Solid Vital location, and glad they have more of these around the city! This facility is definitely much smaller than their Williamsburg one, but also a bit cheaper to use. There isn't that much additional equipment or workout options besides the rock wall at this spot. It is much quieter though and still plenty of ways to entertain yourself on the various courses. Staff was friendly and instructional as it had been my first time climbing. read more

This was my first time going to a rock climbing gym and I had a great time good vibes good and they even had bored games would recommend

I have two sons, 6 and 8 - we've been to this gym before, but this time I was told the age limit for climbing had been changed to 8 years old, so my youngest couldn't climb. This was despite the fact that a family with a child who was 5 years old was climbing there. I went and talked to the person in charge, Tom, who dismissed my concern by saying it wasn't his or my business what age other people were allowed to climb, the 8 year old restriction applied to me. He said if I had questions why this other family was exempt I should talk to them. Against my better judgement I listened to him (stupid) and I asked the family this question, who told me the age restriction used to be 5 and they were exempt because they had gotten their child a multiple year pass and were grandfathered in. This doesn't make sense to me. If they bought this thing a year or more ago, she'd be 3-4 years old. Still too young. It also doesn't make any sense to me since if it's a safety issue, then they're endangering children by giving them an exception. After this encounter happened, the atmosphere in the gym changed towards me and my son. I did not feel welcome anymore. My son picked up on the change too, and described the trip afterwards as uncomfortable and weird. The staff and this family talked with each other quietly several times, glancing at me. The dad hovered around me and at one point confronted me as though I was being a problem in the gym, the staff did nothing. I suspect this family was close with the people running the business and there was a separate set of rules for them. In fact I was told later by Nick, the supervisor, that the age rule was changed because 5 year olds require intense supervision, and that this family was OK because they had proven trustworthy watching their kid. Besides, he asked me, what was he supposed to do, tell them they could no longer come after having bought the pass? (If I may so humbly suggest - a refund?) Fairness is an important thing to teach children. It's more challenging to explain to them that rules can change, and something that was OK is not anymore. But it's really sad when I have to teach my children that rules don't apply to everyone equally. This was the case at VITAL. My assessment is that there are two types of customers, the people in "the club", and everyone else. Adults, I told my son, don't always act fairly. read more

Good variety of climbs + difficulties . There is a small cave section at the end of the gym, and although this place isn't the largest, there is plenty to climb on and many unique problems. I had lots of fun! read more

Very small gym. Basically just one wall...Williamsburg location is far superior if you want to climb.

The best spot to go bouldering in Manhattan. Find me here a couple times a week. I was transplanted last year from Berkeley (Touchstone gyms anyone?) so I was a bit taken aback by the small size of this gym. Don't let that deter you! The setters are on point and reset routes about once a week so there is always fresh stuff to work on. Why I love their setters: I am short. 4' 11.75" to be exact. Often there are routes at gyms set by 6' tall people that are just impossible for me to climb. The Steep Rock setters set really diverse routes with different kinds of holds and different kinds of moves (including nice crunchy ones) which make it really fun for even a shortie like me. Also their atmosphere is really chill. Bobby, the manager here, is really easy-going and creates a positive learning environment. If you've never climbed before, this is a great place to send your first route! read more

VITAL - Upper East - Great routes. New ones all the time - Rock Climbing Near Me - New York, New York

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Last summer I bought a couple rock climbing groupons and guess what? They expired... still annoyed at that. This time around I went with bouldering and guess who used them before they expired? Yup! ME! Sent and email the night before (yup I send emails whenever I want) and they responded within minutes. Shocked and excited at their response, I locked in the time in my calendar (yes, everything goes in my calendar otherwise it aint happenin) and called my friend to share the good news. Upon arrival, the place looked a bit smaller than the yelp pics made it seem. All in all, we planned to have a great time. The young lady at the counter was informative, helpful, patient, and very friendly... this is the welcome I want everywhere I go :). She informed us about the kiddie party that currently monopolized about a quarter of the wall span but that didn't stop the fun. As we stood there, semi-intimidated by this wall and its protruding objects we decided to stop being punks and approached this 15 foot behemoth of a wall. Lol it was a regular wall with stuff sticking out of it... for gripping purposes. Don't underestimate bouldering people, it takes LOTS of arm strength and coordination.... Also, don't be afraid to swing your body over (no joke, it helped). So we climbed for about 1-2hrs until we had enough of the intense arm workout. We challenged ourselves to c0-c2 and I finished all except the top of c2. It was a tad crowded due to the kiddie party but we still had ample space to enjoy the wall. The staff is extremely friendly as well... that's a big help when you're deciding on how to approach the wall. Staff: 5/5 Location: 4.5/5 Bathroom: 5/5 Experience: 4.5/5 Being able to skip forearms at the gym: priceless read more

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I love steep rock! This place is such a gem to have on the UES. A really great spot for people who are interested in either improving their bouldering game or learning a completely new skill. Facilities: 5/5. Always clean, and well laid out. They have a good variety of routes hay allow for people of all experiences to have an enjoyable time here. Staff: 5/5. All of the staff here are always super nice! From advice to letting you know about new routes, they're super helpful / friendly. Price: 4/5. I'm a student, and they have a discount which makes it about $95/month. While it's not the cheapest gym membership, it's on par with others in the city. Going 5 times a month makes it worth it, so I think it's still a good deal if you use it. They've got shoe rentals / chalk bags / teaching seminars / clean bathrooms. All good things to say about steep rock! read more

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One of the best climbing gyms in NYC. Don't let the relatively small size deceive you - the facilities are well maintained, the staff are warm and friendly, the community is tight-knit, and problems are thoughtfully set. I actually prefer this location of SRB to the west side on 125th because of the size. Problems are shorter, so the harder ones require more thought and technique as a result. The mats are also squishy soft so you can fall without worry. This place is great for people of all levels - I came as a complete beginner and felt completely comfortable progressing in skill over the course of a year. The facility itself is great, and constantly improving. Having climbed at a ton of different gyms around the country (NJ, MD, CA, NM), I feel like the holds at SRB are among the best maintained. Nothing frustrates me more than climbing at a gym with old, grimy, smoothed out holds from not being cleaned. They also set new routes every couple of weeks on one of the four major walls, so there are always new problems to try. SRB also recently renovated and added a squat/bench rack with a barbell. The price can be a little steep, but this is an expensive hobby to begin with anyways. $25 for a day pass, $6 for shoe rental, $3 for chalk. If you're a student, you can get a monthly pass for $95. You do get access to the other locations (one located on W 125th) so it's well worth it in my opinion if you're coming multiple times a week. read more

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The smallest but mightiest of all bouldering gyms in NYC. I may be biased cause I live closest to this gym, but the community and setting here is great. Nicest regulars frequent this place. Great staff too. Bathrooms are always clean read more

Come check this place out. New to climbing, experienced or just in town for a few days steep rock is a welcoming environment with lots of creative bouldering problems Staff are super friendly and do a great job of getting newcomers up to speed I have a bias for the east side as it has a bit more of a homey feel, but the west side is also worth the visit Weekend mornings and weekday evenings after 8 PM are my favorite time to go as it is just the "right" level of busy read more

I've been to Steep Rock Bouldering twice now. Some background on me first: I've been climbing for the past 2+ years, primarily bouldering, and have climbed at all major other climbing gyms in the city, except the expensive and the isolated Chelsea Piers rock climbing gym. Accessibility & Location: The gym is located on a storefront by 97th Street on Lexington Ave. It's only a block away from the subway, which is a plus (all other gyms are at least two or three blocks away from public transport). Best way to get here is the 6 train. Car accessibility I think is so-so due to potential difficulty in finding parking - but this is NYC we're talking about. The gym is located in a pretty decent stretch of Lexington Ave. so there is a Starbucks nearby, as are good food & bar options around the area if you're looking for something to do right after your session. Facilities: The gym has the space of a large store front stretched all the way back by about 100-125 feet. There is a small front desk space with an iPad/tablet. The sign-in area has a well-stocked refrigerator, merchandise everywhere, and a cool SRB logo on the wall behind the front desk. There is rental shoes and chalk bags to rent. Though small and cozy, it does a very good job of assuring that traffic is monitored into and out of the gym. The front area of the gym itself has well placed and wide benches. Very large cubby holes are placed opposite of the walls with ample room for your gear. There is a single bathroom for each sex that is clean, well stocked, and also doubles as a changing room. The biggest knock to the gym is a lack of water fountains (though that is a problem the staff recognizes and is seeking to address). The space is small and can start feeling crowded once more than 30+ climbers are there at the same time. Walls and Problems: Stretching from front of the gym to the back, the walls are slabby, and continues backwards to face, and then becomes slightly overhanging. The middle of this main wall has a small cave section. At the back of the gym is a 30 or 45 degree overhanging wall from top to the ceiling. The middle of the gym also consists of a Top-Out boulder where you can climb over - there's a different material on the Top-Out Boulder that provides more grip. Wall height is approx. 12-15 feet. The gym has a campus board and a Beastmaker hang board at the back. Since bouldering is a form of climbing w/o a rope as a safety device, boulderers fall on thick mattress pads when they fall. Steep Rock Bouldering's pads are approx. 16 inch thick (standard) and are very good quality. They are hard enough to arrest your fall and prevent you from crashing on the floor below. But there's enough softness that it isn't harsh when you do take a tumble (which will be a lot - it's bouldering). The problems (bouldering name for the routes) are very good and the setting is done nicely. SRB's range in difficulty within the gym goes from V0 (easiest) to V9. Like most gyms, the distribution of most problems is between V2 to V7 with several that are easier and a few that are V8 and higher. Bouldering emphasizes power, technique, and balance and the 60+ problems has a good variety focusing on one or a combination of this trio of attributes. Very little is a straight forward "ladder" problems and instead are interesting, challenging, creatively set, and has fantastic lines. For those who care, the setting is consistent and I do feel the grades match the difficulty of the problems set. The style of setting is similar to BKB, though generally tougher and more beta-centric. Given the space, the gym does lend itself to traverses (bouldering problems with more of a horizontal move-across-the-wall element). There is a slight emphasis on larger, bigger moves and I've noticed that many problems have reachy final moves. The Top-Out boulder is hard; two problems currently are set by the best youth climbers in the USA. The Vibe & Staff: The vibe is good, laid back, encouraging, and friendly. The staff are good people who know what they're doing, are relaxed in demeanor, but also clearly love that SRB is here and are proud of the gym. If you've been climbing in the other gyms (MPHC, BKB, or The Cliffs at LIC), you will know these guys by face or name. Amongst the people I've seen - the people who've climb there match the attitude of the staff - a plus. Pricing: The fees are comparable to the other gyms in New York City. If you're used to having a climbing gym with both roped climbing and bouldering the 20$ day pass might be less value for the buck. In my opinion, the quality of the problems is worth the price for me. YMMV depending on your expectations. TL;DR? It's a good gym with good people and challenging problems. It is worth checking out. I'm considering getting a membership, now. read more

VITAL - Upper East - Rock Climbing Near Me - New York, New York

You won't normally find me this far Uptown (New Yorkers are funny this way about distance), but I was in the mood to go bouldering on a Saturday afternoon. It has been a good while since I climbed and my brain and body needed a diversion from yoga and running. I came here on a Saturday afternoon with no expectations. I was just interested in climbing a few V0s and perhaps if I was feeling particularly strong, I would try a few V1s. I'm not a seasoned climber, so still taking baby steps. I get here and the place is filled with children. And they all seem to be running amok, wild and in packs. I was a bit worried that the children themselves would be hazards. If you have gone to the other climbing gyms in New York (which I have), this one is by far the smallest. But for what they lack in size, they make up for in friendly and good customer service. The front desk kept apologizing for all the little people running around... There are two bathrooms, one for men and one for women, that also double as changing rooms. They are kept clean, so no worries there. Some cubbyholes to store your items, and then off you go towards the wall to attempt your climbing skills. I have to admit the children running around was definitely a distraction and they seem to be everywhere. They would get in front of you just as you are ready to attempt a path, but in the end, it worked out fine. I was able to attempt 10 climbs and some paths were definitely easier than others. I would have to agree with other yelpers that this gym is not as intimidating as the other gyms. Lots of newbies here, so your self esteem won't suffer as badly here as with other places. The only thing I would gripe about is lack of climbing etiquette. Many people attempting to climb the same wall while someone else is in mid-course close by, could be dangerous if more than one person falls... Overall, not a bad way to spend the afternoon trying to strategically plan your climb, attempting it, climbing to the top, touching the colored flag you aimed for and getting a very decent forearm stretch. I will be back when I find myself Uptown again. read more

Best gym in manhattan! I love this place! The community, employees and the whole vibe is amazing! I definitely recommend coming here! read more

VITAL - Upper East - Triple lever - Rock Climbing Near Me - New York, New York

Needed a crash pad to boulder in Central Park. Someone from Reddit/r/bouldering referred me here. The close location to Central Park is a huge convenience compared to Cliff LIC (also rents crash pads). Was able to rent a crash pad ($20/day) and get a NYC Bouldering guidebook ($22). Staff here are very helpful, giving me advice on Central Park bouldering. read more

This place has poor business practices. I encountered a manager that was extremely rude and disrespectful. The manager hung up on me twice, was not accommodating, and insisted that the employees do not communicate amongst each other while I was trying to plan a group outing to their east side location. I followed up with the owner, via email (see below), and his attempt to rectify the situation was to offer a discounted group rate. I chose not to take the owner up on this "offer" as there are too many competitors within any business industry to willfully support a business that insults its customer and does not value their experience. It was a very disappointing experience and I made the decision to take my business elsewhere. I recommend that you do the same. "I had a very unpleasant experience speaking with Rosalina yesterday afternoon. She was very rude and disrespectful, she hung up on me twice, told me that she will turn away my group of friends and I if we arrived to Steep Rock on Sunday, and was not understanding nor accommodating of my situation after I explained that I planned this gathering after consulting with a Steep Rock employee on Tuesday afternoon. Instead, she insisted that there is no internal communication among employees and that she/the company cannot be held responsible for the mixed messages I received from one employee via phone on Tuesday and another employee via email on Friday. Also, she refused to provide me with the name and contact information of the owner, stating "the owner does not handle customers". read more

This bouldering gym is small and intimate but they have plenty of routes and the 4-5 sections are reset monthly, there are always fresh problems to try by the time you've worked on them all The staff and the regulars are really friendly and helpful. On weekdays, early afternoon and late night are the least crowded. - Ratings are slightly easier than other gyms. Good for your self esteem XD. - smooth walls, good for your shoes, bad for smearing. Sometimes they have birthday parties or kids camps where there aren't enough adults to supervise the children running free, its almost a hazard. read more

VITAL - Upper East - Rock Climbing Near Me - New York, New York

I purchased a voucher via groupon for $15 and came with my sisters and friends. The voucher was good for a shoe rental and a bag of chalk. On that day half the place was reserved for a bunch of kids for a birthday celebration, which was fine because the other half was still open. The courses were very challenging, and it indeed takes a lot of arm strength, but it was very clean and enjoyable. read more

VITAL - Upper East - Climbing. - Rock Climbing Near Me - New York, New York

One thing I love about this place is that the staff here is super friendly. They seem to like to get to know you. So as soon as you walk in, there's a level of comfort. I also like that this gym is small. It's not overwhelming and there's no mad rush to complete as many climbs as possible. However, for a gym this size, I feel like $25 for a day pass is a bit steep. If they lowered the price a bit, this'd be a fantastic gym. read more

Headline: Good bouldering, OK value, OK customer service Areas for improvement: Value for money and poor managerial customer service. Me: Been going here since 2015 and generally like it. Intermediate level climber. Product: Relatively small place (estimate 1500 sq ft) with 4 walls with a variety of climbs. There is a decent amount of routes for all levels and they reset one wall weekly. Can get pretty packed in the evenings of weekdays, and weekends, but if you get in at a sparse time it's nice. Customer Segments: 1) A core "click" that dominates the place, which you definitely feel, but they are reasonably chill. 2) Regulars made up of young professionals (20s/30s), Columbia & Mt Sinai students, and parents with kids who are pretty into it. 3) Visitors (i.e. just checking it out or doing an single event) Service: I find the front desk personnel to be pretty friendly but seen a decline in the quality and friendliness of managerment's customer service. read more

My boyfriend took me here as a surprise. It was something we both had never tried before, but a lot of fun nonetheless. The music they played was pretty cool and sounded like "underground" indie bands (I really liked it). Also, the place was kinda small and very busy when we arrived; we were there from about 6-8pm. The staff were friendly and helpful, which was a plus. I believe he purchased a day pass, which included a shoe rental and bag of chalk. We were both surprised that there weren't any harnesses; we didn't know the difference between rock climbing and bouldering. It was quite challenging for us, even with the color coordinated stripes and numbered levels. Luckily, there's a large cushioned mat beneath the entire area of the course, so if you feel unsteady climbing, it's safe to fall back/off. Bouldering requires a lot of core and upper body strength, for sure. Be sure to dress comfortably if you come here. I came here straight from school, so I had on jeggings (luckily they didn't rip!). I'd suggest wearing any of these: gym shorts, yoga pants, leggings, a loose tshirt, sweatshirt, etc. Don't wear bracelets, rings, or a watch because they could/will get scratched up! Any of your loose belongings can be stored in the cubbies and shelves on the opposite side of the course. read more

VITAL - Upper East - Rock Climbing Near Me - New York, New York

The main advantage of this new bouldering gym on 97th street is that, for most of its clientele, it is strikingly more convenient than other options downtown or in the boroughs. It is also decently priced as far as climbing gyms go at 20/day pass and ~80/monthly. However, if you calculated dollars per climbable square foot, this gym would probably be the most expensive option in the city. It is located in a cleared-out storefront, with one of the longer walls and the back wall as well as another mock-rock covered with bouldering pegs, each wall maybe 12 feet high. There are probably two dozen routes ("problems" in bouldering lingo) however due to the overlap between routes and the limited wall space, no more than 5-6 people can really be going at the same time. This wasn't much of a problem when I went, since boulder-ers generally take long rests between attempts, but if you were interested in a particular stretch of wall and there were more than 6 or 7 people in the gym it could definitely get slow. I'm a novice climber so I can't evaluate the quality of the assembly too well, but the experienced climbers around us seemed very enthusiastic about the problems, so they must be clever and challenging. There was a good range of difficulty levels, with about 4 V-0's, 2 V-1's, and I think 3 V-2's for me. If you are at the same level as me (have gone climbing maybe 5 or 6 times in my life), you'll find the V-0's easily do-able, the V-1's a real challenge, and the V-2's mostly too hard to finish. Probably not too many potential customers will be at my level, but if I was designing a gym for my own personal use I would want a few more V1 routes. The crowd when we went was made up mostly of typical climbing types - late 20's/30's with lots of beards, tattoos, those kind of thin sweatpants that Europeans in hostels are always wearing. Mid-90's drum circle, basically. Everyone was friendly and encouraging. There was also an older couple and young children (who are well-suited to this activity since they are fearless, made of rubber, and basically monkeys). The staff was also relaxed but really positive in that Phish-head kind of way. There are shoes and chalk-bags to rent or buy. Overall a fun experience, and if you're local enough a monthly membership is probably a good idea, as there are enough routes (changing weekly) to keep your interest, with the only potential issue that if it gets a little more popular and there are 12-15+ people climbing at a time it could get very crowded. 4 stars for friendly staff and clientele, good wall with varied difficulty, reasonable pricing, great location. Can't give 5-stars only because of size. read more

Situation: It was my turn to plan date night, so I figured, why not do something a little more adventurous than your typical movie and dinner night? Thank to Yelp I found this cool little place. We came in around 6:30pm, signed a waiver, and got a day pass which gave us "all day" climbing time, climbing shoes, and a bag of chalk, costing about $28.00 each. PROS -Clean facilities, friendly staff, courteous patrons. Admittedly the space was a bit smaller than I had expected, but that kind of added to its charm. -You can tell that the people that go there are really into it and probably come often. It's an adrenaline rush to be able to make it to the top and realise that you did it without anyone helping you at all! Luckily, if you do fall, even from the top, there are cushions below that will break your fall. I fell a couple times and didn't get a scratch, although of course I wouldn't recommend falling on purpose if it's avoidable. -Crowded enough to create a lively atmosphere, but not too crowded where you wouldn't get any chances to climb. CONS -I was caught a little off guard when I came in and realised that there weren't any harnesses! Apparently there's a difference between "rock-climbing" (with harness) and "bouldering" (sans-harness). -As beginners, I wish that we had gotten a little more guidance from the staff. Mostly we just observed how other people were doing it and figured things out as we went. Apparently there's a bit of technique behind it: you have to choose an initial rock near the bottom that is marked with level of difficulty by colour/number and then you follow the rocks that are marked with that colour and try to get to the top. For example, if you pick V0 (pink), that's an 'easy' level and you can only step on the rocks marked with pink tape. In a nutshell... It made for a memorable night! I'm not terribly good at bouldering, but with some practice, I could get there. Definitely can see why people are addicted! read more

I have been climbing for about 4 years and was thrilled that this place finally opened. There is a great assortment of variable grades and distances. A few sit starts, a few traverses, a few negative gravity. They have it covered. It is nice and quiet with a few people climbing at a time, so there is always space for you to find a project. The dude at the front desk is awesome and friendly. It is very affordable for day and monthly passes. What I did not like was the smooth walls. There is no grip to really flag or smear. It would have been a solid 4 star place if they had more natural feeling walls. read more

Simple and no-frills bouldering spot. Got an hour-plus of no-one-bothering me boulder time via ClassPass. I had done wall-climbing (with the harness) but this was my first time bouldering, so the girl at reception walked me through a few of the V0 problems and gave me a few tips regarding what I was doing. She was really kind and helpful and demonstrated different ways that I could try a problem. She was also motivational and tried to talk me through my being scared of falling. (I did fall from nearly the top finally and there's definitely sufficient padding and then you're a lot less scared!). It also feels like a more intense workout than wall-climbing because there's no harness and no "resting". I was pretty much clinging onto the wall with all my forearm/finger strength the whole time I was on the wall. I went from 10-11am and there were 2 other women bouldering at the same time. The space is large enough that we never got in each others' way and the sport is such that you need some down time between each attempt, so that added to me not feeling crowded or that I was slowing someone else down by concentrating and re-trying one problem over and over again. One woman was helpful and gave me a few tips as well without being anything like overbearing. I definitely felt like it's probably a small community of climbers who are nice to each other. There is 1 bathroom per gender, large enough to comfortably change in, but no designated locker/changing/shower rooms. There are open cubbies in the bouldering area and I never felt worried security-wise. Not positive but pretty sure there was a water fountain on the floor. I paid $6 for shoes/chalk rental. The shoes were a little stinky but that didn't bother me (feet are far away from my face when climbing). Would be interested in getting my friends together for one of their women's night events. It's pretty out of the way for my commute but I can't stop thinking about going back and getting to the top of my problem! read more

You might want the short answer... STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND GET YOUR BUTT THERE NOW! For you guys (and equally impressive females) who require a novel, read on - I found this place on Groupon and immediately bought it. Because I'm an idiot, i neglected to do my research on what i was buying. So my friends and i arrived and my girlfriend asked a silly question "are there ropes?" i chuckled to myself-yes! I was wrong... Fear set in. No this is not just any old rock climbing wall for Joe the plumber. You climb up with no harness and no one to catch you. Our instructor was amazingly friendly and explained to us how things worked there. She melted all the fear i had. There are plenty of easy spots for beginners and several seemingly impossible places for experts. However, the place was kind of small. I felt saddened that there wasn't much more to the place. Don't be discouraged. There is no possibility for stagnation. When we went, they were changing the hand and foot holds. That means that although the area is small, it still manages to stimulate you. However, i would not recommend this to couch potatoes. The difference between level 0 and level 1 is significant; however, there is not much visible change between level 5 and 9. Few of my friends reached the top but all of us had fun. read more

This place is HOT. DIGGITY. DOG. Words CANNOT describe how hot, diggity, AND dog this place is. Pictures CANNOT describe how much I love this place. Paintings can't describe it. The only way for you to know how much I love this place is for you to become me-- in every physical and emotional and historical form-- and then go there. But I also know a lot of people who are NOT me, who also love it here, so a fairly good second option would be to just go AS YOURSELF and experience it in your own physical, emotional, historical form. If you are lazy and very weak and frail and sickly you might not like it here. But you also might. You never know. People really can change. ONLY ONE WAY TO FIND OUT!!! STEEP ROCK BOULDERING YELPERS!! FUDGE YES!!! read more

It's not a big facility - but they switch up the holds pretty regularly, which keeps it interesting and challenging. The staff is friendly and the environment is generally very upbeat and supportive. Other members/guests are very considerate, and the vibe is very helpful. Every now and then someone will come up to you and call out a hold, or give you a tip. I used to think it was always employees, but half the time it's just a fellow climber looking to help you out. It sometimes gets crowded, but rarely overwhelming. I'm a big fan of this place, really glad it opened up in the neighborhood and hope that business stays booming. Great spot! read more

I only really visit SRB when I buy a Groupon, but every time that I have gone,, the service has been above and beyond expectations. On one instance, I'd purchased a Groupon and wanted to purchase and extra package for a friend who is a bouldering enthusiast. When she arrived, and much to my embarrassment, she brought with her a pair of shoes and chalk. I did not anticipate her level of dedication to the sport and asked for a refund for the chalk and shoe rental and they obliged. That gesture to accommodate me for $6 is why I will be a loyal customer to them. Refunding me $6 was more trouble than it was worth, but they did it anyway. Unfortunately, I do not remember the name of the employee who helped me, but when I figure it out. I will edit this post and recognize him by name. In addition to them being accommodating, they offer good music, healthy snacks and constant encouragement and strategies to climb that wall! Long story short, this place is awesome! read more

It's so exciting to have a bouldering gym in the neighborhood! The space is very small, but there is plenty of variety for all levels and they switch up the routes each month. The gym also plays great music. As much as I enjoyed steep rock bouldering, I couldn't help but notice that their monthly membership prices are awfully steep as well. If you only have time to go once a week, it would be cheaper to purchase 4 groupons than to get a 1 month (student) membership for $68. They do have some nice membership perks though like discounts at local bars and a members happy hour. read more

I've now gone to Steep Rock Bouldering five times since it opened, and I'm in love. I'm new to climbing and the staff was super welcoming, patiently teaching a total newbie what to do and continually helping me hone my technique. Bouldering in general is pretty awesome. The higher you get, the more tired your body gets, and then you get an adrenaline rush as you get ready to hop off the wall (worry not, there's a super padded floor). The rush is super addictive and I've never been so motived to do strength exercise in my life. The gym is super conveniently located, right off the 6 train's 96th St. stop. I've got two 7-year-olds and Steep Rock Bouldering has been great for them as well. Kids are surprisingly quick at learning bouldering and it's an excellent way to do something active that's fun and challenging for everyone. There's a cool vibe at Steep Rock Bouldering -- from the start, everyone that has been going there is mellow and encouraging. I live in the neighborhood and I can't emphasize enough at how excited I am that this joint opened. And I also have new favorite way to exercise! read more

Awesome rock wall on the upper east side. It is bouldering only, so no harnesses or ropes. The place does look small but you will not get bored. There are plenty of options for people at all levels and there are a wide variety of climbers at all times (including some pretty ninja little kids). The staff are totally nice and helpful and everyone I have met there has been super considerate. Great for dates, groups, hanging out with your friends, etc. Note that sometimes they have Groupon or LivingSocial deals for month or day passes. The one thing I would say is that the shoes they have for rental are gross. They should disinfect them more often or get new ones. read more

Great gym - well maintained, everything you need, seemed to be in good repair. It has a nice community and friendliness. People share tips and the wall well. The orientation I received was somewhat unprofessional and not very helpful, but I can overlook that since I came with a friend and most things were pretty self-explanatory. read more

They did a great job with the space they have. This was the first climbing gym I've been to and where I got "hooked". There are a handful of very easy routes that are great for beginners. Very smelly compared to other climbing gyms. Don't plan on going anywhere after except home to shower and change. 4 stars for friendly staff and location (right off the 6!). read more

I love this place! My brother and his wife are members and I've gone as their guest a couple times. David gave me and my friend a very helpful and quick orientation and then we climbed until we couldn't climb anymore. It's an amazing workout and a cool little community. Wish it was downtown but it is very conveniently located right off the 6 train. If it's your first time, prepare to be very sore! We went on Saturday afternoon and it was not very crowded. read more

Loved this place! Strictly bouldering. The people that work there are super-awesome and can climb really well. The paths are changed like every week or something.. There are new paths every time I go. I totally love having to figure out how to tackle a new path. I'm at V6, and their V6's are always fun. Watch out for the paths marked "Kevlar" this dude is crazy! Kevlar makes the routes fun and exciting! I totally recommend this place to anyone looking for a quick bouldering session. -B read more

Very good experience, friendly and professional staff, Ian is very nice, he explained us everything and gave us advices. My only tip for you is to bring a pair of socks. read more

Small, no true cave, $23 adult pass plus chalk bag. Limited training area. Nice crash pads. Crashed a few extra times because staff was setting new routes during climbing hours. Decent problems considering size. Overall, got a decent, overpriced workout in a small place. Needed a shower, but there wasn't one around. read more

I stumbled on SRB shortly after relocating to NYC form Seattle. After a long layoff from climbing due to a hand injury, this place has been a great gym for me to get back into bouldering shape. They have a wide variety problems and change them often enough that you never get bored. There are some seriously strong climbers in the gym but true to climbing culture, everyone is welcoming, friendly and encouraging. There is also no sense of it being a "scene" which can be a big turn off for me in climbing gyms. I look forward to every session, this place is great! read more

My daughter loved to rock climb at her sleep away summer camp but she never got a chance to climb on a regular basis because there were no nearby climbing walls. Now she has a place to go every week end in our neighborhood. We discovered SRB last summer (they have a summer camp, 4 hours in the morning, which they also replicated for the Christmas break)) and since then, my daughter has been going every weekend. It is located at a very convenient area because most of the climbing places are outside of Manhattan. She never gets bored of the problems there because they change a wall every Monday and Tuesday. The staff and the climbers there are really friendly and encourage each other to go further and get better. From the outside, the place looks small but it feels big when you climb. The membership ($88) allows the member to bring one guest once a month. read more