Dude I got so lucky on this trip! I rolled into LA to work with a new contractor that had a few ideas of his own. Long story short because he decided to rearrange the construction schedule that meant from Monday till Friday morning I had all the free time in the world. That's my kind of work trip!
Monday started off as a travel day and Tuesday I got the flippity flop from the contractor so I decided to goto Arcadia Rock Climbing Tuesday afternoon. Which I'll get to in a moment. Wednesday I called up a friend who pointed me to the local bouldering area called Stoney Point in Northeastern LA. What a kick ass sandstone bouldering area right off the road. Man I would kill for this to be in my backyard! Near perfect sandstone bouldering right near the city. Just beware of the killer bees, because they aren't hard to find. Afterwards I went up to Long Beach to have dinner with an old skateboarding buddy and his girlfriend. Mmm, Thai food! Thursday I decided to take a drive to a widely known climbing area, Joshua Tree.
Mainly I just hiked around and stared at all those beautiful granite buttresses, but it was so worth it. Joshua Tree has never been my favorite area to climb, but damn if it's not one of the most beautiful places on the planet. The Hills Have Eyes was filmed there amongst a plethora of other movies. Since I was by myself I didn't get a chance to climb, but I did watch a few people climb while I was there. After that I did a hike that took me to a oasis, or lake in the middle of the desert.
Back to the gym. Arcadia is simple put an awesome bouldering gym. There aren't any routes here, but that's ok because this place has some super steep and tall boulders with nearly 20-ft of climbing on some boulders. The grades are some of the stoutest that I have been to thus far, but that just may have been me getting used to the setters. There is a plenty training here too. There is also a system board area, hangboards, and a wall with just a ton of the smallest crimpers that you will ever grab. If you want to climb this wall make sure you trim the fat and go there in shape, because it ain't happening if you try out that wall with a little flab on the belly. The gym also has a lot of giant bouldering pads that can be moved around because the walls appeared to be around 15 ft tall in some areas. Friendly staff, and some friendly locals at this gym.
That's it, that's all go check it out, but don't expect any routes because this gym is all bouldering.
Gym Overall: 8.0
Quality of bouldering: 8
Quality of routes: N/A
Attitudes of owners/workers: 8
Attitudes of climbers: 8
Cost: 8 ($15 day pass)
Monday, July 12, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Upper Limits - St Louis, MO
This week my travels took me to the city with the King of Beers Budweiser in St Louis, MO. The city is a welcomed breath of fresh air compared to the craziness that is Chicago, IL. I almost forgot what it was like to get off the plane, pop on over to Dollar Rent-A-Car and haul ass down the interstate at 70mph during a time of high volume traffic. This city is a welcome for Colorado beer snobs since they house a tremendous amount of local breweries which are just what you need after a long day of work, or beast'n at the local climbing gym. What I like about this town is that if the shit goes down say a zombie invasion you can get on the interstate and get the F out of Dodge without sitting in traffic. If this was to happen in Chicago your best bet would be to board up your doors and windows and pray that you have enough food, water, and ammunition to last you through the hoards of the living dead.
Enough rambling, Upper Limits climbing gym. I was lucky enough to meet up with an old friend from my New River Gorge days who now lives in St Louis. For the first time I spent more time on the walls and less time on the boulders. The gym has textured climbing walls up to 35-ft tall on it's main level and 20-ft on it's upper level. There is a small bouldering area (no topouts) towards the back of the main area, campus board, locker room, bathrooms, and a nice pro shop with everything you'll ever need. The walls also had several autobelays, topropping of course, and lead climbing. The grades were all over the place using a mixture of the Yosemite Decimal System to the +/- system. I'm assuming this is a preference of the particular route setters. The ground is also layered with rubber shavings?
For the most part the routes were set very good and the holds were decent. The walls also ranged from slab, vertical, overhanging, cracks, aretes, and diehedrals. I liked the fact that the routesetters made good use of the walls with routes that did not just run up and down. A lot of these routes veered to the right and left throughout the length of the route starting on vertical (sometimes overhanging) walls and shifting left, or right onto an overhanging section. This practice is great for creating longer routes with shorter walls.
The gym is about 10,000 square feet in a town of about 2.8 million. Living here you are within reasonable distance to Jackson Falls, Red River Gorge, and Horseshoe Canyon. This basically means that you do have a descent climbing population and Upper Limits is your only option in St Louis. Honestly 10,000 square feet is just not enough when it gets crowded.
My biggest complaints about the gym are the following:
Some of the holds were in need of a good cleaning. I am also not a big fan of sharing bouldering problems with sport climbing routes. I just feel that the two should be separated. The rubber shavings that layered the floor are not my favorite. I personally feel that the rubber shavings do not disperse enough of the impacting energy from a fall even from heights as low as 3-ft (I had a spinal injury in Februay '09 and I can tell a big difference these days). However the gym did have at least 2 bouldering mats to shuffle around. The lack of training equipment such as a system board, a much larger campus board (they have a small one), and your usual training equipment was a disappointment. However it's a small gym with limited space and expandability in it's current location.
I did like this gym and would definitely like to come back when I'm in the area so please don't let me put anyone off by anything I've said because it's a very good gym. However my suggestions would be the following:
The upper section that has 20-ft walls is just not being utilized to it's potential. Over half of the walls were devoid of holds when I was there. Right now it's somewhat being used for their beginner training classes. Just get rid of that! Bring that to the main floor and host smaller classes. I can't imagine that this is even worth it. Take the current walls down and envision an awesome bouldering area with overhanging walls at varying degrees and layer it with problems. This would free up space from the bouldering/sport climbing wall sharing that is going on in the main area, and would separate the two as it should be. On the very back of the main area routes aren't even being climbed since the boulderers are just parked underneath them.
Well that's my two cents for the week. I've got a work trip planned to Baltimore soon so I'm excited about checking out Earth Treks again while I'm there.
Gym Overall: 7.0
Quality of bouldering: 4 (Great potential, but currently not up to par)
Quality of routes: 7 (35-t tall walls with top/lead routes and various terrain)
Attitudes of owners/workers: 7 (Pretty friendly staff)
Attitudes of climbers: 8 (It's hard to say since I met up with a friend and I didn't get a chance to chat with any other locals)
Cost: 8 ($15 day pass)
Enough rambling, Upper Limits climbing gym. I was lucky enough to meet up with an old friend from my New River Gorge days who now lives in St Louis. For the first time I spent more time on the walls and less time on the boulders. The gym has textured climbing walls up to 35-ft tall on it's main level and 20-ft on it's upper level. There is a small bouldering area (no topouts) towards the back of the main area, campus board, locker room, bathrooms, and a nice pro shop with everything you'll ever need. The walls also had several autobelays, topropping of course, and lead climbing. The grades were all over the place using a mixture of the Yosemite Decimal System to the +/- system. I'm assuming this is a preference of the particular route setters. The ground is also layered with rubber shavings?
For the most part the routes were set very good and the holds were decent. The walls also ranged from slab, vertical, overhanging, cracks, aretes, and diehedrals. I liked the fact that the routesetters made good use of the walls with routes that did not just run up and down. A lot of these routes veered to the right and left throughout the length of the route starting on vertical (sometimes overhanging) walls and shifting left, or right onto an overhanging section. This practice is great for creating longer routes with shorter walls.
The gym is about 10,000 square feet in a town of about 2.8 million. Living here you are within reasonable distance to Jackson Falls, Red River Gorge, and Horseshoe Canyon. This basically means that you do have a descent climbing population and Upper Limits is your only option in St Louis. Honestly 10,000 square feet is just not enough when it gets crowded.
My biggest complaints about the gym are the following:
Some of the holds were in need of a good cleaning. I am also not a big fan of sharing bouldering problems with sport climbing routes. I just feel that the two should be separated. The rubber shavings that layered the floor are not my favorite. I personally feel that the rubber shavings do not disperse enough of the impacting energy from a fall even from heights as low as 3-ft (I had a spinal injury in Februay '09 and I can tell a big difference these days). However the gym did have at least 2 bouldering mats to shuffle around. The lack of training equipment such as a system board, a much larger campus board (they have a small one), and your usual training equipment was a disappointment. However it's a small gym with limited space and expandability in it's current location.
I did like this gym and would definitely like to come back when I'm in the area so please don't let me put anyone off by anything I've said because it's a very good gym. However my suggestions would be the following:
The upper section that has 20-ft walls is just not being utilized to it's potential. Over half of the walls were devoid of holds when I was there. Right now it's somewhat being used for their beginner training classes. Just get rid of that! Bring that to the main floor and host smaller classes. I can't imagine that this is even worth it. Take the current walls down and envision an awesome bouldering area with overhanging walls at varying degrees and layer it with problems. This would free up space from the bouldering/sport climbing wall sharing that is going on in the main area, and would separate the two as it should be. On the very back of the main area routes aren't even being climbed since the boulderers are just parked underneath them.
Well that's my two cents for the week. I've got a work trip planned to Baltimore soon so I'm excited about checking out Earth Treks again while I'm there.
Gym Overall: 7.0
Quality of bouldering: 4 (Great potential, but currently not up to par)
Quality of routes: 7 (35-t tall walls with top/lead routes and various terrain)
Attitudes of owners/workers: 7 (Pretty friendly staff)
Attitudes of climbers: 8 (It's hard to say since I met up with a friend and I didn't get a chance to chat with any other locals)
Cost: 8 ($15 day pass)
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
The gyms I've visited
I was thinking about this today on the way to the job site, and I thought I would make a list of all of the different climbing gyms that I've visited by state. I've included a brief description because most of these gyms I climbed at before I started this blog. If these gyms have changed which I'm sure the route setters have I apologize.
Arizona
1) Climbmax, Tempe: Full Review already in blog. See blog.
California
2) Rockreation, Los Angeles: Pretty cool gym. See blog.
3) Hanger 18, Riverside: Awesome gym. See blog.
4) Mission Cliffs, San Francisco: Great gym for getting strong! Score: 9
5) Planet Granite, San Francisco: Easily of the best gyms I've visited. See blog.
6) Slo-Op Climbing, San Luis Obispo: Climbed only at shelter facility. Score: 7
7) Sanctuary Rock Gym, Sand City: The first gym I ever visited outside NC. Score: 7?
Colorado
8) Paradise, Denver: Closed down. Had best prices. Hopeful it will open again.
9) Boulder Rock Club, Boulder: Good gym. Score: 7
10) Movement Climbing and Fitness, Boulder: One of the best gyms. See blog.
11) The Spot, Boulder: Best bouldering gym in the world, no ropes. Score: 10
12) Denver Bouldering Club, Denver: Bouldering only. Score: 6
13) REI, Denver: For kids only. Score: 1
14) Epic Climbing Gym, Estes Park: I'm pretty sure it's closed.
15) ROCK'n & JAM'n #1, Thornton: Gym I broke my back at! Tall and steep. Score: 8
16) Westminster Climbing Gym, Westminster: Stay away!!! Score: 1
Florida
17) Tallahassee Rock Gym, Tallahassee: Bouldering only? Score: 6
Illinois
18) Lifetime Fitness Climbing Wall, Algonquin: Stay away. No bouldering. Score: 2
19) Oldtown Fitplex, Chicago: Maybe if you are a local. See blog.
20) Hidden Peak, Chicago: Bouldering only. See blog.
21) North Wall, Crystal Lake: More for bouldering. See blog.
22) Vertical Endeavors, Warrenville: Best all around gym in Chicago. See blog.
Indiana
23) Climb Time Indy, Indiana: Gym owned by Tori Allen's parents. Score: 7
Maryland
24) Earth Treks Climbing Centers: 3 gyms. Some of the best gyms in the US. Score: 10
Michigan
25) Planet Rock, Ann Arbor: Great gyms, tall walls, & great bouldering. Score: 9
26) Planet Rock, Pontiac: Great gyms, tall walls, & great bouldering. Score: 9
Montana
27) Steep World, Billings: Short walls, but good bouldering. Score: 4
North Carolina
28) Climbmax, Asheville: Skip it and goto Rumbling Bald. Score: 3
29) Footsloggers, Boone: Outside tower for kids only. Score: 1
30) Vertical Edge, Durham: Gym I cut my teeth at. Skip it and goto the TRC. Score: 3
31) The Ultimate Climbing Gym, Greensboro: Probably the best gym in NC. Score: 7.5
32) ECU Indoor Climbing Wall, Greenville: Only if you are a student. Score: 2
33) Triangle Rock Club, Morrisville: Best option in Triangle area. See blog.
34) NCSU, Raleigh: Toproping and outside traverse. Students only. Score: 2
35) Climb On!, Wilmington: Now closed.
36) UNCW Climbing Wall, Wilmington: Students only. Goto the beach instead. Score: 2
Pennsylvania
37) The Climbing Wall Inc, Pittsburgh: Good gym. Score: 6.5
South Carolina
38) Stronghold, Columbia: Great bouldering and routes w/ fitness club. Score: 8
Tennessee
39) TBA Gym, Chattanooga: Bouldering only. Score: 6
40) The Climbing Center, Knoxville: Good gym and close to the Obed. Score: 6.5
Texas
41) Dyno-Rock, Arlington: Decent gym. See blog.
42) Stoneworks, Carrollton: Super tall walls, but vertical and old holds. See blog.
Washington
43) Stone Gardens, Seattle: Good bouldering and ropes. Get rid of pebbles. Score: 8.5
Wisconsin
44) Adventure Rock, Pewaukee: Great gym near Madison. See blog
Arizona
1) Climbmax, Tempe: Full Review already in blog. See blog.
California
2) Rockreation, Los Angeles: Pretty cool gym. See blog.
3) Hanger 18, Riverside: Awesome gym. See blog.
4) Mission Cliffs, San Francisco: Great gym for getting strong! Score: 9
5) Planet Granite, San Francisco: Easily of the best gyms I've visited. See blog.
6) Slo-Op Climbing, San Luis Obispo: Climbed only at shelter facility. Score: 7
7) Sanctuary Rock Gym, Sand City: The first gym I ever visited outside NC. Score: 7?
Colorado
8) Paradise, Denver: Closed down. Had best prices. Hopeful it will open again.
9) Boulder Rock Club, Boulder: Good gym. Score: 7
10) Movement Climbing and Fitness, Boulder: One of the best gyms. See blog.
11) The Spot, Boulder: Best bouldering gym in the world, no ropes. Score: 10
12) Denver Bouldering Club, Denver: Bouldering only. Score: 6
13) REI, Denver: For kids only. Score: 1
14) Epic Climbing Gym, Estes Park: I'm pretty sure it's closed.
15) ROCK'n & JAM'n #1, Thornton: Gym I broke my back at! Tall and steep. Score: 8
16) Westminster Climbing Gym, Westminster: Stay away!!! Score: 1
Florida
17) Tallahassee Rock Gym, Tallahassee: Bouldering only? Score: 6
Illinois
18) Lifetime Fitness Climbing Wall, Algonquin: Stay away. No bouldering. Score: 2
19) Oldtown Fitplex, Chicago: Maybe if you are a local. See blog.
20) Hidden Peak, Chicago: Bouldering only. See blog.
21) North Wall, Crystal Lake: More for bouldering. See blog.
22) Vertical Endeavors, Warrenville: Best all around gym in Chicago. See blog.
Indiana
23) Climb Time Indy, Indiana: Gym owned by Tori Allen's parents. Score: 7
Maryland
24) Earth Treks Climbing Centers: 3 gyms. Some of the best gyms in the US. Score: 10
Michigan
25) Planet Rock, Ann Arbor: Great gyms, tall walls, & great bouldering. Score: 9
26) Planet Rock, Pontiac: Great gyms, tall walls, & great bouldering. Score: 9
Montana
27) Steep World, Billings: Short walls, but good bouldering. Score: 4
North Carolina
28) Climbmax, Asheville: Skip it and goto Rumbling Bald. Score: 3
29) Footsloggers, Boone: Outside tower for kids only. Score: 1
30) Vertical Edge, Durham: Gym I cut my teeth at. Skip it and goto the TRC. Score: 3
31) The Ultimate Climbing Gym, Greensboro: Probably the best gym in NC. Score: 7.5
32) ECU Indoor Climbing Wall, Greenville: Only if you are a student. Score: 2
33) Triangle Rock Club, Morrisville: Best option in Triangle area. See blog.
34) NCSU, Raleigh: Toproping and outside traverse. Students only. Score: 2
35) Climb On!, Wilmington: Now closed.
36) UNCW Climbing Wall, Wilmington: Students only. Goto the beach instead. Score: 2
Pennsylvania
37) The Climbing Wall Inc, Pittsburgh: Good gym. Score: 6.5
South Carolina
38) Stronghold, Columbia: Great bouldering and routes w/ fitness club. Score: 8
Tennessee
39) TBA Gym, Chattanooga: Bouldering only. Score: 6
40) The Climbing Center, Knoxville: Good gym and close to the Obed. Score: 6.5
Texas
41) Dyno-Rock, Arlington: Decent gym. See blog.
42) Stoneworks, Carrollton: Super tall walls, but vertical and old holds. See blog.
Washington
43) Stone Gardens, Seattle: Good bouldering and ropes. Get rid of pebbles. Score: 8.5
Wisconsin
44) Adventure Rock, Pewaukee: Great gym near Madison. See blog
Monday, December 14, 2009
Adventure Rock - Pewaukee, WI
Well it's pretty crazy, but since I'm totally disappointed in what Illinois has to offer in the way of climbing gyms I decided to cruise up to Wisconsin just to get a decent plastic fix. It's about 70 miles from my hotel in Arlington Heights, IL which is about 1-1/2 hrs driving time. I heard about this gym from a local friendly at North Wall in Crystal Lake, IL and decided to check it out. Why on earth would I drive this far to climb on plastic, because sitting in a hotel playing PS3 is just not doing it for me.
This gym is really good compared to everything Illinois had to offer. It has pretty tall overhanging walls, topropping w/ auto-belays, 2 bouldering rooms, campus boards, hang boards, and my favorite aerobic device so far a revolving wall with variable speeds and angles. The gym also has a full pro shop for anything that you may be missing which includes: shoes, harnesses, biners, trad gear, ropes, guides, chalk, etc... There is also a subway inside the same building and a burger ice cream joint next door. The gym does not offer any other type of fitness devices such as tread mill, ellipticals, bikes, or weight benches. That's ok though since the moving wall and some good problems are all you need for aerobic and anarobic training.
The problems felt right on par with what I'm used to seeing at Movement. I also like the fact that the bouldering problems are giving a range. For example V0-V1, V1-V2, V3-V4, V5-V6, V7-Beyond are all giving a certain colar base tape. Personally I like the idea of ranges because we are all built and shaped differently it's difficult to place a definitive grade when it comes to climbing plastic, or outdoors for that matter. It makes it harder for people to say, "That's no V5!!!"
What are my complaints you might ask? Not much really. It's a great gym, but if I had to pick one thing it would have to be that the holds seem pretty outdated. I've found that lately at all of the Illinois gyms including this one in Wisconsin. Another HUGE complaint is the water smells like bad eggs. It's so bad I'm not even sure it's legal. With that said bring your own water, or other tasty beverages. If your a Flagstaff Mtn bouldering visiting you might not want to bring your Nalgene bottle filled with Vino since this is definitely a family friendly gym.
Gym Overall: 7.6
Quality of bouldering: 7 (No freestanding top out boulder)
Quality of routes: 8 (Tall walls, but old holds)
Attitudes of owners/workers: 8 (Pretty friendly staff)
Attitudes of climbers: 7 (Pretty friendly climbers)
Cost: 8 ($15 day pass. It's to be expected)
This gym is really good compared to everything Illinois had to offer. It has pretty tall overhanging walls, topropping w/ auto-belays, 2 bouldering rooms, campus boards, hang boards, and my favorite aerobic device so far a revolving wall with variable speeds and angles. The gym also has a full pro shop for anything that you may be missing which includes: shoes, harnesses, biners, trad gear, ropes, guides, chalk, etc... There is also a subway inside the same building and a burger ice cream joint next door. The gym does not offer any other type of fitness devices such as tread mill, ellipticals, bikes, or weight benches. That's ok though since the moving wall and some good problems are all you need for aerobic and anarobic training.
The problems felt right on par with what I'm used to seeing at Movement. I also like the fact that the bouldering problems are giving a range. For example V0-V1, V1-V2, V3-V4, V5-V6, V7-Beyond are all giving a certain colar base tape. Personally I like the idea of ranges because we are all built and shaped differently it's difficult to place a definitive grade when it comes to climbing plastic, or outdoors for that matter. It makes it harder for people to say, "That's no V5!!!"
What are my complaints you might ask? Not much really. It's a great gym, but if I had to pick one thing it would have to be that the holds seem pretty outdated. I've found that lately at all of the Illinois gyms including this one in Wisconsin. Another HUGE complaint is the water smells like bad eggs. It's so bad I'm not even sure it's legal. With that said bring your own water, or other tasty beverages. If your a Flagstaff Mtn bouldering visiting you might not want to bring your Nalgene bottle filled with Vino since this is definitely a family friendly gym.
Gym Overall: 7.6
Quality of bouldering: 7 (No freestanding top out boulder)
Quality of routes: 8 (Tall walls, but old holds)
Attitudes of owners/workers: 8 (Pretty friendly staff)
Attitudes of climbers: 7 (Pretty friendly climbers)
Cost: 8 ($15 day pass. It's to be expected)
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Hidden Peak - Chicago, IL
After leaving Oldtown Fitplex I drove just South a mile to Hidden Peak located right in downtown Chicago. I made sure to check it out and see if it was something I would be into and luckily it was. The bouldering gym is located in the back of a tumbling/gymnastic complex. I was directed to the unisex bathroom to change into my climbing attire which was a little strange when 7 year old girls are standing in the same line to use the same bathroom. NOT AT THE SAME TIME OF COURSE!!! My point is that the bathroom is also the changing room.
The gym offers no climbing routes, but several different walls with varying angles on a plywood surface. The holds seemed a little old and didn't appear to have been cleaned in a long time. The boulder problems were very good, a little sandbagged, but cluttered. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out the problems before I even got on the problems because of the multitude of tape. This gym is one of the smallest gyms I've ever been to, but it packs a serious punch. In short don't judge a gym by its size.
My favorite features about the gym was the following:
1) The price was right at $10 for a day pass.
2) The climbers are very friendly and guick to offer a spot and encouragement.
3) They had an awesome adjustable system board and campus board.
4) The boulder problems are well thought out and therefore very good.
In short this gym will build you up for a lot of bouldering power. It's a gym I recommend for the boulderer, but not so much for the route climber. The upside to that is the system board which can be used to build endurance given the right training.
Gym Overall: 6.4
Quality of bouldering: 7 (Great quality of bouldering problems)
Quality of routes: 0 (Virtually no route climbing, or potential)
Attitudes of owners/workers: 8 (Pretty friendly staff)
Attitudes of climbers: 8 (Gotta love those Chicago climbers. Very nice folks.)
Cost: 9 ($10 day pass. Can't beat it.)
The gym offers no climbing routes, but several different walls with varying angles on a plywood surface. The holds seemed a little old and didn't appear to have been cleaned in a long time. The boulder problems were very good, a little sandbagged, but cluttered. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out the problems before I even got on the problems because of the multitude of tape. This gym is one of the smallest gyms I've ever been to, but it packs a serious punch. In short don't judge a gym by its size.
My favorite features about the gym was the following:
1) The price was right at $10 for a day pass.
2) The climbers are very friendly and guick to offer a spot and encouragement.
3) They had an awesome adjustable system board and campus board.
4) The boulder problems are well thought out and therefore very good.
In short this gym will build you up for a lot of bouldering power. It's a gym I recommend for the boulderer, but not so much for the route climber. The upside to that is the system board which can be used to build endurance given the right training.
Gym Overall: 6.4
Quality of bouldering: 7 (Great quality of bouldering problems)
Quality of routes: 0 (Virtually no route climbing, or potential)
Attitudes of owners/workers: 8 (Pretty friendly staff)
Attitudes of climbers: 8 (Gotta love those Chicago climbers. Very nice folks.)
Cost: 9 ($10 day pass. Can't beat it.)
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Oldtown Fitplex - Chicago, IL
I actually didn't even climb at this gym. I spent about 5 mins talking to the two girls at the front desk. One of them actually pissed me off with her sarcastic remarks when I asked her about the gym, but the other was nice enough. I asked them about the gym walked past the fitness equipment and then checked out the wall. I watched a few climbers and boulders do a few problems and realized this gym was not at all what I was looking for so I just left.
My biggest complaint is that it's $15 to climb at this crappy gym. Maybe, just maybe if I was extremely bored and all the other gyms I visited were closed for the night, and I'd seen every movie in the theater I might actually climb in this gym. Luckily for me I brought my PS3 and some games so I won't ever have to subject myself to this pile of crap.
The routes are short, the bouldering is not seperated from the routes, and the wall is about 20-ft wide by 20-ft tall. This gym might have some good routes, but I will probably never be motivated to climb here. It looks more like a place where you can meet girl/guys rather than somewhere to beast.
In short if you are in the heart of downtown Chicago and want to get a fitness workout then hit up some routes, or problems than check it out. However there is a bouldering gym right near here.
Gym Overall: 3.8
Quality of bouldering: 3 (Based on pure sight only)
Quality of routes: 3 (Based on pure sight only)
Attitudes of owners/workers: 4 (Partially friendly staff)
Attitudes of climbers: 6 (Based on my positive experience with Chicago climbers)
Cost: 3 ($15 seriously?!? For this pile of crap?)
My biggest complaint is that it's $15 to climb at this crappy gym. Maybe, just maybe if I was extremely bored and all the other gyms I visited were closed for the night, and I'd seen every movie in the theater I might actually climb in this gym. Luckily for me I brought my PS3 and some games so I won't ever have to subject myself to this pile of crap.
The routes are short, the bouldering is not seperated from the routes, and the wall is about 20-ft wide by 20-ft tall. This gym might have some good routes, but I will probably never be motivated to climb here. It looks more like a place where you can meet girl/guys rather than somewhere to beast.
In short if you are in the heart of downtown Chicago and want to get a fitness workout then hit up some routes, or problems than check it out. However there is a bouldering gym right near here.
Gym Overall: 3.8
Quality of bouldering: 3 (Based on pure sight only)
Quality of routes: 3 (Based on pure sight only)
Attitudes of owners/workers: 4 (Partially friendly staff)
Attitudes of climbers: 6 (Based on my positive experience with Chicago climbers)
Cost: 3 ($15 seriously?!? For this pile of crap?)
North Wall - Crystal Lake, IL
I've been spending a lot of time in Chicago lately for work. It's usually cold, overcast, and wet this time of year. Getting motivated to do anything is hard in this town. I usually struggle between going to the gym, staying in the hotel, or catching a movie somewhere at night. When I do get motivated to climb I spend quite a lot of time sorting through what exactly is a climbing gym and what is a fitness gym with a "climbing wall."
North Wall in Crystal Lake is about a 30 mile drive Northwest of Chicago and has a good selection of boulder problems. This gym is not where you want to go if you need to get on some routes since the walls are very short at 20/25-ft tall. However the quality of the boulder problems is as good as it gets. The gym also has a very cool feature that starts off super steep and then comes into an almost tidal wave feature. The height of some of the routes is intimidating, but there are plenty of pads that you can shift around if you become sketched out.
One of my favorite things about this gym was the friendly climbers. These guys were some of the coolest guys on the planet that I've been fortunate enough to climb with. For those of you that want to get your bouldering fix fulfilled this was the place to do it. Although this gym might not be appealing to everyone, I definitely had a good time climbing there and meeting everyone. Just be prepared to drive about 45 mins outside of town. The indoorclimbing.com website mentions 50-ft of climbing, but I was never able to locate it.
Gym Overall: 7.0
Quality of bouldering: 8 (Great quality of bouldering problems)
Quality of routes: 3 (Very poor route climbing, and potential)
Attitudes of owners/workers: 7 (Pretty friendly staff)
Attitudes of climbers: 10 (Friendliest climbers I've come across to date)
Cost: 7 ($12 seemed steep for a gym that provided very little route climbing)
North Wall in Crystal Lake is about a 30 mile drive Northwest of Chicago and has a good selection of boulder problems. This gym is not where you want to go if you need to get on some routes since the walls are very short at 20/25-ft tall. However the quality of the boulder problems is as good as it gets. The gym also has a very cool feature that starts off super steep and then comes into an almost tidal wave feature. The height of some of the routes is intimidating, but there are plenty of pads that you can shift around if you become sketched out.
One of my favorite things about this gym was the friendly climbers. These guys were some of the coolest guys on the planet that I've been fortunate enough to climb with. For those of you that want to get your bouldering fix fulfilled this was the place to do it. Although this gym might not be appealing to everyone, I definitely had a good time climbing there and meeting everyone. Just be prepared to drive about 45 mins outside of town. The indoorclimbing.com website mentions 50-ft of climbing, but I was never able to locate it.
Gym Overall: 7.0
Quality of bouldering: 8 (Great quality of bouldering problems)
Quality of routes: 3 (Very poor route climbing, and potential)
Attitudes of owners/workers: 7 (Pretty friendly staff)
Attitudes of climbers: 10 (Friendliest climbers I've come across to date)
Cost: 7 ($12 seemed steep for a gym that provided very little route climbing)
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