Planet Rock

This place is excellent! We were visiting from California for Thanksgiving break and looking for something fun to do while the rest of the family still had work and school during the earlier part of the week.
Auto belays for beginners and kids let me strap my 5.10b six year old in to show off without me having to rent a harness (score). For veteran climbers we just had to pass a quick belay test to get our day pass without a lesson.
Lots of different and interesting bouldering spots sprinkled throughout the gym. They made good use of the space in the center of the gym as most places will line up big wall climbing around the perimeter leaving dead space through the middle. A little ingenious ramp with a traversing walled tunnel up to a rope bridge adds interest and lots of interesting spaces to climb if you want to work a problem out on your own away from crowds.
One night we grabbed a gaggle of family members after a family photo shoot for an impromptu jaunt to planet rock — and they accommodated us with a group belay lesson and starter package. (There was 12 of us.).
We climbed here four days straight because we couldn’t get enough and managed to take home memories to last a lifetime with the extended family that came along with.

Oh Planet Rock, what can I say? I’ve been coming here for quite some time and really the only reason I keep coming back is because it’s the only place in town (a fact I’m sure they know). Compared to every other gym I’ve been to in CO, UT, CA, and even the Planet Rock in Madison Heights, PR-​AA really needs a few improvements.
1). Old equipment and bad floors: They recently replaced some of the flooring (maybe about 20%) but the remaining flooring here is abysmal. Not only is it majorly inconvenient and kind of ghetto, but downright dangerous! The old foam flooring has holes in it all over the place and there are huge gaps between pieces, which is a broken leg or sprained ankle waiting to happen. Equipment such as ropes and holds also need to be replaced very badly as well since some of them are in pretty dire straights — we’ll get to that in a bit.
2). I can’t stress this enough, Planet Rock, you seriously need to CHANGE YOUR ROUTES!!! 2 routes every few months is not good enough for people who are paying over $ 1000 a year for a couples pass, seeing how most gyms in the world update new routes every few weeks and never leave any given route up for longer than 2 – 3 months maximum. I’m writing this review at the end of Nov and there still some routes up on the wall that have been there since Feb /​March! That’s appalling.
3). Clean your holds: When you leave routes up for long periods of time, they get very very grimy and it makes them very difficult to climb (not to mention downright disgusting). So if you’re not going to change your routes at least clean the darned things. Plus when the cadence of route changing is slower, everybody in the gym flocks to the new routes to celebrate that rare occasion so they’re immediately chalked up & grimy after day 1.
4). Facilities upgrades: The last time I was here there was water trickling down the wall from a roof leak. In all fairness this is a pretty new issue for PR AA, but I find it’s a good illustration to show the need for some building upgrades. This facility also gets super cold in the winter so I feel like it could use some updates. It kinda smells in the summer time too so maybe a new HVAC system is in order? And the bathrooms… oh my the gag factor in the bathrooms…
5). Kids: I’m all for teaching kids to climb and getting them into the sport, that really is awesome. What isn’t awesome is when parents for some reason think PR is some kind of daycare or playscape and they can just let their kids run wild. I think I need to remind everybody that this is a GYM. When there’s a children’s birthday party (and let’s face it, there’s always a children’s birthday party here), it gets downright annoying to have children running around, bouncing on the floors, rolling down the ramps, screaming when you’re trying to concentrate… etc. etc. I think a regular «adult’s night» would be a really great idea to give the more hardcore climbers a break since it feels like PR has been catering more to families than the 5.11+ climbers recently (because of the kids everywhere and the routes they set).
6). Music: Not really a huge deal, but who sets the music in this place? Do they have an album specifically for boring go-​to-​sleep music? We don’t need a DJ but anything with more than 30bpm or anything that doesn’t make you want to curl up and take a nap would be greatly appreciated.
Anyways, PR-​AA is what it is…

We got to the gym at 7:15. The individual at the counter directed us to some iPads where — never having been rock climbing before — we created accounts. After creating our accounts and then standing in line for a while, we got back to the counter where we were told that they stopped providing rock climbing lessons at 7:30. Because it was now 7:45, we would be unable to climb for insurance reasons. The entire staff had been standing around, chatting, and no one bothered to tell us during the preceding 30 minutes that we would need to quickly arrange training before the cutoff period. No one even bothered to ask if we might need belaying lessons.

Amazing place to let out energy and create great memories with friends and family! Not too expensive either!

This was my first time climbing, and I came with my husband. His first time, too. So, when you first walk in, you are almost knocked over by the locker room smell. They had the doors open, but it was a hot, humid day. I mentioned something about the lack of AC, and the staff said the owner doesn’t turn it on anymore. That’s unfortunate! That said, I had an amazing time! Fantastic workout! The first hour is spent training, then they let you loose. We tried the easy walls and the hard ones, and everything in between. The staff were roaming around and checked on us newbies several times throughout our 3.5 hour stay. I give this four stars because of the climate in there. Otherwise, it was wicked! We’ll be back.
Side note: this is great bonding time for couples.

The staff has improved (mostly through turnover) in the past few months, but there are enough other issues that I’m keeping this review at stars. The reason typically cited for rule X is that it’s for safety, yet the floor is pocked with holes just waiting to twist an ankle and lead ropes were allowed to get to the point that when a climber finally pointed out how shot they were, they had to trash over half of them, which obviously resulted in a massive rope shortage for a couple weeks. It just kinda seems like the management is only willing to do the bare minimum to not piss off customers.

I have a membership at Planet Rock. It has plenty of top rope and lead climbing routes to work on as well as three different areas for bouldering. They also have a number of auto-​belay routes for times when you don’t have a climbing partner. There really are no other climbing gyms in the area, so this review in some ways doesn’t serve a purpose!
I just wanted to give three criticisms. The lockers for holding personal belongings are terrible. It’s difficult to open them, and many of them are broken such that you can’t lock them. Another complaint is that it often takes a long time to check into the climbing gym, especially during peak-​use times. The staff, although friendly and helpful, seem to take their time checking people in. I get the sense that they don’t respond very quickly to customers when they first come in. I think this can be off-​putting to new climbers and first-​timers at Planet Rock. My final criticism is that it can be hard to find parking at the gym. I’m not sure how this issue can be addressed, though.
Despite these complaints, I enjoy climbing at Planet Rock. The routes are fun, and there are a lot of them to try at different difficulty levels.

Comprehensive rock climbing gym! It’s the first time I’ve seen self-​belaying machines, which allow one to climb by oneself. The staff seem quite lenient, as I did not remember very well the procedures and/​or safety measures for top roping but somehow got past the test. Otherwise, their lesson for first-​timers is one hour long. I don’t have any kind of membership or gear so my visit cost me ~$ 20 total.

Overall, this is a pretty low quality gym and really not worth a visit unless you live in the area and it’s your only option.
1. Some of the worst route setting I’ve ever experienced in a gym. There were a few gems here and there probably all set by the same guy, but the overall setting was of horrendous quality. I’d recommend investing in some training for your setters.
2. Very little bouldering space and the space that is there is poorly designed. The upstairs bouldering area is a section of short roofs with abrupt, sharp angles that make setting or climbing interesting problems almost impossible.
3. Old equipment that needs maintenance. Holds were generally old and needing replacement, flooring was ripped up and unsafe to fall on, bouldering pads were full of foam lumps just waiting to break ankles or tear ACLs.
4. Insurance policy requires belay testing for everyone, even if you are only planning to boulder… and they charge for the belay test.
5. Staff started vacuuming in the way of climbers an hour before the gym was set to close. Not only frustrating for disturbing my training but also unsafe.

Huge gym, tons of routes. Bouldering is graded pretty hard compared to California gyms, but that can be a good thing. Interesting sets, and they change frequently enough to not get bored with the bouldering. Staff is friendly.
So why 3 stars?
1) Pricy. More expensive than Touchstone Climbing gyms in the Bay.
2) Bringing guests is a hassle because of their insurance policy that requires testing. They charge either a ton of money for a class (though it does include 2 climbing sessions and shoes), or charge to check you on belay safety, even if you’re only bouldering.
3) Checking in can take a long time. They’re getting a new system so hopefully it’ll get more streamlined with swipable cards or something.
4) No guest passes for members. Every gym I’ve even been to in my life has given at least 1 – 2 guest passes per month to their members. They say it has to do with their insurance policy, even if your guests have passed their test.
5) No topping out on bouldering routes.
6) Thin padding in bouldering cave and no easy built-​in downclimbing. So if you do a route that ends up high, and you’re short, it’s a long way down. Have definitely sprained things after finishing routes here.
7) Hot as sin in the summer.
I still like this place, but with some changes it would really be awesome.

Best indoor rock climbing wall I have ever been to. I wish it was cheaper so I could go more often.

boulder so hard that mother*****s wanna fine you! but first they gotta find you, at the top of that rock!
love climbing here. friendly staff. interesting boulder problems. lots of walls.
only problem is it can get crowded. and it’s a little pricey, but they have a monopoly in this area so where else will i go?

A complete indoor rock climbing gym! Not a gym with a small rock climbing wall but an entire facility designed just for rock climbing! I have searched for a place like this since I’ve moved to Chi-​town and no luck :(
You never realize what you have until you lose it. Keep rocking A2!

The one guy at the front desk was very arrogant and derogatory. No I have never been there before, yes I would need help with fitting into climbing shoes, and okay I will remember to come in earlier for an instructional session on belaying. Sorry to pester your business. I won’t do it again.

I’ve been here once so far, and can understand why people are so into climbing. The staff here is super nice, and the belaying lesson that they make you take as a first timer is very useful and well taught. My instructor went over the knots and the concepts several times so that we all felt fairly confident in going off on our own. I was really worried that I would forget everything the second I started climbing, and found this fear to be unfounded. Instead, I got to concentrate all my energy on being scared of falling, but that’s neither here nor there.
I took off two stars b/​c 1) there isn’t good signage to direct you to their parking lot. I made a weird turn before I was able to find the right place. 2) the organization could be a little better. it was a little confusing to figure out where we should go at first, and then we found the climbing routes a little poorly labeled.
I would definitely come back (in fact I’m looking forward to it). And that’s saying a lot, considering I am terrified of heights.

Wow. That was the first and only word that popped into my head when I went to Planet Rock. The walls tower over you at heights that dwarf the last gym I went to in LA. There are so many different routes to choose from that my head was spinning.
Mind you, I’m a complete novice, but I managed to make it to the top once or twice, after practically failing the belay test. (Apparently I should have brushed up on things before trying…)
I love [almost] every place that will give me a student discount ($ 15 for a day pass), but I think I would like Planet Rock even without it. Most of the staff were very nice and helpful. They even have a self-​belay system I hope to try in the future.
It appears that business is good there, as it got fairly crowded. Still, plenty more routes to explore as I attempt to reach rock climbing proficiency. And the kids’ classes are adorable to watch!

So there’s this thing I like to do when I go indoor rock climbing. Okay, well two things but I’ll rule out climbing since that should essentially be a given. Not to sound all pervy and what not, but climbers have amazing back muscles. I admit it. I stare at people’s rippling back muscles when they’re on their +5.11’s and what not. It’s almost like there’s a weird spell over you where you can’t look away. «Taking a break» (after a few successful climbs) usually involves me sipping on a bottle of water, laying on the blue bouncy mat, staring at muscles in a dreamy way.
I suppose you want something useful to read besides my eccentricities. Well, come on Thursdays (Crank Night!) when everything is ½ off. Make sure you’ve got lots of chalk to climb with, an experienced belayer and significant amount of confidence. Even though it’s relatively cheap to rent, it’s worth it in the long run to buy your own harness and shoes (if you plan on coming here frequently). The only reason why I didn’t give 5 stars is because of the loose holds you’ll encounter every now and then.
P. S. Do your pull-​ups.

I used to like this place when I started coming here in 2004. Back then I did a balance of rope climbing and bouldering, and I remember the routes being challenging, well-​set, somewhat maintained, and overall pretty good. I remember the staff being friendly and helpful. The music used to be good, even to the point that I swapped tunes with some people working there. And the place was clean, the pads maintained, and there was no discernible stench. I thought I had written a review about this place before (I wonder if it was deleted) and I gave it 4 stars.
I’ve been living elsewhere, but I come back to Ann Arbor occasionally and make it a point to go climbing (and to use up my point card). The last dozen times I’ve come here (spanning the past 2 years) I’ve noticed a precipitous decline in all aspects of this gym.
Mostly I do bouldering now, and they bouldering section is typically sparse with routes, the routes are poorly maintained (missing tape and have loose holds), frequently unranked (V1 or V6?. not labeled), dirty and old holds, and uninspiring and uncreative problems. There are kids running around unattended: the noise is distracting and annoying, but what’s worse is that they play around under you when climbing and that’s dangerous. I fully encourage to get kids into climbing, but the bouldering section is not an open playground, and these kids need to be supervised. The staff seems bored, depressed, and/​or angry and tend not to be helpful, friendly, or attentive anymore. The music, when it is playing, is a bizarre collection of tastes which often doesn’t really seem fitting to a climbing gym. And there was no air conditioning in August… are you crazy! People were sweating from just standing around.
I’ve been to many different climbing gyms across the planet and I would rank Planet Rock circa 2004 – 2006 as one of the better ones. I’ve even recommended it to fellow climbers as a place to stop while traveling. However, I’ve got to say that my recent experiences knock it down to one of the worst… consistently bad for the past two years, so it’s not just a couple of bad trips. I know the potential is there because it used to be great, and I really hope they can pull it together and crank up the quality, because I’ll be stuck going there for the next few weeks and I’m currently wondering if it’s even worth it.

OMG… this is a good/​horrible way to find out if you really trust a person.
1^st first-​timer — The was the best and worst experience ever. Lol! Only because I didn’t trust the person holding it at the other end. You had to go to a 30 min training which including safety checks, knotting, and what to do if someone offs. Your first session will cost about $ 42 (includes equipment, safety class, shoes, and entrance fee) and after your first session than it’s like $ 20 or $ 25.
***The only bad thing they didn’t let the group experienc was actually falling a little.
I am proud of myself because I gotten like 12ft off the floor and I wasn’t scared of looking down (Of course i’m good in that department) but because the other was talking and looking around. (OMG I just about sh#tty my pants — woo I’m glad I wear black) Lol!
There’s a lot kids around but everything is well organized and supervised.
PLEASE NOTE — YOU WILL HAVE TO SIGN A WAIVER!!!

People who have never been rock climbing before tend to think of it as an exclusive and extreme sport, reserved for people who swallow swords at the circus and walk on hot coals. Not so. When you’re at Planet Rock, you see that it’s a very family-​friendly sport that’s embraces climbers of all levels.
This winter, I got into indoor rock climbing to ward off cabin fever and have become an addict ever since. There’s a nice starter package for beginners where a staff member does a hands-​on explanation of how to operate your gear and belay your partner. The starter package includes all your rental gear for the day, basic instruction, and a free day pass for the next time you visit the gym. All the staff are pretty friendly and make sure you feel comfortable and know all your safety checks.
For those who are already advanced climbers, there are lead routes available, some going up to 5.12d. (They do have 5.13s at the gym in Pontiac, though.) There’s plenty of bouldering space, too, so it’s hard to get bored.
It’s a great bonding group activity, whether you’re hanging with friends, entertaining your kids, or on a date. Even if your own friends suck and don’t want to come with you, there’s a forum on the Planet Rock website on which several people have found new partners. (Even short, scrawny old me found someone my size to climb with!)