Rocks and Ropes

It was my first time here and they gave me all the equipment I needed and did an awesome job showing me how to climb and belay. Loved all the walls and was a very friendly atmosphere. There are tons of walls for beginners and experts, I had a blast! Would definitely recommend it to new and advanced climbers and also will be going back soon!

My husband took me here for a date. We had so much fun. Everyone is so nice and very knowledgeable. Can’t wait to go back!

I have now become a member and climb at least once a week, sometimes when I have time I will climb twice. I normally come Saturday’s or sundays and sometimes monday’s, and its always crowded, but its not that bad, you just wait your turn. Sometimes its annoying when you are already climbing and someone starts on the route right next you and climbs much faster and kinda gets in your way, so when that happens I just sit back and relax.
There are 3 autobelays in the gym, and the routes change often. I really really recommend this place its so much fun and totally worth the $

Love this place!!! I pretty sure the routes are more technical or difficult than any other gym I’ve climbed at… I’m working on 11’s here and I can climb 12’s at other gyms. I love the challenge and I think they produce better climbers. Everyone that I’ve met here genuinely wants to help one another on the routes and the staff is always ready to chat about a problem your working on or help with anything you need. Great atmosphere, great routes, great place!

My favorite rock gym — only downside is it gets CRAZY business some weekday nights. I try to avoid being there later than 6pm during the week. Weekends are usually better, often it’s practically empty — best time to try a route above your comfort level that may be overhung enough to swing you out at the general public if you miss a move! Also beware the auto-​belays, they come down fast and when they are on overhanging walls they can land on in «your» space if you’re belaying.
Most importantly though, I think it’s a friendly gym. I went to the one in Flagstaff for a long time, and while the people who worked there were always spectacular and helpful, there was a general air of competitive douchery around the place. You could always count on hearing the phrase «strongest climber in Northern Arizona» being thrown around. The funny thing is, even though I was climbing 10+ in that gym, when I came to Tucson for a week long climbing trip, we had a hard time doing 9’s on Lemmon. We even visited Rocks and Ropes on a rainy day and likewise had our over-​confident asses handed to us.
Like any sport, some people care more about showing everyone how awesome they are than being a good community member, but overall I’ve met some great people here, and I feel very comfortable. I’ve even gotten good «beta» from strangers who clearly took the time to ask themselves whether I would want their input. Almost every time I go to auto-​belay I can find another person to trade belays with too — great way to meet potential new partners.

Excellent gym with challenging, thought provoking routesetting. The grades are as stiff as a shot of Bacardi 151… Which is refreshing, I’d imagine when you go outdoors and find you’re climbing the same grade. My home gym — bless their hearts — grades on the softer side, and every time I go outdoors I have to air down my ambitions. They have a super chill staff too! Tucson evidently has an awesome climbing scene!

A waste of 20 bucks. I am a beginner, but from reading these reviews it sounds like this is an «awesome» place for beginners. Not so. There is no instruction and no beginner routes. I had done a small beginner climbing wall in another town and did well with it, but this place has no such starter areas.
Also an important point that I did not see emphasized, is that you have to bring a partner to hold the ropes for you. There is a harness for solo climbing but it doesn’t work and you end up falling down the face of the wall very fast. As a beginner, you have to be able to trust the rope and harness as you climb and I did not trust these ones. In fact I tested it from a short distance off the ground and I fell very hard on my backside! What would have happened from further up?
The staff will instruct you in putting on the harness but from there you are on your own, alone, no help. For a beginner that is not going to give you a good experience, you end up unable to literally get off the ground.
So basically a waste of money to come into a place, get put in their harness and shoes, and stand there looking at the climbing wall. If you think this would be a fun thing to try and you are reasonably fit, just stay away and save your money. Try some other fitness location and products.

Friendly, clean and super fun atmosphere! I will come back everytime I’m in town. The instructor was patient and fun.

SUPER FUN!
My hubby and I went here with a group of people this afternoon and it was more than I expected it would be. We were both newbies, but still managed to hold our own when competing with our friends to get the highest on the harder courses.
The first time you visit this establishment, the price is a bit higher than usual because everyone must pay for and go through the orientation. I think it’s worth it. In the orientation, they teach you how to tie proper knots in the rope, how to properly secure your harness, how to belay a partner (regardless of size!), and how to descend, etc. Since I’ve never even kicked a pebble along a sidewalk before, this information was highly valuable to me. Our instructor was extremely nice and very thorough in her demonstrations — much appreciated!
There are a variety of climbing paths to ascend for all skill levels, and they are all rated with a sign next to them. This allows you to instantly see what kind of talent and/​or strength will be necessary to make the climb. 5 is easiest, and as the numbers increase, so will your delayed onset muscle soreness the next day. Just saying. These aren’t muscles anyone in my group uses… ever.
When you enter, you are obligated to electronically sign a waiver of liability saying any injury, etc., is a risk you agreed to take on. This is to be expected at any venue of this sort.
In the larger area of the building, there is a giant ‘boulder’ for people who want to go…‘bouldering.’ Here you can climb to the top without a harness and sit up there and stare at people. I guess certain people enjoy that type of thing.
As for me and my group, we liked the challenge of taking turns scaling the same path so we could compare techniques and rub our prowess in each others’ faces. I’m pretty certain that’s a natural part of human nature. It’s science. Trust me.
While some advanced folks may have their own gear to use, those who don’t can rent the proper shoes and harnesses to get the job done. There are numerous open cubbies available to stash your shoes until you need them again. I didn’t see any locking lockers, so I would leave your crown jewels and birth certificates at home and avoid the risk of misplacing them or having them ‘moved’ by someone else without your consent altogether.
There are bathrooms available for those who enjoy that sort of thing. As far as refreshments, I saw a vending machine with water, etc.
Over all, our group ranged in age between 4 and 40, and we ALL had a great time. A huge bonus, with this being in Tucson, is that it’s a place where you can be physical INDOORS in an air conditioned building without that huge ball of radiation and fire trying to mutate your skin cells.
Priceless.
I recommend!

Muy buen lugar para practicar la escalada. Sin embargo, lo unico que no me gusta de este lugar es el precio. cada entrada al gimnasio te cuesta $ 13 mas $ 12 para la renta del equipo (si lo necesitas rentar). creo que deberian de hacer sus precios un poco mas accesibles para quienes son usuarios frecuentes.
Tienen una buena mezcla de rutas para todos los niveles, desde 5 hasta 13 o mas. Por lo general hay poca espera para cada ruta y nunca he visto que Rocks and Ropes este atascado de gente.
Sigo regresando a este lugar porque es el unico gimnasio para escalar en Tucson, pero si hubiera otro seria interesante ver como los precios y/​o atmósfera cambian.

We usually climb at Rocks and Ropes in Tucson. It really is a great place. The staff is awesome. Great routes for climbers of any level. They are constantly changing the routes to keep it interesting. You can traverse, boulder, or do climbing with top rope. They even offer kid climbs on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 to 12. If you are an adult you can volunteer to belay and they will give you a free week of climbing. (If no kids show up or not enough, they will give you the day free.) We love coming here. We will do some fun routes, challenge ourselves, and even watch others to see what techniques they use. They have another location called The Bloc on the northeast side of town. We haven’t gone there yet but we are interested. That location even offers Yoga on the second floor. We highly commend this place to any one.

I’ve been going to Rocks and Ropes consistently for over a month now and have been going inconsistently for years and I absolutely love it! It’s a great workout and tons of fun. The staff is helpful and it’s pretty clean considering. The only downside is that it is expensive. Especially if you plan on going frequently. But I feel it’s easily worth the money. They are constantly changing the different climbs available but have enough walls so that they remain available for quite some time. Also, they offer a good amount of bouldering and 4 auto-​belays.

I went to Rocks and Ropes as a first time climber, and I can’t imagine going anywhere else! I think they have set the bar pretty high!
They were incredibly friendly to those who knew their way around and just as welcoming to first timers. Their instructions were clear, and after they gave me the lay of the land at the gym, I was signed off to belay in no time.
Now, I don’t have a ton of experience from which I can say «these were certainly wonderful and challenging routes,» but the routes were clearly marked, fun, and varied.
Although I was only in town for a weekend, I thought that their 10-​punch pass sounded like a great deal ($ 100, so $ 10 per pass) and if I were in the area, this is definitely the kind of place where I would consider getting a membership.

Rocks and Ropes is a great place to learn to climb if you have never done it before but also great if you have been climbing for years. They have a large range of easy to very difficult routes for all levels of expertise. Some days it can be really crowded, especially in the evening when they have classes going on. The staff is always really friendly and willing to help with whatever you need and the routes are changed pretty frequently.
The bathrooms are pretty smelly but I am not there for the bathroom anyway.
I don’t use it very often but there is also a bouldering area upstairs.

Just had my first experience with Rocks & Ropes, and I can already tell I’ll be coming back here regularly throughout the year. The staff here were not only friendly, but they will go out of their way to make 100% sure that A. You know what you’re doing and B. The chance of anything disastrous happening to you is minimized as much as humanly possible.
As for the facility itself, I have been to several rock climbing gyms in my lifetime, and this one is now my favorite, no question about it. There are dozens of walls of varying difficulty to climb, all of them color-​coded and graded by their difficulty for your convenience. For beginners and those new to climbing, begin with a wall difficulty of 5, and work your way up from there. (for reference, I am in okay shape and haven’t climbed since about four years prior to my visit, and I was able to finish a few level six walls, but not without a good challenge.)
And you will be challenged. You will leave this place with your arms and legs feeling like jello if you do it right. (Typing this review has been genuinely painful, but in the best way possible).
Your first time will run you about $ 22 for entry and equipment rental, with monthly membership options available, as well as a $ 100 punch card good for 10 anytime visits (excluding equipment rental)… Very reasonable.
I couldn’t recommend this place more. Get over here and give R&R a try!

This place is great. An indoor place to climb where you can rent shoes and practice? Too fun. Although I didn’t spend any time climbing due to an ankle injury, I was able to watch everyone else and it was definitely a learning experience. The workers take the time to explain all the ins and outs of climbing and safety precautions. They won’t let people climb until they demonstrate they know what they’re doing. There are a few tables upstairs that can be used for parties. In fact, when we were there, they were set up for various birthday parties with decorations and pizza/​cake, which seemed to be the popular choice. Definitely worth the cost to rent/​climb.

These days so many people are on a fitness craze. It seems like everyone I know (and their mother) are gym members or do some crazy boot camp. As a tried and true member of the ‘sit on the couch and watch movies’ crowd, Rocks and Ropes has been a fun and interesting place to trick myself into a ‘workout’.
I love that each time I come there’s a mix of new and old routes. It’s great being able to really see my progress (finally got up a 7+!) as well as have something new to try out. They rate their climbs on a tally system where everyone who climbs a new route can rate it, which is great, but leads to a bit of variation between similarly rated routes. It still makes for a great workout though and you can push yourself to try something a little more difficult each time.
After coming here a couple times, my boyfriend and I sprung for the punchcard deal where you get 10 anytime entries + rental. They also have monthly memberships with discounted student, military and family/​couple rates as well as a 2-​for-​1 beginner package for 30 dollars which includes rental and an intro class to climbing for two people.

We’ve been going to Rocks and Ropes since 2002. My kids have attended numerous camp sessions as well as had their birthday parties at Rocks and Ropes. Can’t say enough good things about this place. It is super fun! A great way to do something thrilling and adventurous that is also totally safe. The safety of the equipment makes it even more fun because you can relax and really enjoy yourself.
Most of the staff has been very friendly and helpful over the years. A couple of them have been grumpy but they are the exception.

I visited a friend and went climbing to check out the gym in AZ.
It’s pretty sweet. I didn’t do ropes, but I did boulder for a few hours. Place is pretty big and lots of families with kids. Great place to have a climbing party.
Compared to the CA gyms, I think the routes were a little soft (at least the routes I were on).
Overall, a good gym to go to.

Great place, kinda pricey but mostly worth it. The staff is super helpful.
Caution– they did not honor my Unilocal check in with a free equipment rental– I didn’t notice until after I left.

I really like R&R and probably would have given it a 5 if it weren’t for my first climbing experience being a few weeks earlier at a gym in Scottsdale that I rated a 5. I think the only reason for the 4 is because I think they should add more auto-​belays and vary the difficulty of wall where they’re placed. Out of the auto-​belays they had here I think only 1 was was particularly «do-​able» for a beginner and not alwaysdo you have someone there to belay you. Perhaps that can be a suggestion to the management (hint-​hint).
Other than that, I really enjoyed my day. The staff was very patient and helpful which is always a plus when you have some beginners. I did find some of the walls very hard to do for my level which I found odd, so it’s nice to read the other reviews to find out that they are constantly changing the routes. I like climbing so much that I’ve decided to start training more, so I’m sure I’ll be seeing R&R more and more often!
When you’re done, walk up the street to Barrio for a great local brew!