Vertical Endeavors–Minneapolis — Attraction in Minneapolis

Let's talk about belay tests, gym safety and rude staff.

I was here for the holidays and needed a belay test as I'm only here once every few years.

I was belaying exactly per Petzl's "How to belay with a Neox" video - 28s to 33s - for feeding slack to a leader. However, I was told I had failed my belay test because my brake hand was not below the belay device. As you can see in the video, not only is this awkward advice, it is advice for top roping and lowering, not feeding slack to a leader moving quickly up a route - where the ability to very rapidly feed out and take in rope is critical for their safety.

When I questioned her on this, she became defensive and escalated the situation by now claiming I had let go of the brake side of the rope during the test. This was a lie that never happened - not even close in any way. At this point it was clear this wasn't a belay test, we were here to be humiliated and degraded to feed this woman's ego and she was willing to lie and make up stories to facilitate it.

My partner somehow passed their test. I made light of this now over-the-top situation by joking that they were going to be my belay slave and we both laughed a bit. This further upset her and she immediately changed her mind and revoked my partner's belay cert.

Fast forward to the end of my bouldering session, I found a $20 and an ID on the floor - so off to the front to turn it in - where I unfortunately saw her as the only person at the desk, along with a condescending scowl on her face.

At this point I had processed what happened earlier and I firmly told her how degrading I thought it was to tell someone they're too incompetent to hold on to the brake strand and how I felt this treatment of people was well known and normal for a Nate Postma gym - see other reviews here - and that I wasn't going to accept it. Of course, this upset her as I knew it would, but it needed to be said. She told me to leave the gym and I told her she was going to need to call the police for that to happen - which she then did. I was surprisingly relieved after chatting with them a little later - that grounded professionals were now present. We talked and joked for about 15 minutes as I changed and cleaned up while she hid in a corner far away - then we all left - never ever to return to this toxic h hole.

I would encourage anyone who feels they are being bullied by the staff here to stand up for themselves.

I want to take another moment to comment on the irony of the strictly enforced safety rules in this gym - that in fact I did not feel this is a safe gym.

While they noted bouldering results in the most injuries in a climbing gym - I agree - zero time was spent in the rather lengthy orientation going over the importance of proper spotting and how to safely hit the mat and drop and roll - the 101 basics of bouldering safety. 2 of the 3 landing mats were very hard given the height of the boulders and others have commented here in the reviews. If you're sending your kid here, it's not a matter of if but when they take an out of control head first fall as they're learning - especially on holds that are often greasy and polished from not having been changed in a long time. For contrast - go take a look for yourself at the landing surfaces at the MBP gym a few minutes away.

For route climbing, I found an analogous situation - an overemphasis on details that have little to do with how people get injured, while getting wrong things that send people to the hospital. People get hurt by gaining unnecessary velocity during a fall and that energy breaking ankles and whipping belayers into the wall. There was little to no emphasis on effectively managing slack beyond VE's recommended "bro loop" as a misexecution of a "soft catch" - you'll have to Google it as I have run out of my allowed number of words here.

Stay safe people. If they were devoted climbers with significant experience - they wouldn't be here in the Midwest - so take what you hear with a grain of salt and seek out other sources of...

The new facility in Bloomington had a grand opening yesterday. We've been to vertical endeavors and were excited to have one closer. We went to the open house to learn about a punch pass, climbing team and classes for a 7th grader and a 9th grader. During our visit, not ONE person said, welcome, hello, what can I do to help you, do you have questions, can I provide you any information.

We were there for over an hour and could not get that information and staff was generally rude, harassed and "too busy" to talk have a conversaton. If what we experienced was any indication of how the facility will be run, it is sure to FAIL. The staff failed to listen or to provide any information.

We started at the table outside and told them what we wanted and the woman didn't even listen, her job was to get people to sign waivers or as she told me that the facility was going lose their insurance. I stated multiple times that we were not going to climb, we just wanted information on punch cards, classes and climb teams. It didn't matter to her....she wanted that form signed, initialed and dated and it didn't matter what we wanted or what questions we had. It was clear, she and noone else would talk to us until we had a wristband.

An open house should have had the purpose of providing information. We couldn't find any. Once we finally got back to the back corner of the facility we found a brochure on the climb teams, we were told by two staff members that they didn't know when there would be sign up and what days but they knew that there were no climb teams now and they didn't know when there might be. They could not tell us the difference between the climb teams or recommendations on how to get started.

We asked five different people about punch cards. We still don't kow how many punches are on a card or how much they are. We asked about open gym and we were told that there 1.) there is never open gym (so why do you have punch cards, 2.) that there was always open gym. I don't know which it is. I asked more than five people the same question.

We asked about classes and we were told to go to the website. So, we had a great time at the open house. We got pushed, shoved, and told to go to the website. Next, time, skip the open house, just call it open climb and those of us that were serious about getting information...

Located in Minneapolis, MN, Vertical Endeavors proved to be an exceptional destination for our family outing, especially for our adventurous 3-year-old daughter, Zoē. As Zoē's interest in the local kids' rock walls waned due to the lack of challenge, we sought new avenues to explore her potential talents. Despite initial concerns about Zoē's age and safety, the welcoming and informative assistance from staff members like Josh and Benny immediately put us at ease.

The facility's policy of allowing toddlers in for free with a paid adult not only eased our financial concerns but also showcased their understanding of children's apprehensions towards climbing. Benny's meticulous attention to detail, particularly in fitting Zoē's harness and ensuring our comfort with the equipment, was truly commendable and added an extra layer of reassurance.

Zoē's excitement was palpable as she confidently tackled the walls, displaying remarkable fearlessness and agility. It was heartwarming to witness her enthusiasm grow with each successful climb, almost reluctant to leave after three hours of uninterrupted fun. Vertical Endeavors' commitment to providing a safe yet exhilarating experience for climbers of all ages left a lasting impression on us.

As Zoē eagerly asks to return to Vertical Endeavors even as I write this review the day after our visit, it's clear that we've found a new favorite activity for our family. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the staff for creating such a welcoming and engaging environment, and we eagerly anticipate our next adventure at...