The Commons Climbing Gym — Attraction in Garden City

I love climbing here. The staff is extremely friendly and helpful, and are always willing to talk about climbs, cruxes, or whatever you want - so that's a major plus. Then the climbs themselves are great - lots of varied options, tons of lead climbing available throughout, some awesome splitter cracks which are great practice, and they don't really suffer from grade inflation like other gyms do which is nice. And I really appreciate their commitment to the health and safety of their members. Climb here!

April 2022 Edit: Dropping the 5 stars down to 4. This place is still awesome, and the staff are wonderful, but there's been some minor changes (for worse) since the last time I reviewed. A big one is the pricing. Prices skyrocketed in November of 2021, especially for my preferred method, the punch pass, which essentially doubled in price. Kind of forces you to either not climb there or become a member which makes it hard to be a punch pass guy who likes to climb at other gyms too but not pay multiple memberships. I don't really understand what the gym has added that warranted such a massive price increase... My second complaint is that they no longer prorate the end of memberships. When you sign up to be a member they still prorate the beginning, so you don't pay for the half a month that you were not a member. Great. But when you cancel, they don't give you your money back for the remainder of the month you won't be climbing. In the past they did this for me when I injured my finger and couldn't climb anymore, which was great and made sense. But now, a year later I find myself moving from Boise and they won't prorate the end of my membership so I have to pay for 3 weeks of dues when I won't even be in the area. Lame. Gym is still awesome, the roped climbing is great, and the staff is sweet, just be aware of their unfortunate new policies...

From the moment I first called The Commons Climbing Gym, the staff was incredibly responsive and friendly. Kellina, in particular, was amazing—so helpful and informative. She got our Girl Scout troop scheduled right away and was patient and cheerful every time I reached out with follow-up questions, whether by phone or email.

The gym graciously welcomed our group of 11 Girl Scouts and 10 moms on a Tuesday afternoon, and we couldn’t have asked for a better experience. As soon as we walked in, the entire staff made us feel at home. They got us all geared up, gave us a thorough tour of the facility, and clearly explained how everything works.

What really stood out was the extra effort the staff made to help our group. Two employees even took the time to teach us moms how to belay the girls safely, certified that we knew what we were doing, and then set the girls loose to climb. The girls had an absolute blast, and we were invited to stay as long as we liked.

Most of us were novices, but the staff made everyone feel comfortable, welcome, and supported throughout the entire visit. We had called around to several places, and The Commons Climbing Gym gave us the best response by far—and I’m so glad we chose them. The price for our group was incredibly reasonable, much less than I expected.

Everyone left excited to return, whether with their families or on their own. I highly recommend The Commons Climbing Gym for individuals, families, and groups. It's a fantastic space with exceptional staff and a welcoming atmosphere. We’ll...

Visited from out of town and… yikes. First off, the gym requires the use of GriGri belay devices on every rope. Each top rope is pre-tied with a figure-eight knot and permanently clipped into a supplied GriGri. In my opinion, this is a terrible practice. Climbers should be tying their own knots—every time. Pre-tied ropes like this can lead to inattentive belaying and a false sense of security. You're forced to trust both the knot and the device, sight unseen.

I personally prefer using my ATC and wasn't allowed to. Not being given a choice is frustrating and, frankly, unnecessary. Mandating GriGri use and locking people out of their own gear preferences is just bad gym policy. I've been climbing since 2008 and never been to a gym that has this setup; an untied hanging rope should be standard and allow climbers to learn how to use the equipment by letting them do it!

The route grades seemed a bit sandbagged from what I'm use to. Different style compared to where I mostly climb in Colorado.

On another note, the gym leans hard into a particular cultural vibe. If you're bringing kids, just know the space is covered in rainbow flags and heavy-handed LGBTQ+XYZBYR blah blah messaging—very much part of the overall atmosphere. A lot of the staff give off that classic social justice warrior energy: the type who rant about capitalism and billionaires on Twitter via their iPhone, connected to Starlink, while sipping a turmeric ginger latte from Starbucks.

Consider this...