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 It's a great gym, but if I had to pick one thing it would have to be that the holds seem pretty outdated.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)
Showing posts with label Climbing Gyms. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Climbing Gyms. Show all posts
Monday, December 14, 2009
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
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)
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Vertical Endeavors - Warrenville, IL
When I started my new job I was pretty clear with the head suits that I would not be able to travel back and forth to Chicago, or any other area for that matter. Marginal travel is one thing, but to be honest any travel to Chicago-Midway Airport just scares the hell out of me. Every flight I've ever taken to this airport has been a complete roller coaster ride. Much worse than flying in and out of DIA, SLC, or RENO. I just can't stand to give complete trust to the airline pilot especially after those guys just recently flew past the airport while playing video games.
On the Western side of Chicago is a climbing gym that is located inside of Lifetime Fitness. Typically climbing gyms such as these are pretty generic walls with virtually nothing to offer anything, but the most inexperienced climber. It's just a way to promote sales by showing a different side of fitness. These walls are never maintained, and the routes haven't been updated since the installation of the climbing walls.
Vertical Endeavors is different in that it was originally owned by Nicros and they bought space inside of a fitness gym. The climbing gym is of descent size with everything from topropes, lead climbing, auto-belays (these are not the type kind that have been recalled), bouldering, campus board training, and fully equipped to provide you with all of your sport and bouldering needs. The terrain consists of slabs, vertical, overhanging, crack, and roof climbing. They have a good selection of climbing shoes for purchase amongst other things.
Upon entering the gym I was greeted by two very friendly employees that were very informative and interested in getting to know me the out-of-townee. They were also very professional in giving me tour, and orientation with the rules and correct way to operate the auto-belays. This was very helpful, because honestly without this I would have let go of the rope and it would have been stuck up at the top of the climb and I would have been standing there looking like a ding-dong.
I did however find the quality of the gym somewhat disappointing. When I first saw the photos online I was stoked to check this gym out. However when I finally started climbing at the gym the quality of the features of the walls, the routes, and grade range for using the auto-belays was less than desirable. First off the auto-belays started at 5.5 and maxed out at 5.10a. Which got boring quickly since I warmed up on the 10a. Secondly the features of the wall while they looked cool was incredibly slick. Lastly I don't want to sound harsh, but the quality of the routes was very poor. They had recently supported an ABS comp so I was able to try out some of the problems. I've seen it before and this gym happened to be filled with it, but making awkward moves that don't resemble what's outside is not the only way to create hard problems. You can have the best gym in the world, but if can't get psyched on the problems you'll find somewhere else to climb. I've seen some very underdog gyms with some great problems and this can make a huge difference. Two examples of sub-par gyms where the quality of the problems make up for great amenities are North Wall in Crystal Lake, IL and the now defunct Raleigh Rock Yard in Raleigh, NC. In my opinion these two gyms know how to take advantage of what they have.
I did have one other problem with the gym and it was the material used to cushion the floor. The gym was covered in some type of rubber foam material. Even a fall from just 3-ft was pretty jarring to my spine and ankle. After suffering a spinal injury and cartilage replacement surgery in my ankle I was even less psyched. However in the gyms defence they have height restrictions for bouldering, and on several occasions locals quickly rushed to spot me.
In my experience so far Chicago local climbers have been very warm and friendly and I definitely appreciate this when I'm on the road. Maybe the stereo-type of Boulder climbers is true?
My overall opinion is to check this gym out because you never whether the route setter was having a bad day, and whether, or not they have been replaced. At the very least you'll find friendly folks and a good workout. Plus afterwards you can hit up the Chipotle just up the road!
Gym Overall: 6.0
Quality of bouldering: 4 (No topouts, and low quality of problems)
Quality of routes: 6 (Nice features, but poor quality problems)
Attitudes of owners/workers: 9 (Incredibly friendly, and helpful staff)
Attitudes of climbers: 7 (Quick to give a spot, and decent for conversation)
Cost: 4 ($15 day pass. Expensive, but you do have access to Lifetime Fitness's other facilities)
On the Western side of Chicago is a climbing gym that is located inside of Lifetime Fitness. Typically climbing gyms such as these are pretty generic walls with virtually nothing to offer anything, but the most inexperienced climber. It's just a way to promote sales by showing a different side of fitness. These walls are never maintained, and the routes haven't been updated since the installation of the climbing walls.
Vertical Endeavors is different in that it was originally owned by Nicros and they bought space inside of a fitness gym. The climbing gym is of descent size with everything from topropes, lead climbing, auto-belays (these are not the type kind that have been recalled), bouldering, campus board training, and fully equipped to provide you with all of your sport and bouldering needs. The terrain consists of slabs, vertical, overhanging, crack, and roof climbing. They have a good selection of climbing shoes for purchase amongst other things.
Upon entering the gym I was greeted by two very friendly employees that were very informative and interested in getting to know me the out-of-townee. They were also very professional in giving me tour, and orientation with the rules and correct way to operate the auto-belays. This was very helpful, because honestly without this I would have let go of the rope and it would have been stuck up at the top of the climb and I would have been standing there looking like a ding-dong.
I did however find the quality of the gym somewhat disappointing. When I first saw the photos online I was stoked to check this gym out. However when I finally started climbing at the gym the quality of the features of the walls, the routes, and grade range for using the auto-belays was less than desirable. First off the auto-belays started at 5.5 and maxed out at 5.10a. Which got boring quickly since I warmed up on the 10a. Secondly the features of the wall while they looked cool was incredibly slick. Lastly I don't want to sound harsh, but the quality of the routes was very poor. They had recently supported an ABS comp so I was able to try out some of the problems. I've seen it before and this gym happened to be filled with it, but making awkward moves that don't resemble what's outside is not the only way to create hard problems. You can have the best gym in the world, but if can't get psyched on the problems you'll find somewhere else to climb. I've seen some very underdog gyms with some great problems and this can make a huge difference. Two examples of sub-par gyms where the quality of the problems make up for great amenities are North Wall in Crystal Lake, IL and the now defunct Raleigh Rock Yard in Raleigh, NC. In my opinion these two gyms know how to take advantage of what they have.
I did have one other problem with the gym and it was the material used to cushion the floor. The gym was covered in some type of rubber foam material. Even a fall from just 3-ft was pretty jarring to my spine and ankle. After suffering a spinal injury and cartilage replacement surgery in my ankle I was even less psyched. However in the gyms defence they have height restrictions for bouldering, and on several occasions locals quickly rushed to spot me.
In my experience so far Chicago local climbers have been very warm and friendly and I definitely appreciate this when I'm on the road. Maybe the stereo-type of Boulder climbers is true?
My overall opinion is to check this gym out because you never whether the route setter was having a bad day, and whether, or not they have been replaced. At the very least you'll find friendly folks and a good workout. Plus afterwards you can hit up the Chipotle just up the road!
Gym Overall: 6.0
Quality of bouldering: 4 (No topouts, and low quality of problems)
Quality of routes: 6 (Nice features, but poor quality problems)
Attitudes of owners/workers: 9 (Incredibly friendly, and helpful staff)
Attitudes of climbers: 7 (Quick to give a spot, and decent for conversation)
Cost: 4 ($15 day pass. Expensive, but you do have access to Lifetime Fitness's other facilities)
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Triangle Rock Club - Raleigh, NC
This gym is actually in Morrisvile, NC near the Raleigh/Durham airport. After arriving in Raleigh after flying in from Denver I had two objectives before heading out to the Red River Gorge for 10 days: 1) Get me some Bojangles 2) Check out the hype of Raleigh's new gym. Lets just say the best part of that night was climbing with my best mate Trent and eating me some of those Famous Chicken & Biscuits.
The Good
It's much better than Vertical Edge, Raleigh's original climbing gym. It has a pretty cool center boulder with the possibility of topping it out (just drop off the top it's not worth it). There is a nice leadable overhung wall that the Raleigh area was in need of. There is a pretty cool lounge for those parents that want to update their Facebook Status while supervising their kids. There is a training area with free weights, hangboards, and I believe a campus board.
The Bad
The walls are incredibly short. With all of the steep climbing in the Southeast and the potential for very strong climbers out of the RDU area if someone would just step up and build a gym with walls that are greater than 25-ft we'd have more 5.13+ climber instead of the 5.12 climbers we have in the area. It rains too much in the Southeast to have these sub-par 25-ft tall gyms. What happens when you get a 25-ft 5.9? Well it's just a sandbagged V2 boulder problem rated 5.9. The grading at this gym is a joke. The problems for the most part were just as gimmicky as other NC gyms. I did a 5.12 toprope with a freaking sit start. Oh yeah because I've done that before outside! I just wish the people setting the problems would spend more time analyzing what is going on outside and set accordingly. There were a few decent problems and routes, but it was just too hit, or miss for me. Not much can be done with the height of the walls, but I suggested to a local to convince the owners to install a system board.
In all fairness it's worth it to get a workout if your traveling, or a local because right now it's the best climbing gym in the RDU area. However I'll probably just drive a little further to Greensboro to hit up their gym instead if I really need to climb inside. That or I'll just visit my family instead.
Gym Overall: 2.0
Quality of bouldering: 2.5
Quality of routes: 1.5 (1 for the overhung wall, but the rest of the routes were crap)
Attitudes of owners/workers: 2.0 (Not very talkative, but maybe they were busy)
Attitudes of climbers: 4.5 (These are my NC peeps!)
Cost: 1.0 ($15 day pass for this?!?)
The Good
It's much better than Vertical Edge, Raleigh's original climbing gym. It has a pretty cool center boulder with the possibility of topping it out (just drop off the top it's not worth it). There is a nice leadable overhung wall that the Raleigh area was in need of. There is a pretty cool lounge for those parents that want to update their Facebook Status while supervising their kids. There is a training area with free weights, hangboards, and I believe a campus board.
The Bad
The walls are incredibly short. With all of the steep climbing in the Southeast and the potential for very strong climbers out of the RDU area if someone would just step up and build a gym with walls that are greater than 25-ft we'd have more 5.13+ climber instead of the 5.12 climbers we have in the area. It rains too much in the Southeast to have these sub-par 25-ft tall gyms. What happens when you get a 25-ft 5.9? Well it's just a sandbagged V2 boulder problem rated 5.9. The grading at this gym is a joke. The problems for the most part were just as gimmicky as other NC gyms. I did a 5.12 toprope with a freaking sit start. Oh yeah because I've done that before outside! I just wish the people setting the problems would spend more time analyzing what is going on outside and set accordingly. There were a few decent problems and routes, but it was just too hit, or miss for me. Not much can be done with the height of the walls, but I suggested to a local to convince the owners to install a system board.
In all fairness it's worth it to get a workout if your traveling, or a local because right now it's the best climbing gym in the RDU area. However I'll probably just drive a little further to Greensboro to hit up their gym instead if I really need to climb inside. That or I'll just visit my family instead.
Gym Overall: 2.0
Quality of bouldering: 2.5
Quality of routes: 1.5 (1 for the overhung wall, but the rest of the routes were crap)
Attitudes of owners/workers: 2.0 (Not very talkative, but maybe they were busy)
Attitudes of climbers: 4.5 (These are my NC peeps!)
Cost: 1.0 ($15 day pass for this?!?)
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Planet Granite - San Francisco, CA
Last week took me to a real treat when it comes to gyms, Planet Granite. As if San Francisco couldn't get any cooler it did. Known for some of the most historical skateboards spots in the world, beautiful scenery along Hwy 101, an amazing city, and the best Chinese food this side of the Pacific. San Francisco is now in my opinion the leader when it comes to climbing gyms. I visited two of the gyms while I was there, the other being Mission Cliffs in the heart of San Francisco.
The gym itself is huge at 25,000 square feet. Besides the climbing the gym also includes a full fitness gym, sauna, and awesome climbing shop. Most gyms typically supply a few of odds and ends, but this gym actually has everything including area climbing guides.
The climbing is 2nd to none. Large walls, bouldering at every angle, campus boards, and a massively overhung 50-ft bouldering wall with a traverse on it's side. The largest walls angle at 15 degrees and 35 degrees simulating great Red River Gorge style climbing. The only thing left out that I may have looked over was a System Board and Hang Board. This gym was so large I probably just didn't see it.
Definitely the best gym I've visited ever. Check it out the next time your in the area.
Gym Overall: 5.0
Quality of bouldering: 4.5 (The Spot is the only gym I would give a 5.0)
Quality of routes: 4.5 (An extreme overhanging wall like Rock-N-Jamn would have awesome)
Attitudes of owners/workers: 5.0 (Incredible friendly and helpful staff with a NC local working!)
Attitudes of climbers: 4.5 (Everyone seemed nice even though I only talked to staff)
Cost: 4.0 ($18 day pass. With a full gym and sauna it's worth it)
The gym itself is huge at 25,000 square feet. Besides the climbing the gym also includes a full fitness gym, sauna, and awesome climbing shop. Most gyms typically supply a few of odds and ends, but this gym actually has everything including area climbing guides.
The climbing is 2nd to none. Large walls, bouldering at every angle, campus boards, and a massively overhung 50-ft bouldering wall with a traverse on it's side. The largest walls angle at 15 degrees and 35 degrees simulating great Red River Gorge style climbing. The only thing left out that I may have looked over was a System Board and Hang Board. This gym was so large I probably just didn't see it.
Definitely the best gym I've visited ever. Check it out the next time your in the area.
Gym Overall: 5.0
Quality of bouldering: 4.5 (The Spot is the only gym I would give a 5.0)
Quality of routes: 4.5 (An extreme overhanging wall like Rock-N-Jamn would have awesome)
Attitudes of owners/workers: 5.0 (Incredible friendly and helpful staff with a NC local working!)
Attitudes of climbers: 4.5 (Everyone seemed nice even though I only talked to staff)
Cost: 4.0 ($18 day pass. With a full gym and sauna it's worth it)
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Stoneworks - Carrolton, TX
I first came to this gym a little over two years ago. So upon returning to Dallas I couldn't wait to come check out this place again. Unfortunately I was a little disappointed. The gym is located inside of an old mill/grain silo and offers vertical routes up to 120 foot tall. They also have a pretty small bouldering area inside the gym as well.
This gym is pretty cool if you are starting to climb, or just love vertical routes. Since my climbing needs have changed climbing dead vertical routes all night got old pretty quick. I like variety in my routes and this place just doesn't offer that for seasoned climbers. If long vertical routes are your forte then this gym is for you, but if you require variety you'll get bored pretty fast.
The quality of the routes is about average, but you do get to climb routes that are definitely taller than anything else you may do inside, or outside on a single pitch route.
I had a few problems with the quality of the gym itself. Don't come here if you want to boulder. Two don't come here if you want to climb something other than vertical routes. Three they made us take a belay class (which was only your standard belay test) and we had to pay $5 a piece for it. Finally the holds are pretty much the same exact holds and climbs from two years ago. This place doesn't change much.
Gym Overall: 2.5 (You should go at least once if you are traveling)
Quality of bouldering: 1 (Uninspiring problems and small area)
Quality of routes: 2.5 (Quality is pretty poor, but the length is awesome)
Attitudes of owners/workers: 3
Attitudes of climbers: 4
Cost: 3 ($10 day pass after you pay for the $5 B.S. belay class
This gym is pretty cool if you are starting to climb, or just love vertical routes. Since my climbing needs have changed climbing dead vertical routes all night got old pretty quick. I like variety in my routes and this place just doesn't offer that for seasoned climbers. If long vertical routes are your forte then this gym is for you, but if you require variety you'll get bored pretty fast.
The quality of the routes is about average, but you do get to climb routes that are definitely taller than anything else you may do inside, or outside on a single pitch route.
I had a few problems with the quality of the gym itself. Don't come here if you want to boulder. Two don't come here if you want to climb something other than vertical routes. Three they made us take a belay class (which was only your standard belay test) and we had to pay $5 a piece for it. Finally the holds are pretty much the same exact holds and climbs from two years ago. This place doesn't change much.
Gym Overall: 2.5 (You should go at least once if you are traveling)
Quality of bouldering: 1 (Uninspiring problems and small area)
Quality of routes: 2.5 (Quality is pretty poor, but the length is awesome)
Attitudes of owners/workers: 3
Attitudes of climbers: 4
Cost: 3 ($10 day pass after you pay for the $5 B.S. belay class
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Dyno-Rock - Arlington, TX
Here we are in Dallas, TX this week busting out more tower mappings. The last two days I've climbed three towers per day, and I'm set to climb three more tomorrow. As physically tired as I was I still wanted to check out a climbing gym.
Which brought me over to Dyno-Rock. Honestly this gym is terrible. The photos online were misleading. The bouldering looked alot better than it actually was. You have to be a member to even climb the bouldering area. What?! Whoever heard of this? I must have had the look of a beast b/c he "let me slide." The bouldering area was just really dark, and musty. It felt like being in a dungeon. Plus the problems were real short and not so good. The 45 degree wall on the lower elevation had lots of potential but only two problems. They just had a ABS comp a few days prior so the # of routes was low, but the quality of the routes was pretty terrible in my opinion. The leading and toproping routes were just boring. They had an entire wall with nothing but jugs and no marked routes. A clear waste of space.
I wouldn't let this disuade anyone from going, b/c my two home gyms sucked in Raleigh, NC. Thank god I now live in Colorado. However you make the best of what you have. I'm sure someone is stoked about this place. Maybe not, after the Frat House of PKA's left I was about the only one left there that actually paid to get in. So I can't imagine how packed this place gets during the busy season.
Overall I had very little fun and ended up leaving early. I'll never go back. There are plenty of other gyms in Dallas/Fort Worth to climb. So I'll leave this gym to the locals.
Gym Overall: 1
Quality of bouldering: 2 (Does have a good training area with a system board and hangboards)
Quality of routes: 1
Attitudes of owners/workers: 2 (I thought the cashier was a prick)
Attitudes of climbers: N/A (No one was even bouldering so I can't comment)
Cost: 4 ($10 day pass. Now this I liked.)
Which brought me over to Dyno-Rock. Honestly this gym is terrible. The photos online were misleading. The bouldering looked alot better than it actually was. You have to be a member to even climb the bouldering area. What?! Whoever heard of this? I must have had the look of a beast b/c he "let me slide." The bouldering area was just really dark, and musty. It felt like being in a dungeon. Plus the problems were real short and not so good. The 45 degree wall on the lower elevation had lots of potential but only two problems. They just had a ABS comp a few days prior so the # of routes was low, but the quality of the routes was pretty terrible in my opinion. The leading and toproping routes were just boring. They had an entire wall with nothing but jugs and no marked routes. A clear waste of space.
I wouldn't let this disuade anyone from going, b/c my two home gyms sucked in Raleigh, NC. Thank god I now live in Colorado. However you make the best of what you have. I'm sure someone is stoked about this place. Maybe not, after the Frat House of PKA's left I was about the only one left there that actually paid to get in. So I can't imagine how packed this place gets during the busy season.
Overall I had very little fun and ended up leaving early. I'll never go back. There are plenty of other gyms in Dallas/Fort Worth to climb. So I'll leave this gym to the locals.
Gym Overall: 1
Quality of bouldering: 2 (Does have a good training area with a system board and hangboards)
Quality of routes: 1
Attitudes of owners/workers: 2 (I thought the cashier was a prick)
Attitudes of climbers: N/A (No one was even bouldering so I can't comment)
Cost: 4 ($10 day pass. Now this I liked.)
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