Skyhook Bouldering — Local services in Portland

Skyhook is a solid bouldering gym and an exceptional community addition. I love this spot and after a few months of coming multiple times a week, it was an easy decision to bump up to the yearly membership.

24/7 access, 2x/week route setting, indoor bike parking, plenty of room to keep out of the way of other climbers (some other gyms are a bit cramped when trying to navigate while staying out of fall zones), clean space, clear and specific etiquette, a co-working space with standing desks and couches, showers, and traditional weightlifting equipment.

Routesetting at my level (V0 - V5) has been consistently focused on skill advancement and conditioning rather than “just be tall” or over-relying on dynos. I see this as a considerable benefit as it’s a nonverbal signal of inclusivity and welcome to women/shorter bodies (I’m 5’4”) and it's an indication of competent routesetter hiring. There’s also a direct feedback mechanism on the route leveling as they use the app Griptonite which lets users vote on route level (whether it should be higher/lower or it’s just right). This is nice because what may seem like one rating to the setters and their builds may end up a completely different rating once it’s been climbed by a variety of people with multifarious builds. They also use a color-coded system for route grading in which each color represents a set of V-scale ratings and the colors slightly overlap in difficulty. This stops you from focusing on “I can only do up to this V-rating or color” and helps you to just try stuff. I really can’t sing enough praises for the routesetting here. Informally, I’ve looked around the gym and observed 50%+ femme-presenting folks at times and I don’t think that’s an accident. I think that’s a result of thoughtful etiquette and high-quality route setting that doesn’t sandbag or require climbers to be a turbo-jacked dudebro to complete.

The folks working here are all very good noodles — Jamie, Cody, Joel, Nathan, Lincoln, others — they’re all super responsive and helpful when I have questions or need something. There’s never been an instance of me providing some feedback and worrying that I might be brushed off or that my feedback might disappear into some opaque system that I have no visibility into.

Upcoming stuff includes a spray wall that’ll eventually be a training board that we get to vote on. Democracy in action! Ya love to see it. Also a plant wall that community members will be able to add cuttings to which I find charming.

Ideas (none of these are necessary and may not be accomplishable): sauna, outdoor trips when the weather permits, women and nonbinary climb night (or queer climb night!), throw up a screen and stream climbing films, blackout night (simulated night climbing, turn off the lights, wear headlamps), route setting clinic, brews and bouldering (boulder then go drink beer somewhere e.g. Baerlic), 2 climber training clinic : body type variations (e.g. have 1 expert who is a 5’2” woman and another who’s a 5’10” dude, have them show examples of how their technique differs on the same climbs), some low-key competitions could be fun too.

Tl;dr come check out...

If you are interested in learning to climb and are willing to boulder (rather than top rope) I think this is The Gym in Portland. The low grade routes are consistently fun and challenging -- aimed at teaching technique rather than rewarding strength. From V0 to ~V3 these are easily the best routes in town. Routes maintain quality at higher grades, though there are relatively few at V8+ (so if you're projecting V10 maybe this is a visit site rather than a home base -- or maybe you come at off hours and start traversing and linking the climbs like outdoor boulders).

The setting also aims to be aesthetically pleasing, which is a fun variation from other gyms (though this does mean the routes are less compressed, and thus there are fewer)

Very much a small neighborhood climbing gym in the old school or European style--minimal lifting area in favor of some extra seating. No grand corporate shiny-ness. Just a decades long unused warehouse turned into a community space next to two of the best bars in town, good Mexican food, and my favorite brunch spot.

Now if only they could raise the roof fifty feet and install...

I am going to go ahead edit my review to include a description of the three stars given the pretty surprising response I received. As there appears to be a misunderstanding with the reason for the three stars. The reason for the rating is the quality of what the facility currently has to offer is pretty average, especially as compared to the other climbing options in the greater portland area. That's not a bad thing, it just is what it is.

The primary positive is there appears to be creative setting and no jug ladders, even for the most widely accessible routes. But beyond that it is aggressively average. The negatives or neutrals are that there is not much beyond bouldering walls which are not exactly packed with routes. The weight area doesn't offer a huge variety of options or space. The climbing training specific apparatuses (spray wall, training board of some sort, etc.) are not yet in residence.

Hope...