Elevation Bouldering Gym — Attraction in Eugene

I've been going to Elevation about 5 days a week for several months. I started as a total novice. After visiting other bouldering gyms, I've already started worrying about whether any other gym could take Elevation's place if I left Eugene.

Elevation is spacious, bright, clean, and modern. They don't have quite as many amenities as some places, but the indoor bike parking, separate kids area, lounge, locker room, and weight room are welcome. The falling mats are thicker and softer than average, which makes falling less intimidating. I haven't seen any significant injuries occur in the many hours I've spent there. The staff is friendly and always willing to offer help and advice (and, in my case, bandaids). Phil's foundation series classes fundamentally changed my approach to climbing for the better, and the Let's Climb Together meetups seem like a great way to join a social group. In my experience, most Let's Climb Together participants are intermediate climbers, though there is a large range.

Most importantly, Elevation's team of route setters are talented and thoughtful. Even the blue routes (the easiest level) are varied and individually crafted, which helps beginners learn new skills right from the start. New routes go up regularly. Pretty much every time I walk up to a wall of new routes, I encounter something I haven't seen before. It almost feels like the routes are teaching me to solve problems and develop new techniques. Weirdly enough, the routes sometimes feel like well-made crossword puzzles in this sense. The route setters also mix things up with novelties like spray walls (walls packed with all kinds of holds and no pre-set routes) and chaos walls (where the color coding system changes, allowing you to encounter holds you wouldn't ordinarily see at the difficulty levels you're used to).

I don't love the music, but that's just what you get when 22-year-olds have the aux cable. I also wish they had more classes and other programming for adults, particularly during the day when the gym is quiet.

If you have the time and motivation to visit a few times a week, a membership is more than worth it. I'd suggest taking the foundation classes as soon as possible. Experienced climbers passing through Eugene should definitely get a day pass.

COVID note: Elevation was great with COVID safety while managing to stay open and support its employees. As of late March 2022, masks are now optional, and most people don't wear them. However, it is an airy, well-ventilated space. If you're concerned about COVID exposure, I'd suggest going during off hours, such as before school gets out on a weekday, to make it easier to maintain social distancing.

UPDATE: The music has...

I've been to .... Dozens? Oh gyms all over the country since 1995 and this wonderful space is top 3. Love the crew, features, space, value, lessons and most importantly the routes. They manage to strike a balance between cultivation of an inclusive, save, fun and welcoming environment, while having quality routes and facilities that meet or exceed what you would expect from a big box gym. They have excellent youth programs for both recreational and competitive climbers of all ages. A challenge in all gyms is providing a fun environment for young climbers while still maintaining a safe environment. Unsupervised small children are at risk for serious injuries or worse in an environment with many falling adult bodies. They've addressed inherent risk by teaching parents that bringing children to the gym is not like dropping them off at day care or the playground, but a space where they can closely supervise their children, helping them learning situational awareness and proper climbing safety and etiquette.

I love this gym and look forward to their continuing growth...

This is the best climbing gym I’ve ever been to. Planet granite, Brooklyn boulders, cliffs at LIC / DUMBO all have nothing on the boulders here at Elevation. Day passes are $15 which is actually quite reasonable, they’re $20-$39 at the gyms I’ve listed above, and they do have student rates ($2 off), and a reasonable monthly rate. Setting is amazing with lots of variety even at lower grades, from slab to overhang, with dynamic and static routes sprinkled in all around the gym.

This place is fantastic for new climbers or folks getting back into climbing because there’s so much variety of movement. You can pick up fairly advanced techniques and movements without needing to advance to a higher grade which I haven’t seen at other gyms.

The gym is also spacious which leads to less climbers sitting directly under the wall or blocking routes, and COVID precautions seem to be taken very seriously.

Get a day pass before noon and you can usually return later (just talk with the friendly folks at the front desk) which can give you a better idea on what the climbing...