★ 5

This is a great climbing gym. Lots of different walls to climb, gym, sauna, bouldering and friendly staff!

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★ 2

This gym does not feel safe for women.
No place to stretch or be without constantly being creeped on by men.
(Other than the moldy sauna and locker room

Also, the showers are disgusting, with mold in the tiles and hair everywhere.

The staff is rude, and they don't really seem to care about anyone but themselves.

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★ 5

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★ 5

big fan

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★ 5

I highly recommend Pac Edge! I was new to climbing and took their Basic Safety course that is offered for free to members and learned everything that I needed to know to pass the belay test. Staff are always friendly and welcoming, fostering a fantastic climbing community in Santa Cruz.

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★ 1

Seems like the staff isn’t too knowledgeable but really enjoys power tripping. I don’t climb often so naturally I couldn’t remember how to tie in or belay off the batt and was taking a refresher. 30 seconds in I was interrupted by the staff saying I can’t be practicing and need to immediately take the test before I touch any ropes at the gym. I just learned from the other comments I should have been given a 10 min grace period before being dragged into the test. Of course by this time things have already escalated. The gym instructor then in the best power tripping fashion examined me to only inform me at the end that I didn’t pass - because he decided so before the test. Honestly, pac edge was already low on our list because it’s old, leaky, crowded, smelly and yet so expensive, and I didn’t think it could fall any lower, but never say never

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★ 5

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★ 5

This is my spot! Super friendly staff and great route setters!

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★ 5

I have been climbing here for a few years now, and it has always been a good experience.

The staff are not only friendly but also kind and knowledgeable. They offer classes covering climbing basics, whether you're doing bouldering or top rope, to advanced classes for lead climbing and preparing you for the outdoors and classes and camps for children. Every so often you'll notice a competition occurring or being set up, which I personally enjoy, as it's fun seeing how many climbs you can do in a row and see what number you stop at.

Since I joined, they expanded the back bouldering section, which has a ~16-foot wall, crack climbing options, and two kilter boards. They have a ~12-foot bouldering section towards the entrance with a solid overhang section and other cool features. The bouldering section can be a bit tricky, but the reward of bumping up to a new level or sending a project is totally worth it.

Aside from bouldering, they have a lead cave and a bunch of top rope options, allowing you to hone in your skills on ropes or have some fun for the day. There's a cool feature dubbed "the chimney," which is worth checking out too!

There are two cardio areas, one upstairs in the main room where you can watch climbers while using the bikes, treadmills, ellipticals, or other machines, and a smaller porch-like covered cardio area, which has a nice breeze on hot days and equipment including a StairMaster, rowing machine and others. Next to the outdoor cardio area is the weight room, where you'll find hang boards, a pull-up bar, a few weight machines, and other weight room essentials. They offer weightlifting classes every so often, and the front desk will have more information regarding that!

If that wasn't already enough, there is a room for yoga classes, which you can get for free with your membership and are good for winding down and stretching out. The yoga instructors, just like all the other staff, are great to be around and love what they do!

The bathrooms come equipped with lockers, showers and a sauna, and you can find water fountains in several places throughout the gym with options to fill up your water bottle.

I would highly recommend this gym to anyone in the area looking for a climbing gym that covers all aspects of climbing and a little bit more with their yoga classes and typical gym options!

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★ 5

I've been a member of this gym for over two decades, have learned so much and have met many great people there! The employees are helpful and friendly. The owners are very nice people, climbers themselves and are regularly at the gym. They built the place with their own hands! It's always been an excellent place to climb and work out and I've seen it evolve into an amazing gym with several options for bouldering, tall wall climbing and lead climbing cave with cool overhead pieces. They have a yoga/pilates studio, an active classroom to polish up your skills, a complete weight room with lots of niche stuff specific for climbing training, kettle bells Rogue racks, cardio machines, etc. I think it's the best deal in town for Yoga and that alone is worth the price of admission. If you'd also like a weight room and to use the climbing walls it's a no brainer

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★ 5

Visiting Santa Cruz for few days, popped by for a quick sesh. Got a sense of climbing community in Santa Cruz. The staffs were super nice and welcoming! The boulder settings were very interesting, similar to outdoor bouldering style, very technical! Very lovely experience!

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

I really enjoy climbing here anytime I’m in town! You can even see the ocean from the top of one of the climbs.

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★ 1

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★ 5

The moment you roll up to Pacific Edge, you’re choking on a fog of chalk and hearing echoes of “dude, hit that sloper” from every corner. It’s a breeding ground for vascular climbing goliaths who live on adrenaline and the unsatiable need to thrash their tendons on absurd lines. You walk in thinking you’ll send a few routes and head home, but the second your fingertips latch onto those plastic crimps, you’re in a wormhole of endless burnout sessions.

Your elbows will complain, your fingers will crack, and your forearms will feel like frayed steel cables ready to snap. Doesn’t matter though, because Pacific Edge is a vortex of next-level psych; it's a zero fall zone. You’ll cling to the idea of one more burn, one more desperate move, one more chalk-soaked boulder problem that leaves you questioning your life choices. Then you chalk up again and do it anyway. Climbing and campus boards? Mega. Overhanging king lines that devour your fingers? Unavoidable.

The community is straight-up madness in the best way possible. Strangers trade beta like secrets to immortality, and send trains happen like clockwork. Staff is dialed, ready to supply tape or dislocate your brain with fresh beta. It’s a full-on tribe of climbing fiends itching to push each other to the brink of a total meltdown. No one cares how taped up you are, only how stoked you are.

Pacific Edge is more than a gym—it’s a shrine to self-imposed agony and next-level gains; a factory for forearm annihilation, flappers, and sleepless nights spent replaying beta in your head. If you crave that holy mix of chalk in your lungs and the deepest forearm pump that you can physically experience, this is your home base. Bathe in chalk and get ready to transform into a perpetually sore climbing mutant. Get ready to enter a permanent state of send.

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★ 5

Bouldering review: In Europe I boulder at about comfortably 6a-b which I think is a V3-4 grade, but I found this gym to be humbling. The routes are very technical and physically demanding.

Even the V0-2 range routes are demanding and not really beginner friendly. For this reason I would not recommend this gym for novices. There's not enough easy routes for a casual boulderer to enjoy their time there.

I think to make the most out of your entry fee, you should be intermediate (v3-4) or a beginner who is keen to improve. Otherwise the gym is nice, well equipped (great training area) and the staff are very nice. I totally recommend it for people who are up for a challenge.

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★ 5

Great quality of climbing at this gym. Much more old-school, and translates more to outdoor climbing than some other locations. It's a little bit grungy but if you can look past that, it's an incredible spot.

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★ 5

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★ 5

We’re from across the country on a surfing and climbing trip. We popped in and talked to someone for about 5 minutes while walking around, turns out it’s the GM Cedrick. They took care of us. In a couple hours we didn’t make it through all the bouldering up to v5 v6. Coming back for the massive lead climbing 50’ walls.
It’s like if a sick homey gym and modern sport climbing spot had a baby lol. Thanks for the surf beta too, Ben.

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★ 4

I really loved my experience here. The staff is super chill and friendly. Belay cert was a breeze. They have a new bouldering section with a kilter board and a crack climbing section. Interesting and challenging boulder problems. They also have an area to lift as well. Really my only complaint is that the holds are really greasy and could use some cleaning. I had some scary foot pops and I wouldn't want to lose a kneecap just to a slippery hold.

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★ 4

No auto bekats here. One of the only climbing gyms I've been to that doesn't have auto belays. A bit if a bummer as a solo climber.

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★ 5

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★ 5

Knowledgeable staff, wide shop selection, and plenty of climbing wall to traverse.

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★ 5

This is how a climbing gym should be! The setting is old school, so you can train hard for the real rock while having fun. Routes are renewed quite often for all levels, and there are plenty of climbing styles to try. Friendly staff as well!

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★ 5

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★ 5

Bathrooms are clean, people are nice, climbs are a bit challenging but fun to tackle. Not the best for kids just wanting to climb because holds aren't very giving. I love the climbing gym.

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 1

Incredibly weird staff and pretty rude. Pretty small gym that tends to be quite crowded.

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 4

5/5 stars for staff - super friendly and helpful.

2/5 stars for boulder area - lacked down climb holds or super deep jugs on overlapping easier climbs. Not nearly enough padding on the floor (most other gyms I go to in reasonably populated areas have at least 2 times as much soft foam). Didn’t feel comfortable pulling hard moves. Dropping from more than a few feet up is VERY hard on your knees, let alone dropping right after a hard top-out. Grades were also not very beginner friendly, there was one small area with a kid friendly set up but everywhere else the lowest grade was a reasonably stiff V0. They should consider adding some VBs for first timers, this would help with down climbing too.

4/5 top rope - nice tall climbs, but kind of awkwardly cramped in with other people in the dihedral and chimney area. Was happy to see some cracks, should have brought my gloves. Could maybe use a few auto belays for beginners or folks without regular partners.

Other comments: The whole interior felt kind of dirty and scuffed. Could use a power wash or something. Holds could use a scrub between resets too. Air quality was good though, thanks to a couple chalk eaters.

Overall decent gym but I definitely wouldn’t want to boulder here regularly.

Edit: changed 3 stars to 4 stars because I read they had a sauna.

Source: Google

★ 3

Lucky to be the only game in town. If a proper gym opened up in town, I would switch in a heartbeat. I've been to gyms in CT, SF, Boston, Denver and COS. Pacific Edge can't compete.

It's small and the space isn't used efficiently, so climbing--especially bouldering--is limited. While some gyms have gone loose-chalk free for the health and comfort of their members, only allowing liquid chalk, there's a solid macho culture of clapping chalk off one's hands into clouds that's not discouraged. This, combined with a lack of ventilation and filtration, means that air quality is poor.

My impression is that it's poorly managed. Every handful of visits there's an unpleasant surprise, whether it's in a yoga class, or in front desk staff that don't seem to care or are unassertive enough to ensure a good experience for members. Staff are mostly friendly, though.

For having been open so long with a solid membership base, it seems odd that the gym hasn't had a significant renovation to make its use of the space more efficient. The obvious reason would be that profits--and not the quality of the gym experience--are prioritized.

After 2 years of being underwhelmed and having the occasional frustrating experience, I'm seriously considering the inconvenience of going all the way to Agility.

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★ 5

This is the most desirable place you could possibly want to visit in Santa Cruz.

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★ 5

Go here all the time, love it

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★ 3

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★ 5

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★ 4

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★ 5

Lovely

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★ 5

Friendly staff as well as knowledgable and enthusiastic rope climbing instructors. Compared to other rock climbing gyms, I feel that this gym is a tad smaller and may be missing some amenities available at other gyms (no private showers, no automated lockers, no towels).

Overall still love this gym as it seems very passionately maintained while feeling retro, but still ensuring safety standards remain modern.

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★ 5

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★ 5

Great place. Love Pacific edge. Great staff great routes great time

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★ 4

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★ 5

Great new, challenging routes this week!

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★ 5

Gym/walls are definitely a bit on the older side in comparison to the new and shiny gyms out there, BUT WHATEVER! I found the climbing community here to be super welcoming (like above average for other climbing gyms). I mean maybe that was just my experience…but I am definitely a happy customer, thanks guys!

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★ 5

UPDATE: Still great

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★ 5

Really cool climbing hall.

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★ 5

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★ 5

I recently purchased a 1 year membership with Finn who was extremely helpful and very thorough. Their attention to detail speaks volumes at the quality of staff, your in good hands!

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★ 4

Super cool routes, logical and challenging! Unfortunately a lot of holds are very dirty and some are loose… for day use no lead climbing without a rope, but enough top ropes and bouldering variation.

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★ 2

The staff were great, fellow climbers were kind....but the foot holds were all very slippery and I could hardly climb anything with my 5 years practice.

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★ 5

Old school gym with all types of climbing. Setting is sick. Great vibe. Love this place.

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★ 5

I'm new to Rock climbing. Pacific Edge along with their kind, knowledgeable/ honest and helpful staff assembly, makes for an environment that flows with positivity and untroubled vibes.
Thank you to all PE has to offer!
- Kyle

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★ 5

#getsome

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★ 5

Great bouldering section, changes frequently. Has gym weights and showers - perfect place to workout

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★ 4

I am physically challenged and stumbled ( pardon the pun) upon this establishment while on my walking regime me was absolutely blown away by it
I merely peeled in and the associate warmly greeted me and welcomed me to come in and tour the facility

I ask a lot of questions and the employees graciously answered every single one of them
I know that I will one day be doing this and at this location cuz Wow.
Total respect and able to overlook the disability was a welcoming thing as many are so quick to judge and shun. The owner’s need to be recognized as well cuz the place was clean and truly in compliance Keep doing what your doing there and Will be back again I’m sure

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★ 5

Loved it! Took a group of 6 kids here for the kids climbing session and they had a blast. Great instruction and experience. Great vibe here and very friendly. Always good when kids are exhausted at the end of the day - woohoo! Will take the belaying class soon so I can bring the kids back more frequently.

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

Fantastic climbing gym! All the employees made an effort to learn my name by the first week. It’s a big enough gym to always keep you busy, but small enough to feel at home.

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★ 5

One of the BEST. This is where Chris Sharma climbed as a kid. Love the staff. Fair price on gear too.

This place has been such a positive influence in my life. Great community

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

Such a great gym, and great community! You'll see a full range of experience levels among the climbers, and there is a very encouraging and supportive atmosphere for all.

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★ 5

For such a small gym, it packs a punch. The staff are friendly and helpful. The training equipment is expansive. The routes on the lead wall are some of the best I've climbed (I've climbed in a lot of gyms). And I feel like they're doing the best possible job at keeping us all safe through this horrible never-ending pandemic. Five stars, all the way. (It would be nice to have an autobelay, but that's literally my only gripe.)

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★ 5

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★ 5

Excellent place to climb, work out, and take core and yoga classes!

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★ 5

Best climbing gym I've been to. The only improvement I would desire would be adding at least one auto belay so if climbing alone.

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

Staff is super friendly, lots of route options for all levels both roped and bouldering, great training facilities. Love visiting when I am in town. Cant wait to find a partner to get on that awesome lead wall.

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★ 5

Amazing staff, friendly and chill vibe. So glad I joined this amazing community!

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★ 5

Good climbing gym. Good prices, especially gear rentals, they're quite cheap. They have two nice boulder areas, a teaching belay room, nicely variated large walls, and a decent weight room. They have cardio equipment as well, and a crack wall and moon board. Basically all you could want for a good price. Plus, they're open right now unlike most gyms.

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★ 5

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★ 5

Got me into climbing. I’m hooked!!

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★ 3

Nice gym. They don't allow you to practice clipping into quickdraws while on top-rope (climbing on toprope while trailing a lead rope).

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★ 5

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★ 5

What can I say about Pacific Edge that hasn't already been said?
This is the end-all, be-all of the human climbing experience.
Hundreds of square feet of towering, inviting walls with some of the best-set routes in the game. Front desk staff? Try and beat 'em. This is the warmest, most welcoming gym I've ever been to. If you're struggling with a route, ask someone behind the counter for a beta and they'll be inexhaustibly stoked to help you out.
Routes are (allegedly) set a little harder than at other gyms, but who ever said sending should be a cakewalk? The weight room is smallish, but totally adequate and never super crowded. Bathrooms are always clean, and the sauna cranks.

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★ 5

It's practically my second home. I've been to many climbing gyms, and Pacific Edge is my favorite.

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★ 4

I think this place is ideal if you want to improve your footwork. Because without it your shoes will just slip off the mega greasy feet.

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★ 5

I love everything about this place- fantastic variety of routes, awesome yoga/strength training classes (and I don’t even like yoga), wonderful employees, great vibe. I’ve learned so much from the clinics and classes and always leave feeling amazing. Pacific Edge has changed my life. THANK YOU! Now if Beckmann’s could open up a pie snack shack next door when the gym smells like a bakery my life would really be complete....

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★ 5

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★ 5

It is really fun and challenging

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★ 3

Honestly the smug attitude of some of the employees sucks. The routes are rated inconsistently, and yeah the place is generally pretty dirty. Also, don't complain about their parking situation to them, they don't care.

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★ 2

Nice gym and friendly staff, however the bouldering area is minuscule. The thing which annoyed me the most was that the holds were ancient and seemed to have never been washed in their lives. They’re caked in so much rubber that you can’t see which colours are which, and they’re horrible to work on.

That being said, it seemed to have a pretty decent gym along with it, andI never tried rope climbing there so I can’t comment on it.

Source: Google

★ 2

Went climbing here with some friends(3 of us total, all first timers to this gym, but not to climbing). We all left rather disappointed with our experience. So this review is primarily for their bouldering area as we didn't feel like going through the belay test.

Anyway, I was unfortunate enough to have to rent shoes as I had left my gear at home, the rental shoes are comfortable but not sticky at all. Combine this with the dirty and worn out footholds and you've got next to no footing on quite a few of the routes I tried(ranges from V0 to V3), where I did find footing, I found awkward routesetting and crummy hand holds. Almost everything felt caked in ages of shoe rubber, chalk, and climber. That said, a couple routes I tried were fun and a neat change from my usual gyms, but the overall experience left a lot to be desired. I called it a day after an hour and a half of frustration while my friends lasted a bit longer. Maybe having their own gear helped?

All said and done, the facility was well lit and generally clean and the couple of staff members I interacted with were friendly, but we all agreed, we are in no rush at all to go back there.

Also note: the people saying this is "the best rock gym in Santa Cruz"... It's the ONLY rock gym in Santa Cruz, unless there's one at UCSC that I don't think most of us have access to.

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

A great gym for learning how to climb. The best in Santa Cruz the classes here are amazing the instructors are top notch.

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★ 5

Great place to climb man

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★ 5

Great place to learn with the variation of routes from beginner to advanced. Staff are friendly.

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★ 5

Great facility with helpful staff. Crowded at times but that’s just a sign of good business!

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

This is THE PLACE TO BE. Diverse walls that are constantly being reset with titillating new routes, staff that are always helpful and never dull, clean facilities that can accommodate any need you have, and it's actually affordable.

Do you want 100 different weight lifting machines, an espresso/smoothie bar, a full sauna and member lounge, and exclusive 1:1 yoga sessions with a level 9000+ yogi with their pineal gland fully decalcified!?!?!?!?!

Well go fist yourself, because you're the one ruining indoor climbing facilities with your absurd demands.

This place is everything you need in a climbing facility, and nothing more.

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★ 4

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★ 4

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★ 5

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★ 5

Great environment. Very friendly staff. Most of the top rope routes are 5.8 and above. The routes are creative and challenging. They have tall walls, short walls, overhanging walls (in the lead climbing area), a slab, a chimney, and two bouldering areas. People of all ages climb here: kids, teens, 20/30-somthing, and older adults. It's a little pricy, but what climbing gym isn't? Also, last Friday of each month, women get a discount on a day pass.

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★ 5

Good vibe. Lots of options.Climb,workout, yoga and more. Local ownership.

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★ 5

Im from the South Bay, but this gym is worth the commute any day. Pleasant and friendly staff, great routes for all levels. I only wish they had more space to expand their gym. That being said, they are still not don't get as crazy as the overrated major gyms

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★ 5

How can you not love this place? Sure it's not as big as PG, but that means you don't have to deal with all the bad aspects of the mega gyms (prices, crowds, etc.). The staff are all friendly, VERY knowledgeable, and I haven't been to another gyms where 80% of the people climb outside as well! Definitely recommend if you want to get into climbing, or are looking to train to climb harder.

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

Fantastic gym. The standard exercise equipment is all in great working order and climbing the walls and boulder is a blast. The upgrades over the years have kept this place fresh. Good food and coffee close by, and just a short walk to the beach. Highly recommended. Bring the kids, as long as they're at least 6 years old.

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 4

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★ 2

I've been climbing at this gym on and off for about 15 years. I always thought they did a good job with what they had, but the last time we went, I was very disappointed. The route setting has become really bad in the past year or so. Also, the facility seems dirtier than usual. Such a bummer!

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★ 5

Pretty nice gym...

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★ 5

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★ 4

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★ 5

I was at this gym the last year I saw a lot of different way and difficulty ! Perfect for training or give all yourself in the most hard line.
Try!

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★ 4

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★ 5

This is an excellent gym run by climbers with experience and "cred". The problems are a lot harder than others with the same ranking at other Bay Area gyms, making them closer to outdoor climbing ratings. Just don't be surprised if you climb 5.11s at Planet Granite and find yourself knocked bank to 10s at PE.

They also offer periphery services like a decent pro shop, climbing lessons, yoga, and fitness equipment.

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★ 5

Awesome people, very creative and there's a sauna. Win, win and win.

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★ 1

Lame. Want you to pay money to take their belay class. Wont allow people to just test.

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★ 5

Awesome rock - awesome people - awesome time.

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★ 4

Very friendly staff and the facility is kept very clean.

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★ 5

Staff and climbers are awesome here! Take the classes, you'll learn a ton. Everyone is really helpful, especially for beginners just getting into climbing. I'll be struggling with a boulder problem only to have a 12 year old girl come along and make it look silly. It's humbling and everyone is open to offer advice, even the kids. The only downside is it can get a little busy in the evenings but hey, more people to learn from! 5 stars for sure!

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★ 5

Really great place, friendly people

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★ 5

Excellent indoor climbing Gym.

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★ 5

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