Brooklyn Boulders Queensbridge — Local services in New York

TL;DR — this gym has probably some of the best bang for your buck value in a city as expensive as NYC, and the only reason why I'm leaving is because I'm literally moving out of the area. I enjoyed climbing here for the past two years, and I miss it already!

THE GYM ITSELF This is primarily a bouldering gym, and while they do have top rope + auto-belay routes, I don't think I touched a harness after my first day when the staff showed me around the auto-belays. Downstairs, they also have a more traditional gym with weights, machines, punching bag, mats, hangboards, and a yoga studio. They also recently installed a kilter board with adjustable incline, if that's your speed. Every week, there are free classes with membership (yoga, HIIT, the occasional capoiera) that I'm sure are great, I just never managed to make it to any of them due to my schedule. There are also a few co-working spaces (and gym wifi) where you can bring your stuff and work if you're the kind of person to work-from-climbing gym.

Lots of cubbies, coat hooks, and lockers to put your stuff out of the way. I was primarily a morning-before-work climber (shoutout to the 7 AM crew) so I never had a problem with finding space or waiting on walls to clear up. If you're here in the afternoons, particularly in the summer, there will often classes or summer camps for kids; sometimes that'll mean a section of the gym is pretty busy, but the place is big enough that you can usually just find a different corner to climb in.

THE BOULDERING Everyone I've spoken to agrees that this gym has the hardest sets in NYC. Part of it is the creative and often technical route-setting style, part of it is the setters' fondness for putting a giant move at the end of/highest point in a problem, part of it is the waxed walls that make it impossible to smear unless you have the perfect angle (and even then it's dicey). The waxed wooden walls force you to be really precise with your footwork, and sometimes routes will get harder the longer a set has been up since the footholds become rubbery. The setters keep up a pretty rigorous schedule though, so routes usually get switched out in a timely manner (I think their schedule usually refreshes the routes around every 1-2 months).

Definitely the highlight for me in this gym is the cave; it's not just a steep overhang wall, but an honest-to-god cave with nice long routes. 12/10 recommend going to the cave to be humbled, or do laps on a nice juggy V3.

Basically, the setting style in this gym can be unique and challenging and often humbling, but tbh I don't mind since whenever I visit another gym I get such a huge ego boost from being able to climb like a full grade up from what I'm used to in BKB-QB lol.

MEMBER PERKS / COMMUNITY I've personally found the staff to be chill and friendly! They also do themed member nights once a month, where you can bring up to four friends to come climbing and also browse the assortment of vendors that they invite. Themes are anything from heritage/culture nights to injury recovery/health-focused months to outdoor sports gear vendors, often featuring local businesses from around Queens.

I'm a huge fan of the unlimited first time guest passes that comes with your membership, which I don't think I've seen at any other gym (I feel like most gyms will have 1-2 guest passes per month at most); I've been able to bring so many friends to BKB-QB to hang out and climb thanks to that, and there's a bubble tea place across the street which is A+ for unwinding after climbing.

I've met a lot of cool folks climbing here! People who come climbing here are usually pretty friendly and down for sharing beta, commiserating about the setting, or clapping appreciatively if you top something.

It's been a good two years! Will definitely be back if I'm ever in...

On November 29, 2024, I purchased an annual membership and informed the staff that I might relocate in the future. The staff assured me that my membership could be cancelled with proof of relocation according to your terms and conditions.

Timeline of Events December 4, 2024: I signed a waiver agreement outlining the terms and conditions, but I never received a copy for my records. December 16, 2024: I submitted a request to cancel my membership due to relocation. January 1, 2025: After multiple inquiries, I received a response from a Brooklyn Boulders representative with updated terms and conditions stating that my membership was non-refundable. I believed these terms to be inaccurate and filed a credit card dispute. January 2, 2025: I spoke with Lance Pinn, the gym founder, who reiterated that the membership was non-refundable and suggested I transfer it to a friend or family member. He also refused to provide me with a copy of the signed agreement. January 6, 2025: I fortunately located the original signed agreement that supported my understanding of the cancellation policy. I then found someone willing to take over my membership. January 10, 2025: Paige Thompson from Brooklyn Boulders contacted me by phone in an aggressive manner, demanding that I cancel the credit card dispute and threatening to cancel the transferred membership. To avoid further complications, I complied with her demands. I also left a Google review expressing my concerns about their business practices, specifically regarding the misleading terms and conditions. January 11, 2025: I received multiple emails from Brooklyn Boulders accusing me of disruptive behavior and restricting my access to the gym.

Brooklyn Boulders has misled me and acted unfairly throughout this process. I am attaching a copy of my signed agreement and the gym's correspondence regarding the cancellation.

Many of the positive Google reviews for Brooklyn Boulders are incentivized because they offer free day passes to reviewers in exchange for favorable feedback. During my limited use of the gym after the membership transfer, I was falsely accused by Paige Thompson of using a free day pass that I never received.

My experience highlights potential concerns regarding transparency and customer service at this gym. I encourage prospective members to thoroughly investigate their policies and consider alternative options such as movement LIC, Vital, GP, etc.

New edit: I was a loyal QB member for seven years, so it's disappointing to be called a scammer when they're the ones who changed the terms and conditions illegally to take advantage of their members. Their response shows exactly why you should avoid this gym – unless you want to have my experience. Consider...

Got mixed feelings about this place. The facility itself is super rad and the vibes are good. Got a lot of cool amenities; co-working space, a sparkling water fountain, huge locker rooms, showers, and more. It’s a unique place and it’s got a good variety of walls from slab to overhang and a cave.

However that’s unfortunately where the praise starts to end.

The grading of routes in this gym is just straight up bad. It not that it’s just wrong, it’s also crazy inconsistent.

There was a top rope route that was rated a 5.10b that should have been easily a 5.10d and another that was rated a 5.10d that was so easy it should have been a 5.8

Bouldering is no better. I feel the grading is straight up discouraging and confusing. The ramp up in difficulty from V2 to V3 is wild. The V3s and 4s here would be V5-6+ anywhere else. Most of the routes were in the V0-5 range. I saw one V10 and one was just labeled V Hard.

I am by no means a super great climber but I can do V4-5s at pretty much every other gym I’ve been to in the country with 6s being a once in a while.

Here though I couldn’t find a single V3 I could accomplish but I found a one V4 that I almost pulled off. The V4 was the only route I did that I sorta enjoy.

The walls are also completely slick which is unfortunate but what’s more unfortunate is I feel the routesetters don’t take that into account when making their routes… also they must all like using just their upper body to start climbs cause most of the routes have bad foot holds or none at all at the starts.

I got a 7 day pass cause the deal they had was so good and the facility itself is really cool, but honestly I’m so let down by the inconsistent and bad grading that I left frustrated and I don’t think I’ll go back.

I really hate to be so critical but I feel it’s better to be honest so hopefully the gym can improve and that also others are aware of what they will...