VITAL Climbing Gym - West Harlem — Attraction in New York

Pros: Nice modern bouldering-only climbing facility serving the upper west side/Harlem/Wash Hts/Inwood area with a full array of routes for different skills levels. Staff are quite friendly. Free-weights and hang board training area exist (albeit quite small, see verdict). Locker room area is co-ed (i.e. expect to change in the bathrooms), no towels nor showers (that I am aware of). The facility is almost all windows, which for the most part is awesome, although it can become quite hot at peak sunlight hours. Occasionally it is busy, but for the most part it is never so busy that it becomes frustrating (a problem common during mid-evening hours and most of the weekend days other larger facilities, ahemThe Cliffsahem). The lounge area in the entry way has ping pong (yay?....).

Cons: As it stands, the hours are limited (10a-10p most days) making it hard for ppl like myself with a grown-up career to make it as often as intended (no early morning option, nor late option for those that get home at 8p). The pricing ($108/mo for non-students) is a little out of wack for the space and overall what the gym offers. Yes, you get access to Steep Rock East, but the time to travel there from the West side by public transit is prohibitive (and options limited) and I personally would just as soon travel to LIC for better facilities. They should offer a West-only option for $60-70/mo. Towels and showers are absent - this IS a gym, right? I am left with a sense that the entry space could be significantly better utilized given the overall square footage of the facility; It looks like a direct translation of an architect's/interior designer's proposal, and as such lacks comfort and functionality.

For comparison: I was a member of The Cliffs LIC for a number of years, which offers more climbing space - including slightly more bouldering, top rope, and sport routes, with a more complete gym and significantly expanded hours (6/7a - midnight) for a similar price + access to the outdoor Dumbo and Vahalla locations. I always felt well served, with the exception of peak hours crowding.

The verdict: I like that this gym exists, and enjoy climbing here. Steep Rock is the first to venture into the area (above midtown), and I respect that. Beginners should find enough V0-3 routes to make a visit worth the cost, while the V4 and up routes offer a really nice spectrum of options to train on for regular climbers. The pricing needs adjustment (as mentioned , an option to join this location only). It would be really nice if the hours were expanded, though I am not sure the customer-base exists to justify it - it seems tailored to serve primarily students. Lessor issues: Towels need to manifest, and they should consider installing showers. The weight lifting and hang board area as well as locker room appear to be an afterthought (the former positioned in a high...

TLDR: This is a small youth gym charging big gym prices.

This small gym is filled with pleasant sunlight even in the winter, making it a great spot to meet a friend for climbing & coffee on a cold Saturday morning. However, the cramped facilities and poor management caused me to drop my membership in favor of another gym that is more practical for daily use.

There are two modest climbing walls, and the route setting skews difficult, presumably to keep people from flashing everything & leaving. The main space is filled with light from floor-to-ceiling windows, a rare pleasure in the winter. The exercise area is a wide spot in the hallway with foam floor tiles and a single squat rack. The yoga room looks nice but I've never used it. There are three bathrooms, all downstairs, and a small locker room. All of this is pleasant enough... on the weekends.

However, on any given weeknight, the entire upstairs area (AKA half the gym) is shut down for comp team practice. Expect it to be loud, chaotic, and mostly empty of regulars or anyone of drinking age. Expect the "locker room" I mentioned to become full of 4th graders on a moment's notice. Vital will nonetheless happily charge you full price for the use of 1/3 of their facilities.

All this is to say that I can't recommend the $125/mo membership to anyone out of high school. Even if you went every weekend for a month, you come out $17 ahead buying 4 day passes instead ($27 x 4 = $108). Do yourself a favor and get a key card for any other gym...

It's a good gym with interesting routes and a good community. However, it may not be worth the $115/month for everyone. The wall is smaller than most places so you have a limited variety of problems (although they are good problems). The gym area with the workout equipment is pretty small and cramped. They don't have student discounts but they do have financial assistance programs. However, it is not the same thing. I'd rather have student discounts, no questions asked. The $115 is for access to all 3 gyms (west Harlem, east side and Brooklyn) and the Brooklyn gym is much bigger and had a lot more facilities but it's unrealistic to expect people who live near west Harlem to make the trip to the Brooklyn gym 3 times a week. I would pay $115 for the Brooklyn gym, no complaints but I don't see why I'm paying for a privilege I will use maybe once a month at most. No showers is also a little annoying. However, the route setting and staff is top notch and I still enjoy the climbing sessions. It just doesn't feel like it's worth $115/month to me. If they introduced a $75-$85/month plan for just west Harlem, I'd give it 5...