Mesa Rim Climbing & Fitness Center

DANGEROUS: not safe. 4 and 5 year old kids running un-​checked. My wife was leading a climb an a small girl ran right underneath her when she was preparing to clip the 3^rd clip. Had she fallen the kid probably would have been hit, injured or worse. After telling the staff they did absolutely nothing. The remaining of the time spent there the parents climbed and the little girl was not around them and running amuck. After talking with the staff they refused to speak with the customers about safety violations.

I’m a new climber so I’ve only been to one other climbing gym before. First I have to say that this gym is very impressive. It’s brand new, kept very clean, and the staff are very informative and friendly. I have been bouldering a couple times here. I had a blast and really feel that I am getting better, little by little. I top roped today so I took the class necessary. Our teacher was very professional and even though I was having some trouble understanding the knots, he was patient with me.
After coming here a couple times, I was impressed and signed up for a membership. Yes, it is a little on the pricey side, however, unlimited climbing, yoga, and fitness center use makes it worth it to me. I am excited to try the yoga classes and use the fitness center when I need to.
Overall, I am satisfied with my purchase. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested.

This place is amazing! My husband surprised my daughter (5yo) and I and brought us here last week and I was so nervous at first because I haven’t climbed in years! Worry not!!! Everyone including the customers there are so helpful and knowledgable and friendly they walk you through it all! The shoes powder bag and gear are included in your day pass and you can take lessons. My daughter had so much fun she was very sad that we had to leave. We will be coming back very soon :)

This gym is NOT for new comers or people who want to climb. From the get-​go, they didn’t know what to give us. We explained, «we don’t have any gear except shoes and need to get on the wall with everything necessary.» They handed my climbing partner and I a harness and that was it. Once we realized that we needed an APC and everything else we needed, they started treating us with a tremendous amount of disrespect and wanted nothing more to do with us. Kemper, who was the person who we asked to give us a refresher on how to tie our figure 8s started becoming very PRETENTIOUS and rushing through the demonstration. Once done, he asked why I hadn’t been paying attention. Well, I needed to be completely focused on the rope and his demonstration and didn’t look him in the eye, which he took as disrespectful… Once we got to the wall, he had completely flustered us with backwards information and technique and my partner had tied the wrong loop and I had forgot to check due to the scrutinizing I had to perform on my own gear. The reason we were so flustered is, we could feel Kemper staring at us the entire time. Once my partner finished his climb, he we started the belay process. My partner was holding onto the rope because he could feel something wasn’t quite right. At about the halfway point down, Kemper came over and started instructing my partner to let go of the rope… Once my partner touched down, Kemper processed with, «So the reason I had you hold on to the rope like that is because you has tied your figure 8 through the wrong loop. My partner new this, he was holding on to the rope for that exact reason… Kemper at this point had gave us such conflicting information on how to climb at their gym that he stated that we should just go and they would give us our money back. The part that really topped off this absolute waste of time of an experience was, he said «Well, Solid Rock is still open and around the corner, you should just go there or back to Grotto…» The bottom line here was, they said we could have a free day pass but that would only cover the day we would have to come back and take the class they offered for $ 40… This class was book work only and consisted of a paper test…
We have been to Vertical Hold, Solid Rock and Grotto and every one of these gyms has demonstrated how to properly get people on the wall and do it safely. They don’t make you feel stupid or like you are getting in the way.
There were 5 people at the front desk at Mesa Rim that evening. Kemper could have been a SOLID representative for Mesa Rim by getting us on the wall and learning their ways but this is precisely the problem. It’s THEIR way or the highway and their way isn’t safe, knowledgeable or beneficial. It’s inconsistent and, if anything clouds the climber from being an actual safe climber because they are trying to follow a specific procedure over following common sense safety precautions and practices… I wouldn’t go back even if they paid me to go back. IF I did go back, I’d have to SCHEDULE an APPOINTMENT for a CLASS…
These people only want their little crew of people, that is it.

Signed up for an membership on Saturday, the staff was really friendly and informative. The gym is a good size with lots of choices. Big lead wall which is nice. There is a decent amount of room to also workout with weights and some equipment. I like the nice desks up stairs and couches. The restrooms/​lockers are really nice and clean. The only con about this gym is that there is no towel service, for a $ 75 membership I really feel like it should be included and I was surprised that it’s not.

A-​maz-​ing! Endless awesome routes, abundant natural light, great community! Fantastic yoga teachers! What more could you ask for?

My brother has been going to their original location for years and now this location. I tagged along recently for a yoga class while he climbed. I’m not a climber (disclaimer) but wow was I impressed with the facilities! I go to Equinox, Soul Cycle, and Bar Method which are all kind of considered «top of the line» probably but I had no idea what to expect at Mesa Rim. The place is brand new so yes it’s all shiny right now but they really did a great job with the buildout. Everything felt clean, nice, and open. The staff was very friendly as well.
I only practice Iyengar yoga typically but found a class close enough that I was happy just to go. Again, I was so impressed! They have nice Manduka mats, cleaning stuff and cloths, and the instructor was great. I will tag along with my brother to a yoga class here next time I’m in town!

Huge facility. Great friendly staff. Quick and painless check-​in process for first-​timers. Clean and spacious layout. Ultra-​filtered water fountain available, and water bottle filling station. Bouldering area is quite popular. Bouldering offers top-​outs in some spots. I feel the routes were a little more difficult than rated. Probably one of the better climbing gyms in San Diego, if not the best.

Overall, I really enjoyed my experience at the gym.
Climbing quality: the climbs are good and I love the chimney section in the back. I came around 2:00 so not really peak hour, and the gym wasn’t crowded, but still had a decent amount of people. The routes are interesting enough. I haven’t gone enough to experience this, but my partner mentioned that they should change the routes more frequently. Since everything was new to me, I felt like I was in a giant playground!
Space: the facility is absolutely beautiful! I like how there’s an upstairs area where you can sit and relax if you bring a book. The training area also seems pretty good.
Location: The location is nice, because it’s downtown and I feel like a lot of people can stop by here on their way out of work. However, traffic can be pretty rough, so avoid going during rush hour.

Don’t believe the hype… I heard about this place and the built up hype for this new gym in Mission valley. As soon as I walked in the vibe felt very pretentious/​snobby and the girl at the counter wasn’t exactly welcoming. The bouldering was ok, the routes were pretty cool but it was just a simple flat wall or over hangs… Not exactly what I’m used to. It was kind of a bummer since in order to top rope you have to be «belay certified»… Which costs $ 8 plus the girl who was supposed to be showing up how to belay was rushing through and kept reminding us they were closing.
Over all I felt like this place was over priced for an ok experience. Probably won’t go back again. I’d rather stick to the gym I usually go to– less expensive and better over all atmosphere.

I was very excited to try out the new Mesa Rim Climbing Gym in Mission Valley given that the experience I had at Mira Mesa was amazing. Top rope routes are awesome; Id say good variety of routes such as slab, overhang, varying heights, hand crack routes (which I haven’t tried). I have not yet tried the lead routes but they look awesome too! Boulder problems had a wide range of difficulty. Problems were graded three levels wide; i.e. V1-​V3, V5-​V7, B1-​V0.
It had an interesting vibe depending on the staff that day. The one particular day, one of the guys was trying to get cleared for a belay test. He had previous belaying experience from other climbing gyms, but it was not exactly clear on all the fundamentals or belay requirements for this gym. The instructor was a little pretentious in pointing out the importance of rock climbing safety so the whole experience wasn’t the best. I have seen other gyms handle this situation more tactfully instead of making the customer feel let down. If there was a mistake or missing fundamental, I would suggest teaching the person what is missing and not passing judgements.
Rock climbing is a dangerous sport and may need to be explained in a more tactful less aggressive way in order to encourage new climbers to keep climbing.
Great job in pointing out that safety is key! The staff may need to do this for kids running around the bouldering area.
I was a little surprised about having to provide my own climbing rope to lead climb in the gym. I am not sure what other gym does this. I came out of town and will not want to bring my own rope just to climb in an indoor rock climbing gym.
Overall, it was a great experience as long as you have an idea of what you are doing. Otherwise, caution! Ask before doing anything in this gym. :)

I’ve been looking for something exciting to do with myself for a long long time and I am so so glad to say that after the belay class and one climbing session I absolutely become a member! I’m looking forward to learning more l… I’m a true beginner and the staff was ever so patient with my million questions! Thank you! It is clearly best to bring a partner to climb with but how absolutely nice that they have a sign up sheet so as people enter they can get put into a list to partner up with a stranger! They encourage new friendships too… Could this deal get any better! For this mother of 2? Actually yes!!! Each month of membership comes with a guest pass so you can introduce a friend to the excitement aaaaaand Drumroll…: your kid under 10 can get a free dependent membership attached with yours! Family friendly!!! I’m so excited! Don’t wait till Jan 1to start your new resolution! Belay on… climb On!!! Oh yeah and if you are a newbie and need a partner! Hit me up! I’m so down!

Reportedly one of the best climbing gyms in the country, but definitely more expensive, compared to the original Mesa Rim. The climbing vibe at the mission valley seems a bit more pretentious than up north. Routes are fun and varied to accommodate all skill levels. There are definitely cheaper alternatives in the area, eg. vertical hold, grotto.
PROS: Cool areas for ping pong, kids area upstairs, good bouldering area, excellent yoga staff.
CONS: Pricey. No slackline. A couple of the front desk people are kinda rude each time you go there and have this «too cool for you» mentality, especially Jackie who needs to smile more. By that reason alone I’ll probably seek membership elsewhere.

This location is awesome. I’m a beginner climber but the sheer size compared to the other location is great, I believe the walls are higher and at 2 stories, they even have some climbs on the second story. They have additional bouldering walls and lots of kids areas plus a random ping pong table upstairs.
Overall great facility but hate the location. It’s at the terrible intersection in Mission Valley near Auto circle and the entrance to the 8. I’d be wary of being in the area after work in the rush hour traffic. Granted I was at the grand opening but the parking lot was also hell. The spots are tiny, even for my tiny corolla, and if you’re going to build something of this size here I think they should’ve taken that into account. Nearby Thai restaurant and TGI Fridays for after climb munchies.

I’ve been waiting for this location to open for a really long time so that I don’t have to make the trek up to Mira Mesa.
This location seems to have a more varied difficulty in the bouldering section, which is good for a beginner like myself. The rope area seems to be evenly split between top rope and lead climbing so I imagine it would be great if you are a lead climber. The Mira Mesa location only had a small section dedicated to lead climbing.
The staff is great and very helpful. Andy in particular is always walking around the bouldering section and helping people come up with alternatives for difficult moves.
Overall I’ve been very happy with the way this gym has turned out although my hands are a little cut up because all of the holds are brand new. Time to develop thicker calluses!

This gym is evenly split between bouldering and roped climbing. That will please the people who don’t use ropes but not please roped climbers like people I know and climb with. The lead headwall is very overhanging making it tough for average level climbers. I find that one of the greatest drawbacks to gym climbing. Overhanging routes are dramatic but few climb them. The typical gym climber climbs moderate top rope routes. In every climbing gym the story is the same-​most climbers are on the moderate routes. In my opinion there are more lead climbs then there are lead climbers. The Mesa Rim lead climbing test is extremely difficult to pass-​harder then other climbing gyms. That leaves most Mesa Rim climbers as top rope only. The prices are in my opinion too high. Granted one can climb at more then one location if they buy a membership but realistically they’ll either climb at this one cause its closer and newer or the Miramar location if it’s closer to their location. Staff is indifferent like all climbing gym staff. The best thing about Mesa Rim is the height of the walls. Hopefully the parking is better in Mission Valley then in Miramar.

We came here on the suggestion from one of our friends who told us there was a soft opening this past weekend. We arrived with two active passes to Mesa Rim, acquired from a past volunteer stint at the Mira Mesa location. Our passes were refused and we were told that only customers carrying memberships were allowed access to the facility. We explained that we had driven a long distance to try out the new facility and we were not aware that the soft opening was for members-​only. We also have been loyal patrons to the Mira Mesa location and have offered our volunteer services many times. None of this seemed to matter, we were told that the facility was open only to members and our passes were no good for entry. We were told that we could use them at their sister location in Mira Mesa, but not at the new location. We asked to speak to a manager, but none was available on-​site to help us. What kind of facility doesn’t have a manager on-​site? Isn’t this normally a requirement for any legitimate business?
Thus far, we are not impressed with the new facility and its treatment of loyal, dedicated customers to Mesa Rim. We don’t understand why one Mesa Rim center will honor our facility passes while another one will not.
Mesa Rim Mission Valley is located at the end of a long and winding narrow street. There is only one way to get to it. All the cars have to wait at slow lights to get on 8 freeway. There are a huge number of businesses on this street. This makes traffic very slow during peak travel times. Carpool, bike or walk from the trolley if possible.

The long awaited Mission Vally location is coming soon! I had a chance to check out the facility and it’s legit. Everything I love about the Mira Mesa location has been duplicated (and in some cases improved) here in Mission Valley. If you climb for fun or train seriously this facility will have what you need. The rope section is expansive and dynamic. The bouldering area is diverse and offers everything you’d want on a short wall. And it’s clear that they’ll have various other amenities (yoga, exercise equipment, etc.) I’ve been a customer of the Mira Mesa location since they opened and I’m so happy to see the Mesa Rim gang grow and expand their operation.