A great facility, friendly staff, challenging courses for every level! It was an arming experience and we will definitely be back read more

ASCEND South Side - Rock Climbing Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Ascend is a blast to go to! Going here is what makes me want to go climbing again. This place has alot of climbs to choose from, whether be something you're comfortable trying or others that can pose a challenge. Whichever one I picked was satisfying to beat (if I could beat the challenge ones at least). That being said, I would definitely love to come back here in the near future and bring some friends along the way! read more

I would say that Ascend climbing gym is the best climbing gym that Pittsburgh has to offer. Listed below are the pros and cons: Pros: -The facility is incredibly spacious! -Problems are diverse, unique, and challenging! -Staff is enthusiastic and knowledgeable climbers!! -The facility garners a strong sense of community, both for climbers and exercise enthusiasts (e.g. they have an active run club, large yoga community) -Great hours!! Cons: -Top rope areas are limited Neutral -Overall drop-in prices can seem high, but the costs are comparable/within the same range as other climbing gyms of the same quality. Overall, this is a great climbing gym! Go check it out, and join the run club!! read more

Fun fun fun did I mention fun? This place is roomy as long as you don't go on a busy Saturday. Lots of climbing space for bouldering as well as climbing. Plenty of room to bring in food and make it a lunch date or party. Rates are fair and if you climb a few hours you totally get your money's worth. read more

I'm from Cali and I just happened to take my cousin and her friend here to climb for their first time. They loved it! I am amazed by the set up and the internal structure of the place, quite different from the gyms I climb in LA. Shout out to Maria Rose for the walk thru and experience! Made us feel right at home and she had such a chill personality. read more

5 stars. Interesting location in an aesthetically pleasing building. Was welcomed by a team of great staff right when I walked in! Signed the waiver via an iPad, had a very nice explanation of the building and the amenities, strapped up and started climbing! I showed up to ascend solo. But after about 10 minutes of stretching and scoping out the lines I was 3 friends deep and excited for that fore arm burn. I'll definitely be coming back next time in in Pittsburgh! read more

I'd been creeping on Ascend on Instagram for almost six months before my sister and I checked out the space. My sister is much more experienced in rock climbing than I am, but neither one of us had too much experience with bouldering. When we arrived, no one greeted us. But we found our way to the waiver computers where we filled out and signed release forms. At this point, an Ascend employee greeted us, and we paid. Another Ascend employee introduced us to the space, walking us around the gym and modeling the correct form for falling if we ended up doing so. By the time we were handed our climbing shoes and chalk bags (first visits receive these for free), I felt comfortable and ready to try out the walls. The walls had a variation of paths for climbing. During our tour, we found out how to recognize the levels and paths. I mostly climbed on Green, which is the easiest, while my sister ventured into a few other colors. We had a lot of fun and enjoyed the relaxed setting of a Tuesday afternoon. My sister said this is one of the best climbing gyms she's been to. read more

We came here to do some indoor climbing on a Saturday and had a wonderful time. I love that there's a climbing section where you can actually top out. I wish that this place had existed when we were still living in the Southside as we would have frequented the gym often. I did not get to try the variety of other activities that they offer (yoga, ropes, other fitness classes) but love that this place is more than just climbing. The space is also wonderful with big windows and lots of natural light. We both felt that the routes were challenging and had a great time. I did feel that the day pass price was a little high, especially considering that it was the first time we had ever visited ASCEND. It would be nice if they'd offer some kind of "newbie" special day pass prices for those wanting to come and check things out for the day. read more

This place has great, fun, challenging climbing walls to boulder and top rope/belay climb. It is interestingly placed in the Southside of Pittsburgh, but it is a large space with beautiful window views. The staff were friendly and helpful. Ascend also has a small weight area/gym and provides yoga classes. Many of my friends have bought full memberships because they love it here. I would, but I no longer live in Pittsburgh. But this place is awesome and you can get in a variety of great workouts! They also have some delicious cafe items available for purchase. read more

This place has a great vibe and challenging routes. I like it a lot. The people are very friendly and if you want to learn they are willing to help you out. read more

Rock solid gym. Gym is brand new so facilities are top notch. Great walltopia walls with a good range of angles, including high ball boulders. Work out area is great, including the usual crossfit amenities and a high campus board with a variety of crimps and slopers. Also includes a comfortable lounge/kitchen area, Wifi, locker rooms w/ showers. Also has a top rope wall with autobelays, yoga, and child watch which I have not used. Staff are friendly and the setting is great. This is the start of a new era of rock climbing in Pittsburgh. read more

Stopped in this amazing gym while visiting family!! Super friendly, helpful staff and welcoming vibe. A great variety and quantity of routes for all levels of climbers. The work/community space is awesome to hang out or get work done (free WiFi!!) and the fitness center is well stocked. Yoga classes are a must! Love this spot, if I lived in Pittsburgh I'd be a member here for sure. read more

I've come here three times now. Two out if the three times the staff has been pretentious and rude. Their customer service is much like going to the DMV where they act like they are doing you a favor by taking your money. The facility is clean and nice. There are many levels for bouldering that are challenging. Shoe rentals are 4.00. They have a great acroyoga class. The instructors are very friendly and helpful for acroyoga which is a great parallel compared to the bouldering staff downstairs. No partners needed for acroyoga. They rotate you through the group. Even if you came with a partner, you will be rotated to work with other people. Great addition to the neighborhood if they improve their customer service. read more

My friend and I had climbed together in Nashville almost two years ago, so when both of us happened to be in Pittsburgh, we decided to check out ASCEND. The entrance to the building is somewhat hard to find, but they do have ample free parking available. Upon entering the gym, I was immediately impressed with the cleanliness of the facilities, and the staff does an excellent job giving newcomers a detailed orientation to the space. The main room is huge with big windows that have a great view of the city. In this room, there are the rock walls, cardio equipment and weight equipment. While I do wish that the training equipment was in a separate room (especially the weights as I sometimes felt like I was climbing directly over them), the equipment was clean and good quality. As for the walls themselves: there is a TON of bouldering (including one wall that you can climb on top of- which was just fun!). There are definitely not as many top rope options, and I was a bit disappointed in how short the top rope walls were in comparison to other gyms I have visited. That being said, I still found more than enough routes to suit my ability! Several of the routes are auto belay, which is really great because in order to be trained on the 'regular' belay (assuming you haven't learned it before), you have to pay to come to their nightly class at 7 pm. I do wish that ASCEND would make this information more clear OR give another option for those that can't make that 7:00 time. So, be aware! I look forward to a second visit to ASCEND in the future. read more

We had a great time here! I really appreciate the childcare that's available if you reserve ahead of time. We left our 7 month old in the nursery area for 2 hours, and it was the first time we had had the opportunity to climb since he was born. There are some really fun bouldering routes, and even though it was a crowded Saturday, I feel like we were able to get as much climbing in as we wanted. We'll be back! read more

Excellent climbing gym! Probably one of the best bouldering locations I have been to. Diverse set of routes and walls. Climbers are approachable and staff is attentions to customer needs. read more

This place is pricier than the climbing wall but the facilities are definitely newer. It's a huge space and there are cardio machines and a weightlifting area (which is a huge plus since they don't have that at the climbing wall), as well as a yoga studio upstairs. There's a large variety of bouldering walls to try. read more

There is no reason to try to go here during covid. Their rules are ridiculous and impossible to climb with.

Bouldering heaven, not so great for top rope as the routes are limited and only twenty feet or so high. The boulder has the full range of difficulty from slight positive faces to arches and complete overhangs. There were a good distribution of problems that utilized different skills, loved the variety. read more

This is such a great space. The mats and safety features are great. It's so clean feeling, which may just be because it's still pretty new. What's great is all the free parking available, which is hard to find in the southside. When we went the staff was very friendly and helpful. We only boulder, so don't have any experience with the top rope or yoga, but we've used the workout space which is also very welcome and nice. There are a lot of bouldering routes and I like how they've matched the handholds to the route you should be following instead of colored tape which is sometimes hard to see and falls off. It makes route climbing so much easier. This is definitely my new climbing gym. read more

Rock and bouldering Climbing with topping out. Booking system has bugs. Interesting classes acro, yoga. Group classes are free to members. Social events. Climbing competitions. Friendly people. read more

Super awesome staff! All ranges of climbers, from new to extremely experienced! The mushroom is fantastic!

I love ASCEND I am on the A-Team and it is the best. The comps are so fun. All the staff are nice and it is clean inside.

This was my first time rock climbing, so I was a little intimidated. The staff went out of their way to welcome you and encourage you! The woman who helped us identified several routes that would be good starting points as we stared at the wall, unsure of where to start. I will definitely be back to work out and soak up more of their friendly, helpful and laid back vibes! read more

Terrific route setting, large and open, clean facility with amazing views of the city and natural light. I've climbed at gyms all over the country, and so far this is my new favorite one! There is an amazing training area with free weights (squat rack!), climbing specific training area with hangboards, hang out areas, locker rooms with showers, and a yoga studio. The staff was very friendly and super helpful. I can't wait to go back again! read more

great gym. friendly, inclusive environment. wonderful opportunity to challenge yourself

What an awesome place. Super helpful staff, making sure everyone knows what they're doing but then they give you room to roam. And roam you can do! Tons of bouldering routes up to 15 feet high. Auto belay for those who want to go even higher. Great place! read more

Fantastic facility. Very highly recommended for any level climbers. Ladies at the front desk are great, very kid friendly place. The gym was busy when we were there but there was plenty of wall space for everyone. Aside from the fully nude D Bag in the men's locker room, this place is great. I mean seriously, you have to be a grade A, 5 alarm D BAG to get fully nude and hang out in a locker room at a climbing gym without any sense of urgency to get dressed. You know who you are, don't be that guy. read more

Subpar route setting. 2 stars. Slow turn around on new problems, walls aren't even set, one ridiculous problem takes up an entire wall. If you're a climber you will understand. But it's a fun place and would recommend checking it out. read more

The staff is fantastic. Everyone is kind, upbeat, helpful, and attentive. The bouldering is top notch and the facilities are good. Parking is a bit tight so ride your bike if you can. Would be nice if they had more bike parking outside on ground level; they have indoor bike parking which is a nice touch but it's on the 2nd level. My complaint is the lack of vertical routes. Bummer for me; I much prefer top roping to bouldering. I'd expected a new climbing gym in a big warehouse to have significant top roping! There are autobelays which is a plus though. read more

Excellent climbing facility, with top-notch equipment, very spacious, bright and clean. The staff is awesome. The onsite parking is extremely convenient. Great varieties of routes, for all levels of skills and fitness. My 8-year old daughter (who has been climbing for over a year) had the best time there too. read more