The Rock Oasis Inc. — Attraction in Toronto

To start off I would like to say that I respect the gym for its early start toward pioneering the Toronto climbing community. However old it has remained (maybe that's part of the aesthetic?), the facility is sub par with limited windows, upon leaving it feels like coming out of a Vegas casino. The building smells like paint when arriving and inside the gym is quite dusty. The climbing walls are merely adequate compared to those of other gyms who have started to switch to walltopia or more modern walls. The climbing pads are firm and can take a large fall which is nice, washrooms are well kept and clean, and the gym is also putting a good effort toward environmentally friendly options such as composting. There is a nice community vibe and there are regulars to talk to along with local climbing info boards. The gym often seems overstaffed with teenagers which seems odd for a climbing gym, when they aren't overstaffed the workers feel unapproachable due to their interest in talking with one another, however this is not the case for all staff. Climbing after work hours you will often find the gym crowded with other people but mostly a day camp of some sort, this is quite frustrating due to the smallish bouldering area. The gym has tons of available space but is not effectively used. There are too many belay course walls taking up an entire length of the gym and I still have yet to see one being used. There is a 'kids area' which is the size of a small gym on its own, I have noticed birthday parties are the main reason for the area, the 'kids area' can be turned into another bouldering section with a small area for the birthday parties which would be yet another great business opportunity. In terms of climbing, the bouldering is decent, the walls can get crowded with mostly v1-v2's. The ratings are a bit higher than most gyms which fit more with outdoor climbing which is good. The holds seem old and worn out, but they work with what is given. The routes are graded very accurately for the most part, and I haven't seen any routes harder than a 5.12c so if your looking for harder routes this would not be the right place for you. The walls are short and leading can get frightening on some of the vertical walls because of the spaced out draws, and the walls themselves are very short so if you aren't the most careful belayer decking can easily become a possibility. I would rate higher but I feel the drawbacks have a large impact on the...

Rock Oasis is a decent climbing gym. Most of the staff are quite friendly, and it’s a pretty big space. It’s fairly clean and has the option of top roping, leading, and bouldering.

That said, and this only pertains to the bouldering since I having tried the routes there yet, the route setting at this gym is really weak. The problems are inconsistently graded (you try a mid-range V4-V5 and you could be getting anything from V2-V7). The setup is also really unclear relative to other gyms — you need to spend a lot of time just trying to figure out where your problem starts, where it finished, and which volumes are in or out. The fact that they take volumes in is the biggest issue, and is indicative of very lazy setting. Finally, it seems the only tool the settlers have (for the most part) to make a problem harder is to simply make it crimpier.

In contrast, setting at other gyms is intuitive, consistent, and clear. I suggest checking out Boulderz to gain a better understanding of consistent setting. Keep in mind, as well, that I’m also an experienced route setter (not in Toronto) and make these remarks as objectively as possible.

In the meantime, here are some quick suggestions: Start working around the volumes you have rather than treating them as holds. All volumes are in the way, therefore all volumes ought to be in. Keep them in mind when setting. Try to avoid similar-coloured problems set side by side. This gym is not only guilty of that, but even of having them intersect and cross over each other. Finished are often very hard to find. Focus on providing a variety of problems: crimpy, burly, technical, balancy, etc. Have a SYSTEM for grading. I don’t know what goes on here, but it feels like setters are grading based on what it feels like to them, or deciding they are setting a problem of a certain grade and not willing to accept that what they set was not what they...

Rock oasis is a great place to start for one who have never climbed as it has both bouldering,along with belay and auto belay traditional climbs.

Right from the start I was impressed with how massive Rock Oasis is. It is spread out giving climbers a good amount of space. The different degrees of difficulty will challenge anyone from beginners to advanced. A good diversity of routes from the typical vertical to incline, to caves, Rock Oasis has a lot to offer and that’s just talking about bouldering. Over 6 routes of belay climbing and if you don’t have someone they still have auto belay available.

I enjoyed the set aside area for stretching, foam rolling, and dynamic movement. Showers were a nice addition as most gyms I’ve climbed at don’t offer this and Rock Oasis is quite warm inside.

4 stars considering many of the holds were past their prime. I had a lot of trouble on routes that should have been easy as many holds felt like wet grass. Along with older holds the heat didn’t help, which I’m glad I went to in the morning compared to later in the day. Getting to Rock Oasis made me feel like a mouse in a maze. After passing door after door in a long industrialized hallway I finally found the small Rock Oasis door after multiple times turning around saying “where am I?” Upon leaving I was again in that maze and had trouble finding the exit. If the building owner allows there should be signage added to help with directions.

Overall worth visiting to get some climbing in yet if you want to take chances and go big this might not be the best place as often I didn’t feel comfortable in certain spots on how smooth and slick the holds were, which forced me to stick to easier/more comfortable routes. Even so the variety of routes, staff, and other climbers were pleasant and helpful. Worth checking out...