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rockmom
Jun 1, 2003, 4:36 AM
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Hey everybody! :D
I have six children, from age 5 to 17, who have all been learning how to climb, in a gym, for the past year. We go to a gym in Fresno, California.
We are 'hittin' the road' in a few weeks, and I thought it would be cool to surprise the kids by visiting an indoor gym or two while on our vacation.
I need some help. I have no idea if there is, somewhere, a list of rock climbing gyms in the U.S., so that I can come up with some ideas on where to go. The gym we go to in Fresno is nice, but is a fairly new business getting off the ground, they will be opening a new, bigger facility sometime in the next year. Since this is a vacation, and wherever we go will be a one-time thing for that gym, I'm interested in finding a really awesome gym (or two), somewhere where the kids are just gonna go 'oh my gosh!' and wanna spend the whole day there (with breaks along the way, of course! :wink: )
We will be traveling from the Fresno area towards South Dakota, either north via Sacramento, Salt Lake City, or south via Las Vegas, Salt Lake City. Once we 'do' southwest South Dakota (Mt. Rushmore, etc.), nothing is set in concrete, but we were planning on seeing parts of N. Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, then drop down, through the Chicago area, towards Louisville, KY. After a few days in Louisville, we will head home, probably via St. Louis, Tulsa, OK city, etc., or possibly drop down to Nashville first, then home by the quickest route.
If ANYONE has any suggestions, for really cool climbing gyms that would be somewhere along our path (or at least not TOO far off that path), PLEASE feel free to reply, I'm open to all the input I can find!!! :D
Thanks!!!
'D' rockmom
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rockmom
Jun 1, 2003, 4:57 AM
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Hey Lox, cool picture! 8)
Texas is great, unfortunately not in the plans this time around, except for maybe that little dash across the panhandle on the way home from Kentucky! :P
I dunno, I'm just not ready to see any of my babies doin' the outdoor stuff yet. We just started this whole rock climbing thing last fall, haven't moved beyond the gym yet. I think that's something they will have to choose to do when they are 'out of the nest', maybe! :roll:
My oldest will be 18 in September, I guess at that point I won't have a whole LOT to say in the matter, but I will probably still say it! :wink:
Okay, I respect you serious climbers out there, but I need some constructive advice regarding INDOOR climbing, okay? :P Thanks!
'D' mom
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dlintz
Jun 1, 2003, 5:04 AM
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6 kids and 3000+ miles! I'd need my own vacation after that vacation.
If you get to the twin cities try Vertical Endeavors in St. Paul. Quite nice for a gym. They have a website, don't remember it, try google search.
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rockmom
Jun 1, 2003, 6:13 AM
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dlintz ~
Thanks, so much, for pointin' me in the RIGHT direction!!! I did the search, and not only did I find the website for the place you mentioned, but I found a page sponsored by a gym in phoenix, a listing of 330 gyms across the country! :shock:
Okay, so now I feel like I've hit the jackpot, but we will probably only be able to do one or two of them (you realize how much you appreciate your membership when you have to start paying for one-time visits plus rentals, dontcha?) So, I would still appreciate any advice anyone wants to offer, that would help narrow it down to places that come highly recommended, ya' know?
I checked out the website for Vertical Endeavors in St. Paul, the picture on the main page looks REALLY cool, HUGE compared to the place we've been going! Don't get me wrong, we love our gym, the people are great and the owner has been awesome to us. Like I said before, it's a very new business venture for him, I don't think they've even been open for a full year, but things have gone well and they already have property and plans for a new place. The artist's renderings of what it's supposed to look like look awesome, so we are very excited about all of that coming soon! Now I'm really excited about visiting some other gyms out there, though, that alone should make this a very cool and memorable vacation for all of us!
Thanks again for the help! :D
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booger
Jun 2, 2003, 5:19 PM
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Hey Rockmom,
I live in St. Louis and usually climb at Upper Limits (to be found at: www.upperlimits.com. It's a super-friendly atmosphere, and the climbing is, obviously, a lot of fun (though I'd suggest a week-day, as weekends tend to get a bit crowded).
I've also been to Vertical Endeavors and you're right - it's enormous! The atmosphere isn't quite as friendly as a smaller gym (I think they have something like 2,000 members!), but they've got some really nice walls, and a great area especially for kids, including a "tree" and a nice chimney-climb. Also, it's quite a ways outside of Chicago... you may want to peek around at other gyms in the city.
Good luck and have a great vacation!
Taz
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crankenstein
Jun 2, 2003, 5:28 PM
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Just an FYI, I think that Climbing magazine has a listing near the back cover for indoor climbing gyms by state/city.
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rockmom
Jun 6, 2003, 5:08 AM
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Taz ~
Thanks much for the info, that is VERY helpful stuff!
and Crankenstein ~
You, too! :)
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crack_climber
Jun 6, 2003, 5:39 AM
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Rockmom,
As for some really amazing gyms, I'm not so sure I can help you, but if you go to http://www.indoorclimbing.com/northamericangyms.html there are listings for many of the gyms in the US and Canada. This might help you, as you plan your trip, to see what cities you might want to look for gyms in. There should be links to each of these gyms from the link above. Hope this helps... :)
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psych
Jun 6, 2003, 6:14 AM
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I'd check the routes database here actually, a lot of areas will have the local gym(s) listed there with some contact info. I know the one here in Kelowna is listed, so I've got to think others would be too.
Have an awesome vacation!
Mike...
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alvchen
Jun 8, 2003, 12:12 AM
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Glad to find another person that climbs at Yosemite Fitness(the Fresno gym) here on this forum. It's kind of an expensive little place, but it is something in Fresno.
I'd go with the above suggestion and look on www.indoorclimbing.com
They've got addresses and URLs of, I can imagine, almost every single gym in at least America.
Once you go see other gyms, you'll get spoiled, and think the Fresno gym stinks, in regards to route setting and just shear size. If you're going north through Sacramento, you should stop by Granite Arch or Pipeworks, both quite excellent gyms.
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climberforjesus
Jun 24, 2003, 4:39 PM
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Hey if ya go through Oklahoma, theres a pretty cool gym in Oklahoma City called OKCrocks! It has the tallest climbs in the USA. If ya wanna check them out go to www.okcrocks.com! Have fun!
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rockmom
Jan 22, 2004, 10:31 PM
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Hello there! :D
I'm bringin' this back to the top mainly to say 'THANKS!!!' to everyone who gave me some info for our trip, especially those that I neglected to respond to WAAAYYY back when they first posted...
crack_climber ~ thanks for the link, that list is a great resource!
Mike ~ thanks, that was a great idea, there's SOOO much here at this site, I wouldn't have known right where to go like that!
alvchen ~ thanks for all that info! Now I'm curious to know if you are someone I've talked to before. I don't actually climb, myself, but last year I was almost ALWAYS there, watching, whenever my kids were climbing. This past semester has been pretty crazy, so I haven't had as much time to hang around and watch. Like I said, there are six of them, now from the age of 6 to 18, and their names all start with a 'D'.
climberforjesus ~ VERY cool, thanks for telling me about your gym! OK is one of my favorite places on the entire planet (mainly because I'm a HUGE Garth Brooks fan and he's from/lives there!) I will definitely keep this in mind!
Okay... the OTHER reason that I brought this to the top is to say that (UNFORTUNATELY!!!) we ended up having to cancel/postpone our trip last summer! :cry: It's a long story, but some unexpected 'money' issues came up that made our trip not necessarily impossible but we DEFINITELY would have been on a shoestring budget the whole way and I just didn't see any reason to set out on a trip that would have ended up consisting of lots of PB&J and few activities/attractions. So... we are now in the process of re-planning our 'lost vacation' for late this summer/early fall sometime. And the route is definitely different. Having saved so much of his vacation time from last year, my husband now has several weeks to work with, and with our oldest daughter having turned 18 already and will be graduating this year, we are thinking in terms of this possibly being our last 'big trip' with the whole family, depending on what her schedule is like when we plan future trips, so this is gonna be a special trip for us!
At this point, I am still in the planning stages, but basically we will be making a straight shot from Central/Southern California, through Vegas, toward Prince Edward Island (NorthEast of Maine.) The trip back won't be as much of a straight shot, is supposed to include a stop in Rhode Island, NYC, Washington D.C., Lousville, KY, maybe Nashville, probably Tulsa and OKC (little Garth business to take care of! :wink: ) So, if ya'll aren't already sick and tired of throwing your advice/info my way, I'm still looking for input from people who are familiar with gyms along these routes who would be willing to give me their recommendations. With so many things planned for this trip, again, we will probably only visit one or two gyms, so I'm looking for some AWESOME gyms to choose from, to make it a really special event (or two) for my kids who, up until now, have only seen their tiny little gym in Fresno, CA.
Right at this moment in the planning, I'm looking at us going through the Chicago area on our way to PEI. This is a part of the country (both the city of Chicago and the Great Lakes) that we've never been to before, so, even though we are making a fairly quick 'run' through here, I was thinking that we should probably stop and spend a day or two. I seem to remember, although I will need to go back and refresh, that there is/are a/some gym(s) in the Chicago area worth checking out. So, any info on that, specifically, would be great!
To everyone who has already taken the time to post helpful info, THANKS SOOOOOOO MUCH! To those who are willing to take the time to help me out some more, you are very much appreciated! :)
'D' rockmom
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takeme
Jan 22, 2004, 11:01 PM
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If you will be heading near Boulder, Colorado (30 min. North of I-70), check out the Spot Gym. It has mostly bouldering on very cool large free-standing, "naturalistic" boulders, plus a bit of roped climbing. I believe they have a website, spotgym.com or something like that.
Charles
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rockmom
Jan 23, 2004, 1:14 PM
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Thanks, Charles!
When I posted last, I thought that we were going through Denver, that was definitely on that 'straight path' I was talking about, but when my husband came home and I was showing him what I had planned so far, he was like 'oh, no, we are not going to even consider dragging a travel trailer up those grades heading into Denver!' So, we are going up and over Colorado, through Utah and Wyoming. The closest we will come to Boulder will be Cheyenne.
I'm still really hoping for some info on good stuff in the Chicago area. So far I have planned on half a day at a beach on the shores of Lake Michigan, just north of Chicago. I would like to plan the next day as a day to either drive into the city or take a train (I'm not much of a 'city' person, so this sounds exciting but also very scary to me!) into the city and just spend the day walking around and doing whatever there is to do (museums, check out the skyscrapers, Chinatown, Little Italy, I dunno.) If there's a good gym in the city, then we could do that for a few hours. If the good gyms are more in the outlying areas, then I thought we could just spend the next morning doing that, wherever, and then after lunch get back on the road.
So, CHICAGO PEOPLE, what's the word???
I've already gone to indoorclimbing.com and checked out their list. Some of the stuff looks pretty good, but I think some 'word of mouth' would help me even more than the short (and no doubt biased) gym descriptions.
Again, Charles, thanks for trying to help, ya' never know, things could change, or maybe on the next 'time 'round'! :)
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lancebrock
Jan 23, 2004, 3:18 PM
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if you head to nashville, come check out our new gym. www.climbnashville.com. it is one of the biggest and the coolest gyms around. will open on march 1st. you can take the country music tour while you are here...
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phlsphr
Jan 23, 2004, 3:44 PM
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I can't really help you with Chicago itself, but there are two gyms not too far from Chicago that are definitely worth checking out. The first is Upper Limits in Bloomington, IL. It's a very unique gym, built in an old grain silo. See their web site: http://www.upperlimits.com
Another great gym is Planet Rock in Ann Arbor MI. Here's their web site:
http://www.planet-rock.com/climbing.html
If you end up going through Toronto, check out Joe Rockheads
The most impressive gym I've climbed in so far is the Pipeworks gym in Sacramento. All of the touchstone gyms in CA seem really impressive:
http://www.touchstoneclimbing.com/tours_pw.html
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rockmom
Feb 6, 2004, 9:42 PM
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lancebrock ~
I LOVE Nashville!! (Did I already say that? :wink: ) I've been there a few times, enough to learn my way around a bit. My two favorite places are Garth's place and The Pancake Pantry! Unfortunately, Garth doesn't live there anymore, so it's sort of sad when you go there now. Anyway...
better be careful, I'm startin' to sound like I'm at the Garth board instead of the Rock Climbing board! ;) Sorry, I'm sorta back into the 'Garth thing' right now, just found out that he's gonna be in Arizona for Spring Training in a couple of weeks!!! WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOO!!! :)
Okay, where was I... oh, yeah, indoor gyms, that's right! ;)
We may or may not dip down through Nashville, but if we do, I will certainly have your new gym on my list! Thanks!!! After all, we will all need to do something to work off all of those great PANCAKES, right???
phlsphr ~
Wow, what a TON of great info, thank you SOOO much! All of those are very distinct possibilities for where we will be headed, I will definitely keep them in mind! Man, you get around, don't you??? ;) You've even been out here to SAC? I've heard a lot of people talk about good places in SAC, we will definitely have to take a little 'weekender' up there sometime, see friends and family, the Capitol, and check out all of the great rock climbing too!
I did find a place near Chicago that looks really good, Vertical Endeavors in Warrenville, IL, in the 'burbs' just southwest of the city. I was seriously looking at taking the kids there, but I will look into the ones that you mentioned, as well. Again, thanks for taking the time to give me so much info, 'tis appreciated! :)
DeeDee
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superdiamonddave
Feb 6, 2004, 9:54 PM
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Rockmom,
As previously mentioned, be sure to check out OKC Rocks climbing gym in Oklahoma City. It's actually a converted grain elevator and it is located right in downtown OKC on I-40. You can't miss it. When you are through climbing there, just cruise 10 minutes West on I-40 and you will be in Yukon, the home of Garth Brooks. Not much to see there, but they named a boulevard after him and his name is on the Yukon water tower.
Have fun on your trip!
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swissy131
Feb 6, 2004, 10:30 PM
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hi there,
if you're near boston, you should hit up the mill city rock gym in dracut. also you might want to consider climbing on real rock it's infinatly better than gyms. plus it doesn't smell like having your nose in an old pair of rock shoes
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daggerx
Feb 8, 2004, 9:17 PM
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Look in the back of climbing magazine and wooola a list of gyms.
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rockmom
Feb 12, 2004, 12:53 PM
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superdiamonddave ~
Hey! I've been there! Got pictures of the water tower and the street sign and everything! But, hey, thanks for the tip, especially on the gym! We probably will come through OKC on our way home, so I just might have the kids check that one out! Thanks! :)
swissy131 ~
Again, yes, we probably will be going through Boston, so THANK YOU! Gosh, everyone has given me a lot of good ideas, you guys are great!!! :)
daggerx ~
Thanks for the idea. Actually I have done that, as well as found a couple of great lists online, but what I'm really looking for are 'word of mouth' testimonials, ya' know? I wanna hear from people who can tell me about really great gyms to check out, instead of just going by what's on the lists, cuz usually if there is any kind of a description, it's been written by the gym management, so it's just 'advertising.' I want the 'real scoop' from the people who have been there! But, thank you, just the same! :)
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kitkat
Feb 27, 2004, 5:50 AM
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hi rockmom. i presume you haven't left yet and are still wanting tips on chicago....? well, there is a gym right in the heart of downtown which has a wall about 7 stories high. great climbing and very friendly people. it is quite expensive, though ($20pp) and they may want you to have an orientaion before climbing. i would phone to clarify. it is the Lakeshore Athletic Club on Stetson St. (cnr Lake and Stetson). they have times that the wall is open only to kids (depending on how young your kids are). there are always some awesome routes. the wall itself is about 5.8 - the challenge is to get all the way to the top!
the great thing about it is the location. it is just a block from N.Michigan Av. and a couple of blocks from the river. the Art Institute and Cultural Centre are just a couple of blocks away. if you are going by train ('El') the red line stops at State/Lake - about 6 blocks West of the Gym.
there are several other places to climb (eg Hidden Peaks - just boldering), but none in as convenient a location as LAC.
i have just come to fresno, so will have to check out yosemite fitness!
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