Sender One Climbing & Sender City - Los Angeles — Local services in Los Angeles

The first thing you see when entering the gym is striking lead wall, “the torch”, tall and overhanging - an excellent tool to build power-endurance. But that’s about all there is good about the gym while shortcomings are many, I’ll arrange them in the order of inconvenience they represent. Lack of parking. As of the end of July 2019, when a neighboring office told SenderOne to stop using and abusing their parking lot, you’re likely to find yourself driving around waiting for someone to depart. This is especially inconvenient in the evening - the busiest time and if you park in the street, which is also not easy, you’ll have to leave before 10pm if you don’t want to get a parking ticket. Plastic floor cover in climbing areas. It’s bad for two reasons: leaves all the dust hanging in the air and gets the soles of your feet black, even if you’re wearing flip-flops. This plastic cover is the main reason why you end your day coughing out gray goo while trying to get your feet clean. Gyms that use carpet in climbing areas are way better in this sense. Poor bouldering walls and poor footholds in bouldering areas. The walls are short are the area is small, the combo that does not facilitate great training. And the footholds: dear route setters, in bouldering, plastic holds without a pronounced edge get polished within a couple of days turning routes into skating ground. How fun it is - to see your foot flying off a polished decal getting abrasions on your legs and busting your shoulder or a finger at the same time! Stingy management. It shows in many details: all the prices are higher than anywhere else, shortage of locker room closets that will force you to change in your car (provided you managed to find parking), press and hold water taps in locker rooms and so on. Seriously, having to keep pressing that damn lever on water tap to wash your hands doesn’t feel right in the gym that charges...

Sender One LAX has been shifting farther and farther away from being climbing focused ever since their premature expansion of numerous other gyms and more and more corporate policies. They pour so much staff and resources into kid's birthday party on weekends than for the climbing gym members. It's one thing to support youth climbers, it's another to dodge unsupervised kids running around the gym without any parental supervision. They also recently fired staff that wanted to cultivate a supportive environment for climbers- the one staff that always greeted everyone with an infectious positivity and enthusiasm. I'm not sure if the gym plans to replace such staff, but it's pretty obvious staff morale is low ever since (at least from what I could observe, I have not conducted any corporate surveys). I avoided touchstone gyms initially because I wanted to support a more "local" franchise that supports the climbing community. I chose Sender One because they had big walls, great sets, and gym staff that cared at the time (2020). As they continue to swap these staff members out for corporate yes-men/women, it's pretty obvious their core clientele (aka climbers) is no longer their focus. Their training walls are outdated and redundant, gym equipment is often falling apart, gym mats are patched poorly, and membership fees continue to rise without an obvious increase of compensation to their staff and setters. I understand profits are important, but it is getting harder and harder to understand Sender One's core values and priorities as a...

What an adventure at Sender One LAX! As a first-timer, I didn’t quite know what to expect, but let me tell you, it was an absolute blast.

First off, the vibe is just right – welcoming, energy-buzzing, yet not too overwhelming. It’s the perfect spot for both beginners and seasoned climbers. My son, Xander, had been here once before, but this was my debut. And, despite being a bit of a climbing newbie, I felt right at home.

We were in Sender City, the kids’ side of the place. The routes are diverse and well-set, offering a mix of challenges that kept us engaged (and yeah, a bit sweaty). Speaking of challenges, I’m bracing myself to feel those climbs tomorrow – hello, muscle soreness! But hey, that’s part of the fun, right?

The highlight of our day, though, was meeting another family in the climbing community. Luna and her mom, Lauren, were not just fellow climbers; Luna, like Xander, also has Type 1. They were both there to celebrate their birthdays! We always love seeing a fellow T1D in the wild. First time we’ve met one with the same birthday as Xandy though. It’s moments like these that make places like Sender One more than just a climbing gym – it’s a spot where connections are made.

If you’re thinking of trying out rock climbing, or if you’re a seasoned climber looking for a great community, this is the place to be. Who knows, you might just bump into some amazing people or find a new passion. We’ll definitely be back – with each visit, Xander and I are determined to climb a...