Great climbing gym in Seattle. Friendly and knowledgeable staff. The place was packed on Monday night.

Super cool! The upper gym area overlooks the climbing area on the bottom floor so you can watch people climb while you run on the treadmills. Lots of climbing areas of all skill levels.

My Review is a bit different than most, but it speaks to the team at vertical world.I sent a couple on a fun treasure hunt date and used them as a stop. I worked with Bret and PJ. They were fantastic. I let them know what I needed and they made it happen and helped to create an incredible experience for the couple.Past that, the place is amazing! So many options for full sized walls, bouldering, and a great place for kids! (with a pirate ship)Definitely recommended!

Great gym, great staff. Highly recommended.

Havent climbed here but my 14 yo son just had his first climbing camp there. Despite rope burn and blisters he loved it. He cant wait to back. Gym looked fun to my somewhat limited climbing eye. Clean and very nice staff.

As a staunch supported of horizonal land, I must admit I was skeptical. I wasnt prepared for the sheer verticality of this world. All 12 of my sons nearly disowned me for turning my back on our previously flat lives, but I am now a true believer and political pundit in favor of the vertical spires that this world has to offer.

Gym was good, but too crowded. And a staff called Billy was very rude and unfriendly to me and my friends. I will never come back again.

The original and still amazing. Tall rope routes, plenty of training equipment, event room, friendly staff. The staff has starting taking climbing and health safety more seriously which is defiantly a plus.The one negative would have to be the dated bouldering section. The Redmond and North locations have newer nicer bouldering sections IMO. Still nice that they have it there, but I defiantly suggest this place for rope climbers, especially lead climbers! The lead wall give you the height to truly train that endurance.

The staff were super friendly and welcoming but they need to work on their technical knowledge and learn about soft catches 😅.

Best climbing gym in Seattle for rope climbing. So much terrain for ropes and they really do a good job for a variety of grades. The autobelay usually has about 3-5 places which is great for an early morning solo climbs. Staff is incredibly nice!Bouldering area isn’t huge but definitely fun and a nice cave in the back. Workout area is great and accommodatingCovid protocols have been awesome and they are super transparent about decisions being made

My favorite ropes gym in Seattle as far as height and variety (not a go-to for bouldering as the wall is quite small). Friendly helpful staff although I do wish I’d see staff wiping down surfaces more during the pandemic - I’m sure they maintain good hygienic practices, but while folks are coming and going to climb I think that would be a good use of staff down time. Still love this gym and the folks who keep it running during tough times 💙

This is my favorite climbing gym in Seattle, so after seeing the others I signed up for this one with minimal hemming and hawing. Passed the belay test in minutes and was using their auto-belay setups. Wonderful!

Excellent COVID precautions at this gym. Felt very safe to climb here. Thank you for staying open during these difficult times.

Felt safe. Plenty of fans, hand sanitizer, liquid chalk, and not waits. I think VW found a sweet spot for number of people in the gym and safely.

We had a party here for our kids and it was such an easy, clean and fun venue. The staff was helpful and the kids had so much fun climbing. The whole family now wants to climb more so it was a good introduction to the sport for us too.

Amaizing gym! Really tall walls and cool routs. The bouldering section is small but good to practice. The top ropes are incredible.

Great guys, friendly fast, lots of space, lots of wall to climb.

This place is absolutely awesome!

This place is outstanding! The amount of people and space available works, safety is top shape with sanitizer around, the staff is really helpful and I had a particularly amazing time with Bretts help.. amazing customer service and kindness to this newby!! Thank you Brett!!

Excellent variety of walls and problems to match all styles. Staff is so kind, welcoming and professional. Cant reccomend this place enough.

Great place to climb has a lot of routs and a variety of ways to climb from auto beley to lead climbing. They also have a nice gym and bouldering wall to warm up I enjoyed the experience.

This is my (indoor) happy place. I am very grateful to have VW in my community.

I love the tall ceilings in this place-- it means longer routes! They have a section for bouldering, top roping and lead climbing. I typically frequent a different climbing gym in town, so I had to learn how to use a grigri to belay-- its super easy, and all of the ropes have one designated belay device, so you dont necessarily need to bring your own.

Good setting and nice folks

Great Covid-19 precautions, ok setting for routes.

Great gym for lead/top roping, good vibe etc. Only downside was the laughably low first clip. I could reach it from the ground! Not only is this pointless but its quite unsafe as the belayer just gets dragged into it on every fall. But everybody seemed to just skip it anyways!Otherwise great experience :)

My favorite rope climbing gym in the area. Theyve got a really extensive mix of climbs and a really friendly staff. The bouldering section is on the small side and I wouldnt recommend this place if you were planning on bouldering only, but for rope climbing it cant be beat.

I love vertical world!! If you are into bouldering, the Redmond location is the place to be, but if you like to top rope go to the tall walls in Ballard. The staff is always friendly and helpful. There are free lockers if you exchange your car keys for a locker key.

Incredible climbing gym. Ive been going here for eight years, and Ive yet to have a bad experience.The staff are welcoming, the setters are approachable, the routes are fairly grades and interesting, and the other patrons are courteous and family-friendly. They have bouldering, leading, top ropes, crack climbing, autobelays, a room of easier top ropes, a yoga room, a weight training area, hang boards, campus boards, sequence boards, etc, etc. Everything you could want, in other words!I would highly recommend this place, to new and experienced climbers alike.

Climb at your own risk. Just think...falling from a height is equivalent to being hit by something - force varies by height and weight of climber. The ground doesn’t move and the padding can do only so much. There are no regulations around the requirements for floor padding - so be safe. Don’t try to break your fall by extending your hands. Protect your neck, core, and ankles. Don’t climb higher than your comfort. It’s super great strength building and afterwards, you’ll have a great appreciation for Free Solo.

Love their variety of climbs. Only downsides are the drive there after work and how crowded it gets, but thats not their fault for being dope. If it was closer Id have a membership for sure.. So i bought a bunch of punches instead. Get a bunch when theyre on sale

Fun variety of routes but in the evening (6-8) expect to wait for an available climb (whether or not youre in the top rope area or lead area). I would recommend coming outside of those hours as it gets frustrating. Bouldering area mats are super hard. Gym upstairs is very limited.

Very friendly staff and knowledgeable trainers. I strongly recommend thier starter courses for any one new to top roping and bouldering. Another aspect which may catch your attention is helpful members.

Very good gym. Offers yoga and workout classes for free, high walls and friendly staffs. Just avoid the peak times. Very cloudy at peak times.

This place is awesome if you enjoy lengthier rope climbs. Tons of top rope and lead routes. Parking isnt terrible for being in Seattle. Gets pretty busy in the after work hours 5-8 would go earlier or later if you can fit your schedule (the late night open hours help with this). Memberships comparable if not a little cheaper than similar places around (Stone Gardens is about the same but is more for bouldering).

Friends took me for my first climbing experience. ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT. The staff was very friendly and the other random homies there climbing were really nice, too. Great vibe inside and fun to watch other people climb, as well. The lead wall looked awesome. Can’t wait to progress and work my way over to it!

Nice tall walls. Good variety of autobelays. The bouldering area is not as good as SBC, Stone Gardens, etc., but I mostly top-rope. It gets very crowded at peak times, which means youll be waiting for a wall to open up a lot if you have a project route.

An amazing rock climbing facility. Really high rock walls to climb, and knowledgable employees. They also do kid birthday parties which are really fun. Parking can be a little tough.

Great climbing gym! Theres a bit of bouldering but a ton of top rope and lead climbing options on some excellent 40 and 50 foot walls. Staff was friendly and helpful and there was a decent amount of parking across the street. Its a big gym though, with a nice looking workout facility upstairs, so I suspect it could get crowded at times.

My partner and I were travelling in Seattle and decided to go there to do our regular gym climbing session. Great routes, amazing roof, and very friendly staff! PJ did our tr and lead test and offered helpful advice. Love the change room and shower space too. Would love to go back again!

I love this place. I have been there to do some bouldering a few times. The facility is bright and clean. My only criticism is the pricing. If you plan to go often you might think about getting a season pass. For a single person to free climb (Boulder) for the day it was $26. Thats with shoe rental. But if you plan on going more than once a month you can get a membership that will pay for itself in two and a half trips. Great workout.

Great staff, good bouldering area and big walls. Was a great time.

Just started climbing and this place has a lot to offer! Great staff, equipment and also a small gym to round out your fitness. They offer bouldering, top rope and lead climbing for all levels. Even have fitness classes if thats what youre looking for. Everything is included in the membership.

This place is fantastic and has a little bit of everything! They have a ton of options as far as top rope and lead climbing goes, and a smaller area for bouldering. My only complaint is that they don’t have more bouldering routes.

I love vertical world. I know all the Stone Garden people are probably backing out of this review at this point, but thats okay. I go to Stone gardens too (kudos to their bouldering section).VW has ample sport climbs with tall enough walls that you can improve on endurance, or whatever your climbing goal is.Bouldering area is a little small, but I enjoy the problems that are up and for someone that climbs between v3-v5, theres plenty for me to work on.Only negative is how busy it can get.

I havent seen the other climbing gym but this place has everything you need. THEY EVEN HAVE YOGA! Not just a crappy side of yoga, but legit wood floor & feel good yoga. Top rope, auto belays, lead, boulder, training area, weights, you name it.If youre looking for a shiny new gym with fancy new equipment, youre looking at the wrong place. This place is a classic no nonsense climbing gym.

Nice long lead wall. Employees are friendly enough. Routes everywhere stay up for 3 months on average which is at least a month too long. They finally began including classes in their membership price to compete with Seattle Bouldering Project but sadly offer little for the after 6pm crowd.

Great atmosphere

My wife and I visited Vertical World Seattle on our honeymoon from Ohio. The service from all the staff was extremely helpful, but Aaron made the experience above and beyond.We have climbed before and asked to take the belay test to top rope. He asked us to demonstrate how to belay and tie in. While he understandably cannot help us with the process, he didnt rush us and made sure we were doing it the safest way possible. We felt very confident climbing afterward.We saw others during our visit that had difficulty with the belay test, understandably, because they didnt know the basics of tieing in and belaying. We liked how safe and confident they wanted everyone to be when climbing there, especially since it can be so dangerous if you dont do it right. It takes more than someone showing you how to do it once or twice to get it right.During our visit they gave us a key for a locker at no extra charge, and gave us great recommendations for food in the area. The top rope routes were much more interesting than my local gym as well. Wish we lived closer so we could come here more often. Highly recommend.

For an out of town visit this gym wasn’t bad, but I wouldn’t necessarily have a membership if I lived close by as it felt a bit limited/small to what I’m generally used to. For example, they have a single bouldering area and it was too crowded with 20+ kids jumping and doing unnecessary dynos everywhere — it was too difficult to seriously try anything.Additionally I had a very rude employee tell me angrily: DON’T SPOT HIM! — he was referring to a kid that was about to fall that I thought I’d spot.

Best gym for roped climbing in Seattle. Many classes for all ages and all levels of communication are offered. Home of the nationally ranked Vertical World climbing team. Great routes and route setters. Clean locker rooms and showers. Enough autobelays for you to get a workout if you are solo rope climbing.

If you want top rope in the Seattle area this is THE place. If you want to boulder, go somewhere else. Highest indoor walls, largest number of top rope and lead routes which are refreshed monthly and the grigri is already on the rope.

Looking for top ropes and lead climb this is your jam. Awesome gym though the layout makes it feel crowded (which it often is anyways). The staff are super nice but better make sure you stay vigilant. Theres a lot of people that are either A) careless B) oblivious that youll have to deal with.

Been here several times over the last few years. I feel their price point is quite high for a day pass given the size of their facilities. They have a decent amount of top ropes and lead climbing, but far from that extensive, resulting in waits at any given time. In addition their bouldering section is tiny.Parking can be difficult to find when its busy as the lot is very small. The location is quite inconvenient for anyone not in the neighborhood as its very far from the highway and few straight routes.I have to say I did not feel the staff was friendly at all and in fact have been varying aloof to rude. On my last visit one of the staff was downright disrespectful and our interaction left me with no interest in returning again.The thing that stood out to me was their application of safety practices, which was very uneven. They were very stringent about belay testing, disqualifying my friend from testing that day because I was talking to him about what they tested and that counted as teaching, but let multiple children run around with minimal adult supervision. I had a child run directly underneath me while I was bouldering and I almost fell on them.Overall I have had mediocre to poor experiences climbing here and would classify this as the worst gym for climbing in Seattle.

This is a solid place for top rope climbing. I think they have more lead climbing then Id like but at least bouldering isnt a majority of the experience. Free lockers and good routes.

I love coming here. Their gym and classes are geared towards climbing. The climbing walls are awesome! Staff are always friendly and helpful.

The best rope climbing gym in Seattle, hands down. Great routes, friendly staff and a world class facility. Great for both rope guns and novice climbers.

Friendly staff, great setters, good variety of terrains. Kids area is large, fun (there’s a pirate ship!) and contained.

Lots of variety for rope climbing (top rope and lead) and a smaller bouldering area with whole-floor pads. The gym also offers a fitness program catering to outdoor activities (like ski conditioning), a small gym, and a variety of hand training apparatus (including a systems wall). Fantastic community and great place to climb!!!

Awesome vibe, great bouldering section. Didnt climb top rope but looked great. Visiting from out of town and loved it

Tall walls, great history, interesting routes, and friendly staff are things youll find here. Theres also a variety of yoga and conditioning classes offered weekly. The only way it could get better is if they built a sauna *hint, hint*

A victim of their own success. It has become impossible to climb here during the week from 5-9pm. Last time I was there I spent 2 hours and got 2 climbs in. There were lines for every rout.

Good lead climbing gym also small and great staff

Lots of great routes and plenty of auto-belay options. The staff is super friendly and they have a gym and yoga studio too!

My regular climbing gym is the Seattle Bouldering Project. SBP has all of the amenities and features I am about to list as falling short at Vertical World.The staff were indifferent. The gal at the front desk mentioned some upcoming price increase. When my friend brought up how he recently joined and wasnt aware, she stated he should have received an email about it. The message it sent was take it or leave it. To this I reiterate that I am a member of the (cheaper, friendlier, more amenities) SPB, and this was my first visit to VW on a free guest pass.I needed to do the belay test, and I have only been top roping a few times. The same staff member stopped us while rehearsing, saying practicing for the belay test is not allowed. I was abruptly given my belay test, which I failed. Bummer. I would have to have my lead certified friends tie my knots. Not a problem.Next, I was informed that it is forbidden to practice knots on the premises. My friend has a rope, yet if I touch it, we all risk being kicked out. She said it had to do with liability, but I had already agreed to let my friends tie the knots I would use for climbing, so the matter-of-fact reason strikes me as questionable. I would love to hear the scenario where my sitting on a bench practicing knots on my own rope ends up with somebody going to the hospital or dying on site.I am okay with postponing the belay test, spending a few minutes refreshing, and doing it again later. What I am not okay with is the strict policy against learning/exchanging information unless it involves hiring one of their trainers to carry out the training. There is plenty of downtime when you are climbing within a group, and it feels like a punishment to be forbidden from catching up on what most agree becomes secondhand knowledge quickly. Furthermore, I already signed a waiver agreeing not to sue them for any personal injury, and par for EVERY climb is checking knot and each others harness straps. Climbing culture in general strikes me as collaborative and supportive, and this VW policy is counter to that spirit.The floors are hard. For all of the concern about safe climbing, there is not much to absorb the falls of climbers and boulderers. The expectation that you follow the feet, butt, back routine as best you can is clearly evident in signage on site, but softer mats do exist.Parking is sparse, one mens shower as far as I could see, unsure whether there is a sauna, no restaurant/lounge, small gym upstairs. They do have free lockers for what its worth.The routes themselves were a lot of fun, and the customers/members were friendly. I may end up back there should I join my friends in the area for group top roping, but I wont be expecting much more than irritation from the staff.

Well worth the gym membership price. Skews hard, but thats great for improvement.

Wonderful gym with a super tall walls and a great lead wall. Routes go up to the 5.13 range so everyone should be able to find a challenge for them.

13.5 m high walls, small bouldering area and a good gym and work out area. Friendly staff also. Its a good size so there are plenty of good options to climb.

Im new to the city, and needed a climbing gym to call my home. This place has the best lead/ top rope climbing in the greater Seattle area. Really great environment and awesome training system boards for the avid climber. If youre more of a boulderer, their Redmond location has more bouldering than the Seattle one.

Always great climbs, great staff! No bad days at the gym.

My experiences at Vertical World in Seattle were very good. The staff is very polite and professional. You can trust the customers also. You dont have to worry about your stuff being stolen from the cubbies or lockers, you can leave a harness and a phone on a bench and you can trust that it will be there later. There are lots of top ropes, lead climbs, boulder problems, and there are 5 auto belays. My skill level is V1/2 and 5-10a-5-11a, and I have found that the climbs flow well and there is a good selection of top ropes in my skill level. However for bouldering I would like a few more V0s on a different wall, and maybe a few more auto belays. But all in all Vertical World is a very high quality climbing gym with a good selection of climbs, a clean facility, and friendly staff.

Great top roping routes changed frequently. Bouldering is good as well but stone garden would be a better choice if you want to just boulder.

Solid variety of lead, top rope, bouldering and auto-belay. Small exercise area upstairs, and a variety of classes also available. Monthly membership is incredibly reasonable for all that is available.

I had the worst experience canceling my membership here. I called once trying to to freeze my account because I had a business trip last minute and they said I could only freeze my account at a certain date and I was past that. I returned from my trip and a week later had to travel again so I called one more time and asked to freeze the account and I was late one more time. Finally I returned and asked to cancel the membership, they said I was late to cancel and in the end I had to pay for 3 months without using the gym. It was really upsetting because I was climbing there fore over 1,5 years and the managers Evan James Lally Stickles and the manager Bret Johnston didnt care about that and never answered my last e-mail. Rather than trying to help solving the situation they asked me to single out one of their employees that told my fiancee I could get a reimburse for the months I didnt attend.

Lots of excellent lead and toprope routes. Decent bouldering as well. If you like to climb youll like this gym.

Had great day here was fun.

Great walls and routes, awesome staff, and the perfect collection of other workout equipment upstairs. I havent done any other classes/yoga, but have heard great things. I love that they invite physical therapists adn trainers for free consultations pretty regularly. Because its a great place to climb, it gets *really* busy during peak hours - busier than I remember Stone Gardens being, although I havent gone there in a while, so things might have changed. I often stand in line for top-ropes *and* lead routes at VW.

Great gym with a friendly and supporting team. Me and my son are going to this gym for couple of years already and it never gets boring. Highly recommended.

Im pretty sure you cant lead a 70 wall anywhere else in Washington state. Solid staff. Friendly environment. Good routes. Clean facilities.

Great climbing gym, too busy in the evenings.

Excellent Gym.

Amazing climbing gym! Love the lead walls and the toprope slab. Somewhat soft grading, but theres something for everyone.

Great place that is constantly changing the routes.

Gym is really cool. Wish they had more bouldering (see Seattle Bouldering Project). The regular gym on the top floor is pretty neat.

Its time for some upgrades!

A great gym, with high route walls and lots of options. The extra fitness classes are also great, especially yoga. Beware, however, that during the winter months and during the week, this place can get very crowded and they have a kids team that trains during the week and can overrun the bouldering area.

Great gym especially for lead climbing. But the boulder setting is really good too.

Love Vertical World! Not so busy during the days and plenty of routes to keep you challenged/motivated . Not to mention, they have a wifi lounge and gym upstairs!

Best ropes in the city

Great rock climbing gym! They change the routes very frequently, and theres a good range from beginner to expert.

Super packed some days, but on a quiet day it is amazing! Staff is so warm and friendly. love it.

Much larger center than expected, stuck to bouldering section. Wall climbing required a belay test to attempt. Great area, would definitely return

It’s the O.G. climbing gym. Tried and true! 60 foot walls!

Nice clean fun and good instructors

A large gym, clean with decent holds. I travel on business through out the states and try and hit rock gyms when I can. In the past year I have visited 13 rock gyms in 8 different states from east to west to south. I visited Stone Gardens and Vertical World in two different nights on a recent trip to Seattle at the beginning of December. Was limited to the autobelays, but some good routes and some that werent well designed with big reaches just to have big reaches and not very good flow. Typical with different setters so nothing really out of the ordinary for any gym. The overall atmosphere of Vertical World was not so typical, it was stand-offish, snobby. It was very busy and barely a single person said hi or anything. Very few people responded at all to common social overtures, asking about climbs, comments...nothing. It felt like being back in high school with all of the cliques. Only one other gym I have visited had some of this vibe but not to the extent of Vertical World. Most every gym that I have visited has had friendly atmospheres, staff and climbers. Not asking for best buds anywhere, but at Vertical World it was completely obvious in feeling that I was an outsider and not really welcome. Completely opposite of most of the gyms I have visited. The womens locker room was an art in silence - no hi or even pardon me. The staff werent rude but they were not overly friendly either. It was a disappointing experience for sure.

Best top rope climbing gym in Seattle. Great routes and great people.

Big, spacious place with fun, well-laid out routes. Far better than other gyms Ive been to.

Great for lead climbing, top roping and as a regular workout gym. Pretty sure the Walls are the tallest in Seattle and routes are updated often enough. Boulderings the only thing a bit weak.

Great gym...been a member for 16 years and they have kept up with demand and offer all ki d of services and xlasses.

Place is great. Good bouldering area and a large climbing wall. Can get pretty crowded at peak hours