Coral Cliffs Rock Climbing Center — Attraction in Dania Beach

!!! Edit: While I haven’t been back here, I can see significant new updates to their bouldering setup in user photos. My review describes the gym’s rocky past, not its present. Read more recent reviews for accuracy. I wrote this to pressure the gym to improve. They have and I respect that.

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If falling onto deflated and torn hospital mattresses with exposed metal springs placed loosely over concealed wooden platforms and concrete floors is your thing, try the "bouldering pass".

The stack of four hangboards towering twice my six foot tall brother's height with not a single pad beneath them was pretty horrifying. I don't particularly think falling my own height to the concrete below is worth a few pullups.

Probably the most obvious "don't ever do that" element of the bouldering section was the monstrous twenty foot tall wooden beam resting idly against the wall, perfectly aligned with the entire claustrophobic sitting area, just begging to be tipped.

The worst part was seeing the oblivious little kids topping out on a wall without a down climb over a floor that nobody bothered to put pads on. The kids I watched didn't know to move the mats, nor did their parents really understand that either. The kids crawled on top of the back side of the bouldering structure where there are screws sticking out and spare parts lying around. They crawled behind the white climbing wall into the dark storage room back there too.

There's a six inch rise of wood beneath the two inches of mattress the gym has generously provided. Seeing as almost all of the poorly set routes require being upside down with your feet digging into uncleaned holds and pressed against greased up walls, I can only imagine the back pain of those who weren't cautious enough to avoid landing on it. Imagine lying three blankets over a step and diving onto it back first.

There is one actual mattress with thickness to it but instead of being designed to absorb, its springs bounce you right back off. Combined with the fact that there's not enough space to place it flat and not enough mattresses to cover behind it, it's just as likely to toss you back off onto the concrete as it is to catch you.

There are spiderwebs in the upper joints, literally a yellow foam mattress with no cover, a giant metal fan sitting around in the middle of everything, some old exercise equipment tossed in the corners, absolutely no supervision, slippery surfaces and crummy holds.

I escaped with my head intact for the low low price of fifteen dollars and about half an hour of desperate time wasting.

Zero out of any number you care to count to. You guys should be ashamed to actually allow people to pay for an unmaintained portion of your gym knowing full well my entrance fee was worth more than every one of those mattresses. That the cost was nearly as much as that of the other 98% of the gym adds an extra layer of insult.

Close it off, clean it up, and stick to your top roping like...

South Florida has no mountains. That's okay though, because we have Coral Cliffs.

While the gym is relatively small it boasts a variety of climbing options and a range of difficulty that should provide scalable challenges to all levels of climber. Plenty of features and even a bouldering area make up for a lack of overall height. There's even some lead climbing options.

Experienced setters create interesting challenges considering the limitations of the space, so don't be put off by the low ceilings. You'll find some of the most interesting crux problems you've ever encountered on these walls, many of them drawn from real rock walls around the world. Not every route is five stars, but you'll see a creativity on the walls that you won't find in much larger gyms.

There are a few downsides though. Because it's the only rock climbing gym in Ft Lauderdale the gym can get crowded during peak hours. Due to its diminutive size, it doesn't take much to get to that point. Needless to say, the most crowded areas are often the easier routes. Finding out the peaks and when the best time to go is may take a little trial and error.

The staff are extremely friendly and helpful but there's not a lot of them and while they do their best to serve everybody, sometimes they can't get to everybody at the same time, which can cause some frustration. Phone calls don't always get answered, and sometimes you'll be waiting at the front desk to check in. I encourage you to call back in a few minutes or simply wait patiently for the staff - it's worth the wait. For information on what they offer their website has quite a bit of info, and several contact options if you need more detail.

The heat during the summer can be impressive, so make sure to stay hydrated. You will sweat. A lot. This isn't so much an issue with the gym as much as the nature of being in South Florida. There are refreshments available for purchase but water is always available. Visiting during the evening once the great fireball in the sky is set is a good solution to this.

Finally there's the pricing. It's arguably on the high side, but it certainly improves somewhat with options like monthly memberships. Even so, being the only gym in Lauderdale allows it to set a price profile that is somewhat higher than a gym of that size might otherwise command. Keep in mind though, that if that profile were set any lower the gym might become impossibly packed, so there's a silver lining.

Worth visiting? Absolutely. If you're from out of town you definitely need to visit just to see why Florida climbers pull so hard out on real rock, and the kind of dedication to the sport the South Florida community has. If you're local and want to try something new and fresh to mix up your workout routine, I can tell you this: you've never tried anything like this, you'll most likely fall in love with it, and it's going to be the best workout...

Had a hard time deciding between 2 and 3 stars for this place given it is likely a small business and I am weary of giving low ratings to small business. However, there are several low cost changes that they could incorporate that would increase value of the venue.

Despite all the issues: In lack of a better location I still recommend the gym since you can climb there and climbing is a fun and healthy sport.

Pros: One of the closest climbing locations to where we were (still a 40 min drive). Not sure if it is a pro but the lack of good bouldering routes made us use of our creativity.

Cons: They advertise bouldering but their bouldering wall is less than 9 ft wide and 9 ft tall and woefully inadequate. They recommend people use the top rope routes as bouldering but only climb to "low" heights. However, if this is the intent, they should mark with a line the highest position a boulderer should climb. Moreover, bouldering without mats is not safe or appropriate. The place has no AC which makes it unbearably hot (even in the winter!). Registration is still done on paper instead of a tablet application. They offer some food and drinks for purchase but the freezers are all partially empty which give a decayed feel.

Disclosure: I am reviewing from the perspective of a boulderer. For a person that does top rope some of the cons do not apply. However, they advertise both bouldering and top rope which...