I knew I was going to be in Kingston for the weekend so I decided to check out the local climbing gym. I was a little bit worried about how to find the place. The photos on Google Maps of the building I think must have been for another location. This is just located in the plaza next to the Dollarama. The entrance is next to the giant mural on the outside of the building across. It is very noticeable. If you haven't been here before, you have to fill out a waiver to use the facilities. You can do it before you first check in with the desk because they'll ask you to do it anyways. I was climbing solo so I was informed the desk I would be using the auto belays. After taking care of the waiver and payment ($23 and change for admission), a staff member walked me around the facility and did a quick orientation. Even if you aren't bouldering, you have to do a quick fall test with them. I also had to do a quick auto belay test for harnessing in and a fall. The Boiler Room has it all - a speed route, top rope, lead climbing, bouldering, and auto belays. The only problem is that it's only a tiny bit of everything that isn't bouldering. The top rope area was extremely small and squishy. It was right against the wall of the building and next to the changing area. I want to say it was around 6-7 feet between the wall of the building and the climbing area. Speaking of, the changing rooms are individual stalls like a fitting room in a store. They each have a small chair and a mirror in there. There are washroom stalls that are individual use and for all genders. They have some lockers at the back. They're the cubby hole sized ones and you need to bring your own lock. This is also a squishy area. There aren't a lot of auto belays. They use dry erase tags to label the difficulty of the routes. The big problem with this is that a lot of the levels were rubbed off so if you are a beginner, you might not have any idea of how hard a problem is. In terms of the difficulty, the routes here don't have a lot of options for how you solve them. It honestly seemed like a tall person set these. There were some holds where you'd either have to jump for them if you weren't long enough. The one other thing about the auto belays is that for some reason they swung a lot. Not sure if it was an issue with the mounting. If bouldering is your thing this would be a good gym for it. Other than that I really wouldn't recommend it for a repeat visit. read more

Boiler Room Climbing Gym - Lead climbing, speed climbing, and merch - Climbing Near Me - Kingston, Ontario

A small gym with both roped climbing and bouldering (unroped climbing on shorter walls). Disclaimer: I only came her to boulder so that's what my review will be on. For the space limitations, I think BR makes good use of what's available to them. The route setting for the boulder problems range from easy to very hard and keep you engaged no matter what grade you climb. In my opinion the setting is thoughtful and creative. However, I would imagine that if you're a frequent visitor who climbs harder grades then you would get bored. Granted, I'm not sure how often the routes get changed. The grading is based on colours and not V grades and there's a variety of walls from vertical, slab, to roof/overhang. There's a small shop at the front desk that sells harnesses, shoes, guidebooks etc. What I will say about the roped climbing is that the walls appear rather short so not sure how much you could do if you wanted to lead climb. I've also been told by friends that there are a lot of rules around lead climbing at the facility. I think bouldering is your best bet here. Free parking is available at the lot outside. read more

I'm a newbie to indoor rock climbing and bouldering, so I was a bit intimidated when I first walked in, but the staff and other friendly climbers really put you to ease. If you are new like me, they'll show you the ropes (pun intended!) and get you started. If you want to focus on bouldering, you'll avoid the main walls in favor of free form climbing on lower walls, but they are extremely challenging. I started on a few beginner walls, which was good, and was thoroughly exhausted after 1.5 hours. Check it out if you are looking for a new way to get fit indoors! read more

Definitely the best place to go climbing in Kingston! read more

Boiler Room Climbing Gym - The boiler room climbing gym - Climbing Near Me - Kingston, Ontario

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This is perhaps the worse gym I've visited in the country. The gym itself is small and not very high, but I've been to other gyms of similar size that use the space much better. The route setting is mediocre at best with the most difficult routes going in a try for an high level intermediate climber/ low advanced climber. The gym used to be run by two non climbers and while the setting was sometimes poor it has gotten worse since the new "climber" owner has taken over. Gri-Gri's are anchored to the floor which makes it so belaying is awkward and unnatural. This method provides new climbers with a false sense of what climbing is if they ever go outside or to another more adequate facility. To top it off the owner, Malek, is abrasive and rude. Leaving out a stopper knot on top of a figure eight gets you scolded worse than in grade school. When I asked if I could use a bowline which is ACMG approved I was told no and when I inquired as to why I couldn't use it I was told it was unsafe. Upon inquiring as to why it was deemed unsafe I was told "because I say so". As a owner I understand having things done your way for insurance reasons or gym policy, but to go out and say a accreditted knot is unsafe because I said so is just childish. All in all I would not stop here in Kingston. A new bouldering cooperative has started by climbers in Kingston due partially to problems with the boiler room among other driving factors. The Kingston Bouldering Cooperative offers a much better experience although as it is run by students their hours can be a little different, however with this in mind it is a much better alternative to those traveling through or staying in Kingston than the boiler room. read more