Boulderklub Kreuzberg Boulderhalle — Attraction in Berlin

When I first went to Boulderklub, I thought they had such a beautiful atmosphere and a chill vibe. I told them directly at the reception it was my first time bouldering but they didn't explain anything about the place. The waiver they made us all sign was in German so I didn't know what it said (they even told us to forget the number of our contract and that we didn't need it).

Unfortunately, on that same day I broke my ankle in three places. One of the grips on the beginner's route was super slippery and there weren't any handles to get down (though it was a beginner's route) so I fell from several metres. When I broke my ankle, the main people who helped me were other climbers and it took ages for someone from the club to come and call an ambulance. Nobody from the club took down my details to call me and ask if I was okay.

After I had to get emergency surgery on both sides of my leg and was bed-bound for one month, I contacted the club to ask if they have an insurance since this surgery and rehabilitation would impact me for many months and cost thousands of euros, and they were honestly quite unhelpful and took ages to respond to any emails, though of course expressing sympathy at my situation.

After dealing with their insurance company for 9 months (who were impossible to get hold of even by phone), the insurance person concluded alongside Boulderklub that they would not give any money at all to compensate for this injury, which means that I have lost thousands of euros in income and thousands in personal expenses. It is well documented that when taken to court bouldering establishments have a duty of care towards their clients and there are many well publicised instances of them losing claims for this reason. In particular, the fact that they ask participants to sign a German version of the terms of agreement and they do not even have the English version available on the website, is worrying given how many international people frequent Boulderklub.

Insurance companies are known to be unhelpful so I am not extremely surprised, but what really hurt me in this process is the lack of communication and care on the side of Boulderklub. I had thought because of their atmosphere and brand that they would handle things with more accountability and care, trying at least to see how they can make it safer for future climbers (this is one of my worries) but they could not have been less present, and it was extremely disappointing. This injury has impacted me for almost one year and it upset me deeply how they handled this situation.

I also know that many climbing facilities have handles to help people get down, give initial instructions to new climbers, and have a special insurance to help climbers in the event of an accident, so I do think they could have done more on a practical level to ensure the safety of climbers and to be congruent with their vibe of creating a caring atmosphere.

In conclusion, Boulderklub has a nice atmosphere and vibe but if anything happens to you whilst climbing do not expect them to step...

I go to the Boulderklub mainly because it's just as close to my house as Kegel, but I don't like climbing at the Kegel. Boulderklub is big and has a lot of walls to choose from for many different styles. Grading wise, I have no idea what's really going on because it seems all over the place. If I understand correctly, red is somewhere between FB 6A to 6B and Grey 6C to 7A? Black ones being harder than 7A up to 8B. However, I find myself flashing some grey problems or redpointing them very easily compared to other gyms. Some red problems are harder than grey problems and vice versa. I know climbing is supposed to be for fun, but being able to know at what level you are climbing consistently is nice.

There are 3 other things which made me give it 3 stars instead of 5:

Kids are running around the place every time I've been there, underneath me whilst I'm working on a problem. I've had many close calls where I almost landed on them. It seems like the parents at this place cannot keep an eye on their kids making it very dangerous for them and other climbers

Magnesium smog. Ventilation problem perhaps? But I haven't seen this much magnesium powder smog anywhere else. Can't be too good for your lungs.

Price: Whilst it is a nice gym, the Berta Block has a similar price but is much, much bigger than Boulderklub Kreuzberg. Location might have something to do with this though.

Overall though, very nice place in the middle of Berlin to boulder if you can avoid the kids and don't mind paying a bit for the location. Der kegel is about 30% cheaper but the holds there are old and worn out and during the winter the outdoor area isn't nice to climb and indoors can be...

Very unhelpful and inconsiderate staff. Purchased a day pass and then wanted to purchase climbing shoes for a friend that they had in stock. However, I was told shoes could only be purchased after 1:30pm (it was 11:30am at the time). The next day, I gave them a call and asked if shoes could only be purchased at 1:30pm again. I was told that they can’t promise me when I’d be able to purchase shoes because it depends on how many people are ordering coffee or are checking in and if they FEEL like selling shoes at that time… which is ridiculous. How difficult is it to sell a pair of shoes? Or how hard is it to just ask me to wait a few minutes so other customers can get their coffee? I would imagine from a business standpoint, a customer wanting to spend 130€ for shoes should be treated with the same urgency as a customer purchasing coffee or a day pass. If your staff can decide when to sell shoes based on how they “feel” that day, then how about not having a display for merchandise at all. Sounds like a terrible business plan to me. If manager isn’t aware of this, then please train your staff again.

From a climbing standpoint, I’ve been climbing for 4 years and this is the first gym where they do not provide enough down climbing holds on their walls.

Overall, would not come back mainly due to the poor...