★ 5

Stopped by for a day pass to climb with my little bro. Had a great time! Awesome auto belay, great staff, and fun routes

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★ 1

Best gym in the twin cities by far, but management is rude compared to other VE locations. I've climbed all 5 VEs and numerous other gyms across the country over the past 20 years. At Glendale VE the managers are cool and chat with you a few minutes after close and really about the experience. VEB the manager literally forces you off the wall a few minutes before close even if you're close to the send.. not cool. Never was like this before the union took over...

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★ 5

Great place! We had so much fun.

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★ 5

Super awesome fun setting!! also has the best people ever on Advanced team

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 1

I'm near deaf and require hearingaids. I've reminded staff numerous times yet they often accost me, accusing me of wearing earbuds, lying, or purposely not responding quickly enough to questions or arbitray demands. The Bloomington gym is poorly maintained. I've fallen from loose holds in the boldering section adjacent the buildings entrance.

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★ 5

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★ 1

Giving a 1 star rating so maybe this problem will actually be addressed finally.

This VE location in particular has a horrible problem with parents leaving their kids unattended, even the ones who are too small to hook themselves in/out on their own. Not only is this unsafe (I’ve seen kids fooling around and trying to flip upside down and whatnot while on the wall because their parents aren’t watching), but parents are leaving their kids tethered to walls for 15+ minutes while other people are waiting for the wall. Just like the rest of us, we need to be considerate of other climbers and take turns on the walls. If kids can’t work the auto belays alone parents definitely should not be walking away from them.

This has been an ongoing issue for years and staff members are choosing not to get involved and more kids are going to get hurt.

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★ 5

An amazing experience! There were many walls for both auto belay and other forms of climbing. The walls varied in difficulty, allowing people from all levels to have fun. In my opinion, this is the best location. You could easily spend an hour and a half there. The climbing instructors are helpful and care about your safety. It is very fun and accessible for children as well. The facility was spacious, clean, and safe. I highly recommend Vertical Endeavors for a fun weekend!

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★ 2

Disgusting gym, you can definitely contact a disease here. The walls are never clean and the shredded rubber on the floors are filthy. You won’t want to boulder here either because the mats are as hard as a rock. It also takes months for them to create new routes

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★ 1

Really poorly managed gym. I bought a punch card to prep for an upcoming trip and really just wanted to use the Moonboard/spray wall. The staff kicked me off the spray wall 3 times in a row for the team kids while not following their posted schedule for the team. Wasted my time and money and ruined my training.

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★ 5

Some kids were abandoning babies on the walls……….a couple were dropped

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★ 1

Horrible route setting. You can clearly tell the route setters have never climbed outside on real rock.

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★ 5

Had a good time. Went solo. Nice facility. More options if you have a experienced group.

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★ 5

I love climbing at this location! They have super fun and challenging auto belays, top rope and lead routes. You must take a certification test to be able to top rope belay and a more intensive one for lead belaying and climbing. I love the variety of routes for all three rope climbing types. They have routes that vary from 25' to 55'. This location also has some bouldering walls as well if you are into that sort of thing. There is a huge parking lot that wraps around the building so I never have issues finding a spot.

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★ 3

good gym but very inconsistent route rating

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★ 3

This is definitely the best gym within an 80 mile radius of Rochester, but it’s just so hard to compare Midwest gyms with the gyms out West. The setting is decent, aside from being extremely tall and not a lot of diversity of style. The facility itself is quite nice and clean, and they have some interesting, well-designed walls.

I would consider giving this place 5 stars if they would do something about their atrocious orientation video that’s 10 minutes long, and if your browser freezes, the video starts over. If two people are filling out a waiver, you have to watch it twice. Between the glitches and the redundancy, it took my partner and I 30 minutes to get through that nonsense. Videos like that should be reserved for people who are new to climbing. Take a note from gyms out west and give people options: for beginners, give them a thorough intro, but don’t torture experienced climbers with things they don’t need to know. Time is a person’s most valuable commodity and I hate wasting it.

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★ 5

This place is very clean and well kept. The employees are very nice and helpful. I brought my teenage children and we all had a great time.

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★ 5

Brought our 3 teenagers here for a family day—it was amazing. Great staff, quick orientation, flexibility in time (we climbed, went to lunch and came back for more.) Facility was super clean and in a safe neighborhood. HIGHLY recommend for fun family day out!

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★ 5

Best climbing gym in MN with lots to offer in terms of routes (auto belays, top rope, lead, and bouldering). Great place to bring your teenage cousins from out of town (out of country actually 🇫🇮).

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★ 1

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★ 4

I do rock climbing here with Courage Kenny's Sports and Recreation department, so I work more with their volunteers, and don't really know the staff who work at VE. However, the ones I've interacted with at the front desk have been very nice, friendly, and helpful, whether I'm checking in or have questions about equipment, belay certification, etc. I've heard that a couple people are good at doing belay certification for adaptive climbers (I use a wheelchair), though haven't yet gotten certified myself

The biggest problem with VE is that, if you use a wheelchair, you cannot independently access any of the climbing walls, whether bouldering or top rope climbing) because they use chopped up rubber as the ground material in front of walls to provide a gentler landing, instead of gym mats like I've encountered at other climbing gyms. I have to have a volunteer pull me backwards through the rubber chips to check out a wall or get to a route, so I need someone strong enough to pull me backwards to even get to a wall to climb, which limits who I can work with among Courage Kenny's volunteers, or anyone else in general. Plus they generally have to go scouting ahead for routes that I can climb, to minimize having to pull me around a large gym checking out all the routes till we find in I want to try. There are mats that can be rolled out across the rubber chips, though they are often in use for other individuals so I have yet to try them. But I'm not sure if they belong to VE or Courage Kenny; if they don't belong to VE then that definitely limits the ability to independently access climbing walls, because VE can't just go and roll out the mats for access to the walls, regardless of if I'm there with a friend to climb or just showing up to do autobelay routes, if I go on a day other than with Courage Kenny.

Other than that, there is generally plenty of accessible parking, especially at night when the office building that shares the parking lot is closed. There's a gender neutral single stall bathroom right by the entrance, with grab bars and an accessible roll-under sink. The trash cans (bathroom and elsewhere), however, are the "step on pedal to open lid," kind, so I have to try to get weight on it, use a paper towel to open it, or ask someone else to open it. They also use scented air freshener spray (the canned kind) in the bathroom, which can be strong and may cause issues if certain scents and fragrances trigger health issues. There are also multi-stall men's and women's bathrooms, but I haven't been in one to know if it's accessible.

The yoga room has soft squishy mats in the floor that make it difficult to push a wheelchair across, but other than that and the rubber, the rest of the floor is tiled and easy to roll across. There is a ramp up to the biggest room with high routes, a "natural" rock wall, a variety of overhangs, etc. I don't have a problem doing up and down the ramp, though it seems steeper than recommended by the ADA.

The smaller room with top rope climbing has mostly shorter routes (30 ft), but does have several 60 foot routes, including one that goes up into a sort of tower room way up high; there's usually an easy route and harder routes up it so everyone can try it. There are other 60 ft routes there as well that vary in difficulty, but aren't generally as difficult as the routes in the big room because most are straight up, maybe with one overhang, instead of multiple overhangs, the wall sloping out and/or in, etc. Also in this room, Courage Kenny sets up a special adaptive rock climbing piece of equipment that allows one to sit and use only their arms to ascend straight up, allowing people who have higher levels of paralysis to climb and get way up high in the gym, like everyone else.

VE changes up the routes every few months, so there's time to practice a route that you want to conquer, but also gives things fresh and new enough so you don't get bored with routes.

Aside from the rubber situation, I really like climbing at this location and am always happy to go back there.

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★ 4

Good time!!

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★ 5

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★ 5

My first time rock climbing was made a breeze by Sawyer. Thank you for making the experience so comforting for a beginner like me who’s never even climbed a tree before.

I felt content that Sawyer helped slowly conquer my fear of heights when he had me just climb up about 6ft off the ground and trust the auto-belay to do its job. His knowledge in the gear, attention to detail, and easy-going attitude all provided lots of reassurance. For that, I’m very grateful.

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★ 5

Great facility with tons of fun climbs as well as a friendly staff!

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★ 5

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★ 5

This is a great gym, and I decided to join on a monthly membership after just 3 visits. The $80 rate is extremely reasonable.

They have a good variety of auto-belay routes for starters who don't have a belay partner (like me!)

I appreciate that they have a training area with treadmills, a set of dumbbells, squat racks, and hang boards for strength.

Weekday evenings are best for adults who want to train and it is not so busy. Weekend mornings and afternoons are extremely busy and there are a lot of kids at those times.

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★ 5

Been going to this place for years, the good vibes never change! The staff is always friendly and very helpful ✨ I have brought over many friends that still keep going with me, it’s an ever growing group of rock climbers. Very good atmosphere, great crowd and overall an amazing experience. I’ve noticed the place has always stayed clean and safety is priority at this place. It’s easy to make new friends here and in general connect with others. Having a stranger encourage you is a next level bond 😄 Worth it!

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★ 5

All of my endeavors were indeed vertical.

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★ 5

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★ 1

Everything about the business and rock climbing is great, but after asking them to change my membership to temporary for $10 a month.... they silently reinstated at at the full $75. Haven't noticed until now so I've had over $600 stolen by this buisness.
Just make sure to check up on your membership status frequently because you might suffer the same fate.

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

Went here with my daughter and husband about an hour before they closed! Had a great time!

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★ 5

A wonderful place for indoor climbing. Plenty of auto belay and non auto belay options available. The monthly subscription is more economical than per day pass.

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★ 5

This site supported a National Guard event. The staff was helpful in orientation and informing those who are visiting for the first time. Diverse walls for many skill levels and some diverse experiences

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★ 1

All other reviews are accurate, staff are stuck up and really don’t see u as anything that important. Definitely seems like every customer was annoying the staff just by being here. Such an awful company that really makes me think of this sport poorly… yeah not coming back. Also do not recommend if you’re a nanny/ babysitter/ caregiver. Awful vibes.

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★ 1

Started climbing here 6 years ago. Used to feel like home, but over the years the staff has become stuck up, hostile, and overly rude. I canceled my membership a few months ago due to multiple instances of this, and going back just confirmed it. They have sub par route setting on TR, kind of monotonous, and they only get reset *every 6 months*. The bouldering is just... fine. VE is begging for a competitor at this point.

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★ 4

Big space with friendly staff.

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★ 2

Really good setting lot of the routes had some awesome moves.Workers were kinda stuck up though for no reason. Tried to be cool with them and they were too good for that I suppose.

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★ 5

It was loads of fun and I don't have one bad thing to say.

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★ 1

I will be making much longer trips to harness climbing places that are way better worth my money. I paid $70 for my 9 year old and their 11 year old sibling to climb. Because there is only 1 option, which is a day pass for $20+ PLUS renting equipment if you don't have your own. (Who goes for their first time with their own equipment?) Also, there are MAYBE like 5 courses for kids, the rest adults take over (they also take over courses for younger/inexperienced climbers).

There are places out there that have gear included in the day pass that is only $18! I will be going to those places instead. May be a longer drive, but I'll take it to not have to deal with this headache of a location.

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★ 5

great fun fairly priced

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★ 5

We had a great time at Vertical Endeavors-Bloomington today. It’s our schools spring break and so we had a local fun day. Three teenagers willingly gave me their cell phones for over 2 hours! Staff was GREAT! Thank you for a great day! We will be back

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★ 4

This place is great -- as others have noted, the bouldering isn't the best, but it's still pretty dang good. Prices for gear are comparable to the bigger box stores that can order in-volume, so you know they're more interested in doing right by their customers than they are in turning ridiculous profits.

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★ 5

Fantastic climbing gym.

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★ 1

Their gift cards can't be used to pay monthly membership dues

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★ 5

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★ 1

VE is legitimately the worst gym chain in America. I feel genuinely bad for the twin cities' climbing community that this is all they have. a place like this would never survive in colorado or any larger climbing community. two main reasons: 1) their policies are downright gross. they make people wear their shoes the entire time. they blame that on the fact that they have these absurd rubber chips in their roped areas, which, why? what that translates to is that people wear their climbing shoes in the bathroom and then drag their urinal splatter onto the handholds you're going to use on your next route. 2) this gym is just genuinely unsafe. they must be the only gym chain that doesn't have gri gris on every top rope, they said it would be too expensive. but then proceeded to tell me that people get hurt all the time. of course they do, they have yahoos walking in climbing for the first time, barely passing the belay test and then using the cheapest device they could get their hands on (a non-auto-locking ATC) and dropping people. the ropes are also super old and worn out and feel like they could snap at any minute. they also don't loop their ropes at the top, they are slung through the lead anchors so they are so loose that every top-rope fall feels like a lead fall and you can watch climbers bounce off the pads from like 10 feet up. fingers crossed this chain gets bought out by Movement eventually and Minnesotans can have some real gyms

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★ 5

Great, I love it.

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★ 5

Had a great time here with myself and partner. We are somewhat experienced inside and outside climbers so the range of grades for top rope and auto belay were great (didnt try lead at this gym as we weren't around for that long). The lady in the pinkish hair gave us a great tour and belay test, was super positive and funny. Will come back the next time we are in the cities!

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★ 1

masks required, masks not required, mask required (even when no city mandate) Done with VE will never go back.

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★ 5

I took a two year break from rock climbing due to the pandemic and an ankle/hamstring injury. I decided to go back today, everything was just like I remember. I definitely am at the point where I can incorporate rock climbing back into my routine. Mary was so helpful and nice.

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★ 2

Let me just say that I really wanted to like VE (since they're the only top rope facility in the twin cities...). They have tall walls and a huge amount of square-footage to work with and yet - they just throw it all away on sub-par route setting. It's extremely disappointing and feels like they take advantage of being the only option to charge $$$ and not improve.

To elaborate, the setting is incredibly monotonous. It literally does not matter which route I climb within a particular grade range because they all feel similar. Even the hold types are similar! Until you start climbing in the 5.11 range or above, 90% of the holds used are jugs with the occasional pinch thrown in. No crimps, no slopers. The movement sequences flow, but again, there's so much similarity, it gets boring.

As others have mentioned, the grading is soft. This is not an issue though in a gym where if one route is too easy...just move to a harder one.

Also, if visiting for the first time, make sure you allocate ~1 hr to watch a video about how climbing is dangerous and to get belay tested. Don't expect to walk in and take 10 min to do your belay test. It WILL take an hour for the orientation and your test.

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★ 5

The staff at this location are so friendly and helpful! One of them, I believe her name was Alix (with an “i”) was incredibly delightful to be around. The orientation was straight forward and the staff member who helped us was amazing. Overall I would definitely recommend the Bloomington location.

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★ 5

Awesome, even for young kids.

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★ 5

Sawyer and echo were big troopers throughout our check in experience. They deserve a raise and compensation for their hard work.

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★ 4

I probably wouldn’t choose this gym for bouldering, but the staff was friendly and the facility seemed nice. If you are climbing ropes it might very well be 5 stars, they seemed to have a lot of routes. This gym just happened to be on my route passing through town, so I didn’t get the full experience. The bouldering set was a little stout or inconsistent with difficulty within climbs and there wasn’t a lot of flow. Many of the holds are outdated and/or uncomfortable, and most of the climbs over V3 seemed man sized. Bouldering is often dynamic, but that doesn’t mean it always needs to be reachy. Don’t forget to set some for the shorties, please! The bouldering area seems more like an afterthought, but it is nice that they have the option! They had a ton of problems for beginners even though it is a small area, which is nice for people just starting out. Overall a good facility. I am psyched the Midwest is getting more climbing gyms!
(It is difficult to give a good review off one visit. Take this with a grain of salt. Thank you for a good session!)

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★ 1

A message to the owners; please sell VE. The employees do the absolute best they can for the $12/hour you pay them. You are doing the entire Mn climbing community a disservice by continuing to run your facilities as “ma and pa” shops. At the very least pay a living wage and adopt standard commercial climbing gym hours; I cannot begin comprehend why you limit your hours so much. Not even open 12 hours on a Saturday?! By far and away the worst climbing organization in the country. The moment a competitor opens their doors they will go out of business.

Edit- Start front desk/instructors at $15/hour and I bet my WHOLE rack that your staffing issues will resolve :)

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★ 5

Good, large climbing gym. Lots of autobelays. The flagship Twin Cities location for sure. Can get a little busy during rush hours.

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★ 1

Unethical company that only cares about money and don't care about the customers. Restarted charing us after a COVID pause without any notification (despite they tell sent something, they didn't). That was happening for a few months until I noticed that. Called a representative and they recommended to email them. Never responded to my email. Absolutely unethical money-focused approach. They absolutely knows who never came back but never bother to call a customer to remind about vising the place. They obviously understand that some of those customers will not come back and prefer to charge them silently until they notice or until forever.

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★ 5

Had a blast taking my son (7) and nephew (10) to try rock climbing. All the staff were super helpful and they both had a great time

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 2

The orientation procedure is a bit of a pain and not very helpful for a new climber such as myself. I thankfully had my boyfriend along who is an experienced climber. It did take a long time to complete orientation with the video and actually waiting for an employee to be present to complete the orientation.

Once the employee finally arrived who was giving the orientation, the first thing she said to me was "you look grumpy". She is the older woman employee with short pink hair. I simply had my mask on and my arms crossed and was in a great mood actually. I have had these things said to me when I was a child and a teenager so felt it was extremely disrespectful to have this said to me as an adult again. So off the bat there was an odd hostile environment created for no reason.

The woman then had three employees shadowing me throughout the rest of the orientation. I was the only person completing the orientation so this was quite uncomfortable as I felt so many eyes on me the whole time.

Overall the rest of the staff was kind, it was just the one older woman with shorter pink hair. I was then in a sour mood due to her for about half of the time I was there. Probably won't be returning to this location in the future because of her.

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★ 5

Such a cool place for all ages. Very reasonable on pricing (we have done multiple one time visits with equipment rental but they have other options available) considering how much equipment and maintaining it costs. Staff is always friendly and helpful. Other climbers are usually willing to lend a hand or give advice. Really cool community of people.

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

Came here for a bachelorette party and my experience was enjoyable! I’m a complete novice with almost no experience and MJ made me (and the others in the party) feel very comfortable.

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★ 5

Very easy experience for the novice. Auto belay for 40 & 60 foot walls. Fun, affordable & challenging to your level.

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★ 5

This used to be my home gym before I moved out of state, and OMG do I miss it! I've climbed in gyms in a few states, and Vertical Endeavors is the best out there. The route setting is definitely the most skillful I've experienced. It's fun, but also cerebral. Lots of different wall angles, cracks, dihedrals, and a large natural texture wall. Also, I believe there are about 25 auto belays, which is great when you don't have a partner. This is huge compared to what gyms in other states offer. I climb in a "world class" gym in a western state now, and they are vey proud of their 5 auto belays. This gym doesn't bother with cafes, table games and other wasteful stull. It's all about good climbing. Minnesotans, you a very lucky!

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★ 5

👍🧗‍♂️🧗‍♀️

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★ 5

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★ 3

VE is a fun place to climb, even if you don’t have experience in climbing. Currently I’m giving it a 3 star review bc of its operating procedures. We went last week, signing up for our 2 hour time slot. The guy working at the front desk made it a point to check us in painfully slow. He sat on his computer, and pretended not to see us standing there when we needed to switch of shoe sizes. It took 45 minutes to get the ok to start climbing. With only a 2 hour time slot I found this frustrating and his attitude very rude. They were not busy, he chose to make it a difficult experience for us. It felt like a power grab.

Moving on, we started climbing and had a nice time trying out the different routes. There is a good variety of options and safety is important and thorough.

The biggest problem with their new covid protocols is that they require you to sanitize your hands after each climb. This is a great idea, but a joke in implementation. They have one random mostly empty spray bottle per climbing area. Not even a wall mount hand sanitizing dispenser, a spray bottle that you would use to clean gym equipment. So you have to find it, wherever it may be randomly located then spray clean your hands like a mirror. In reality with this system I did not see anyone use it, bc everyone wants to keep the chalk on their hands.

I’d love to see a faster friendly check in process for non members and a more efficient way to clean your hands with designated sanitizer stations & paper towels in the bathrooms.

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★ 5

this place is so important to me. so many amazing climbs always!

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★ 5

My wife and I are brand new to climbing, and this was a nice place to go climb. They have all the gear for rent and you can also buy the gear if you want. Lots of different walls to climb so you can do it for a while without getting bored.

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★ 2

COVID restrictions a touch unreasonable.

I have always struggled with the way VE manages their gyms. It doesn’t foster a very healthy climbing community and focuses on birthday parties.

I have put up with with the banning of climbing equipment that actually makes climbing safer (i.e. Edelrid Ohm).

Most recently, they have introduced all of their COVID restrictions. I am in full support of adding new safety precautions, however it’s at the expense of basic human needs. Today, my girlfriend and I were wrapping up our climbing at the tail end of our 2 hour reservation. We were rushing to leave due to our reservation ending. Both of us had to use the restroom and wash our hands. In total, that put us about 15 mins after the end of our reservation. We were harshly criticized by the staff for this infraction.

We learned yesterday that they are actually recording these infractions, and monitoring you more heavily at the gym! I find this to be quite draconian and unacceptable.

👎

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★ 5

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★ 5

I have been going for about 6 months and is always greated with a smile. The staff showed us how to use the auto belay and there is alway other experience climbers to help if something looks wrong. No they do not have enough staff to give you personal climbing lessons. As far as the test they go by the book and those who did not pass because they did not communicate with the climber is there problem. They have a sheet telling you exactly what the test requirement and that includes doing harness checks and doing verbal communication such as saying climb on when the belayer is ready. If you start climbing before the person is ready and you fall who fault is that. The climber. Most of these people complain because they felt that because they climb they did not have to pratice the gym rules and that is that when you belay someone you do anyway they want to. They want to be extra safe and people who have a problem with that maybe should not being climbing to begin with since a small mistake can be deadly even in a gym. Meanwhile I was there for a Veterans recreational outing and we came one day a week for 4 week and had two 4 day session a year. Those who were in the session before and had some experience they allowed us all who wanted to be taught how to belay and how to back each up doing it.They did not require us to take there course or pay for it. When I did my test there was no problems because I knew what they required to pass because it tells you right on the sheet of there testing requirements. Meanwhile even if you fail the test about 40% of the climb are auto belay so the only reason lost there money is because they went home in a suff. If you fail the test you can do again the next day. They do not charge to take the test. So maybe people who think they are so good might look at there sheet first and follow it. Every place has there own rules and that depends on the safety needed with the ratio of climber and staff. When you have a gym full of climbers and there are 4 staff people around they cannot be in every room because you did not pay attention during the instructions they give you to get going. Again people blaming other for there failures.

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★ 5

Fun for beginners and experienced climbers

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★ 5

Love taking my kids here! Great climbing option and indoor activity!!

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★ 1

Staff on the night of Feb 7th 2020 was arrogant, rude, and condescending. I am a frequent climber and brought a friend who is new to the activity. I was embarrassed by the staff's behavior. Will not be coming back nor introducing new people to this gym.

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★ 5

I have been to both the St Paul and Minneapolis location, and this one is just as nice. I brought my daughter and we climbed for almost 3 hours for $53. They have almost 30 automatic belay routes and people just wandering around that will belay in any other route. There is a gym there with squat and bench racks, treadmills, dumb and kettle bells and cardio equipment. The energy and vibe here is active and fun. I will be back!

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★ 5

The only issue I had to overcome was my anxiety and trusting the auto-belay. My whole body now hurts and I can’t wait to go back!

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★ 2

My partner and I came from out of town and we decided to visit Vertical Endeavors for a session. To preface, I’ve been climbing indoors for a couple years and my partner a year. We came in to top rope and we’ve been certified at other gyms.

The pros:
- Facility was pretty clean
- the climbs were fun and well-rated.
- day pass wasn’t too expensive

The cons:
- The orientation took forever. Even though we weren’t going to use auto belays we had to go through how to use them and the bouldering section. It took half an hour to do the orientation before we could even take our top rope test. It was almost an hour before we even started climbing

- My partner and I have a significant weight difference. The staff member who tested us said we should twist the ropes to increase the friction For catches on top rope.
That’s totally unnecessary and wears the rope out faster. Im a comfortable belayer and ok being yanked in the air a little.

- My biggest complaint is they have this fake rubber mulch material on the ground for safety. Because of it you can’t walk around barefoot or in socks. With my tight climbing shoes I had to leave the gym floor between routes to take off my shoes and waste time. Also all this mulch material stains your hands, and it gets kicked all over the lobby. They should just have a padded floor Like in the bouldering areas. If you ground fall on top rope rubber mulch won’t help anything. Poor choice of material in my opinion.

- cubbies are too small for bags.

- the gym is very poorly lit. It should be much brighter in the climbing area.

If you’ve got to climb, the routes are fun, but I’m sure there’s a better gym out there. I probably wouldn’t be a regular there. They need to improve their facility and orientation process.

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★ 5

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★ 1

Staff is so rude! I’m just waiting for my membership to expire. I won’t ever renew it until they hire adults that know how to smile and be nice.
I have been a member for years! I have no idea what happened with the new people they hired.
Just plain AWFUL!

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★ 2

Don’t go here if you are trying to introduce your kids to a new sport. Three different staff were condescending and rude to us. They are not interested in educating people on climbing. No kid communication skills at all. The one person that was great checked us in and was awesome with getting kids excited about climbing. Unfortunately she was on crutches so she wasn’t in the gym. We will not be returning to this gym. We love the staff at the Nicollet Ave VE and prefer to not be treated like we are idiots.

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★ 5

Love the staff and facility. Great place to climb!!!

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★ 4

This location was very organized and clean. There were plenty of things to climb for my 8 year old son. He spent hours in the facility and didn't get bored. The only thing that could be better is the price structure and an employee instructor to help u.

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★ 5

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★ 4

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★ 5

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★ 1

The climbing is great but the see staff (Josh, and the one the girls from Bloomington)both gave me a mean look and treated me like I'm a idiot, I am not going to return to that location.

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★ 3

Visited ~ 50+ times. Not a great place for bouldering. The place is way too crowded with children running all over the bouldering area. I have to constantly look for unattended children on the mats before dropping down when the entire area is designated for 16+ unless supervised by adults. Staff, while mostly great, doesn't do a good job of enforcing this. On top of this, I've had the poorly fastened jugs spin loose on me twice causing unexpected falls.

Giving this place a 3 star review as I'm sure it's still great for top rope, just not much else. For those who don't care, be prepared to weara a wristband to let staff know you don't have belay certification. All in all, I would recommend TCB any day over this if you just want a bouldering gym.

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★ 5

Vertical Endeavors is a great gym! To be honest I have not been to many rock climbing gyms, but I always feel comfortable and safe here. They make sure they follow regulations. And my experience with the staff has always been helpful. They’ve helped me learn more about climbing equipment as I’m new and when they didn’t have shoes in my size they let me borrow some for free that day and told me where I could probably find some in my size (I have super small feet so that’s probably not a common issue). This place has many auto belays which is great if you can’t get a friend to join you.

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★ 5

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★ 4

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★ 1

The guy working there said I had flabs with no abs

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★ 5

I like this location a lot more than the Minneapolis VE. The bouldering sections are definitely more interesting. The staff were all friendly and I had no issues with the belay test before climbing. There are lots of creative routes to try for all skill levels. The workout area is good too! Had a good time at this gym.

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★ 1

My friend and I were up visiting for the day and had the worst experience we had ever had at a climbing gym. While most of the staff were friendly and welcoming, we had a terrible experience doing our "belay test". My friend and I are both experienced climbers and were both actually on the climbing board at our school. We spend a lot of our time teaching others to climb and belay. We were given the "orientation" which was really just a tour and then told to go ahead and climb. We didn't vocalize our double checks, even though they were done, and apparently our staff member didn't like that. He decided not to pass us, take away our ATC (which we paid for) and then neglected to give us the chalk bag (which we also paid for). We actually didn't get the chalk bag until we went up to the counter an hour later and complained. And even then that same staff member just glared at us while we waited patiently for his help. When we went through the same test (a friend who arrived later), that staff member was super friendly and made sure to explain what he needed to see and reminded our friend when he forgot something. When we told him about our experience, he told us to come in next time and do it, which was frustrating since it was an hour and a half drive for both my friends. Needless to say, for the price we paid, there will definitely not be a next time.

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★ 5

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★ 5

Lot of fun, pretty inexpensive, and a good variety and difficulty of places to climb.

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★ 5

Great climbing gym with a very positive atmosphere. Both other climbers and staff are very friendly and the general vibe is that everybody wants you to do you best and have fun. Nobody really spits unwanted Beta, but if you're having trouble with a route or bouldering project, you can count on a staff member or more experienced climber asking you if you want some advice (Beta).

And if you are a more experienced climber, they have some pretty spicy lead routes with great features we just can't find outside in Minnesota. The routes are usually mentally and physically challenging and most importantly, usually pretty fun.

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★ 1

Poor facility. I've been climbing at VE for ten years and a friend was denied his belay cert because he did not vocalize his checks twice, despite clearly vocalizing and securing harness. Forced to auto-belay around mobs of children and Instagramers all day who spend more time taking up the rope than actually climbing the route. All other VE facilities have never given a problem. Maybe if we had paid for the course we could have had a decent gym day.

Visit any other locations, VE Bloomington was a massive disappointment.

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★ 4

great facility but often very busy with kids every where.

would be great if they could separate the kids into a specific area similar to how MBP does

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★ 5

Love climbing here. Not an experienced climber but everyone is very helpful in explaining methods and tactics for overcoming each route

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★ 5

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★ 5

1st class facility, and staff

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★ 5

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★ 1

Staff with condescending attitude.

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★ 1

Most climbing gyms range in safety from sketchy to obnoxious. This one falls into the latter. I came here with a buddy of mine during a business trip and spent an hour in orientation and a belay test. My friend passes the belay test, then I go and fail because she didn’t like the way that caught him when he fell. No other explanation and she would not let me try again unless I came in the next day and paid again. She offered to let me take a belay class that day for an extra fee to get certified. It was clear at that point that the gym is more interested in the money making aspect then the climbing aspect. It’s a shame because it is a really nice gym but they really don’t care if you have climbed before and seem to be looking more into upselling people who don’t know any better. If you are looking for a gym to start out at this would be a good place to go since it seems very family friendly and extremely safe, but if you are an experienced climber just looking to climb for a day I would stay away.

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★ 5

Best staff. Best holds. Best routes. Parking situation is easy peasy too

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★ 5

Awesome place to climb indoors. Big walls which reset about every two weeks. Nice bouldering area as well too. When you don't want to climb outside, this is the place to go.

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

I visited this location today with almost 70 middle schoolers from the summer program I work for. The staff were awesome!! They made it fun while still making safety the number one priority! The students had a blast! Many of them want to return with their parents! Thank you so much Vertical Endeavors staff!!

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★ 5

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★ 2

Until this new rating system goes away, my score will be low. They have decided that the Yosemite decimal system now rates walls with 10+ or - instead of a, b, c, or d. I am an experienced climber, but I am not an expert by any means. When I look at a route, I expect to be able to tell where it'll sit in my abilities. I can usually climb 10a's and some 10b's. Now, I have to just try climbing a 10- without knowing what to expect. This place is too expensive to have shortcuts in the rating system.

And now, the original review...

Let me start by saying this is my favorite gym I have been to in the country thus far. The facility they have built deserves a solid 5/5 for height, variety, and quality of equipment. I have been to so many places that would qualify as scrappy at best. They also have a great gym for complementing your workout.

If you want to lead climb, overcome your fear of heights with the high walls, auto belay because you are by yourself, or boulder, there is no comparison that I have been to (yet). I have been to gyms in Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Duluth, Grand Forks, Seattle, San Jose, Salt Lake City, to name a few, and all leave me missing VE Bloomington.

I think part of the problem is people come to a climbing wall expecting a normal kind of customer service; a thing that seems to always be subpar in climbing gyms. They are staffed by people who just love climbing and thus you get a fairly laid-back atmosphere which can lack costumer service. It could be better, but I have definitely seen worse. This place in Eugene didn't even do an orientation and the guy who took my money barely seemed to even work there.

Now for some negative. First off, these climbing gyms have gotten outrageously expensive. For my wife and I, we pay about 110/month; about what we pay for YMCA Twin Cities. But there, you get access to pools, child care, and all the classes you can fit into your schedule. The fact that VE charges on top of that to take belay lessons and such is way too Verizony. My main qualm is the overall rating system of routes. There is absolutely no standardization at VE. I am a 5.10a-b climber on a good day. But when I try numerous 5.9s or even 8s that I can't do, that is not right. My bigger concern is just how long it takes them to rate routes. Sometimes it is weeks after setting that they put a rating up for a route. I am not a pro climber; I shouldn't have to guess what a route is prior to climbing it. Just like I should know the weight on a dumbell before lifting it or the price on a car before test driving it.

Having their staff or even volunteers test routes and come up with a fair rating should be the absolute first priority after they clean the walls and reset everything. By the way, they do this way too often for these competitions. It seems like once a quarter they are putting up signs saying they will be closing the bouldering area and parts of the main wall for these. And that often means that you won't have a decent variety of routes for weeks to a month.

So there is my review. Hope people find it helpful.

Source: Google

★ 4

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★ 5

Wonderful staff who are expert climbers with a passion for safety and fun! The climbing routes are marked well with ratings to help you know how you're doing. If you need assistance or any gear their shop is always ready to help. Classes are available to grow your skill base as wanted.

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★ 5

So much fun. This place is amazing. Friendly staff and fun for the family.

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

Soooo great

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★ 5

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★ 5

Soaring verticality

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★ 5

What a fun and unique way to stay active. Q friendly helpful staff, and a party room too.

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★ 5

Incredible place

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★ 2

It was really sad to stop by VE with a couple of friends from out of the area. I grew up climbing at the first location in St. Paul over 20 years ago on one of their climbing teams. The gym was owned and operated by a group of real climbers who were part of the climbing community.

I stopped into the Bloomington location with three friends. After waiting and waiting and finally going through their obnoxious orientation process, I decided to take their belay test (I volunteered out of the group in hopes Having only one of us go through the process would get us climbing sooner), unfortunately their manager made it clear from the beginning it was his goal to fail a climber with almost 25 years of mountaineering experience and by golly he managed to find a way!

Instead of simply telling me that the method I used didn’t follow their strict gym requirements, he had to start talking about the user manual for my harness. I’m sure in the last 10 or 12 years since I bought that harness that plenty has changed. His condescending and arrogant attitude was unpleasant and left all of us wishing we had simply asked for our money back and left.

The routes are ultra soft— a 5.11 on an auto belay felt more like a 5.7 after getting tugged up the wall.

On the plus side, the facility is clean, the locker rooms are nice and it is convenient to locate.

Bottom line: if you’re part of the climbing community, you could find a better gym. If you’re going there for a birthday or a bar mitzvah, I’m sure you’ll have a great time if the staff is in a good mood.

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★ 5

Love it! Bright and spacious place. Plenty of auto-belays if you go alone, and plenty of top/lead routes if you go with friends! Friendly staff

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★ 5

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★ 5

Fab place

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★ 5

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★ 5

This is our favorite location! Live in Roberts WI but try to make it to Bloomington at least twice a month and the others once!

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★ 5

We had my son's 9th birthday party here and they did a wonderful job! The kids had fun and learned a lot great facility and even better staff. Big thankyou to Alex and Jordan!

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★ 5

Great place, climbing for all abilities and the staff are very friendly & helpful. Yearly membership is a great deal

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★ 2

Nice enough facilities but we walked in on a busy day. Even though we had climbed here before we were still required to go through an orientation and it was over 45 minutes before we were climbing. We didn't have a lot of time and ended up having less than an hour of climbing time even though we were in the facility nearly two hours.

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★ 5

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★ 5

My Kids and I love it here. Ranging from 7-18yrs they all have a great time finding new and challenging ways to climb. I get a rush of fun too every route I take. The fitness equipment is a great addition for warm-up or cool down lifting and stretching.
I haven't been to other facilities yet but the staff sets a very high bar in customer service and helpfulness.

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

Awesome place to climb and workout.

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 4

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★ 4

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

Great bouldering great top rope great auto belays

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★ 5

Staff friendly. Lead class was great. Better bouldering than Minneapolis Vertical Endeavors.

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

Great place to climb and boulder inside, friendly staff, plenty of parking, love the new rating system.

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★ 5

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★ 1

After climbing here for one year the best comparison I can make is this rock climbing gym is very much like the Comcast Xfinity of rock climbing gyms.

The vibe I get from climbing here is simply awful. I feel like the gym is only trying to accommodate whatever will bring in the most money. The constant announcements to sign up for this or that are annoying and it seriously needs to stop. Instead, put up flyers or something else, I've never experienced this at another gym.

I climb here because it is close to my home and it is my only option (much like Comcast Xfinity is to a lot of people). I've climbed at many climbing gyms across the country and this franchise by far the worst of them all.

That being said, many of the regular climbers and most of the employees are very knowledgeable and super nice and fun to talk to. I have only the utmost respect for many of those people and workers because I know they are only trying to have fun climbing or hold down a job and make a living.

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★ 5

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★ 4

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 4

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★ 5

Love this place, friendly staff, great customers, fun place, it doesn't get much better than that.

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★ 5

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★ 5

Fun climbing gym, best in twin cities...

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★ 5

Awesome!

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

Loved it!!!

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★ 5

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★ 5

Tall walls. Great lay out. Big parking lot.

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★ 1

I would give them 0 stars, but thats not an option. I had to wait an hour and half to go through orientation and a lead belay test. Overall, unacceptable service. The routes were completely soft. I once climbed at the gym off of HWY 52 in Rochester and find their grades to be spot on compared to outdoor climbing. Their customer service is much better and their route setters know what they are doing.

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★ 4

Great gym lots of over hanging walls but a good variety of lead and top ropes. There is a slab wall also, and a natural wall with hand and finger cracks... and I think some off widths but not sure haven't done much. There are also auto belays in a few areas

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

Great climbing. Routs are not sandbaged. Tall routes.

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★ 5

Kicked my butt, but y'all rock!

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★ 5

This is easily the best climbing gym I've ever seen. They have dozens of walls and routes to climb and top notch auto belay systems on not just the short walls, but some of the tall walls as well. The routes are fairly appropriately rated and range in difficulty from Barney to Spiderman. Some speed routes and identical routes help mix things up.

They have a training area (which I feel most gyms leave out) where you can do some basic weight training and grip strength training. The staff was very nice and helpful in getting my novice behind oriented and ready to climb.

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★ 5

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★ 5

Great staff, great facility. Routes and problems get changed on the regular, lots of autos if you are climbing alone or with kids, good variety on the TR and lead routes too.

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★ 5

I love vertical endeavors! Best workout ever

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

Best one.

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★ 3

Customer service is lacking. I would definitely recommend the Minneapolis location.

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★ 5

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★ 5

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