The Gravity Vault - Upper Saddle River, NJ

I wandered into New Jersey to meet a friend for  Lunch and decided to get some climbing afterward.

I visited during the day and the place was pretty empty. The staff told me it can get pretty busy during the after work hours. There is ample floor space in the gym so I doubt you'll feel too crowded.

The bouldering wall is split in to two areas. One of the walls can be topped out although many routes don'r seem to be set up with a top out in mind. The gym has a decent bouldering area but the real fun seems to be on the ropes. The roped wall seemed to have a good variety of climbable surface.
There are also few exercise machines and a lounge area.

Over all the gym was well maintained and the climbs were o.k. I wouldn't go out of my way for the gym but if you are in the area it's not a bad gym.

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Brooklyn Boulders - NYC

For a big city there are surprisingly few indoor climbing options. There are some normal gyms with climbing walls but there is only one real climbing gym.

Brooklyn Boulders

Brooklyn boulders is the only true climbing gym in NYC. BB is a fairly new gym that is still under construction. I came unfortunately on a day that more than half the bouldering areas were not accessible. The routes on the steeper wall were being replaced while the padded floor on the main bouldering walls were being repaired.

Routes being replaced

Fortunately when I told one of the guys working there about my cross country travels he decided to give me a free day pass and even gave me a quick tour of the gym that is still under construction. The part that is still under construction looks very promising.Once complete it should provide almost double the climbing surface.

 Slack line!

Besides the standard sport, lead and bouldering walls there is a slack line, gymnastic rings and campus boards. They also have a water fountain! No need to buy over priced waters at the front desk.
I was there during the middle of the day so it was pretty quite but I've been told it gets really crowded and busy after the work day is over.

 The rope climbs on the left, the bouldering on the right.

The vibe is fun and the climbs are interesting. If you are in NYC and don't have time to hit the Gunks definitely get your climbing fix at the Brooklyn Boulders.

Entrance to the fun!

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First Avenue Rocks - Climbing Gym - Birmingham Alabama

My host Joe wanted to go bouldering so I took him out to the First Avenue Rocks gym for a bouldering session.

The gym is pretty nice! One thing to remember is that this is a bouldering only gym. They have a small roped wall for kids but if you're tall enough to ride a roller coaster you will want to be bouldering in this gym.
They provide free wi-fi and they have a small lounge area with magazines.
They have a pro-shop that sells various climbing shoes and snacks. They even have tons of 5.10 shoes for demo! I got to try the Team 5.10 shoes and I gotta say, I'm a fan! If for some reason I don't love my brand new Dragons I might get myself some Team 5.10.
They also have a full workout area for cross fit training and a studio in the back of the gym for yoga. My host Joe's roommate Mindy even teaches yoga at the gym on Thursday and donates the profits to a non-profit she started! 

There are many things to like about the gym but probably the best thing is that people at the gym were awesome! Joe and Sarah was super friendly and was a blast to talk to. Joe made recommendations on climbs I should try when I get to Horse Pens 40.
The gym isn't the biggest but in the small space they pack a lot in. Joe and I had a great time bouldering. I wouldn't go to the gym if I you can climb outside but it's not a bad option if the weather is bad. If you are camping at Horse Pens 40 and it rains they will even give you a $5 gym deal for the place! Awesome!


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Austin Bouldering! Well... Indoor Bouldering - Austin Rock Gym North

I was hoping to be bouldering outdoors but the weather was not willing to cooperate. It was generally cold and rainy. I decided I still want to get some climbing in so I decided to go to the Austin Rock Gym. There are two gyms. The South gym is meant more for rope climbs and the north gym is meant more for bouldering. So I headed out to the North gym for a day of bouldering.

Austin Rock Gym North

When you are on N Lamar St look for the a toner store. The sign for the toner store is more visible. When you get in to the complex make a left and keep going till you see the gym.
The staff at the gym was very friendly and helpful but the gym itself was... well...

Signs of wear and tear...

The gym seemed to be a bit run down. Unlike the pristine pictures from their website <link> everything was falling apart. The padded floor was tearing and the foam from below was scattered all over the gym. Not a huge deal but still, after seeing the website photos it seemed almost like false advertising. And that's not all.

When I first went to their website one of the things that really intrigued me was the really tall over hanging wall. It showed that the landing was protected with a padded wall that ran almost parallel to the climbing wall (5th picture from the top on their site). Seemed like a real cool unique feature that I have not seen at too many gyms. But the reality was a bit disappointing to say the least...

The Padded Wall?

The wall was completely torn apart! I asked the guy who was working at the gym if they were going through a renovation and he told me that they weren't. Bummer. The top area of the middle boulder was also a complete mess too.
So how about the climbs? The climbs were o.k. There seemed to be a huge gap between the V3 and the V4 climbs. V3s being really easy and the V4s being a lot harder. A lot of the routes seemed to have some very odd sequences too.
I would not recommend climbing at this gym if you can find any other climbing options. Maybe the South gym is better maintained but I did not have time to go to both. A day pass will get you into both gyms.

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