Kendall Cliffs Climbing Gym

Worst gym ever. The staff/​setters are awesome people and I have climbed a lot with many of them. There is no bouldering, the price is too high for what you get, and it is super old. Rockmill is opening in January 2016 (right by U of A campus). I would suggest going there 100% because it is state-​of-​the-​art and has weight rooms and yoga. Also, it is definitely going to be worth the price. Lets stay positive with Kendall Cliffs though! The sport routes are really great if you are an avid climber. Also, with Rockmill opening, the owners of Kendall Cliffs are going to have to innovate or die. Let’s hope they choose to improve the gym because nobody ever wants to see the climbing community lose a gym. Come on Kendall Cliffs!!! You can do it! Let’s see what you can do!

I was very pleased to find Kendall Cliffs in my neighborhood. I just recently started climbing again after six years. Came here with the good friend who allows me to outdoor climb with her. I will say that the price is a bit steep. I would love to come here more often, but I would eventually end up eating my gear because there would be no money left for food. That said, I will defintely be back semi-​regularly, especially throughout the winter. The routes are fun and changed up regularly. It is large enough to be comfortable, not large enough to get lost. The staff are some of the kindest and least snobby people I have ever met in a rock gym. That did it for me. They made me feel very welcome. I have never before felt welcomed by the staff at a rock gym. I always feel like I’m just not in the club.
Love Kendall Cliffs. I will be back. I will try to get my husband here. Great staff, fun routes. Bouldering is a little lacking. Love the squishy floors. Friendly, helpful staff.

I love Kendall Cliffs!
Awesome location. Easy to find. Great area. Safe town.
Good pricing. Average cost of a day pass.
Great climbing conditions. Many routes for beginners. A mix of top rope and lead routes. Challenging routes for seasoned climbers.
Phenomenal staff. The employees are helpful, kind, and knowledgable.
Best climbing in the area!

I’ve lived in the area forever and ghost recently discovered my love of Kendall Cliffs! I’ve climbed at a bunch of other gyms and outside, still love KC — probably because I think the staff is great and I go during the week (the weekend has a lot more newbies and parties)!

Though this gym used to be great years ago, there is no one that remains from the staff from those days — and the route setting suffers badly for it. They have routes that are mainly 5.7−5.9 with the moves required being primarily strength moves. I get the feeling that the route setting is being done by less experienced climbers than they had in the past, and other than getting a good work out, you really aren’t going to learn anything about advanced climbing. An experienced climber may not find anything worth their time here. They would benefit from attracting some better climbers who have outdoor experience to set the routes or allowing regulars to set routes.

I’m visiting from out of town, so my review might be biased because I can only compare this gym to what I’m used to back home… but it is what it is.
What I did not find enjoyable: the routes. The bouldering wall is tiny — 3 moves and you’re at the top. I wouldn’t come here if you just want to boulder, and maybe the sport routes/​top rope routes are better, but if they were set by the same people who set the bouldering area, then I doubt it.
The price was steep for what you get. I bring this up for two reasobs: first because I was reading reviews of the other climbing gym in Cleveland and someone’s complaint was that they charged $ 12 for a day pass. Well, this place charges $ 15 base price, not including any rentals, unless you go on a Thursday. Second reason, the gyms back home charge the same amount for a larger climbing area, cardio, weights, machines, and yoga class.
What I liked: the people working were nice. The bouldering wall itself was made to look and feel like real rock, which is nice to mix up the plastic holds with ‘features.’ Another cool thing, earning the second star was the small little slack line set up in the middle of the rubber padding. It distracted us from the terrible problems. Not worth driving the 50 minutes to get there from where we started.

This place is a good top rope gym and a great lead climbing place. It leaves something to be desired if you plan on bouldering. It’s good for children’s birthday parties and the like, a decent place to be a regular at, but if you’re from out of town I’d stay away unless you’re desperate to climb on a winter day.
The lack of color-​coding or marking on routes makes the gym pretty frustrating to navigate for anyone who is just visiting. Many of the wall holds are marked as «Do Not Use» — I don’t understand why they weren’t just taken off the wall. The wall smacks of a lack of routine maintenance by staff.
The difficulty of bouldering routes that do exist is not balanced. The gym lacks a set of warm up routes and the difficulty quickly goes very high. The lack of mid-​difficulty routes doesn’t allow people to improve even if they commit enough time to it.
They’ve chosen rubber shreds for floor matting. No real complaint other than they make your feet and hands dirty and don’t provide the same sense of safety (to me) as more standard padded mats.

Kendall Cliffs is a great place to spend some time rock climbing, whether you’ve never done it before or you’re a seasoned pro. The options are bouldering with a mat, climbing with someone to belay you that doesn’t work at the gym, or climbing with someone to belay you that does work at the gym. The latter requires a reservation and $ 20 per person, making it the most expensive option. You can rent your shoes and harness there. The walls are great; they range from beginner to advanced. There is a bouldering «cave» and an arch for the most experienced. Overall, if you want to go rock climbing and live within about 20 minutes of Peninsula, Kendall Cliffs is worth your time.