It's very small and smelly because the entire gym is matted and confined, but when there's 20+ people in it climbing and sweating with their rockclimbing shoes and the place is poorly ventilated and not cooled, it makes sense. Very weird atmosphere...it's more like a social club for college students; most of the climbers just gather around in small groups in front of the routes and talk predominately more than they climb. They mostly just perch down in front of the walls and talk and maybe climb a route once every half-hour. This is a little unfortunate because it's a very small place and they do have places for people to sit and talk and tables outside the area of the climbing, but no one uses them. It would be really nice to sense a change in their business model and see them market to rock climbers and get more energy going in the place with a stronger rock-climbing culture instead of ethnic-culturally centered and queer society, but I guess that's probably the majority of the people who pay for memberships so maybe they don't have a choice. read more

This gym has a culture of disproportionate viewpoints that is promulgated across its customers on large bulletins and leads to employees pinning their political opinions against climbers that "seem" to have views misaligned with the owners'. They claim to have a policy of inclusivity, yet do not. Their managers will even threaten to kick you out of the gym, if you seem to be expressive of a different point of view on topics, misaligned with their own. The weak leadership leads to unprofessional conduct, which in unfortunate, although isolated, situations leads will lead to climbers being attacked. While this place seems like a regular climbing gym, you may very well feel marginalized bullied here, and with an indifference from management and even the owner of the gym. The holds are always grimy, dirty, typically "gunked" with black rubber, sweat and chalk cake. The climbers in this area seem mostly timid and don't like to be approached, but most of them seem like cool people. read more

Visited boulders climbing gym yesterday with friends to try rock climbing for my first time. The staff were super friendly and helpful with guiding me through the different levels and general questions. I was impressed with the selection of different rock walls that Boulders had. The different levels were color coded and it was very straightforward to learn for a first timer. The guests were all super friendly as well and everyone seemed to be having a great time. A guest pass is $25 which includes chalk and climbing shoes to rent. If I do go bouldering again, will definitely revisit! read more

Boulders Climbing Gym - Downtown - Rock Climbing Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Rock climbing is a fantastic way to move your body, use new muscles, and have a ton of fun. When it comes to indoor climbing in Madison, Boulders Climbing Gym is my absolute favorite! This downtown location is exclusively bouldering (lower climbs without ropes), and it challenges both my mind and body as I figure out how to successfully reach the top! If your new to climbing, ask the front desk about how to get started! The only downside to this gym is that it can be a bit pricey, varying based on what kind of membership you pick. In total though, it tends to be the same as what you might pay for a nice yoga studio. Definitely a lot pricier than, say, Planet Fitness. Lastly, this space is very welcoming! If you are part of the LGBTQ community, they have special Queer Climbing events at the start of each month! These events are discounted and a great way to meet other climbers. read more

I went to Boulders Climbing Gym last night, and it was super fun. We'd never done climbing before, but we still had a great time. Definitely worth checking out if you're looking for something different to do! read more

The service was great! The place was clean and the employees were nice! The place is specifically for bouldering and it's bigger than the pictures make it seem. read more

Boulders Climbing Gym - Downtown - Gym - Rock Climbing Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

A good bouldering gym. Once you get used to the color grading system it's intuitive, and it has a good mix of easy/harder routes. Manages to pack way more routes in than you'd think, and the setting is fun. More traverses and just generally longer problems than I'm used to, which was fun! read more

Boulders Climbing Gym - Downtown - Rock Climbing Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Very fun to climb at. I'm no expert or even intermediate climber probably, but it's definitely fun to come with friends and challenge ourselves to their puzzles. Always pretty popular when I go and everyone is very nice; creating a very open and friendly culture here. They have sales pretty regularly for passes and bundle passes. They also have shoes you can use there so you don't have to buy your own if you are not a regular. read more

First of all, I am so happy about this new location....it's beautiful :) Okay! Now to the facts: This new location is a fantastic place for beginner climbers and beyond. It has huge wall puzzles and plenty of space to practice your climbing. Seems like they are pretty consistent with changing up the wall puzzles every other week or so (not entirely sure), which is good for those who need different challenges on the regular. The staff has been amazing and super encouraging to really train before doing the harder wall puzzles. This does help boost your confidence and allow you to build your climbing tolerance...in other words, climbing hurts, however, it's super fun once you get your jive in motion. I find myself getting better and better each time I go.. The floor mats are kept super clean and they always have rental shoes (I believe for members it's $5 bucks) at the ready for you if you don't have any. Chalk is provided as well, though I believe there is a fee for them - not sure on that so you'd want to call ahead if you are wondering. Overall, this is a wonderful place and I will be coming here more often. Cheers and thanks for being awesome Downtown Boulder Gym! read more

I am newer to bouldering and I really enjoyed the variety of routes they had here. I went with friends of varying abilities and we all had many options. Nice atmosphere and I liked the layout. read more

As a mommy, I can give my stamp of approval on this place! It was tidy, the bathrooms were nice and clean, and the best part is that they had a play area/lounge for little ones. It was great to be able to watch my family rock climb in the beginning, but after a while it was nice to be able to sprawl out in the lounge area that had a TV, plenty of outlets to charge your devices, books for adults and kiddos alike, and toys and activity books for the wee ones. The only gripe I have is that I wish that an employee had shown or told me about the area instead of discovering it myself. Also, I wish they had single climb rates for a person like me who would have liked to climb one or two times in between taking photos of the family and tending to the little one. read more