Central Rock Gym — Local services in Kennesaw

Really enjoy this gym; they're open on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6AM, too, which allows for a nice early morning workout before hitting the brunt of traffic.

Compared with Atlanta Rocks, which is also a great gym with great people, there are some important differences. First, the boulder routes at Stone Summit Kennesaw are color-coded rather than being taped over older holds scattered willy-nilly on the wall. That's easier on the user (but maybe doesn't teach as strong a skill in finding your route).

Second, the holds here are newer and regularly cleaned off the wall -- I believe with an acid bath. This keeps them fresh and eliminates the grime factor common in older gyms with fewer staffers. You won't find any soapy slopers here.

Third, the difficulty ratings do skew a little differently. I think on the beginner end they are probably easier than Atlanta Rocks, but they ramp up quickly. Stone Summit's 5.10 top-rope routes probably equate to a 5.8 at Atlanta Rocks. Stone Summit also has an easier boulder rating on the low end -- a SS-K V0/V1 is probably not even on the wall at Atlanta Rocks. That being said, by the time SS-K hits the V4/V5 level, the challenge is very much present. Combine that with a taller boulder and much more overhanging space and SS-K quickly becomes more challenging and more fun than the Atlanta Rocks boulder.

One important thing to note: they only have a short wall of auto-belays and the routes on that wall are very, very basic. This is a disappointment, especially if you are climbing by yourself. I would really appreciate it if they would at least set one 5.11 or projectable 5.12 in the auto belay section for top-rope climbers working alone.

Cleanliness is good, but I have two requests for management: first, as a morning guy, it would be really nice to see some new shower curtains that aren't torn and second, a hotel-style body-wash dispenser on the wall in the bays would be a nice touch at a minimal expense. Those showers are being used by your monthly members, after all.

My other request is stupid, but still important--it has to do with the excellent gym upstairs. The treadmills and freeweights are new and very high quality, but there truly is only so much USA Network you can watch on closed captioning while you're getting your cardio. :) I've asked a couple times for the channel to be changed and nothing's happened yet. Please, PLEASE, throw one of those TVs on ESPN and the other on whatever station the Braves happen to be playing on. Or, I don't know, cooking shows; anything but nonstop Law and Order: SVU re-runs.

Great gym, enjoying my membership. Price is very fair given the vast number of options this...

My 4 year old son joined the Apex Climbing Gym 4-7 year old team August of 2023. Coach Corey is very personable and an excellent coach for this age group. We saw big strides not only in my son’s climbing but also his confidence!

Unfortunately, I still can’t recommend this gym itself as a result of some really awful interactions with team management, specifically Jennifer Hunt and Claudiu Vidulescu. One of the 4-7 year old team practices was moved from the Kennesaw location to the Atlanta location, and communication about this change was really poor— they didn’t send information on the change out via the portal that we were told to keep an eye on for exactly these sort of updates.Several of the families, not just ours, showed up to the wrong location.

Since each class is $45 and this was a communication error on their part, I reached out to ask about a refund. I was polite and understanding that oversights like this sometimes happen. After a slew of “it’s against policy to refund” replies (these policies were somehow never available for me to look at, despite asking), days between responses, no reply from upper management or the owners, and some real cold-shouldering on their part, they agreed to provide a refund and fully agreed that the communication error was totally on them.

I thought the matter was settled— until I kept reading and saw that they were throwing my 4 year old off the climbing team, permanently. I guess because they didn’t like me wanting a refund? Or…something? Because they were mad at me? But they flatly said that he was not allowed to ever be on a climbing team at this gym again. Not gonna lie, I cried. I hate that asking for a refund— over something they agreed was their mistake!— lead to retaliation against my kid. Any business that throws a 4 year old off a recreational climbing team over something like this doesn’t have your kids best...

The moment I stepped into the climbing gym, I knew I was in for something special. The towering walls stretched toward the ceiling, dotted with brightly colored holds like a giant puzzle waiting to be solved. The scent of chalk lingered in the air, mixing with the faint hum of conversation and the occasional triumphant cheer from climbers reaching the top.

I tightened my harness, ran my fingers across the rough texture of the first handhold, and took a deep breath. Then, I climbed.

The initial moves were easy—simple footholds, steady grips—but as I ascended, the challenge intensified. My fingers curled around each hold, my legs pushing me higher, my mind working faster than I thought possible. Every move was a decision, a strategy, a test of strength and balance.

Halfway up, I paused for a moment, glancing down. The ground felt miles away. But instead of fear, exhilaration surged through me. My heartbeat echoed in my ears, but it wasn’t panic—it was power.

I reached for the next hold, my muscles burning but my determination stronger. The wall seemed endless, but I was unstoppable. And then—after what felt like an eternity but was probably only minutes—I reached the top.

I smacked the final hold triumphantly, my breath ragged but my grin wide. Victory.

Lowering myself back to solid ground, I looked up at the walls again, my body buzzing with adrenaline. I knew one thing for certain:

I would be...