what's up w/the PRG?

[layton]

where are all the fun v2's and v3's and how come nothins graded in the overhang area? punks. also, what's up with the sausage fest?

[Thrill]

sorry dude, Gary ( the owner) is lame.. most people really dislike him and how he runs things. so, people have been dropping out like flies.. and thus leaving you with the gumbies. even the good employees have left.. so the quality of that gym is shot to hell really. winter is coming so soon better route setters and over all climbers might be back in.

[Camilo]

where are all the fun v2's and v3's and how come nothins graded in the overhang area? punks. also, what's up with the sausage fest?

What overhang area? The lead wall overhang, or the bouldering overhang? The lead wall overhang is graded with both lead routes and bouldering problems. I don't know about the bouldering wall. As for the sausage fest, was it different before? I've only been a member since April, and it's been a sausage fest every time I've been there except Wednesday nights this summer when they had ladies' nights. I don't know if Stoneworks or Club Sport have better ratios, I've never been.

[John Frieh]

It could be worse... it could be the crux rock gym in Eugene.

[iain]

Whatever you do, bring your flat-keyed u-locks or rigger's chain if you ride a bike. Keep an eye on who's hanging out in that bus stop. Cables get snipped, lights vanish.

[Dr_Flash_Amazing]

also, what's up with the sausage fest?

 

What? They're selling food now?

[iain]

no silly, he's talking about all the naked gay men hanging out in the bouldering area

[billcoe]

sorry dude, Gary ( the owner) is lame..

 

Can't speak to the rest of your post Thrill - but Gary is a great guy. He brought the 2nd rock gym ever done in the country to Portland Oregon, with risk to himself both financially and professionally.

 

Gary Rall is an AWESOME person. END OF F*EN STORY -PERIOD .

[bobinc]

They are working on getting some aerobic equipment in there, which will be a plus now that the rains seem to be upon us.

[b-rock]

They are working on getting some aerobic equipment in there, which will be a plus now that the rains seem to be upon us.

 

They've been saying that for a couple of years now...

[Ireneo_Funes]

When they get a swimming pool, then it'll be worth the $67 for a month pass.

[ryland_moore]

PRG sucks! They are way overpriced (3rd most expensive gym in the country), the bouldering routes blow, regardless of what they say, there is no exercise equipment - they've been saying they would have exercise equip. for over a year now. The Crux blows PRG out of the water and has amazing route setters, campus boards, finger boards, free weights, nautilus, stairmasters, and a restaurant.

 

I got fed up with PRG and now climb at Stoneworks. I live in North PDX and it takes me exactly 12 minutes from door to door after 7pm. It costs me $30/month, they already have the free weights and are getting nautilus machones upstairs, there are plenty of climbing girl candy every time I have been there since I joined (two weeks ago). And the route setters seem pretty cool as well. Why pay $60 for PRG? Price does not directly correlate to climbing improvement. There are some guys that crank over at Stoneworks! I've heard that if you want a social place but don't really care to climb, get a membership at PRG. If you want to stare at MILFs, go to Club Sport (although I know two guys who used to work there and they are .13 and .14 climbers now), and if you want to get strong fast, go to Stoneworks. They also don't rate any problems there so there is no bitching about where all the V2s and V3s are. If you can climb it do so, if not, quit whining and work harder!

[iain]

club sport needs to stop playing the same techno cd 24/7. I dislike the bouldering there (seem to be put up by a 7' ape?) but the routes seem fun. I go to PRG because I refuse to drive to a gym.

[Ireneo_Funes]

I went to club sport once and thought it was pretty lame. No fun bouldering.

 

I go to PRG 'cause it's 2 blocks from my front door, which makes the outrageous prices sting a little less.

 

Come on, though, Iain -- you go to PRG 'cause of the naked gay men in the bouldering area, wearing their nut tools and prussiks on their nipple rings. Clipping their rock shoes to their backpacks and such.

[iain]

That, and the least functional bike rack on Planet Earth. I behold it's stunning incompetence everytime I lock up my steed.

 

How is it possible to screw up a bike rack? Yet it exists! What's next, defective, yet delightfully-artistic towel racks?

[texplorer]

The PRG has always been a sausagefest Layton! The PRG staff consists mainly of non-climbers now. Many are now into "climbing" but only because they got the job. Gary occasionally puts up short man problems which consist of crimps and super high feet. The place is pretty much played out except for the newbies who get a yearly membership and then never return. Anyway, when my yearly runs out this time I'm done with them.

[sketchfest]

I’ll add my .02 to this. PRG was the first gym I ever went to and in the beginning it was a great place to climb. There were guys like Dave Sowerby cranking extremely hard stuff, yet he would still offer friendly and helpful advice to noobs. Over time the gym got crowded and I moved to the other side of town and I started going to Stoneworks. From my first day in the door I was treated like I’d climbed there for years and it’s been that way ever since. Yes the gym is a little small (although they recently expanded) and they can get hugely crowded, especially on a Jr. climbing team night (which is starting up again tonight) but you can’t beat them for quality or routes. Hands down Stoneworks is the best gym in Portland, truly a climbers gym.

[Ireneo_Funes]

That, and the least functional bike rack on Planet Earth. I behold it's stunning incompetence everytime I lock up my steed.

 

I'm with you there. And what's up with the artful bike racks populating the Pearl district? It's the wave of the future...bike racks ashamed of their utilitarian nature, masquerading as sculpture.

[iain]

wise bikers avoid the pearl and its man-eating street car tracks.

[Thrill]

sorry dude, Gary ( the owner) is lame..

 

Can't speak to the rest of your post Thrill - but Gary is a great guy. He brought the 2nd rock gym ever done in the country to Portland Oregon, with risk to himself both financially and professionally.

 

Gary Rall is an AWESOME person. END OF F*EN STORY -PERIOD .

if you know him on a personal level that is fine and you may be freinds with him for all I know. no disrepect to you, butGary is not a swell guy when it comes to PRG and business in general. For example. He did build this gym and it wasn’t a risk to him.. I’ve been there a while and can remember when he told everyone he was raising prices at the old gym so he wouldn’t have to risk anything and so he wouldn’t have to raise prices at the new gym.. so the new gym opens at $68 a month. Ridiculous! And it’s just and oversized woody! But I had my group of friends and a yearly contract so I stayed. Then he does nothing for the people that have been there all along no promotions, nothing.. just rape and pillage. The is absolutely no way to justify the prices he charges. Bally’s has overhead. They have hot tubs and swimming pools and don’t even cost that much!

And on a personal note. A friend of mine used to climb.. he wanted to get a membership for a year to make it more economical but since he was in the Marines he knew he would be sent to war at any moment. He personally asked Gary if he would give him a break and let him break the yearly if that happened.. Gary told him since he wasn’t moving away and that he would be back.. he couldn’t break it. this guy was going to fawking WAR hello!

So it is my own opinion ( a few share it) that Gary is an ass. Period

sorry I dont agree with ya Bill

[rbw1966]

wise bikers avoid the pearl and its man-eating street car tracks.

 

. . .and SUV driving soccer moms talking on their cell phones and NOT paying attention to the road. Every time I pedal thru the pearl I feel like I got a target on my back.

 

As for the PRG, I can honestly say that I have not set foot inside the new one. With all due respect to Bill, I think the PRG and Gary once held a valuable position within the climbing community no longer does--its a business and nothing more. I certainly don't fault Gary or the PRG for being successful, on the contrary I am happy for him. He worked hard for it--I dont have any sympathy for the legions of idiots who pay for annual memberships and show up 4 times. I stopped going after the old gym got their "showers."

 

Its hard for me to get psyched about climbing indoors. Maybe thats why I can't climb 5.9

[Camilo]

This is starting to sound like that recent Pro-ski thread. Be careful, you don't want to get banned. I personally like the place. I can go there and climb after dark, it's rarely crowded, and I've met some cool people there. I'm not nearly as good as some of the people there but I've chatted with a few of them and they've been nice. And it's fun to laugh at the naked boulderers with their Abercrombie-esque homo eroticism.

[rbw1966]

I imagine that as a metrosexual it gives you lots of fuel for your fantasies.

 

Gary took a bath when his bouldering gym venture in the Pearl failed. After that I don't blame him one bit for jacking the prices for membership at the new gym. Its a business for crissakes. He charges what the market will bear.

[Camilo]

METRO, not HOMO you bastard!

[willstrickland]

The solution is simple. You guys need to open a gym in close-in SE near where the old PRG was, charge a reasonable rate, and operate with good business sense. Either your new gym or the PRG will fold within 18 months. Work up a business plan and see if you can make the numbers crunch. Be your own boss, risk your own ass-ets.

 

Personally, I think a reasonably savy person could pull it off. You already have a gift of price gouging at the competition. Charging what the market will pay is part of capitalism...but so is adding competition to the market and ruthlessly destroying your competition.