Climbmax Climbing Gym is hands-down the friendliest gym I've been to so far. The climbers I met were so welcoming and kind as I showed up alone and wanted to get comfortable by greeting the people in the space. Not only are the people great, but the routes are great too. There are SO many routes, & the gym is literally built to be climbable from start to end. Sean was so helpful in getting me acclimated with the way the routes are planned, showed me the crash pads, & got me set up with rentals. Easily the smoothest intro I could've had. Climbed around for about 2 hours! If you've ever wanted to try out bouldering or gain skills that are super transferable to outdoor climbing, definitely hit up Climbmax. read more

Cannot recommend this gym enough. I travel often and have visited over 30 climbing gyms in the past year, but this one has easily become one of my favorite. Really enjoyed the unique routes with the outdoor style features and especially loved the super cave. I came to Scottsdale for a bachelorette party and didn't have time to boulder outdoors but I'm so glad I found this gym. Will definitely be returning every time I'm back in Arizona! read more

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This place is phenomenal to climb at. There are tons of routes to top rope, lead, & boulder on and the vibes are always great. I recommend this gym to anyone who climbs, you won't be disappointed. read more

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I'm so happy to have found Climbmax gym! The vibes are awesome and Sean has been so helpful and kind to me as a newbie climber. I'm excited to get better at climbing and I'm thankful for there being plenty of bouldering and non harnessed areas (but plenty plenty of harness areas, too) since I'm getting the hang of things. The cost for a monthly unlimited pass is a wild good value also. read more

Fun!! Friendly people, friendly hands on owner! TONS of routes!!!!! I haven't been to this gym in a few years, but I was in it while it was being built and I loved going back. It's a great gym built by climbers. read more

Have gone twice now and already love it. Owners are really cool and helpful. The community that seem to frequent the gym are great as well. The gym is super spacious and there is lots of variety. Hours are extremely convenient too. Can't wait to go again soon! read more

This gym had a true climber vibe, great setting and features, reasonably priced, and not crowded. Highly recommend.

Been coming to this gym regularly 2-3x a week since July. I will say these routes humble you- but that's the catalyst for growth and improvement. They are more closely graded to wha you'll find outdoors, and most are technique (rather than strength)-based. Lots of top rope, lead and bouldering options- and you can use an ATC! (thank god). Though the facility/mats aren't in the best shape, I've heard that's due to previous ownership, and it seems like Sean (the owner) has taken great effort in improving and fixing up what he is able to so far. The environment in the gym is very laidback. Everyone will leave you be and let you do your own thing. The regulars and employees are friendly and helpful if you need help, though. It's usually not very crowded on any day, so that's really nice if you want a break from the hustle and bustle of PRG or Alta. Just means more routes are readily open. I'm hoping that more folks come in though to support this local gym and bring it back to its former glory. Another thing beyond climbing I appreciate is the sense of community here- Sean makes an effort to support other small, local businesses by including a few deals in te membership for things like the a 10% discount Arizona-based coffee place down the street, or a discount with one of the local wellness places in the valley. The membership itself is also the most affordable in the valley- I've tried out just about every climbing gym within a 30 mile radius from Tempe. Long story short, if you're looking to seriously get better and improve your technique, this is the gym to do it. read more

Climbmax Climbing Gym - Climbing a 5.9 route - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

Just moved back to Phoenix from slc Utah. Was looking for a good gym to get better at climbing and went to most in the valley but this one is my favorite. From lead, top rope and bouldering it has everything. The routes are set frequently and they will not disappoint. Perfect gym to learn and get better. Also membership pricing super fair compared to most gym. read more

Coolest climbing gym in AZ! I could spend days here!! The owners are so friendly and kind! Definitely getting a membership! Can't say enough great things about this place!! read more

Climbmax Climbing Gym - Climbing walls - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

Went on a Sunday at open. Staff was really pleasant and friendly. Took extra time to show me and my friends how to tie the rigging off. Great experience greatly recommend read more

Shaw was an awesome guide for my first climbing experience here! My friend and I used a Groupon to try our hand at it, and it was a breeze thanks to the patience of our instructor. Shaw explained everything about the equipment in detail and let us practice at our own pace. He even gave me a friendly pep talk when I got nervous near the top. Everyone there was super friendly and welcoming, making it a great community experience -- even when I bailed hella hard at bouldering lol. I'll definitely be coming back to show that route who's boss once I get the hang of things. read more

Climbmax Climbing Gym - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

I visited Climbmax for the first time a two weeks ago. It took a few minutes to be greeted by the employee, however check in was easy enough after signing a waiver via laptop. I did have to demonstrate how I belay before I was cleared to top rope, however no check off was noted for bouldering. The day pass was $14, more affordable than most gyms in the valley. There is bouldering both downstairs upon entrance and upstairs. I was able to warm up on a few boulder routes before my friend arrived to commence the top rope. The boulder routes I tried were fun, some easy, some harder, but definitely on par with other gyms I've been to in terms of rating. The top rope routes were also fun with an overall good flow to them. There were both warm up/novice routes and much more challenging routes available. All in all, Climbmax is a no frills gym. The routes and problems that I tried were fun and challenging when I opted as so. The space is old and certainly outdated. Parts of the gym have obvious need for attention. The flooring can certainly be prioritized to be replaced, and I did question some of the ropes (some were way too short). The safety checks and orientation also could be a little more comprehensive, namely for beginners. When it comes to climbing though, nothing should ever be assumed as there is always an inherent risk. I would visit Climbmax again, however with a continued caution. read more

Great gym, friendly helpful staff, nice bouldering! The really bad reviews are from when the previous owner was in charge (the place was a dump when that person owned it), but since the new owners have taken over the whole vibe is so much better and you can tell they're putting a lot of love and effort into improving the gym (updating routes, fixing the AC, adding fans, etc). read more

Since the new owner took over, we've come to love the gym again. The setting is amazing with fun climbs for adults and kids to enjoy. The mat needs to get fixed still, but with big crash pads available on site, climbers can just drag those and still be safe on the wall. It's similar to outdoor climbing and I think it's a good practice. read more

Climbmax Climbing Gym - My daughter brushing hold for me - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

We started coming here about 2 months ago and we have absolutely loved it since we started. This is now our Friday night date night. The new floors rock! The owners are great and create a really friendly environment. When the owner taught my brother in law how to belay he was very patient and informative. read more

Super friendly staff and owners! Love there bouldering especially the cave. The top rope setting is also excellent shout out to Steven. His routes are marked with a trumpet. read more

Climbmax Climbing Gym - Upstairs bouldering - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

I've been coming here for a year. Atmosphere is great and the owners and setters change the routes frequently. There's always something new to challenge yourself with. Owners are friendly, kind, and there are many member perks. Whether you like bouldering or top roping, you'll find something for you. This is a really great climbing gym and I've been loving it so far. read more

Favorite Diamond In The Rough Climbing Gym In AZ! Best all around climbing gym in Arizona! We have been coming here for about 8 years. I'll make sure and post a bunch of pictures soon to update the photo gallery! I really like the downstairs level with the huge overhang and archway! It's not just flat walls here, there are overhangs and inclines, declines... Pretty good all around gym. The upstairs is for bouldering as is the entryway. So there is a good amount of square footage for bouldering! This is a nice husband and wife owned gym and they are super nice people who spend more than 12 hours a day here to offer an actual good sized climbing gym with numerous routes both top rope and lead climbing. I feel a bit disappointed in many of the people making the 1 Star and horrible reviews about this place. I can see if you don't want to give 5 stars when things are not perfect, but come on people. This is actually a good place. I would like to see one simple change of just washing the holds before putting them back up. They start getting a bit rough looking at times. It's not the biggest deal, but a 5 gallon bucket of dawn dish soap and water is an easy upgrade. The flooring here is pretty rough and has been for a long time. But it is totally functional and if you consider it's probably $20-30k for new flooring with all the foam in the first floor from what I would expect on a job this size. It's not a simple thing to replace. Think about how many people need to pay for a membership in order to pay for that! All in all it's not perfect but it is pretty nice and has super nice owners who have always made us feel at home for 8 years or so! read more

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We had not been here since my boys were little guys. They are now 18 and 15 and were looking for something fun to do. After being greeted and taught all of the safety info, we spent several hours climbing the challenging courses. We had so much fun, the boys want to get memberships! I am so excited to have another activity to do with my kiddos as we shift into a whole new phase of life! read more

Climbmax Climbing Gym - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

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Recently moved here and wanted to get back into climbing and looked up some gyms. Visited four of them. They all have their pros and cons but I ended up choosing Climbax. If you read the reviews you'll see a trend. Most of the older reviews are from years ago about how the place isn't the same, it isn't what it used to be, management sucks, etc.. But now it's under new ownership and the reviews are trending much more positive. A strong indication that this place is turning around. I met the owners when I signed up. They care. They are kind. They are doing everything they can to turn this place around and I don't know about you but I sure do love a comeback story. And I am very much looking forward to being a small part of that story. read more

You pay what you get at this gym. I believe the older gentleman that runs the gym is the owner and he is a very sweet man but does have a thick accent. So it made it a bit difficult to understand what he was saying when he was giving us a refresher on the rock climbing. However, still taught us what we needed to know to get through the class. Nevertheless it's a prEtty cheap gym if you're looking to rock climb but it isn't up-kept. read more

Climbmax Climbing Gym - Indoors - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

Absolutely love this rock gym, it's recently under new ownership and the new owners are very personable and friendly, I brought a friend with me that had never climbed before so she had to be taught how to belay, Sean did a really great job at showing how to put our harnesses on, tie in to the ropes and belay. My friend had no bouldering experience but was able to start at a couple good V0s and work her way up to some V1+s all in a couple hours. It's also a very family friendly place, I brought my 2.5mo old daughter and I just let her lay on the mats. Great place, great people and so much fun read more

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Really an awesome setup, I went with a group of friends and coincidentally it was like two days after the place had been purchased by new management. We met the owners and they were really cool, taught us everything we needed to know, within minutes I was very confident operating the ropes system, belaying and climbing, they were so patient and fun when teaching. Always making sure we were paying close attention and then having us actually do the stuff to make sure we were fully competent. Even the other climbers there were inclusive, asking how we found out about the place and telling us good beginner spots and encouraging us as we climbed and complementing our efforts through tough climbing spots. I'll definitely go back. read more

Climbmax Climbing Gym - There's a really cool cave area, even just exploring the place while we weren't climbing was a good time. - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

My boyfriend and I went there today for our first time from a Groupon and it was well worth the money. We had such a good experience. The owner was so informative and nice which makes us want to come back. Definitely recommend trying this place out. Good vibes! read more

Climbmax Climbing Gym - Climbmax gym - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

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We loved the facility. There was way more variety of climbs than any other gym. The staff was very helpful and the equipment looked well maintained. It was a super friendly environment for anyone looking for a new gym. read more

Initially it was about 10 of us in my MeetUp group scheduled to visit. Luckily only 4 of us showed up. Anything more than the four people we had would have been way too much for the staff to handle. We showed up around 11:30 on a Saturday afternoon. The staff was wrapping what looks to be a kid's birthday party. When I say the staff I mean the husband and his wife. There were 2 little dogs sitting behind the counter. Possibly if trained, they could have assisted us with checking in. It took the gentleman about 20 minutes to finish wrapping things up with the kids, maybe a little longer. Once he checked everyone out he came to assist us. The entire check-in process took entirely too long. By the time we finally got suited the trill was kind of gone. He did EVERYTHING alone. He checked the entire kid's party out, took our money, passed out the waivers, collected the waivers and finally gave us the rundown on how everything would be working. Now, at the same time my party (group of 4) were checking in, he was also checking in a couple. He'd spend a few minutes trying to assist us with the equipment and immediately got into the lesson. He didn't have much patience when helping us get into our gear. Nor did he spend a lot of time showing us how everything should be done. I do not at all recommend going with more than 2 people in your party. read more

Went to this climbing after seeing the reviews. Although the gym looks nice on picture it is quite disgusting. While entering we were greeted by no one but a guy with a smug grin. He proceeded to not tell us anything and had a rude tone. My friend had never climbed before and while he was reviewing the top rope he seemed quite mad when he messed up. On top of that the bouldering at the gym is not rated for new climbers. My friend couldn't even start a V0 which is very supervising because he is quite athletic. It was also very hot in the gym and it was unbearable how sweaty we became. The mats are very heard and hurt your legs when jumping down.I would never come to this place again. read more

Don't believe what you've read about this place being bad....it's much much worse. The floors and mats are not safe in the least bit. Tears everywhere - some of the flooring below the mats is exposed. Some of the holds are loose. High voltage wires in the upstairs portion are uncovered and hanging - pretty sure this is not legal We went bouldering and have our own equipment for top rope too, but just briefly taking a glance at their climbing equipment, I'm not sure I'd trust it. The only reason why I give 2 stars is because I have been to most of the climb gyms in the valley - and IF this places renovated, it would honestly be the top place in the valley. The numbers of walls, the boulder cave, everything about the facility COULD be nice...if only it was. read more

This was my first climbing experience and I honestly couldn't have had more fun! The owner personally trained us on the equipment and was very patient with us even when we sucked at tying the figure 8 knot. The facilities are huge and we spent 3 hours here. Some renovations are being made and I can't wait to see it restored! It is a little hot inside but I felt that it improved my workout and there are drinking fountains. I will be back to make use of my pass and I intend to purchase a membership! read more

So excited to hear this gym is under new ownership! My wife took me here over a decade ago as this was her favorite gym when she was in highschool, and at the time it was amazing (to say the least). Unfortunately, under the prior owner the gym and employees were mismanaged and eventually the people who made this gym great left. Over time this place began to deteriorate and when I went last year it was not even safe to climb anymore. I gave the gym a one star (in lieu of a ZERO star rating) and a review that was more of a warning. Now the gym is under the ownership and capable hands of an experienced climber and one of my wife's good friends from her highschool climbing days. I am excited to see how Sean and Emily overhaul this gym that has so much potential. Excited and thankful to the new owners! Best of luck, Natalie and I will be in to see you soon! read more

Obsessed with climbmax! The environment was so welcoming and warm. There was a great balance to bouldering and the rope climbing. The new owners are really turning this place around! Definitely going to be frequenting this gym! read more

My friend brought me here as a first time climber and I am so amazed at how many different options for climbing there are. As a beginner I was able to make it up several different sections with so many more to work my way up towards. One of the workers even helped coach me and gave me tips on making it easier while I'm learning. My 9-year-old son is able to climb several different locations and had a blast as well. I will definitely be a repeat customer. read more

This gym is awesome. It has a ton of wall surface area to climb on, and all the walls/features make for interesting climbing that never gets repetitive. The physical layout is a great foundation for all the work the new owners are putting into it. In just half a year of new ownership they've already made it so much better than it was. If you haven't been since the new owners took over, it's definitely worth trying again. Date night on Friday night is a great time to try it out if you're skeptical. You get two day passes for the price of one if you bring a friend (so a day pass is essentially half off). It's a fun time, and you won't be sinking too much money on trying an old gym that is getting new life. My partner and I have been bringing our friends to try the gym on date night and so far everyone we've brought has loved it as much as we do. read more

The original owners put together an amazing gym. Huge bouldering area upstairs, with a unique bouldering cave area that connects upstairs with downstairs. Very small area for storing shoes and bags but that is symptomatic of the majority of gyms in Phoenix. Since the new management took over this place seems neglected. While the routes seem decent and varied skill wise, the general feeling when bouldering was 'wow, this place is really, really neglected.' Would it be so hard to clean the place? The floors and padding are in serious states of disrepair and neglect. The felt flooring is worn out, dirty and seems like it needs to be vacuumed and/replaced. The bathroom was very smelly, like a sewer gas smell. Ropes in toprope section seem to be pretty worn. Wouldn't you want newish ropes if you are dealing with a lot of first timers (who tend to take a lot)? Wouldn't you want to patch any holes (that once held anchors for belayers) that are in the belay area? Seems hazardous, combined with the untaped seams between flooring, to have no anchors for the first time climbers? The couches upstairs are disgusting. Management might want to clean the place inside and out, replace the flooring, and you might find some new clientele. This place had all the ingredients to be amazing and still could be.. read more

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This was my first time going rock climbing, and I had a blast! If you go with a group of 6+ they have a group rate of $11+ tax which includes gear rental. Otherwise, the price is $18+ tax for the day pass and gear rental. Greg was the person who gave us instruction on how to use the gear, tie the knots, and belay. He did a good job, and was very patient as we learned the basics. There are a lot of different walls to choose from, with varying difficulty levels. Generally, the closer you are to the front entrance, the easier the climb. After I finished scaling various walls (I started with a 5.4, then tried a 5.6 and 5.7), I watched in awe as people climbed up angles I didn't think was possible to climb. Although my arms are feeling the burn as I type this, it was well worth it, and a great experience. I'd definitely like to go again. P.S. They have lockers for you to use, but remember to bring your own lock to store your valuables. read more

Bought a groupon for this place and drove an hour or so to check it out. The place looked kinda cool, so can't be completely unfair with my review BUT they failed to mention that there is a $5 mandatory safety course for new members to this club. We were told some excuse about how they cannot update their groupon to show this in the fine print, but I have seen them modify the groupon price and other things before, poor excuse. I guess they figure that once you're down here you'll suck it up. I don't mind $5 at all but I HATE dishonesty. Makes you wonder what else they are hiding. Walked away and got a refund. Well an honest 2 stars from me. You can do a LOT better. Very disappointed. read more

Climbmax Climbing Gym - Entrance - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

Bought the Groupon a few months back for the Rock Gym. It was my girlfriend and my first time ever climbing, the employee explained everything to us in detail and made sure we understood how to climb! They were very friendly and obviously with the Groupon it was a steal of a deal! There was plenty of wall space and different tracks/paths all over, the facility is huge! It was a lot of fun and something different to do. After about an hour or so my girlfriend and I were exhausted and our arms can already feel it. Would definitely go back and would recommend to anyone to go here. read more

Climbmax Climbing Gym - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

Patient staff took the time to show a first timer how to operate the ropes confidently. Was having issues figuring it out and when he noticed he took the extra time to do a few trial runs until I got it right on my own (would hate to be responsible for my boyfriend falling to his death so thank goodness). So really had a good time and it was a fun very physical activity to do with the boyfriend. My first time ever going to a climbing gym and due to the good experience I had with it at this location I will definitely be going back and maybe try other climbing gyms. The only issue I might have was there wasn't a lot of selection for newbies like myself. There was probably 6 climbs for newbies and it jumped from newbie climbing, to really advanced pretty quickly, and not a lot in between. Good selection for advance climbed though. read more

Climbmax Climbing Gym - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

Such a sad place this has become. I remember the old owners and how much they cared about the local climbing community. The current owner is not a climber and doesn't know the first thing about running a climbing gym. The place has so much deferred maintenance that it is dangerous. DO NOT BRING YOUR CHILDREN IF YOU CARE FOR THEIR SAFETY. This place is in its death throes and will be out of business soon. Stay away and don't let it take you down with it. read more