks to be true. I have good memories of heading there on bad weather days when it was the only place to go to.

End of an era- and now I feel REALLY old- I was there at the outset when they were in Somerville- Wietzler and Nonis saw the future and gave us addicts a place to get our fix through the winter.

...the original Somerville gym was incredible for its time. Pretty certain second gym in the country after, oh boy, Portland Rock Gym. I believe there was a third partner - Wayne D (can’t actually remember last name). Or maybe he was an early employee!

Though I haven't been there in years, this is  sad to hear as it is indeed the end of an era. But there are a couple of very state of the art gyms scheduled to open in the near vicinity this fall, so I guess this is no surprise. I, too, am a veteran of the Somerville gym--probably still have touches of finger tendonitis from those brick edges!!!! I would routinely drive the two hours from Amherst on winter weekends when it was the only show around. That gym was closed after a 'mysterious' fire that occurred when the landlord wanted to increase the rent--possibly a coincidence, but this was a common form of 'eviction' in Somerville at that time. You are correct Mark that there was originally a third partner in the venture, but I also have a 'mind blank' as to his name. My recollection is that it was the third gym in the country after Portland and Seattle, though there were also several earlier climbing walls at places such as Hampshire College and Cornell University, and a year or so earlier Steve Wietzler had opened a small publicly-accessible climbing wall at a WMCA in  NW suburban Boston which was  the direct ancestor to the BRG. One of the catalysts for these Boston climbing walls was when a group of Boston climbers, which included Tom and Steve, were invited to climb on the artificial 'rocks' in the gorilla enclosure then under construction at Boston's Franklin Park Zoo in the winter of 1989. The theory was to see where climbers were able to reach the top , so that afterwards the zookeepers could then fill-in those sections under the assumption that these modifications would also prevent the gorillas from getting out. Of course, this theory didn't account for the very significant size difference between human's and gorillas, nor of the latter's much higher climbing skills, as was proven a number of years later when one of them, Little Joe, escaped twice by climbing out. The climbers were well aware of this fallacy at the time, but had so much fun climbing indoors in winter, that Tom and Steve were inspired to initiate the BRG project.

Only went to BRG once, when I first moved back to MA about 5 years ago. It's too bad that the owners hadn't invested in a better (taller, bigger) space; as things stood, the facilities at CRG, Metrorock, and Brooklyn Boulders were so much better that I couldn't see any reason to go to BRG. The Portland Rock Gym, which is even older than BRG, built out a nice modern space years ago and is still going strong, so old gyms can stay in business as long as they keep up with the competition.

Random thoughts:

Wayne was an oroginal full partner - he got edged out after the fire and they initially were trying to move to a stone church in Somerville before that fell through and they ended up in the warehouse in Woburn.

There were attempts over the years to expand at the current location - expansions to space on both sides of the main room, gear shop (came and went), "normal" foam floor replacing the tire shreds (which were an improvement over the bear wood at Somerville or the pea stones used elsewhere) - but the lack of height was a limiting factor (the original main room at Somerville was an amazing 40').

Some of Tom's one-off innovations still survive - Jackson Polluck panels, concrete holds.  Likewise some of Steve Potters wooden holds,

The length of the pure horizontal roof (party trick) is still unique.

Al - it's YMCA (not WMCA).

Hey Eric, remember I'm dealing with 2 different eyes right now--though maybe I can also blame autocorrect!!!!

Eric Engberg wrote: Random thoughts:

Wayne was an original full partner - he got edged out after the fire and they initially were trying to move to a stone church in Somerville before that fell through and they ended up in the warehouse in Woburn.

There were some great and scandalous stories about the demise of the Somerville location- business drama, infidelity, and arson.  I won't recount the stories here, but it was a fitting end to a great, if short-lived, institution!

I guess we all look for different things in climbing gyms.  I kinda just train and love climbing, state of art is cool I guess but I have no need for yoga, excersize bikes or parkour.  I went into Brooklyn boulders and they had free ice cream samples, no one was eating em but me probably didn't want to get cold cuz they had no shirts on lol. The cracks at brg are pretty rad, the auto belay routes rotate regularly with hard and ez routes. They recently installed a moon board an acquired taste maybe? But I love that thing. i sure loved hucking a chunk of tire at a friend across room.

I can in fact confirm that the BRG will close it's doors in December of 2018. I used to work there as the photographer and a belayer, and the staff and community there truly are a family.

Anyone who was a regular at BRG knew that the community and the vibe there was at a level no other gym came close to. Community competitions were filled with laughs and friendly competition, potlucks occurred regularly, and team training was enjoyable and effective.

Boston Rock Gym staff will mostly move to the Central Rock location down the street, and the plan is to do the same with the thriving community there.

Email from Chris O'Connell, current owner:

It’s with a heavy heart that I send this letter. I’m going to be closing the Boston Rock Gym in December of this year. It was a difficult decision but it’s the right time.  
 
I’d like to thank all the members of our community who have made the Boston Rock Gym such a magical place for the past 30 years. Our customers, members and staff have been an integral part of this endeavor and of each other’s lives for many seasons.
 
As most of you are aware, Central Rock Gym will be opening a location just up the street in Stoneham this Fall. I have talked with CRG’s management and we will be offering some attractive terms for members of the BRG community who are interested in moving over to their new state-of-the art-facility.
 
In many ways, the facility that CRG is building is what I had hoped the BRG could evolve into and is what I believe this area needs and deserves. You will see some familiar faces joining the CRG team from BRG. Details regarding memberships and programs will be forthcoming.
 
As I look back at the Boston Rock Gym’s history, I feel a great deal of satisfaction in all that we’ve accomplished. When the BRG was founded in 1989 by Steve and Tom, it was truly ahead of its time. I have many great memories of climbing and working there in the early days.
 
Our association with and support of the Climbing Wall Association, American Mountain Guides Association, Access Fund, and American Alpine Club over the years has been a source of pride. And the list of climbers who received their introduction to the sport at the BRG is truly staggering!
 
Some of our achievements might be worth noting:

• Climber visits: over 1,000,000
• Individual customers (waivers): about 250,000
• Introductory lessons taught: about 50,000
• Outdoor lessons taught: over 1,000

The BRG has been an integral part of both Boston’s and the Nation’s climbing communities for a very long time. We have shared respectful relationships with more recent arrivals, starting with Metro Rock and then with Brooklyn Boulders and Central Rock. We have seen climbing move from a fringe activity to what it is today – an official Olympic sport in 2020!
 
It’s been a journey.
 
It’s never easy when something good comes to an end, but it’s also the opportunity for a new beginning. The Boston Rock Gym has paved the way for today’s climbers – that’s something that we all share and a legacy that we will leave behind as we look toward tomorrow. Between now and December let’s savor the friendships and community we’ve found at the BRG.
Climb on,
 
Chris OConnell
Owner, Boston Rock Gym Inc.

The best part of tire shreds was occasionally getting stabbed by little bits of wire.