Half Moon Bouldering — Attraction in Seattle

Finally got to check out Half Moon Bouldering and had a good time! As the name implies it's a bouldering only gym. Layout wise the gym has just one big room with a small exercise space on one side, a kids climbing room in the back, and a yoga studio in the back as well as a moonboard. The walls at half Moon are a bit on the shorter side for my preference but I know some people like not having big falls so this caters to that crowd. Mats are softer to land on then say Momentum but still fairly firm. Walls are wood and smooth so smearing is hard. Size wise the place is smaller than Momentum or Seattle Bouldering Project but larger than Upper Walls or the bouldering areas at Vertical World or Stone Gardens. Parking is available in a lot nearby.

Route Setting: Setting wise this place favors a lot of sit starts and 'C' route shapes to maximize the amount of movement you get on the route. Grades feel fairly stout at the lowest difficulty, you won't find a jug haul here. Moderate grades feel about similar to other gyms and a bit easier than the same V grade outside. Couldn't finish any 5 moons but they feel about right for the grade range. Style wise lots of finger and body tension intensive movements, you won't find a lot of competition or parkour type moves in their sets. You can find slab, face, arch/cave and arete climbing but none of the walls are very overhanging and there aren't any top outs or walls built for stemming. I also wish they used more volumes.

Overall a fine addition to the gym climbing in Seattle and like how it fills in a 'gap' in the gym distribution by catering to the north Seattle side. If you want to get strong on crimps, slimmers, sit starts and body tension-y moves, this is the gym for you! I know I'll be coming here anytime I can't get off the ground on a...

I really like this gym. It's about 45 minutes from our house, but we still drive down 1-2 days a week, just to climb here. The setting is very good. There are lots of unique climbs and moves that aren't found much; knee bar, bat hang, double knee bar?!? I feel like they do a very good job of incorporating these into moves into the lower grades V0-V3-ish. This really helps keep the climbs interesting and learn the techniques. I don't climb over V4, so can't say much for the higher grades, but I would assume they're similar. Right now I think the hardest problem on Kaya is a V10. There's also plenty of easier climbs for beginners. That's not to say the grading is soft, just that there are plenty of VB's and V0's. If you are a new climber or taking someone for the first time, this would be an excellent gym.

My only complaint is there is no rope climbing, not sure if there would be the space for it, but everything...

UPDATE - 3/20

Been to the Gym now and had a great time! Walls are super fresh and the holds are super sticky which makes for some fun climbing, but sore hands! Plenty of variation in difficulty and some cool areas to play around on (like the archway). The area isn't huge but still plenty to do, which is nice to be able to climb the whole gym. Positive change from stone gardens where they section you off and you can only climb in one area for an hour and a half. I've already paused my VW membership and plan to just get a punch card so I can start going here.

UPDATE - 3/20

So excited to finally have a local gym for all us Greenwood climbers. I haven't been able to give it a go yet, but I'm already excited by the layout and routes set up. Plus, the owners seem really nice and excited to bring us a local gym. Thanks halfmoon and can't wait to climb...