Day camp for kids was great! 13 & 14 year olds had lots of fun.

Great gym. Almost never packed so I can get a lot of time on the wall. It is also open much earlier than the other gyms in the area and does not require a membership to access the gym at those earlier times.

Even though we saw horrible reviews we didn’t believed it could be that bad, but getting there it was one of the worst experience in my whole life. Didn’t know a place could be that gross. The A/C felt like it was off (in the summer of the desert). The whole place it is falling apart, I have no idea why a place like that it is still open.We walked into the reception and paid to climb and in the first 15 minutes I notice the mistake we had done.Even though we hadn’t done anything the owner didn’t gave our money back.So if you want to have a happy day DO NOT GO THERE. They are not professional at all, have no business policy and took our money for no service. I feel like we got stolen. After trying to explain that didn’t make sense at all he gave us $20,00 dollars back and pocket the rest.I hope he buys some cleaning products with that at least.

A nice rock gym, very quiet when we were there on a Tuesday evening.

This place is garbage. It’s so dirty. Hasn’t been cleaned/maintained in years. Loose holds. Torn mats. Light bulbs need to be replaced. Drinking fountain is broken. Dead bugs. Don’t waste your money.

Super nice and the guy who works there was so kind and helpful, can’t wait to come back here again, thank you!!

I’m an experienced climber, visiting Pheonix for business. I decided to visit this gym since it was the closest to my accommodation. I made a terrible mistake. The routes feel like they were set years ago. Half of the tape if missing and the moves make no sense and have zero flow. The owner doesn’t appear to be a climber and has zero business running a climbing gym. It’s also super empty and I’m the only person in here. I’m still here as I’m writing this... I feel like I should ask for my $14 back.Based the the comments I’ve read, it sounds like this gym used to be good, and had a lot of regulars until the ownership changed.

The owner was real friendly and kind. Place was a good rock climbing gym; decent amount of routes. Was a good experience, thank you Richard.

Richard is super nice. Tons of routes and new ones added weekly. Great bouldering too. Reasonable prices. Only downside is that there aren’t any auto-belays... bring a friend!

Lots of fun, challenging for all skill levels. I havent gone in quite some time, so I was pleased by the amount of levels I could choose from to make my time easier. I chose to boulder without gear. The falling was a bit scary at first, but the cushions helped alleviate my fears.The price was comparable to a drop in fee, only $20 for shoe rental and climbing for however long I wanted. We stayed 3 hours and I had an awesome workout! Will definitely come back 😊

I like the gym because its quiet, empty and has a ton of great climbing routes. I dislike it because its run down. The mats are tore up and its very dark and dirty. The AC sucks, which is a must in Arizona! If the owners would invest some money in the place, it could easily be the best climbing gym in the valley!

The new routes are awesome and challenging! Way to go, the bouldering problems are updated with very cool routes

Owner was very kind and helpful!

The owner is very knowledgeable and helpful. He trained me from knowing nothing to knowing the safety checks in 15 minutes. HUGE walls to climb up.

Best gym in Arizona, staff is very nice and really cool bouldering and great top rope

I just moved to the valley, Ive been looking for a nice climbing gym. I was spoiled and had three different huge gyms to chose from max 20 minutes away in Utah. But Ive been to a couple. I read the reviews and went in with a realistic idea. Honestly $14 for a day pass isnt bad at all most places its 20. I didnt get on any routes this go, and Im not really sure I would with the state that this gym is in. Floors are really pretty bad. There are a fair amount of large pads you can move around if you are worried about the area you are climbing in. So you can work around it. Honestly there were some fun climbs here. The were also some that felt like they werent really fully thought out. The holds are pretty old. Some are creaking or shifting slightly. Im on the lower end of an intermediate climber which I feel a lot of the boulders were geared to that kind of skill level. If youre a good climber you probably wouldnt be able to spend too much time here before you knocked most things out. The real gems here are the walls!! They do not make walls like this they have incredible features and texture. The person who built this gym and planned the walls was amazing! This place has so so much potential to be a top notch climbing gym its unreal. Like I just stood there and imagined it when it was in its prime I would have lived at this place. The super cave could have some of the coolest problems in it. The building is there, the walls are there. Someone needs to take this gym off the current owners hands and pump some money into it and it would be one of the best gyms Ive ever been to. I recently read an article listing the top 10 climbing gyms in the states. Ive been to three on the list, if this place got updated and taken care of it would have more fun climbing than any of those three gyms. Im not mad at the money I spent here for a few hours of bouldering. Ill probably even go back its just so sad to see something so brilliant be so run down

Its a good place to climb and has some good routes, but its pretty dirty and gross. If it was cleaned it would be a much better place to climb. If you are grossed out by dirty places do not go here.

The experience was pretty bad. The first thing you will notice is it’s dirty, specifically the bathrooms. I couldn’t get the last time they were cleaned. The padded floor and benches are worn down. The floors are just old. Easily tripping over the divides. The benches look like dogs have gotten to them. Now the important stuff.... the routes are guides by tape. A lot of the tape is missing because the routes never get changed. I spoke to a couple people there, and they confirmed that. I brought my own gear, I always do. Reason for stating this... BRING YOU OWN GEAR! I wouldn’t trust theirs. Someone is going to get hurt using theirs. Even found a loose hold by the way. The owners a very, very nice, almost making it hard to write this. This place has high potential with a make over, but I believe these owners shouldn’t be operating a climbing gym. This is a last resort climbing gym for experienced climbers only. I really hope they do something to change this place.

This gym is terrible to say the least. Its filthy, it looks like it hasnt been cleaned in months. There is dust and pieces of safety mat all over the place . Im surprised I didnt get asbestos poisoning while I was there. The routes themselves are also bad. They mark the routes with colored tape and use whatever colored grip they have for the holds. The routes arent maintained so most of the tape has fallen off and no route is clear. Avoid this gym at all cost.

Great place to climb. The best place in AZ, hands down. They finally hired someone who is updating the routes. Weekly!! I wish the memberships were a little bit cheaper. Overall, its getting much better than it was a year ago. There isnt many regulars there. Its super chill. I know it says its fully air conditioned...but its at 85, dont expect it to be cool in there during the summer.

This place was cool the played some pretty chill jams and had a really cool cave that was fun for campusing. They were super friendly. The only thing I didnt like was that after I fell on a route I scraped my arm. This resulted in a massive staph infection that over took my arm. Although its almost healed now, but it kinda sucked.

July 14, 2013. I took two of my nephews, and one of their friends here yesterday. Wow, we had a blast. After paying for the gear rental, a guy showed us how to put on our harnesses. Another fella gave us a quick lesson on tying the rope to our harnesses, and how to belay. It was quick and to the point. After our brief lesson, we had free reign to try any wall we wanted. Of the four of us, my oldest nephew did the best. We all had fun watching eachother try to climb up. We only yelled encouraging things, of course... ;)Im not sure if rock climbers wear gloves, but I think a pair would be helpful while belaying; all of our hands were sore and cut up at the end of the day.We will definitely be back, and I would recommend to people that dont have to be glued to a phone or computer all day.

An almost hands free, climb at your own pace, unsupervised environment. Pay by the day not the hour type of place. With great variety of many walls

Im in Phoenix for a few months for business and, as an avid climber, I decided to get a day pass at a few of the local gyms and then get a month pass at whichever one I liked the best. Climbmax was my first stop and boy I hope the other options are better. A few of the bad reviews below cover a number of my own complaints. The quality of the bouldering was just really really poor. The grading system was confusing, inconsistent, and in some cases non-existent. It certainly seemed like many of the problems had been around for ages and/or were missing holds. If not, they were set really poorly. Awkward, painful movements with no flow. I mean there were v0s and v1s that had no feet! I could go on, but I would just recommend going any where else, whether youre a beginner or experienced.

Pretty quiet climbing gym. Not busy at all, but the amount of routes for bouldering and sport climbing are awesome and lots of variety. If oyu want peace and calm during your climbs, check this place out. They are very nice owners and have a pretty good staff.

It looks very old gym but I love the walls and route setting styles... nice big rope area

Awesome, awesome, awesome first expirence!! The young guy that helped us was so fun to work with! I forgot his name unfortunately. This was our first time rock climbing and he turned us into professionals! Would definitely recommend to anyone looking to try it out, you wont be disappointed.

They are super nice here, and the gym has walls that range in difficultly from very basic to incredibly hard. Your experience begins with a short lesson on how to belay and tie knots properly and safely and then they let you climb at free will. Glad I tried the Groupon deal here!

We brought the whole family and really enjoyed our visit! Everyone was really friendly and helpful (which was nice because we were all brand new climbers)! We will definitely be going back for one of the unlimited packages.

Other reviews mention how dirty etc this place is, and while its definitely not a pristine place I was fine with haphazard organization. It was more than made up for by the quiet. What I was not so enthused about: 1) lack of variety in setting 2) lack of fans everywhere, but esp upstairs [how is this possible in phx?] 3) when I topped one of the taller walls upstairs I landed on a mat that must have a hole or soft spot. I definitely hit hard ground.

First, I want to mention the positive. The place has great potential. For the aspiring LEAD climber, there are a good amount of pink points. Cool.Now, the place costs more than the other places I go. The routes (not all) are over a year old. I believe that lots of the routes are not rated properly. If you dont know someone who has broken or injured something from here, you will soon. The floors are an atrocious tripping hazard.

Great gym! Really well set routes abd fun problems. The owners are super nice and very helpful. Terrific place to develop your climbing strength!

Pretty disappointed with the bouldering sections. The wall setup has lots of potential but the problems they had up were confusing, missing holds, didnt flow. Didnt have much fun and left after an hour. Sport climbing section looked better but they didnt have an auto belays.My home gym is Austin bouldering Project and they are worlds better and its actually fun to climb there.

Fun For All! Great Repel Area. Killer Ascending cave going to upstairs. Fun bouldering puzzles.

Major disappointment from an original member.I think I might actually be member 09, like the 9th person to have become a member at Climbmax, right when the original owners opened it. I remember having to enter the gym from the side door, only accessing the second floor, because the first floor hadnt been constructed. Tl;dr - I know the place inside and out from the moment it opened. I also was very close with the original owners and the original setting/building crew. I climbed there religiously for years, made lifelong friends and became a part of the Phoenix climbing community. Climbmax was my home in my early twenties.Fast forward approximately 10 years - I get back into climbing after a long hiatus, climb my face off in Boulder, CO at a fantastic bouldering gym, and when I visit my folks, I want to see how Climbmax is doing. I went during a typically quiet time (mid-day) so saw as many people as I expected to. But I was really dismayed at how run-down the place is. Also, the SPINNING HOLDS! I noticed on my way out the list of loose holds, which, upon reflection, I feel like were probably were the ones I found that day. The floors are in abysmal condition - they ARE the original floors. I know they are because I sat on those floors in 2007. THEY.ARE.THE.SAME.ONES. And they are not holding up. The duct tape cant adhere to the felt surfacing, meaning the tears will hurt you if you land in a way you werent expecting. I went upstairs and the thermostat read 86 degrees - I was uncomfortably warm while climbing loose or broken holds on oddly set problems.I am very sad for this place. I know how the place changed hands, I know the owner is not a climber, but that does not mean it should have degraded the way it has. The bones are solid. The place badly needs a facelift and new day-to-day management. Someone please step in to save it! This gym was the second generation of Climbmax - can someone revamp it again for its third life?

If I can save just one person from going to this place I may have saved a life. Read the reviews below. This place is disgusting, unsafe, and nearly impossible to actually climb.

The place is so much fun for the family but it is expensive for what it offers. Also the Groupon they offer only works for the first time you visit even if you have not been there for several years. Rental gear is too expensive for the poor condition it is in. I would still go back if prices are a bit more accommodating to the occasional fun seeker.

If you do end up purchasing this on Groupon please read the fine print. It’s only for new Customer’s. I went for the second time and for three people it was triple the price from Groupon. I had a blast the first time I went and wanted to go back but Phoenix Rock Gym will be getting my service from this point on.

Fun. Some nice and challenging climbs. Didn’t know it was there... hidden behind A little Costco. Definitely kind of expensive.

I love bouldering at Climbax. Its not for everybody. Yeah, its grungy and not super popular, but if you and a few friends are in the mood to boulder LOTS of different routes, then this place is a blast. Its a buffet of bouldering. Havent tried any ropes courses though.

Lots of fun, has walls for all skill levels. It gets pretty hot in the building which is my only complaint. Great place.

Fun time for my wifes bday, could use more easy climbing sections

Waited at the front for almost ten minutes to pay to climb. No one ever came up to take our money and let us in.

On 09142011 Climbmax was forced to shut its doors.. :( this is a sad day for Arizona climbers, everyone here loved this gym. I hope they get to re-open soon!

What a disgusting experience at this gym. Bought the Groupon. Climbed for about 15 min. Didn’t want to touch ANYTHING in this place. Holds are ancient and filthy. Carpet is an absolute health/safety code violation.There were massive cobwebs everywhere. This place was probably ok when it first opened. Highly doubt it will be open much longer. We were the only people climbing on their supposedly busy evening. Stay very far away.

Great bouldering area! Good music. The reason I only give 3 stars:-Membership is pricier than other gyms, and there is no student discount for day passes.-Mats are old and years past when they needed replacement, posing as a hazard for some bouldering problems where a bad fall can lead to injury.-Grading system (colored tape for different grades) is confusing and frustrating to decipher.

Climbmax once held the possibility of being the top climbing gym in Az... but now it looks like a what you would find if you were searching for supplies in a post-apocalyptic former industrial area and happened to open the wrong warehouse, instead finding the remanents of a climbing gym.The place is dusty, dirty, cobwebbed, and has torn floors with inadequate mats (which I guess would help make you a stronger climber as you wouldnt dare take a fall).Overall, I wouldnt spend 30min climbing here. You walk in and say to yourself Wow, this place COULD be amazing but it is patently obvious that the gym is not currently owned or operated by anyone who knows a thing about climbing... or cleaning for that matter.Sad to see a place with such potential die a slow, stinky, miserable death.

Dirty with poor route setting(compared to old from what I am told). Used to be a premier gym I attended of the area until new owners took over. My wife purchased me a groupon to finally go back and climb for a day with a friend. The owner asked if I had been there before and my answer was “not since the new ownership”. He pushed the groupon back at me and circled the “ first time only”. I walked out of the gym at this point. Never stepped foot back in. But it sure didn’t look as nice as it was before the transfer.

This used to be my go-to climbing gym...until I tore my ACL. Brenton below me pretty much nailed it.Ever since the new owners took over the gym, they have driven out all of the regulars that had climbed here for years. They continually hike up the prices and claim it will go towards maintenance which is a flat out lie. Their equipment is old. I have seen broken holds on the walls that are not replaced. I have had holds break off the wall while climbing. They do not have proper route setters. They do not have proper instructors. They do not have proper mats or ropes.I took the risk of climbing there because it was a place I loved, and now it is just a disappointment. Maybe if the mats had been taken care of, I never would have torn my ACL. I was also in the gym, a week before my injury, where a gentleman broke his leg in half...because he fell during a bouldering route and landed in a dead spot in the mat. That is TWO sever injuries both within a weeks time. I wouldnt be surprised if there have been others.It *might* be fine if you are coming for a day of low-level, family fun (its not fine) but I would not recommend giving these people your business because of what they have done to people who love the sport. I beg you all to not support these owners. I would love nothing more than for this gym to come back to life but it truly has become a hell hole pit of despair where climbers dreams go to die.

I love this rock gym, a little pricy but with a good membership its a great place to put some work in

Always exciting at climbmax.

I love this gym, its typically quiet and that may be due to the lack of upkeep, but the staff is friendly and they let you enjoy your climbing without interfering.

Go constantly. Owner is very personable and hands on. Very nice atmosphere and great routes.

Use to be my go to gym, ownership changed, climbers left, routes became really weird and were incredibly inconsistent with their grade. I enjoyed it a lot when I was a beginner. Now? Not so much.

I wanted to like this place, and jumped in thinking a climbing gym is a climbing gym (Ive been a member of 4 different gyms from Vegas and Reno as well as visited 10 different climbing gyms throughout the country on a long road trip). I was very wrong. The best part about this visit was Allan being chill and helping my cousin (first timer) get comfortable. I recently started climbing again at home in Vegas, but used to climb when I was younger a lot, so I was excited when my cousin agreed to climb here with me. I bought a 10 time pass. I just want to climb somewhere nice with my cousin when I take my frequent trips to Chandler for family. Buying a pass here, even for infrequent use, was a mistake.Another reviewer talked about how dirty the place is, and they arent kidding. This carpeting floor was disgusting/dirty, dry, not vacuumed, holes everywhere, not taped down, and uneven. Annoying, but not a deal-breaker, especially since the goal is to be on the walls, not the ground. That same reviewer talked about how old/poorly set the routes are.Let me elaborate on the routes with specific regards to top rope. There were three 5.6 routes I could identify, two 5.8 routes, and one 5.9+ route. I might have hopped on a 5.10a/b, but youll understand why that wasnt possible soon. The 5.6 routes were equivalent to 5.9s requiring advanced movements not fit for beginners, were missing holds/tape, and didnt specify feet (taped/any). 5.8 routes were equivalent to 5.10 plus or 5.11a routes and I can barely complete most 5.9 routes, so they were out. I attempted the one 5.9+ in there and couldnt fathom how that could be completed by anyone under 8ft tall without doing a dyno on the second move onto a crimp rock under 2 in diameter with no connecting feet (it was a 5.12b easily). These werent the worst paths I found. SEVERAL paths are incomplete and/or unlabeled with nothing more than 5. on the tags. If you thought, like me, Fine, Ill figure my own routes out and strive to do what I can, you would be sorely disappointed! The routes are set with the mindset of one rope, one path for the most part. It seems like someone set everything up years ago and forgot to maintain anything for newer climbers and set all newer routes according to their own skill level.Now that the major concerns are out of the way, lets talk about other problems. First and foremost, the ropes are old and in need of replacement. Theyre frayed, dry, and very old - the cores seemed ok, but Im not an expert by any means. I was genuinely concerned about my cousins and my own safety. Second, crash pads are supposed to be somewhat soft. These guys have multiple beige crash pads, all brand new from their looks, that are so hard that I hurt my head and neck when I jumped back on one for a second to relax. I would NOT want to fall on one of these. Third, there was no AC on. It was 95F outside the day I went. Coming out of the gym I felt dehydrated, was dripping with sweat, and was a LOT cooler outside than in. I drank over a gallon of water while there and almost felt sick when leaving.I dont know how on earth this place is rated 4 stars, but I will be contacting the owner of the gym and asking for a refund of my pass minus the one time attendance. This place makes climbing gyms look bad.

Nice rock gym, good for bouldering training. The Arch is one of the coolest features about this gym.

Great place to boulder !!!!! Pay 14 dollars for the whole day!

They have the best walls i ever good walls. And they are very nice people :) BEST PLACE EVER

Found myself in Phoenix this weekend and needed a place to sport climb. I would have loved to check this place out in spite of all the complaints (its big and they do have A/C...) but when I called to ask about lead certification I was informed Id have to take a 90-minute class costing about $50. I asked about testing out (Ive been climbing over ten years, and Ive worked as a routesetter and youth coach.) Not an option, and the guy tried to tell me that no other gyms allow people to test out. Lol... my gym does, the Tucson gym does, PRG does, in fact all the gyms Ive been to while traveling do. Nice try dawg. PRG it is.

Very good for intro climbers, plenty of space for private work out and bouldering.

My has this place fallen from grace, a sad shell of what used to be a bright brilliant atmosphere.

What an awkward terrible experience! The Asian man at the front desk who has nothing to say except NO turned us away because one of our guests bought the Groupon the same day. No one was even in the gym! None of my friends or I will be returning. Way to promote business.

Awesome - wide open climbing gym with lots of walls and angles. Tons of climbing!The AC is a must in the Arizona summer heat!

Great place for climbing practice.

Crap dont go spent 60$ to doing nothing dont go

Tons of fun, especially in a group for fundraising, a birthday, or other event!

DOORS ARE NOW OPEN AGAIN!PLEASE COME AND MAKE THIS PLACE POPINDONT FORGET TO BRING YOUR GOOD VIBES!

Sadly I completely agree with Vincent.

Dont go. waste of time

Best climbing gym in the valley.Its a true climbers gym....not a spa.

Was a very friendly and open gym

Kinda dirty and the mats are pretty tore up.

Huge gym with lots of options for all levels of climbers.

Great local place

Awful experience

🥱🥱🥱