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What would you like to see most in a climbing gym?


ontheedge

What would you like to see most in a climbing gym?  

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  1. 1. What would you like to see most in a climbing gym?

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I don't know how to answer this, I'm very torn between beer and indoor deep water soloing.

 

How about routes that are marked by color coded holds with tape only on the start and finish hands?

 

How about organizing problems into circuits of similar difficulty and then having a posted schedule and changing one circuit at a time so regular members know how long they have to finish that one last problem that they are working on?

 

How about routes with difficult moves but large jugs to warm up or to continue to climb long after pumping out on the crimpers?

 

I haven't been to the Edge but these are some general observations I've made from the small handful of gyms that I've climbed in stateside after spending 7 months climbing in the Netherlands at a gym call Monk (monkbouldergym.nl check it out).

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Good crack climbs. Not the typical nasty ones you find at a gym.

No need to go any further than Crillz post. I 100% agree.

 

 

This stuff below (except for the kids play area) is all bullshit and unneeded.

* A kids' play area (not a bad idea actually)

A juice bar

Beer

A sauna

Indoor deep water soloing

 

I can get beer at home, DWS is overrated and all those people lining up for those routes will be getting the rocks super wet.

 

All that is needed is cracks, real ones, varied and long....not the kind Dave alludes too:-) LONG!!!!! So you can get some cardio going. This area is supersaturated with gyms, and all of them are damned good. PRG, Stoneworks and Circuit all great. BUT, none have the crack thing going on. Club Sport has 3 cracks but they are strange and few people seem to get on them. I think PRG might have put some in I haven't been there for a long time.

 

Make the F**King things adjustable in steepness so that when some 10 year old pup who's climbing 5.13 gets on it he can adjust it real steep and overhanging but then an old weak pussy like myself gets on it I can ratchet it back to something that resembles Glacier Point Apron. You know what I mean. And different sizes too, with constrictions that mimic real rock. The Mazamas clubhouse in PDX has that almost going on on their wall.

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I've thought on it some more and in the end I voted for beer. The DWS seems like it would be a novelty that would wear off a lot quicker than the investment is worth. The gym that I was climbing at had a bar in one corner that served up beer and basic sandwiches and it really made for a good community of climbers there. I'd climb for a couple of hours at a time, get beta, give beta, and then at the end I'd usually end up hanging out for another hour sharing beer and talking about places we'd want to go. I realize that with kids and commitments that might be more time than some people have but for people with more flexible schedules it makes the gym a better place.

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Can you make cracks out of real rock? I always see those decretive stones in fountains that look like they were once part of a big dihedral formation. Ive seen some that are twenty feet high. If you cut them flat and stacked them couldn't you get a pretty good crack. You would have to be selective about matching them up. This makes sense in my head but might not on paper. Any thoughts.

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only one vote for kids play area? Does no one here have kids? The play area is the only reasonable choice from the list.

juice drinks are for foo foo metrosexuals. Will find that at the golds gym.

beer should be drunk in the parking lot. period.

Sauna? same as juice drinks.

deep water soloing should be done at a wet and wild park.

Edited by genepires
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How about lower prices. $17-$20 bucks a pop is B.S. An annual pass doesnt make sense once the sun shines and a 10 pass punch card doesnt work for sister gyms. Obviously these issues dont really matter to the masses judging by the crowds at VW Sea last weekend. I betcha that place is making some serious $$$

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How about lower prices. $17-$20 bucks a pop is B.S. An annual pass doesnt make sense once the sun shines and a 10 pass punch card doesnt work for sister gyms. Obviously these issues dont really matter to the masses judging by the crowds at VW Sea last weekend. I betcha that place is making some serious $$$

ohhh yeaa...

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You don't suppose that purchasing the property, refurbing an old structure and constructing a beautiful new gym didn't require a significant investment on their part? FYI - I know VW memberships don't require a minimum time commitment, don't know about SG or SBP. VW punch passes are accepted at all VW locations no matter where purchased.

 

How about lower prices. $17-$20 bucks a pop is B.S. An annual pass doesnt make sense once the sun shines and a 10 pass punch card doesnt work for sister gyms. Obviously these issues dont really matter to the masses judging by the crowds at VW Sea last weekend. I betcha that place is making some serious $$$
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I'm speaking from an E WA perspective:

I think that a lot of gyms make the majority of their $$ off things other than hard core climbers. I'm talking about things like kids parties and stuff that the "real" climbers turn their nose up at. Like a previous poster said, once the rocks outside heat up they'll bail and go climb outside. YES, make and maintain some cool routes for the hardcore but don't bet the farm on them.

Its not hip, trendy or cool to say this but lots of kids stuff is probably going to be more popular than extremely specialized climbs. Stuff that is novel and fun for novices might be better business, especially in areas with a low population of "real" climbers.

I don't think a gym owner, unless there are a lot of other rock gyms to compete against (not like here in E WA) needs to fight as hard to get rock climbers to show up, they just will b/c its the only gym in the area. Its the people who see it as just another fitness option who need convincing and can make a big difference in cash flow to a gym.

Just sayin.

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