Urban Climb

I’m originally from San Francisco and they have some pretty awesome facilities. But, I was super impressed with Urban Climb, though.
1) It’s socially acceptable for guys to workout with their shirts off
1b) Everyone is pretty jacked. So this is pretty great on it’s own
2) the staff and climbs are fantastic. There’s a pretty efficient set up going on here.
3) Membership rates are alright
4) Totally a better hobby than going out drinking with your mates/​bros
One thing in SF that they did well though, was they had a set-​up for people without climbing partners. You could tell the front desk you’d be free climbing, but wanted a partner, and they’d find someone for you. SO flex.

Urban Climb run introductory sessions at various times throughout the week and they were pretty busy given it was a Friday night. It’s a fairly large warehouse space with plenty of different climbing options including cliffs, a lead climbing arch, and a bouldering area.
Our session started with an induction including an introduction, instruction and hands-​on practice for how to belay, and strapping yourself in in safely. The wall at Urban Climb isn’t as tall as the ones I’ve been to in Melbourne but it was still a decent height.
Rock climbing is a great workout for your back, arms and legs. It’s actually a great workout for your brain too, as you need to figure out how to get to the next hold and then break through mental barriers along the way. I’d recommend wearing a comfortable t-​shirt or sleeveless top and leggings or loose shorts, but there were a few people climbing in jeans. Take socks to wear in the climbing shoes too.
You can hire a harness, shoes and chalk bags if you don’t have your own, and I would recommend using chalk as the warehouse does get sweaty in the Brisbane humidity.
They have a DJ playing on Friday nights, and it definitely was a fun and supportive atmosphere. I’m not sure that I’ll be going back too regularly as it was a bit unsettling without confidence in my belayer, but they do have courses and workshops suitable for solo climbing enthusiasts.

Amazing staff.
Like other climbing places urban climb offers a variety of climbs ranging in difficulty, a bouldering area and staff who are willing to lend their help on a problem if needed.
Urban climb is spacious with taller climbs than their main competitor Rocksports.
Offering a gym, yoga classes and a 6am open time for members really set this place apart from others.
The main down sides are that it is limited in what it offers boulderers.
All walls within the cave are on an incline, as is the slab. If you love bouldering overhangs then this is perfect for you.
Doing laps can be pretty much impossible.
While from a business sense it’s great with how busy it gets unfortunately it’s common that the problem your working can cross another’s path or can get too close to boulder safely, and having to wait to do a problem can take a while.
I would recommend Rocksports for bouldering variety which have vertical and incline walls in their cave as well as being able to do laps throughout, as long as you’re respectful of climbers.
Having restricted times that the safety demos are done is problematic as it reduces the amount you can climb the first visit to a few hours and is not ideal for shy newbs as they occur during very busy periods and the self conscious meter is on high.
All in all, being a member gives you the best out of this place with free yoga, earlier opening times and great discounts on gear.
This is a place for the more serious climber and I wouldn’t recommend for a first timers.
For the newb I’d recommend Rocksports, with shorter climbs and little rooms you can climb in without feeling too self conscious. Safety training done any time during opening hours you can get more out of the experience.

Tucked away in a shed, this place is darn popular.
I must admit I was impressed with how much climbing space there was. There’s a LOT of walls to go up, but even on their ‘quiet’ night things were busy.
As a first timer there was an induction into safety and just how to do the whole thing, and Kristy the instructor was super awesome. Encouraging, helpful, friendly. Everything you want in any sort of instructor, or anyone in any sort of customer service role.
Is it cheap? Not overly. But there’s no time limit, and if you have your own climbing shoes and harness it becomes a fair bit cheaper. And if you intend to go a lot, it’s probably best to have your own gear.
Good luck with parking. There’s very limited spaces, and it can be difficult to nab one in one of the surrounding streets, but there IS a bus stop right outside if you’re into that sort of thing.
Over all, I have to say this was a great place to get a taste of indoor rock climbing.
I very well may be back.

love climbing. i love it a lot. but I can’t say it’s the best gym in the world. The crowd never seems to be limited as taking money from newbies and beginners are clearly a priority over long time customers.

My heart is pounding. My eyes are squeezed shut and my fists are clenched so tight that my nails have dug crescent shaped trenches into my palms.
Far below, I can hear my partner counselling me to release the rope.
‘Just your right hand,’ she coaxed, ‘Nothing’s going to happen.‘
I’m a faller, not a climber. I only agreed to go rock climbing because I hadn’t planned my own New Year’s resolution and at the last minute decided that helping other people reach their New Year’s resolution was my goal. Why, oh why, did so many of my friends pick ‘make an effort to try new things’?
After I’d spent more time clinging to the wall albeit jeering and chicken calls, I finally prised my fingers from the moulds.
The rope held — for a second, I swung precariously back and forth in mid-​air — then slowly, I lowered myself to the ground. I had done it!
Of course my partner was disgusted by the fuss I had caused — apparently I was only 2 metres from the ground — but this was only the second time I had gone rock climbing. We can’t all be springing off the black ‘expert level’ moulds like someone out of ‘Crouching tiger, hidden dragon’.
Asides from my lack of sporting prowess and fear of heights, I can see why other people would enjoy this place. It’s a great team building activity — there’s got to be trust between you and your partner and it’s really encouraging to know there’s someone watching your back, urging you onwards and suggesting alternative routes if you get stuck.
There’s a group discount for eight or more people. You can pay $ 20 (inclusive of harness, shoes & instructor) instead of the standard $ 30.
Urban Climb also allows you to bring along food and drinks.
So although this isn’t an activity for me, for those whose New Year’s resolution is to ‘make an effort to try new things’, Urban Climb is the place for you.

I’ve been a member of Urban Climb for a few years now and despite being a little more expensive than your average gym (and open for fewer hours), I’m very glad I discovered it and the joys of rock climbing. Wander in in the early evening on a weeknight and take a look at one of the fittest and hippest sporting communities around (plenty of eye candy too for people of all persuasions).
In addition to boasting far more climbing space than their competitor indoor rock climbing facility Rocksports they also have a pretty well decked out traditional gym space — ‘The Lab’ — with free weights, machines, exercise bikes, treadmills etc. The main room is a large rectangular shape (about 400+ sq. m) of rock climbing space, with four walls to choose from. Beginner walls on the far left and right of the gym are perfect for learning the ropes (pun intended) while the overhung ‘wave wall’ is at the other end of the spectrum — great for the more experienced climber or the learner wanting to push themselves and build endurance.
They also have a couple of areas dedicated to bouldering (short intense climbing roots done without a rope — a padded mat cushions your repeated falls) and a newly constructed wooden wall on the mid right hand side as you walk in. These guys seem to be doing pretty well for themselves and it’s good to see that they are reinvesting in the business.
The only downside for me is that the place has kind of slack opening times. They only roll up the doors at midday on a weekday (though they do stay open until 10pm). On weekends it’s a slightly earlier opening time.
It isn’t cheap either, with a one-​off visit costing a day tripper nearly $ 30 (gear hire included, cheaper if you have your own shoes and/​or harness). I pay arounf $ 65/​month for my full membership, a figure which has probably climbed a bit (pun intended).

Urban Climb has a completely different feel to Brisbane’s other indoor climbing gym, Rocksports in the Valley. While Rockports is cave-​like and full of corners, Urban Climb is wide open and airy in a giant warehouse with the climbing walls running along two perpendicular sides of the building and giant rock like structure for bouldering in the centre. Like Rocksports, an unlimited climb at Urban Climb will set you back about $ 30 with a free safety lesson in rope-​tying and belaying on your first visit. Unlike Rocksports, however, Urban Climb also offers membership to its regulars from $ 18 dollars a week and you also get access to their regular gym, The Lab, which has weights and cardio machines as well as group fitness classes.
I do find the climbs harder at Urban Climb though, which is perhaps why I prefer to climb at Rocksports where I’m on the ‘very difficult’ level instead of ‘easy.’ I always end up feeling weak and inadequate and Urban Climb after I struggle up a few ‘easy’ climbs. But that’s just me.

As a bonding experience earlier in the year, my new housemates decided to take me to Urban Climb. Now I am not generally a sporty or even fit person but climbing is heaps of fun. I had never done it before and normally on your first night you need to do a safety instruction. However, we rocked up quite late and they don’t do them after 7pm. Since I was with a group of experienced climbers and Urban Climb regulars I was given a quick unofficial one and allowed to climb that night but not belay my partner. Good thing I was in a big group so everyone still got to climb.
The second time I made sure I was there early enough to do the induction which was very instructive and the staff were very helpful, answering all my questions and being very patient with me.
There are some fantastic climbers at Urban Climb that practically sprint up the wall. I am not one of them. Still I find it best to set personal best challenges for myself rather than comparing myself to everyone else. By the end of the night I was covered in chalk, sweaty, and happier than I had been in a long time. The adrenaline was flowing and it felt good. As the spot to loose my climbing virginity Urban Climb was ideal.

Urban Climb is one of those places where you can just let go and hang out; though probably not literally.
I used to be scared of heights, so a friend decided the easiest way to get over it would be to scale a wall of about 10 meters while secured with a harness.
It worked, albeit with much yelling and, ‘I’m not letting go of the %$##@! wall!‘
But now I’m hooked. To be fair, people can start off at around 5 meters and work thier way up to a giant 12 meter waterfall and nose style wall (massive upper body strength training, oh the pain…), and for people who just want to try boulering there is also a 3 meter high bouldering wall.
Prices vary, but average at about $ 25-​$ 30 a climb (if you’re renting equiptment, but you can bring your own harness and shoes), and its for unlimited climb time. You will need a partner to belay you, or Urban Climb organise singles nights (check out thier website for more details).
The staff are great, and the walls are ridiculously fun. the general vibe of the whole place is adrenaline pumped spider-​people, which adds a pretty good atmosphere.
Word to the wise though: if it’s your first time, you need to do an introduction with the staff for saftey which is included in the price of your climb and is a one off, but dont usually start until after 5pm on Monday to Thursday, 4pm on Fridays, and 10am on Saturday and Sundays.
And if you’re renting shoes, bring socks. Seriously.