When I started climbing in 2018, I went wherever my friend took me. Thankfully, the gyms weren’t just great for beginners, they had crazy difficult problems for more experienced climbers.
Plus, each of them had fun routes and walls made for kids too. (Yes, we tried some of those too.)
Not all gyms are like this though. Some are designed for seasoned climbers with specialized training equipment and intense rock walls. Others are regular gyms that advertise themselves as rock gyms, when all they have is a single tiny wall.
If you want to give rock climbing an honest go as a hobby, competitive sport, or way to train, these are my top recommendations of what to look for in a gym.
Types of Climbing
Most indoor gyms offer two styles of climbing: bouldering and sport climbing. Bouldering uses 15-20ft walls and a pair of climbing shoes, while sport climbing has much taller walls that require ropes, harnesses, and a belayer to help control your ascent and descent.
For beginners, I highly recommend you go to a gym that has both types of climbing available. Simply because most people prefer one over the other, and you won’t know until you try them.
You might try bouldering and love the simplicity that comes with only needing your shoes and some chalk. Or, you could thoroughly enjoy sport climbing with its blend of gear, height, and endurance it requires.
The Environment
For the most part, it’s usually pretty easy to find a gym with a friendly environment due to the open, welcoming culture that rock climbing has had for decades. However, at the end of the day, these climbing gyms are businesses.
And every business has different rules and standards.
For example, some gyms that have sport climbing walls require that you pass a belay test. This is a fair request simply because belaying is a core safety piece to climbing. However, sometimes the employees hired to teach this foundational skill aren’t the most patient or forgiving.
Moments like this can start a new, nerve-racking experience on a low note.
Because of this, I recommend you use online tools like IndoorClimbingGym.com and Google reviews to get a somewhat accurate idea of what to expect.
Variety
For beginners, the variety of routes makes for a much more enjoyable experience. You get to try different moves and experience both the mental and physical side of climbing.
Aka, if you’re the person introducing someone new to rock climbing, I highly recommend you pick a gym that allows the beginner to experience the proud, satisfying moment of solving a problem. It’s hard to beat that feeling when you complete a route you couldn’t do on the first, second, or third try.
And jumping from a V0 to a V4, with nothing in between, can easily lead to frustration for anyone just starting out.
Location + Pricing
The best gym is the one you actually go to. Convenience almost always wins.
But, don’t forget about pricing too. Some gyms have punch cards, trial memberships, and/or new customer discounts. It’s always best to ask what offerings the gym is currently running.
The Recap
I’m biased, but rock climbing is incredible. It gets you moving and thinking in ways other sports and activities don’t.
But, just like any new thing we try, it can be scary, exciting, and relaxing all at the same time. It opens a whole new world of things to learn.
If you live in the United States, climbing-focused directories like IndoorClimbingGym.com can make it easier to find and compare your local gyms.
Ultimately though, if you give rock climbing a go, like it, and need to pick a gym, pick the one that meets your needs and preferences. The perfect setup doesn’t exist. But one that will work does.