★ 3

As a newbie to bouldering, I found the experience pretty disappointing. The most beginner-level routes were extremely challenging — honestly, unreasonably difficult compared to other gyms I’ve tried. It made it hard to build confidence or enjoy the session. I was really hoping for a more welcoming setup for beginners.

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★ 5

Love me some Vertical Endeavors.

I feel super safe here, including my family. It's wonderful to have a place that values quality routes, good general fitness, and is within a short drive of most of Chicagoland.

I really like the random fitness classes they offer, a major bonus for me because it then means I don't need another membership anywhere else.

It was a great venue for my daughter's birthday party, and the rest of the girls loved it.

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★ 5

Just had my son’s birthday party here and everyone had such a great time! The employee helping our group (16, 9-10 year old boys) was amazing and very patient helping everyone (I can’t recall his name). Would highly recommend hosting your next birthday party here.

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★ 5

Giant gym with 30 auto belays, top rope, three bouldering sections, and lead climbing. The lead routes looked like the most fun, but the top rope area offered crack climbing, which I haven’t seen very often.

There were plenty of routes for all levels, including beginners. Chalk was $5 to rent (a little expensive) or $6 to buy. Factoring in the harness rental, the gym is on the pricier side, but overall it’s solid.

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★ 5

An excellent climbing gym! Visited here while on a work trip, and had a very good time. There are multiple bouldering areas, with lots of variety, tons of auto-belays, and plenty of top rope. The sets on the boulders were quite fun.

The facility was spacious, and comfortable, and the staff was helpful and friendly. Would definitely come back if I'm in the area.

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★ 3

It's okay, been going here for 10 years on and off. Super outdated and nothing has been changed to keep it fresh. They added a few fake boulders that just take up space, the workout equipment is old, and the walls are the same. Everything is dirty. I only recommend this place if you have no other options.

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★ 5

Best climbing in Chicagoland area and I’ve tried a bunch. Awesome route setting, awesome staff, awesome super chill fellow climbers

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★ 5

Really top notch Gym for experienced and inexperienced climbers…. Really brings the [essence] of ADVENTURE to life in a gym environment!

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★ 4

Tried out Vertical Endeavors and had a really great experience! The staff was super friendly, they took time to demonstrate everything clearly and made sure we understood how to climb safely before we got started. There were quite a few kids and families there, so it definitely has a welcoming, family-friendly vibe. Still, there was plenty of space for everyone, and lots of climbing options for all levels from beginners like me to more experienced climbers. Overall, a fun, active day and a great environment whether you’re trying something new or getting back into climbing. Would definitely go again!

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★ 5

Has an awesome weekly climbing camp for ages 6+ all summer!

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★ 5

Great climbing gym!!!

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★ 1

Awful experience. The workers stay at the desk and don't come onto the floor. You sign a waiver, pay, watch a video, and sign another waiver without any hands on help. I have climbed before so I knew what I was doing, but I went with a friend who is somewhat physically handicapped who has only climbed once with a person belaying her. This is not the case here. You can only belay someone if you are certified otherwise you are on your own and doing self-belay with the machines. She did not have a good experience and I was annoyed that the workers could not leave the desk, we will never be back and this trip was a waste of our money and time.

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★ 5

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★ 5

AWESOME!

I just joined, and I'm in love.

Not many people, mid weekdays at least.

Natural light.

A ton of auto belays.

Everyone is friendly.

Much bigger than website makes it look, with a ton of cool places to "send it."

They just need one on Randall by St. Charles. Tons of people, no places to climb for more than 30 minutes.

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

Love this place. Been spending a lot of time with my daughters here. They always want to go.

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★ 1

Great for rope climbing with or without a partner (auto belays a plenty.) Bouldering holds are so grimy and dirty and no down climb holds. Grade range for bouldering is so wide it's impossible to know where you are (v0-v3??) NO studio space to warm up off the wall. (Yoga studio stays locked!) Their yoga mats look like they've been through multiple shootings/murders. Absolutely filthy and no amount of disinfecting with their spray bottles will make it look like you won't contract an illness from them. Their weight lifting section is the size of a shoe box. You get two people working out in there and it's already crowded. The black shredded crap they dump on the climbing floor will get everywhere in your bag your shoe and make anything it touches black. Why don't they put regular floor there?? I always feel so dirty walking out of this gym, moreso than any other place I've been to.

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★ 5

Great Gym Great Staff, hope to be back soon!

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★ 5

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★ 5

A great place to climb, make friends, and get a workout! The membership is worth it. Everything is included.

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★ 1

Morgan is the rudest person I have ever met at any business. Strongly recommend avoiding this place and never letting her near your kids.

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★ 5

We hosted our daughter's birthday party at Vertical Endeavors ( Glendale Heights), and I can't recommend them highly enough! From start to finish, the entire experience was seamless and enjoyable. Our host, Paulo, was absolutely fantastic—patient, helpful, and incredibly kind with our group. He truly took the time to help each member of our group and was great to work with. The entire staff went above and beyond to ensure everyone felt welcome and had a great time. The kids had an absolute blast, and the experience was amazing throughout. From booking the event with Priscella to the day itself, everything was handled with professionalism and care. I wouldn't hesitate to plan another celebration here! 10/10 recommend!

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★ 5

I love this gym so much, the routes and staff are equally awesome. But for the love of all that is holy, please fix some of the broken cardio machines I'm begging you D:

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 3

Soft grades for bouldering.

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★ 5

We hosted an event for a group of teens here and we were more than pleased. From the booking to the actual event, the staff showed patience, generosity, and flexibility throughout the entire process. There are so many options of climbing walls and our group had the best time!

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★ 4

I love this gym overall, the staff is friendly, the comps are fun, the routes are cool. My one critique is that some of the bouldering areas seem to never be updated. I go pretty regularly and the area right above the entrance hasnt been changed in 3 months

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★ 5

We had a birthday party here yesterday for 8 middle schoolers and it was fantastic! The staff is friendly and helpful, the facility is clean and huge. We have climbed there occasionally over the years too. It is always a great experience.

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★ 5

John was incredibly helpful in assisting me with some climbing gear that was lost. He went the extra mile in communicating with me across state lines to identify the gear, and shipped it back to me. Incredibly grateful and I look forward to visiting the gym and trying the famous crack simulators!

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★ 5

This place fun! It’s entertaining, and there are many walls to have fun with!

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★ 4

A helpful gentleman named Sam got us started and on our way. Parking is a bit tight but I like this spot. Bring an extra pair of shoes.

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★ 5

Different rock climbing routes are designed to accommodate a wide range of individuals.

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★ 5

It's a really good place for the whole family

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★ 5

I had a really fun experience. I went with others who showed me the easy and more difficult climbs. It was lots of fun, and sore muscles if it's not something you're used to doing. And they gave a really nice staff who can help you get set up if you're just beginning.

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

I introduced my 2 year old to wall climbing with the help of his 6 year old cousin who has been climbing now for about a year. they both had fun and it’s so great to see them playing and learning how to help each other.

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★ 5

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★ 2

looks like a decent amount of ropes but was disappointed with the bouldering. Not a lot of it and the grading is awful (only half the climbs were graded and if they were they had a ridiculous range, 0-2, 3-5, etc is a big gap for a climb). They have no designated down climb holds potentially leading to falls and just bad for your knees (it is typically recommended to climb down when possible so i don’t get why they wouldn’t). Little to no slab climbing. Wouldn’t pay $21 for their bouldering again.

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★ 5

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★ 4

Nice

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★ 5

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★ 5

I absolutely love this place! If you are a total beginner, like me, or really advanced, this is a fantastic facility. The staff is incredibly kind and helpful too. I had such a wonderful time with my daughter and plan to go back soon!

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

My grandson has made some huge muscles climbing in the past 5 years.

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★ 5

The only climbing gym that doesn’t smell like stinky disgusting feet, Thank you VE for not allowing bare feet in the gym.
The routes are really fun and challenging, there are various wall styles and cracks, nice auto-belays, and very friendly staff

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★ 5

i have a lot of fun at vertical endeavors, the workers are friendly and the environment is very nice. one staff member in particular, Yuna, was very helpful and understanding. would come back just for her

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★ 5

Great climbing gym

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

Fun place to hang with the kids

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★ 4

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★ 5

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★ 4

Great place to climb. Sadly staff fails to walk around and offer tips or friendly advice.

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★ 5

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★ 5

I love VE! This is my home gym and always feel at home here. The staff is incredible! The routes are harder than a lot of other gyms I have been to, but seem a lot more in line with outside climbing so I feel like it's good prep! Also, super affordable in comparison to other climbing gyms in the area and one of the largest in Chicagoland.

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★ 2

I have been a member for a year at this gym so I can say many things with confidence. This gym is at least a decade behind most modern gyms, they don’t invest into new holds. This leads to boring with little imagination climbing. Their routes don’t get updated often enough. Many long time members have left for other gyms because of those issues. This message is meant more for management or owners who seemed to forget that every business needs constant investment to be competitive. I surely hope you can make a positive change.

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★ 5

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★ 5

Amazing rock climbing gym. Better than I knew a rock climbing gym could even be. If you're into rock climbing, it's legitimately well worth more than an hour's drive to check this place out.

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★ 5

Took my family, only two of us have climbing experience, here and it was a good experience. This facility has a auto belay, traditional belay, lead climbing, and bouldering. I haven’t been to any gyms out my way, East Coast, that have as many auto belay routes as this one. It really opens the climbing world up to those without experience and those who haven’t climbed in awhile. My nieces and partner were able to get right on the wall with the auto belay routes, and since we came two hours prior to close it saved us time to not have to take a belay course or to test out.

I also wanted to shout out Yuna who was especially friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful throughout our entire experience.

Planning on moving back this way within the next year and will for sure frequent this facility when I do.

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★ 4

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★ 5

Carol Strean a great place to live everything and everything very very close

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★ 5

Great rock climbing place, tons of courses to climb and they really care about safety with different mechanisms to ensure safety 👍

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★ 5

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★ 5

my fingers still hurt. But there are incredible staff, and even better walls. Many bouldering spaces, and a lot of top rope and autobelays. Great place, even for beginners. It's not too pricy, either, with a variety of climbing rentals, including shoes and harnesses, along with chalk.

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

Staff are very nice and there are many choices to rock climb on. You can choose a belay wall or a self-belay wall with all different kinds of difficulties. They also have different workout machines and a weight area. Definitely will be going here again soon 👍

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★ 5

Yuna Villa was great at setting us up as first timers. Super friendly and informative along with the rest of the staff. Facilities are amazing and clean. Great way to get a work out and meet like minded folks.

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★ 5

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★ 4

Such an amazing place. Lots of climbing walls that sometimes get changed

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★ 5

Love this place. Staff is welcoming and kind to beginners and gentle with people who have climbed before but it’s been quite a while. A vast multitude of auto belay climbs so you can climb without a belayer/ friend and can come alone. Thanks for providing a wonderful environment VE!
P.S. I wish the rental harnesses were more comfortable and like the advanced versions like every experienced climber seems to be walking around the gym in.
Pps. I shall be back again tomorrow for another adventure with friends.

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★ 5

This was a surprisingly (shockingly?) good training gym. The spray wall in the back is stacked with polished old Nicros and makes for excellent hard bouldering if you're keen on that. Coming from PNW gyms (Circuit, Touchstone, etc.), the setting was refreshingly powerful and fingery, which I really appreciated. I didn't have a chance to climb the lead walls, but they looked great (height, features, setting, hold selection, etc.).

The setting mostly reflected a clientele in the lower grades, but there were a handful of V9-10s for higher level boulderers. And, as I said, the spray wall was really fantastic—think Adam Ondra's wall in the Czech Republic (though maybe not as steep). It was littered with perfect, comfortable, and slick-but-not-sketchy old plastic holds.

As usual, you'll get a basic campus and hangboard setup (including a Lattice Rung, among others). What really surprised me were the old (ancient?) Nicros hangboards, which every boulderer should probably experience before they die.

If you're a newer climber, go because climbing is awesome and you'll love it. But if you're an experienced climber and you're in the area, honestly, still go—it's got a great vibe to it and you won't be short on hard climbs to try.

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★ 5

I consider this my home gym. I've been climbing in it for years. Challenging routes (bouldars, top rope, lead), lots of over hangs! I have closer climbing gyms to me but none of them offer the diverse ranges of climbing. Great facitly!

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★ 4

Been trying to get ahold of the manager for 4 days but the phone doesn't work. Anyway you can let me know how to contact?

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★ 5

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★ 5

This place is awesome, the routes are fun and challenging. The staff is super nice and helpful,everyone there is great.

I’ve never had any issues, probably never will have any issues either. Every time I come here I leave happy and a better climber its a fun experience!

Oh and Ignore the bad reviews, those people have room temperature Iq’s

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★ 5

Outstanding rock gym. Great staff and variety of routes.

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★ 1

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★ 5

We love it. Very clean and quiet place. The staff members are all very polite and helpful. You can buy some gear on the spot, especially if you don't like renting shoes. If it's your first time you have to fill out a waiver ( can be done online from home) and there is on site 10 min orientational video. There are couple of vending mashines for drinks ( if you forget your water home )but they need cash so bring some small bills

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★ 5

If you like a challenge and want your heart to race, this is the place. As a beginner, the people around me didn’t hesitate to help, including staff. Especially Hannah. She was thoughtful and energetic.

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★ 4

Great place, lots of space and lots of routes. I wish though the staff members would do some walking around the place to make sure the place was clean. The bouldering area above the entrance was dirty with lots of rubber pieces on the mat (I was there before noon). Staff is nice but being there for the first time he didn’t even give me a quick introduction to where everything was until I asked.

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★ 5

My sister took me and the kids to her hobby and was very challenging and fun!

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★ 5

Great training and staff, very clean. Positive, nice people!

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★ 5

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★ 5

Fun climbing

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★ 4

Great location with reasonable pricing. The complaints surrounding 'add on' items are unreasonable, considering this is a standard pricing model for climbing gyms. They paid for the shoes, the chalk, and the harnesses. A $5 rental is more than reasonable for any of these items if you don't want to spend the $70+ on them yourself. This gym is massive, if they don't charge for rentals the same cost will transfer to memberships and day passes.

Other reviews address valid points... Some rules at this facility are not universally enforced, children are allowed in areas that are designated otherwise, and a lot of the staff stays at the front counter.

I have not had a bad experience with any staff member. They are welcoming, respectful, and enthusiastic.

Now that I have spent time here, it has been frustrating that they allow large groups of young kids in the bouldering areas with no supervision. They don't follow the rules, goof off on the holds, and end up forcing everyone else out of the area.

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★ 5

We hosted a birthday party for a group of 6-10 year olds, about 18 kids. The large open space made everyone feel comfortable, the instructors coached the kids. Everyone had multiple turns, the party room was clean to serve snacks

An all round excellent afternoon, all the staff at VE are amazing with the kids

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★ 4

Top notch climbing facility. Largest in the midwest

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★ 5

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★ 1

09/26/21 About 50% of people don’t wear a mask. And most of the kids climb with street shoes on. Awful! Canceling my membership

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★ 5

Very fun experience! I can't wait to go back.

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★ 1

No sneakers on the wall please

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★ 5

We had a GREAT TIME!! Clean, w/ Covid protocols. Good instructors. Sturdy equipment and challenging climbs.

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★ 5

Great facility that offers a lot of bouldering options at all levels. Staff is friendly and overall great place to climb

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★ 5

This rock climbing gym is the best! They have many programs and are very accommodating of nearly everyone. With a magnificent community, it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll come back!

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★ 5

Awesome climbing gym! Challenging myself on new walls never gets old!

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★ 5

Fun place to climb top rope, lead, or boulder. The staff is pretty friendly and chill. My regular climbing gym.

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★ 5

VE Bloomington was the first ever climbing gym I went to, and I was so happy when I discovered I had my own VE in my backyard. I can't recommend this gym enough. Their instructional classes and route setting skills are top notch and keep me in shape for climbing outside.

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★ 5

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★ 5

Not only was the staff friendly and helpful but so were all the other people there climbing. It's like a community. Took my 8 year old daughter. We knew nothing about climbing but were both able to climb within about 20 minutes thanks to the auto belays (sp). I usually try to give good and bad stuff so for the bad, I'll say it would really be great if they had a vending machine that took cards. And it was a little warm for my comfort. But overall, great place.

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★ 5

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★ 1

The girl at the front desk was not nice and I am now hearing my first time time there was supposed to be free. I paid full price. I would not recommend this gym.

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

Great place. We was very pleased to be there. Many different vertical ways.

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★ 5

First time going and it was very fun, my forearm grew 5 inches circumference in 1 hour.
GREAT place, sanitation stations placed all around. Great for beginners and more advanced climbers.

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★ 5

GO JUST GO!! I cannot hype enough, this place is the bee's knees for climbing in the Chicago land area and the amount of walls, absolutely supreme indoors climbing, great staff, amazing setters. Never had a complaint ever. JUST GO!

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★ 5

I had no idea a place like this existed anywhere around here. I think I found my new hobby!

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★ 5

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★ 5

Fun, safe place for family.

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★ 5

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★ 5

Great gym, lots of routes and friendly workers.

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★ 5

Brought a group of 20 Boy Scouts here for an outing. The staff was nothing short of stellar and the office kept a good line of communication before the event. The gym was clean and well cared for and the boys had an outstanding time. Definitely will be planning another trip in the future.

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★ 5

One of my favorite places!

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★ 2

Usually fine, but recently got some kind of note on my file for helping a friend trying a top rope route with a trail rope to also practice clipping the quick draws for lead climbing. We stopped when they said to stop and thought nothing of it.

Next time I went they said nothing to me but decided to wag their fingers about this incident at my friend, who is much smaller than me, telling her she has this note on her file. Ridiculous.

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★ 5

This is a great place to learn to climb but it also provides a challenge for more experienced climbers!

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★ 3

I liked to see that VE was taking measures to keep the gym safe, but I still see people pulling off their masks both on and off the wall. We do hear the occasional reminder over the speakers to keep masks on properly over the mouth and nose, but it doesn’t seem to be enough.

Unfortunately, it seems that there aren’t enough staff members to walk the area and make sure that people are following the rules that are meant to keep everyone safe. Today, little kids were running around the workout areas upstairs, playing on the treadmills, and jumping on the ellipticals while their parents were focused on their bouldering problem. I was worried that one of the little ones would fall off the speeding treadmill or get caught in the other machines. No one was wiping down the equipment after the kids were climbing over it, so I was a more concerned about preventable spread of germs than I was when I first walked in.

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★ 1

Only reason I climb here is there isn't another place close

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★ 1

Went to surprise my 7y old for his bday. Read the first time climbers info and made a reservation for the kids. Upon arrival i found out I had to pay for myself to be in the building to watch the kids climb, and then we all had to rent their shoes."Because of covid." (Not at all clearly stated on their site) That's a huge chunk of extra $ I hadn't planned to spend. Things were confusing as to where we wait and where the orientation was for first timers. We finally got on the wall and staff had approached us a few times about the kids masks slipping down past their nose. (These are not athletic masks) They are 7. They are climbing and being active kids and trying to have fun. I tried to keep reminding them gently to cover their noses, but they would come off on the wall, and when the got off the staff would come say something. After about and hour the kids asked if we could leave and go to a park. They seemed to be anxious about the masks and didn't seem to be enjoying themselves as much. This was not a crowded day by any means and we were social distanced from people the whole time.

I myself was extremely frustrated but kept a good face for my kids big day and said nothing negative. This place was NOT a good fit for our family and I was so very frustrated and felt i was completely mislead about the services and pricing. I also felt like they were being nit-picky about the kids masks unnecessary and caused anxiety for them on what was supposedto be a fun special day. Just our experience, I won't return with my kids till their covid restrictions are removed in the future.

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★ 5

Really well set gym! The boulder problems are super interesting and you can tell the setters put thought into each.

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★ 5

Great place to climb indoors!

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★ 1

The place looks nice, however, they charge extra for everything else like harness, chalk, shoes (cant just wear your own tennis shoes, have to rent theirs), all in all, not worth it.

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★ 5

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★ 5

I took the whole family here a couple of months ago and can not wait until they reopen!!! We had such a great time and everyone working there was so helpful. I never thought I’d enjoy climbing indoors so much and what a workout!

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★ 5

Nice staff and a great workout!

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

Great place to climb! The classes, the teachers explain everything well and are there if you need them. Ive never had any bad experiences here all the rope are in great shape and well maintained, ive been climbing here for a couple years now and highly recommend you check them out!

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★ 1

My details are of my nightmare when I got a phone call that my son was involved in a fall. My kid is tough so I wasn't to concern until I got to the hospital. I learned he climbed to the top of the 30 foot wall and when he went to repel down he free fell straight down to the ground. He could have been killed. Nobody checks your equipment and because you are force to sign a waiver you can't get any of your medical bills paid. Parents please don't take your kids to this place, it's a death trap. As I said he wasn't hooked up properly and went straight down landing on his feet and falling on his back. Had he died or been paralyzed they would have said, "sorry he signed a waver" By the grace of God our son only suffered a bruised kidney and a sprained ankle. It took him about 7 weeks to feel normal. I gave them 1Star because 0 wasn't an option.

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★ 5

Good adorable place to spend few hours and burn kids energy down😄😄😄

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★ 5

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★ 5

Best indoor rock climbing I've ever experienced.

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★ 5

Amazing climbs!

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★ 3

Great facility with excellent climbing available. Employees were frustrating to communicate with. As first time visitors of the gym, we wish the orientations happened more frequently. we waited half an hour for an orientation that took less than 5 minutes, and it seemed the orientation was not even happening any time soon until we went and spoke to some employees about it, even though a large group was waiting for the orientation.

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★ 1

Terrible service

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★ 5

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★ 5

Great place to climb, for beginners and pros

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★ 5

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★ 3

Good place to climb. Be careful to cancel your membership by 1st of month. I moved and forgot to cancel on time and was charged and denied a refund despite not using the facility:(

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★ 5

Amazing gym. Wish it wasn't 45 minutes from me, but totally worth the drive. Would love one in Tinley or Orland Park!!

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★ 5

Great space. Clean environment. Professional, friendly, and very knowledgeable staff. Tons of top ropes already set up as well as several auto belays ready to go.

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★ 5

I love the features and setting in this gym.

Almost all of my time is spent bouldering, and to have such a huge overhanging section is awesome for training and challenging yourself.

The setters are killer here too; lots of super hard, burly climbing with big dynamic moves and a lot of athleticism and precision required.

I usually climb at First Ascent in Chicago and it's an absolute treat to get out here and spend the whole time trying hard on these problems.

This place is awesome, wish I lived closer.

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★ 5

Great place for rock climbing lots of different challenging walls to climb

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★ 5

I love this place so much. It’s really fun and if u love climbing or rock climbing, I recommend this place to u! The service was really good. And I felt like if you needed help there was always help when u needed it.

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★ 2

My experience here was awful. First of all, it is $18 for a day pass which is reasonable but for every item that you add on such as a chalk bag or a harness is another $5 so it can add up very fast. The walls are only 30 ft so you only have about 20 moves before your done and have to come down and get on another route. I also didn’t like any of the climbs very much. The routes were not planned out very well and the only way they made any of the climbs harder was to either move the holds farther apart or just take away feet. The only reason I didn’t rate it one star was because If you’re a beginner and don’t know any better, this might be a good starter place for you. However, if you are experienced at all, then I wouldn’t recommend this gym.

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★ 5

Very happy to be belay certified now. I like all of the variety at Vertical Endeavors. I enjoy coming here. I do wish that Vertical Endeavors kept a log of which walls they are going to reset next. Sometimes, you find a bouldering problem you really want to master and come in the next day or so and it's been reset. No fault of VE, but it would be nice to know how long each wall remains up.

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★ 4

Good facility. The prices are fair enough, but not as good as First Ascent. Autobelay routes are fun, but the bouldering is somewhat hit or miss (granted, they hit more than miss, but I felt like the routes were more fun at First Ascent's locations.)

Gear shop is nice, and the discount on gear with a membership is pretty nice. This is my primary gym not because I prefer it, but merely because it's the most convenient for me.

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★ 5

I go here 3 days a week, love this gym! Even if its busy theres always space to climb.

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★ 5

Very happy with the intro and belay class, enjoy this gym and the huge variety of routes. Great for beginners. 30' walls aren't the tallest around but route variety is huge. You won't be bored for sure. Can't speak about bouldering - have only worked the walls. Pricing seems very reasonable.

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★ 5

Great place to have a good time with friends. Rachel was warm and welcoming in showing us around. Could reduce the intro tour waiting times though or have the slots timed. Wil

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★ 4

Update: Changed rating from 3 to 4.

I'm in my third year of Vertical Endeavors membership. My rating is based on that and my experience with 15+ other gyms. I struggled with 3 or 4 stars, after their recent changes to the grading system, but decided on 4. VE has short walls but MANY routes. Even after work, you can find multiple open routes (at least in top rope and lead, autobelays are busy with mostly newer climbers like any gym). The routesetting if often very creative and require solutions/body positions not often needed in other gyms. Though I do not consider myself an absolute authority on what a given route's grade should be, I can say confidently that VE's routes are harder at a given grade than most other gyms. Perhaps they are compensating for the short walls and this used to annoy me. Now, I just enjoy the fact that I can climb a grade or two higher at other gyms. I don't enjoy the bouldering much at VE. The same grade issue exists and I just have more fun bouldering at other gyms, probably due to differences in routesetting and that other gyms use color coded holds to quickly identify problems at your desired range. VE is very welcoming of children and their are frequent large parties there. While I think its great to encourage children to climb and VE has an understandable financial interest in building a larger climbing community, these groups are often dangerously out of control. When not climbing, kids run through the gym, often in herds, running into hanging ropes, under boulderers, and between belayers and the wall. I think this is a combination of limited adult supervision and/or non-climbing parents who don't realize the danger this behavior causes to everyone. Though I think it should be the parent's responsibility to control their children, the staff has to step up when parent's don't. I think this may be getting a bit better lately, so hopefully the staff are trying new tactics. The staff, btw, are generally friendly but some can seem aloof/uninterested, compared to other gyms. A consistent, friendly greeting when you enter the gym would go a long way. VE changed their grading system, as I mentioned earlier. First, they no longer include setters names. This is a shame because I liked the style of certain setters, and I can no longer seek them out. I had heard that this is because a setters in VE MN was threatened by a climber because he was so upset with a route. If true, that is disgraceful and I can see VE would have an interest in protecting their employees. Still, they use setter code names, not real names, so I feel like this could be managed (and hostile climbers should be banned). The bigger change is that they went from an a, b, c, or d grading approach (at 5.10 or higher) to a minus (a/b) or plus (c/d). In the past I'd given feedback to VE that there grades were inconsistent between setters and I know I wasn't the only one. Perhaps they feel that broadening the grade will lead to more consistency. But, when you get to the top of your abilities, a single grade can make a huge difference. I would much prefer the return to the old schema, but allow climbers to vote (perhaps for a week) on the grade before finalizing it, as some gyms do. I was told by one of the gym managers that they don't want to their rating criteria to be skewed by these votes. While I can partially understand this, I ultimately can't accept this argument. No one says the gym MUST take the average grade from climber input and make it the final grade. It's just an input to make their final decision. I've spoken with a few routesetters who acknowledge the route grade may not be as intended, especially when the route they set is well below the top end of their climbing abilities. VE seems to be doing a version of community input by not putting a grade on the route initially, so I think there is some feedback being considered. I've been asked 2-3 times, which I appreciate. But, this doesn't seem to be very scientific or inclusive. An initial setter grade, followed by written votes, would be better in my opinion.

Source: Google

★ 2

The holds were so black and greasy that my shoes bare stuck, and my hand slipped right off.

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

Friendly staff and lots of climbing options

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★ 5

This is my little get away several times a week. Never had an issue.

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★ 5

Was great. Before you start you get information, instruction and advice if you beginner. Great place if you want to start something new.

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★ 1

Needs to be better staffed. Not equipped for large groups. Although there were a lot of staff behind desk not enough monitoring activities on the floor. This can be dangerous for new climbers

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★ 5

Been climbing here for several months now and the gym does a fantastic job of keeping the routes diverse and fresh. Plenty of top rope, lead, and bouldering options. Staff is super friendly and attentive. I just wish the workout/training area had some more equipment.

edit: The training area has been re-vamped and now has a bunch of new equipment!

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★ 4

3 bouldering areas, huge walls and tons of top rope areas. All levels of climbers will find a challenge with a few cracks and many overhangs. Staff was friendly but busy, rentals are $5 an item. Only thing preventing a 5 star rating is the $18 a day charge. I was in from out of town and had 2 hours to spend and there is no half day or hourly rate😔.

Source: Google

★ 5

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★ 5

Clean facility, friendly staff, tons of wall-climbing options.

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★ 3

I wish this business/owners would show more attention to this location and area.. A bouldering only gym would be great to add to west Chicagoland since that's a huge interest right now!

There is a lot of focus put into the Minneapolis & St. Paul locations which people boast about who live in that area saying that the climbing is great there. It's sad to see after I haven't visited this location in 2 weeks that there was only 1 new boulder and 0 new auto belay climbs. I can only see this location closing in the next few years due to lack of attention, which is really sad since it's the closest climbing/bouldering location to me... On a positive note, the climbing is better than North Wall!

They also need to help improve community events to get more people to climb, similar to how First Ascent has events going on every week. Bringing the community together would help me revisit more frequently...

Source: Google

★ 3

Great selection of climbs! Once you've gotten your top rope certification, it opens up a lot more options for climbing. The bouldering is quite challenging as well. I really like the auto-belays as an option when I just want to climb alone.

Be prepared by bringing/renting the proper gear for tough climbing.

Weekends are generally really busy, so plan ahead to come earlier in the day. On weekdays the facility is quite empty, so it's much easier to go from climb to climb without a wait.

***Update***
This facility seems to be struggling, according to the route setters, the budget for route setting has been decreased and the routes are rotating even slower in some areas of the gym. This is very disappointing, but this gym has been going downhill with price hikes and dull climbing in 2018, I can see them going out of business soon in Chicagoland if they don't start focusing on this location or expanding. I highly prefer the First Ascent locations over Vertical Endeavors. They will be hurting for income come 2019 due to the new First Ascent facility in Arlington Heights that is opening, so I can see and almost gurantee them losing near half of their members to that gym!

Sucks that I have to leave my hobby due to a company that doesn't have any interest in managing a satellite location better.

Source: Google

★ 5

Fantastic place to go climbing! Highly recommend this place! I was amazed the first time walking through the door and taking a first look around, and then by the time I walked out the door I was already sold on becoming a member. The staff is very helpful and polite, and also offers group/private lessons for all ages. Cannot say enough good things about this place!

Source: Google

★ 5

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★ 5

HUGE place with loads of auto-belays, massive bouldering walls, friendly atmosphere and some cool extras - slack line, weights area, climbing ropes, treadmills. It's decently priced for an entire day of free reign on the place! Definitely returning.

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★ 5

Great place to climb.

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★ 5

great expirpence and good staff lots of wall options and two sides of bouldering

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★ 5

If you try it once, you'll fall in love with this sport!! Everyone there has always been really friendly, i don't know what it is, but every person I asked questions to when I first started, seemed to be the nicest person in the world. Don't be intimidated to try it!! There are tons of routes for beginners and tons of routes for intermediate, and then there are routes for really experienced climbers. You can always challenge yourself because the routes seem to get switched up just enough to where it stays new and fun, but there is enough time to try the route a week later if you dont get it the last time. Just stick with the routes you are comfortable with until you master them. Or at least i found it better for me not to go to my most challenging climb right off the bat and work my way up to it. Unless you want to feel that arm pump for the next 20 climbs. It's great for beginners and there are classes you take for your first time that teach you the basics and get you climbing. If you have questions, the employees seem extremely friendly and helpful. This sport seems to breed nice people though, and I have learned a lot by talking to people and watching others climb. This is a great place to go, regardless of your climbing abilities, and has things for everyone. I brought my son when he was 4 and I think they can go at age 3. Just go one time and if you don't love it, I would be shocked!!

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★ 5

I've gone here a handful of times and it's always great fun. I highly recommend taking the ropes course and getting certified so you can do all the belaying walls (maybe like 20% is auto belaying and the rest is the kind where you have to belay with another person.)

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★ 5

Great indoor climbing place. Perfect for all ages and birthday parties. My son loved attending a party held there and now we are planning his 10th there.

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★ 5

Very nice climbing gym.

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

VE stands for Very Evenmorebetterthanotherplaces.

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

This place is AWESOME! Really great exercise and always a fun experience with friends. Can be a bit pricey in the aspect of a workout so I usually go here in the winter as an indoor workout option. It's hard to find great places to workout in the winter. Would recommend to anyone any time of year though.

Source: Google

★ 5

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★ 5

They change courses often and have many different levels

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★ 5

Exhilarating

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★ 5

This gym offers the outstanding best rock climbing in Chicago suburbs

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★ 5

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★ 2

Great facility but the employees are rude when they answer the phone and at the gym. It is very very expensive and the people that work here often treat you poorly. The owner should know how entitled the climbers in this flat state can get. They think it's their facility and paying customers are mostly just getting in the way..

Also their rental gear is really not that safe. I asked if the expensive rental harness is a decent harness to which the employee scoffed at me and said "obviously not. its a rental." and then laughed at me. Well if im paying that much, it should be a safe decent harness.

Source: Google

★ 5

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★ 5

Always a great experience, clean, professional & friendly!

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★ 5

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★ 5

Great place for all ages. Just visited for a birthday party. We all had a blast. Friendly staff and not very crowded.

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★ 5

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★ 5

Very cool place. Tons of stuff to climb

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★ 5

Best Gym Ever! This is a great place to raise your climbing to the next level! The routes get updated often, so there are plenty of challenges to always look forwards to.

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★ 5

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