Bouldering Project - Tempe — Attraction in Tempe

As far as bouldering goes, this is the best gym in Arizona. Unlike other states, all the gyms (but Bouldering Project) are privately owned gyms with one maybe two locations. Because of this, we in AZ don't have the luxury to bounce between multiple locations when we run out of routes unless you want to pay $100 a month per gym. Fortunately, Bouldering Project AZ sets new routes several times a week so there is always something new to climb. I can't say the same for some other gyms.

The gym itself is great. The setters do a good job with style variety. My home state gym, Stone Summit (Now a CRG branded gym), uses soft, thick Flashed padding with a soft fabric cover across their gyms. It's like falling onto a cloud, even from the top of the wall. The padding at Bouldering Project AZ is thick and soft like what I'm used to, but it's a little too bouncy. It does have a soft fabric cover and not that painful vinyl that some gyms use. That being said, I don't feel comfortable falling from the top of the wall like I would at a Stone Summit gym. Because of how bouncy it is, I do downclimb a little before getting off the wall. I feel like I could bounce into the wall on the landing if I were to drop from the top. The walls, well they're alright. I prefer Walltopia, but the smooth walls that BP uses is cool to the touch and kind of feels like granite. On the opposite side of the gym there is a couple of Kilter Boards and hangboards for members to use. Not much to say about that.

As for other non-climbing areas of the gym. The bathrooms are very clean. The weights area is the best I've ever seen in a climbing gym. All Rogue equipment. Couldn't ask for much more.

The gym offers more that I don't take advantage of. There's Yoga and other classes I have no idea about. I think. It looks like they're opening up a restaurant as part of the gym, although I'd prefer that they'd get in touch with D'Lite Healthy on the Go and have one open in that area instead.

Conclusion: BP is the best bouldering gym in AZ. The only thing I could ask for is for this location to be 24/7 like the Utah location. It gets hot here and for night owls like myself, it would be nice to come here in the late evening or middle of the night. Oh and for a 60ft Walltopia wall gym in Tempe. The name is Bouldering Project, so it's not going to happen through them, but...

Are you reading these reviews to decide whether you'd like to visit Bouldering Project and/or get a membership? I implore you to look elsewhere. Focus Climbing Center, Climbmax, and Black Rock Bouldering Gym are great examples of local climbing gyms that, well, actually care about climbing. And climbers, for that matter.

At BP, every decision is made with the sole purpose of maximizing profits from its members. Many of the amenities initially advertised — such as the cold plunge and the sauna — were brushed aside and never heard about again. They've also tried to restrict guest passes in the past, a decision that was reversed when their members were (predictably) upset. Perhaps this might have been avoided had management ever tried to get to know the community at their gym.

The most recent example of their ambivalence was changing their weekday closing hours from 11pm to 10pm. This was done with nearly zero communication and against the expressed wishes of its members. I am a medical student and routinely study 10–12 hours per day, on top of conducting research and holding leadership positions. The 11pm closing time helped me fit climbing into my busy schedule. And there are always at least 40–50 people in the main area alone within the last hour.

I’ve been climbing for 17 years and, as such, have been a member of many gyms. I can say that BP's management is the most out of touch with its members — by far. This is quite unfortunate, since there are so many people I know and love who work and/or climb at BP. The climbing community is generous, kind, and supportive in ways that transcend words.

So, management: why don’t you actually do something for that community? Don’t respond with a generic “Thank you for your feedback...” to this review. Change the hours back to the way they were. This was clearly a financial decision. But by violating your members' trust, you're going to lose far more than whatever it cost to keep the gym open those extra 5 hours per week.

Do better.

I'll still keep introducing people to climbing (I've gotten 7 or 8 of my classmates to start climbing over the past year, which has made your corporation thousands of dollars). However, I'll be telling everyone I know to...

Visited while in town for a bachelor party. I excused myself from one of the activities to get a sesh in. After being disappointed by another gym that closed an hour earlier than was listed online (6pm instead of 7pm. I did not call in advance.) I called this gym which was 10 minutes from the 1st one and was open until 10pm (as advertised) giving more than ample time. The guy said 'yep we're here til 10, come on over.' It was significantly bigger and nicer than the 1st one, and was open longer than I needed to get a full sesh. I got to talking to the gentleman whose name escapes me but came to find out, he had ties to my home town. We talked about Red River Gorge and so on. Traded some info. I fill out the waiver and he grabs me a pair of rentals. I flew Allegiant and didn't have room to pack clothes much less gear. If that's not enough, he hooks me up with a chalk bag, does a quick orientation and tells me to go have fun. At that point, it was an awesome sesh if I climbed like crap, but climbed well and got to sample much of the excellent setting. It was nicely spread out. The gym has plenty of overhanging wall where New modern gyms always seem to have excessive slab and vert. (Barf). There was not a bad set on the claim. Grades felt true. They've definitely got some strong boy setters because I found some proper hard climbs. The place was too clean. I was amazed how clean it was and almost felt bad using loose chalk. The fellow climbers were cool and friendly. Seems like PHX has a solid climbing community. I didn't run into Sierra Blair which would have been cool, but figured chances were slim with how many gyms and outdoor spots are around. This being the only gym I visited while in town. The gentleman had left before I had a chance to thank him personally, but I chatted with the desk staff briefly singing my praises. Phoenix is a cool place and this branch of boulder project is without a doubt a centerpiece to the climbing community. Thanks for a great visit and let me know when...