BC's New Paltz Climbing Gym — Local services in Town of New Paltz

Went a few weeks back and it's quite different since the last time I went, and in my opinion not for the better. Essentially, if you've done bouldering in the past a decent amount, and have a generally good understanding of climbing, you'll really like BCs. They don't grade their problems, which has its pros and cons

Pro: makes you try something you'd otherwise not due to the number attached to the climb. Adds a bit more adventure and discovery to indoor climbing

Cons: if you've never climbed before, you're gonna be a bit lost, and a lot of the climbs there are going to feel impossible. They have a lot less intro/easy climbs since the last time I was there, and it seems to me the climbs are much more catered to the experienced climbers in the area. Which, again, could be great if that's the group you fall under.

But for me, who's not a total beginner but also isn't the strongest, I felt like I could only really climb about 5% of what was there. And I wouldn't, and didn't feel comfortable bringing beginners there

Not a bad gym, just not for...

Important if you’re not a local:

Positives:

I’ve heard the locals like it. Tight community. Owner is super friendly. A garage door wall (owner opens it for fresh air and I think that’s awesome)

Negatives:

I kinda feel like an a-hole for these but it’s the truth...

The building isn’t suitable for a climbing gym. Ceilings are too low for ropes and too high for bouldering. Think of a grocery store type height.

Really REALLY small. Too many routes crammed in together. Not enough room to work a problem.

No training area. Important to some, not to others.

Kinda smelly. Not your typical gym smell though. Almost a moldy garage smell.

I just moved back to the area from Colorado, so Ive been spoiled with incredible facilities. But I do understand that standard doesn’t extend worldwide. Orange County is limited climbing gym-wise, which sucks. Don’t waste your time or money getting here. Check out Gravity Vault (FYI- I haven’t gone yet). At least they look like a functional...

Cool place to go, definitely something different to try. I actually took a private class and had a great time as a beginner.

Sometimes it's pretty busy and it feels a little crowded in a small space though. I only hung around maybe 15 minutes the one night because half the gym felt unavailable with all of the people in it.

They also switch up the routes every so often too and that's nice. But last time I went it didn't seem like there were any beginner friendly routes and it was frustrating to feel like I couldn't even get started on the wall in front of well seasoned climbers.

Overall I like indoor rock climbing though and this place is a good starting point. It's just as challenging mentally as it is physically.

Highly recommend a private lesson if you're a first time...