Albany's Indoor Rockgym — Attraction in City of Albany

My brother was up visiting from LI and wanted to take his nephews (4, 8 &10) to do something fun! We had a blast! The staff was friendly and gave great instruction. There was something for everyone! There was even a belayed climbing route my 4 y/o could scramble to the top with ease. And when he decided he had enough of the harness and wasn't a huge fan of the caves ( which he WAS eventually convinced to take a quick crawl through anyway ...big brothers) he had a blast bouldering in multiple different sections.

The bigger two loved it all. They made it to the top of multiple climbs and struggled on others, which was a perfect mix. They couldn't get enough of the caves and I'm pretty sure made it through ALL of the paths, laughing at their uncle struggling to keep up along the way. He of course wasn't about to let them show him up, so completed one of the climbs they had struggled with and showed off on some bouldering (while he did a great job, his collegiate athlete days are over and I hope he remembered to take some motrin when he got home...he's gonna be hurting in the morning!)

The place really caters to all ages and skill levels. There was a grandmother there with her tween granddaughter that they taught to belay in no time at all and a family that came in who was clearly experienced that they were showing different bouldering techniques and routes too.

This is a great place to take the kids to burn off some energy (just keep in mind under 10 needs to be 1:1 with an adult...while I totally understand it for the climbing portion, I think 8 would probably be ok on their own in the caves, as long as the parent knows their kids and they're not scared of the dark...because parts are DARK....but Ia sure they have their reasons). It is also great for a date night, a night or afternoon out with friends, a place to try something new, a team building experience for coworkers, and 2 of my kids have asked about having their birthday party there!

Lastly the price is so reasonable! $20 for gear rental and admission and you can climb all day...leaving for lunch or dinner and coming back if you haven't had enough yet. I'm pretty sure $20 barely gets you an hour at the trampoline park (& from an emergency medicine provider's perspective....I've seen a lot less indoor rock climbing injuries (as in zero) than trampoline injuries....dozens) 😉

I totally recommend giving this place a shot! I'd be willing to bet that for most people, if you go once, you'll go more...

Plus side: Good deal for the price- They had a great deal on Groupon which made trying it out a real option Conveniently located right off of Central Ave. Interesting routes- Good variety of corners, gaps, reclined, and inclined walls.

Down side: Unorganized routes- Routes are taped meaning you may use a red, white, and purple rock all one the same route, but there is a piece of tape next to each rock. This makes each problem more difficult and frustrating since you really have to map out a route before climbing. Overused rocks- Most rocks have limited grip still on them from frequent use. This makes even the easiest 5.10 a challenge and requires a lot of chalk. No designated bouldering area- Bouldering is scattered about the gym and intermixed with lead and top roping walls. The floor has thin 1-2" mats and there are a few 3 -5 inch crash pads that you can pull over. This is also rather dangerous since there is no stopping line and falling is not a good option with the thin crash pads.

Suggestions:

1. Buy rocks of the same color which match in difficulty. Get rid of the confusing tape. This makes you look unorganized and cluttered.
2. Convert one of the sides or sections into straight bouldering. Get thick 8-12 inch pads for this section. Bouldering is more accessible to beginner and intermediate climbers and really helps to build a regular crowd. Any gym I've been too has most always seen more people bouldering than top roping/lead climbing.
3. Play some music. Nothing better than sending to some tunes.

Overall- I don't know that I would go again in the state that this gym is in even for the Groupon price on this. I would love to go here instead of the Latham rock climbing gym location, but some things just...

I have stopped into AIR twice now, always when passing through the area on my way to Binghamton.

This certainly is a unique climbing gym. It has a good mix of top rope and bouldering routes, though I have always only bouldered. Also, I have heard and read a lot about the cave system, but have not had the courage to try it yet. They have probably the least-expensive day pass I've purchased.

The bouldering ratings are about right (not soft or hard), and I enjoyed working on the few problems available at my skill level (V3-V4) after warming up on some easier climbs. The routes are marked in a slightly confusing way including a numbering system, but I eventually got used to it during both of my visits. There are some very interesting routes e.g. the orange one that traverses the entire large climbing area (there are 2).

The area isn't great - sort of a run-down industrial area - but I've never had any problems, and parking has always been available right off the street.

I feel bad about taking 1 star off, because this place seems to be built and run based on a real love of climbing and desire to share it. It is definitely worth a visit. The 1 star off is due to not switching up the routes (from what I could see in the 1 year between my visits), the top-rope routes not being very tall due to the low ceiling, and the place being a little crowded mainly due to the low amount of...