Believe it or not Im only 13 years old and I love this place, not only do I have a 3 month membership but so does my best friend. This is a great place to go if you want to build arm strength leg strength and just let your energy out. The workers are just so amazing, so kind and funny. I come here almost every other weekday and have such a blast. I really recommend coming here. AMAZING staff read more

Kendall Cliffs Climbing Gym - Climbing Near Me - Peninsula, Ohio

Super fun new experience. I went with a friend after getting a Groupon for climbing 101 with personal instructor. Tyler, our awesome instructor, was with us for 2 hours teaching us knot tying, belaying, provided climbing tips, and gave a good dose of moral support to get over height or falling fears. They do have belay machines in case you do not have someone to belay for you. My friend and I passed the belaying test so we are all set when we go back together to climb again. As a heads up to those who have rental shoe fear, special shoes are required as part of the climbing gear provided. read more

Kendall Cliffs Climbing Gym - Climbing Near Me - Peninsula, Ohio

I used to be an avid climber when I lived in Montana back in the day, but fell out of it after moving around a bunch. I was super excited to find out from a friend about Kendall Cliffs climbing gym and how close it was to where I live! We went on a Tuesday night which happened to be college ID night so admission was only $10 for me! The place was busy, but not overly crowded and everyone working and climbing there was super friendly. Since I am not belay certified anymore it was great to see they had 5 auto-belays each with 2-3 routes you can climb. One of the staff members was nice enough to pass along information about their belay certification classes which I will be doing soon! For those that are certified, there are a bunch of top ropes routes as well as some lead climbing routes and a smallish bouldering wall. Overall I had a great experience and plan on making climbing nights at Kendall Cliffs a weekly event! read more

Kendall Cliffs Climbing Gym - Climbing Near Me - Peninsula, Ohio

I had a great time there!! Super fun, you use muscles your not use to using so it can be challenging to say the least. I would go back because the instructors really make you feel good and safe. read more

See all

They were so accommodating and fabulous to our group tonight. We were so impressed at how attentive, kind, and patient they were with our group of girls. I always forget what a gem it is to have this place in our area!!!! Props to the manager and Troy for their help in all things tonight. read more

This was a really fun experience! I went on a Groupon for the 101 class for 2. We had a really nice instructor who in just under an hour taught the two of us everything we needed to know to have a go at it on our own: knot tying, belaying and the rope work involved in that, etc. We took a quick belaying test and received the tag that you need to have with you at all times when climbing. There is a machine belaying device that allows you to climb solo on some of the walls, but I much preferred having someone with me. There are mostly straight vertical walls to climb, but there is a section that juts out at the top like an extending ledge which I found more challenging even on the easy routes. This section and all the other walls are color coded so you know which are the easiest routes followed by easy +, intermediate, etc... This isn't the closest climbing gym to me, but I had a good first experience and want to go back as soon as I can. When I went at 5p on Monday the place was empty. There was every only just another couple or two in the gym at the same time as me. They said they get very busy at the weekends hosting birthday parties and such. read more

I'm visiting from out of town, so my review might be biased because I can only compare this gym to what I'm used to back home....but it is what it is. What I did not find enjoyable: the routes. The bouldering wall is tiny - 3 moves and you're at the top. I wouldn't come here if you just want to boulder, and maybe the sport routes/top rope routes are better, but if they were set by the same people who set the bouldering area, then I doubt it. The price was steep for what you get. I bring this up for two reasobs: first because I was reading reviews of the other climbing gym in Cleveland and someone's complaint was that they charged $12 for a day pass. Well, this place charges $15 base price, not including any rentals, unless you go on a Thursday. Second reason, the gyms back home charge the same amount for a larger climbing area, cardio, weights, machines, and yoga class. What I liked: the people working were nice. The bouldering wall itself was made to look and feel like real rock, which is nice to mix up the plastic holds with 'features.' Another cool thing, earning the second star was the small little slack line set up in the middle of the rubber padding. It distracted us from the terrible problems. Not worth driving the 50 minutes to get there from where we started. read more

Chill atmosphere and knowledgeable staff. This place is a great gym to stay conditioned on and off Climbing season. They have a great verity of routes that are changed around often to keep things fresh. read more

I was very pleased to find Kendall Cliffs in my neighborhood. I just recently started climbing again after six years. Came here with the good friend who allows me to outdoor climb with her. I will say that the price is a bit steep. I would love to come here more often, but I would eventually end up eating my gear because there would be no money left for food. That said, I will defintely be back semi-regularly, especially throughout the winter. The routes are fun and changed up regularly. It is large enough to be comfortable, not large enough to get lost. The staff are some of the kindest and least snobby people I have ever met in a rock gym. That did it for me. They made me feel very welcome. I have never before felt welcomed by the staff at a rock gym. I always feel like I'm just not in the club. Love Kendall Cliffs. I will be back. I will try to get my husband here. Great staff, fun routes. Bouldering is a little lacking. Love the squishy floors. Friendly, helpful staff. read more

My girlfriend and I got a Groupon to check this place out. The Groupon got us a one on one lesson with one of the instructors to which we are now certified to climb at a later date. Tyler was our instructor and he was friendly, informative and supportive of our lack of ability to pick up the instructions right away. We did both end up doing pretty well at the end. We enjoyed our time and the fact that as adventurous enthusiasts we can say we did it, but as something to do regularly don't think it will be our thing. It was probably more challenging than any of the other activities we've done. Mainly the strength needed to hold the rope both when you climb and your partner climbs is tough. We did have fun and a great experience overall. It's worth trying, but I recommend getting the instructors course and with that you get an all day pass to climb once you've completed your course! read more

Great facility, nice routes, friendly staff. Unfortunately the upper management owns the store next door and it is wildly apparent how little the care about the climbing community. They treat the staff and facility as nothing but a money maker and they leave their staff feeling overworked and under appreciated. I will not be going back. read more

This place is a good top rope gym and a great lead climbing place. It leaves something to be desired if you plan on bouldering. It's good for children's birthday parties and the like, a decent place to be a regular at, but if you're from out of town I'd stay away unless you're desperate to climb on a winter day. The lack of color-coding or marking on routes makes the gym pretty frustrating to navigate for anyone who is just visiting. Many of the wall holds are marked as "Do Not Use" - I don't understand why they weren't just taken off the wall. The wall smacks of a lack of routine maintenance by staff. The difficulty of bouldering routes that do exist is not balanced. The gym lacks a set of warm up routes and the difficulty quickly goes very high. The lack of mid-difficulty routes doesn't allow people to improve even if they commit enough time to it. They've chosen rubber shreds for floor matting. No real complaint other than they make your feet and hands dirty and don't provide the same sense of safety ( to me ) as more standard padded mats. read more

A great place for kids birthday parties. Our 11 fourteen year old girls had a blast scaling different routes. The staff is excellent. The facility is amazing with over 25 routes to climb. read more

Kendall Cliffs is a great place to spend some time rock climbing, whether you've never done it before or you're a seasoned pro. The options are bouldering with a mat, climbing with someone to belay you that doesn't work at the gym, or climbing with someone to belay you that does work at the gym. The latter requires a reservation and $20 per person, making it the most expensive option. You can rent your shoes and harness there. The walls are great; they range from beginner to advanced. There is a bouldering "cave" and an arch for the most experienced. Overall, if you want to go rock climbing and live within about 20 minutes of Peninsula, Kendall Cliffs is worth your time. read more

Though this gym used to be great years ago, there is no one that remains from the staff from those days - and the route setting suffers badly for it. They have routes that are mainly 5.7-5.9 with the moves required being primarily strength moves. I get the feeling that the route setting is being done by less experienced climbers than they had in the past, and other than getting a good work out, you really aren't going to learn anything about advanced climbing. An experienced climber may not find anything worth their time here. They would benefit from attracting some better climbers who have outdoor experience to set the routes or allowing regulars to set routes. read more

I've lived in the area forever and ghost recently discovered my love of Kendall Cliffs! I've climbed at a bunch of other gyms and outside, still love KC - probably because I think the staff is great and I go during the week (the weekend has a lot more newbies and parties)! read more

Great facility and the staff is awesome, but who ever owns and runs this place is awful. They have a family pass option, but it's limited to two people. Too funny!!!! I thought a family was a mom and dad with a minimum one child. Thier family pass is actually $125 more expensive than two teenagers signing up for a year individually. Makes absolutely no sense!! I wrote an email asking if there were other options and got no reply. So it would be over $1,300 for our family to sign up. Ya that's going to happen. read more

Great sport climbing gym. Very helpful, friendly and courteous staff. I love that there are top rope routes (including quite a few auto belays) as well as lead climbing. I agree with other reviewers that their bouldering area leaves a lot to be desired....but we came to lead climb so that was not a problem for us! The gym is not as big as others but it was clean with good routes, air conditioning for the hot summer days, and really great staff. We've been back and will be back again. read more

The facility is immaculately clean, the staff has always been solid, and this is the only gym in NE Ohio that offers good sport climbing. Unfortunately, the owners and upper management of Kendall Cliffs are inept and clueless in regards to running a successful climbing gym. I have been taking my family there for years and have brought them substantial business; however, I have already begun looking at taking my family to some other newer gyms in the area that seem to have at least a modicum of passion for the sport of climbing. My biggest gripe is the fact that they can't keep good staff. The staff has always been courteous, knowledgable, and helpful to my family, but they always end up quitting or getting fired for innocuous reasons. Many of the past staff now work at other climbing gyms in the area where their attributes and skills are ostensibly appreciated. Another gripe I have is the cost to climb at Kendall Cliffs. The amount you spend on a membership is already absurd for what you get, which is: hardly any new routes, no workout area, no campus area, no yoga, pitiful bouldering, no free nalgene bottles, and an obnoxious amount of understaffed birthday parties on the weekends. I feel like my 6 year old daughter could honestly run this place better. This place has a lot of potential, I just hope that certain people actually listen to the honest critique of others whom share similar opinions. Even if thats the case, it will take a lot to overturn their bad reputation. All in all, they need a REAL chief navigator. read more

I love Kendall Cliffs! Awesome location. Easy to find. Great area. Safe town. Good pricing. Average cost of a day pass. Great climbing conditions. Many routes for beginners. A mix of top rope and lead routes. Challenging routes for seasoned climbers. Phenomenal staff. The employees are helpful, kind, and knowledgable. Best climbing in the area! read more

This is a great climbing gym which is also right next to an amazing store that sells some materials to climb with. The people there where really friendly and seemed to pay attention to whatever your talking about too. But there is just one problem with it... The climbing ropes are all right next to each other so your kinda running into others while your climbing. But other than that, it's an amazing place! read more

Owners always seem to make unnecessary improvements like re-paving the parking lot (twice, since I've lived nearby) or adding ipads for signing waivers, instead of improving the quality of the gym and climbing areas. There's no training equipment except for a single hangboard and a really terribly set-up campus board. They recently replaced the floor with pressed rubber that is seriously as hard as concrete. Despite the fact that you could obviously seriously injure yourself falling on it (even a drop from low-bouldering height could hurt an ankle), the owners' son told me you could "fall 14 feet onto it and be fine. You could even land on your head." The standard for measurement of the safety of playground surfaces as defined by ASTM-F1292 (Standard Specification for Impact Attenuation of Surface Systems Under and Around Playground Equipment) is the Head Injury Criterion, or HIC, one factor of which is fall height. Flooring with a "fall rating" of 14' has HIC values approaching 1000 as fall height approaches 14'. HIC is not to exceed a maximum 1000 at the critical fall height, where critical fall height is defined by the maximum fall height of the equipment in use. At HIC 1000, according to the study "Head Impact Protection Performance of Various Playground Safety Surfaces" by LTR Products (available from Clemson.edu) a fall yields a 98% chance of minor injury, a 90% chance of moderate injury, an 8% chance of critical injury, and a 2% chance of fatality. For quick graphical reference, please see Figure F-1292-04 which I have attached in this link: http://i.imgur.com/mjD5dY0.png To review, a fall rating of 14' doesn't mean "you could fall 14' on your head and be fine," it means "you could fall 14' with only a 2% chance of dying and a 90% chance of moderately injuring yourself." There's no water fountain or water cooler. The AC is inadequate and there are no overhead fans, despite there being plenty of space to safely install some without interfering with climbing safety. Kendall also advertises being the only custom-built climbing facility in Ohio, which is categorically false (see: Kinetic Climbing Gym, aka. 1000% better gym than Kendall). read more

This gym is mediocre for the most part. If you compare this gym to other gyms outside the state, it wouldn't get a single star, but since there are only two gyms in the area it receives two stars. This is a great gym for birthdays and medium to large get togethers like boy/Girl Scout groups. The price could be more competitively priced. Judging by the next to non-existent new holds, and the frequency of pizza greased covered old holds, it's obvious that they aren't putting the money into the climbing aspect of the company. The only nice update they've done is replaced the black rubber for actual flooring, that was a HUGE improvement to the look and feel of the place. Adding iPads and removing the slackline, hangboards, and training balls doesn't seem like a move forward for a climbing gym but makes sense if it's going for more of a children party center. To be honest a party center for kids is probably the better move for them since the community seems to reject the new lack of ownership. What it comes down to is this, it's a very tiny gym with next to no bouldering, but it does have lead climbing which is really nice. The price is a little high and the memberships are absurd, other gyms can get away with charging so much because they have something to offer other than just a mediocre climbing setup. There's no yoga, there's no training area, there isn't even a water fountain lol which forces you to buy the water they sell at the gym... Definitely don't drink from the tap... Im deathly serious, DONT drink the water. BUT! This is the ONLY gym in the area, so it can change and do whatever it wants and people will pay, unless climbers want to drive to Cleveland for some bouldering, until the day that another gym opens in the area,this will be the best climbing gym. If they wanted to improve their gym I think I would charge a little less for passes and memberships, or actually put money into the climbing experienced, and maybe post there actual hours on their "updated" website. The only way I found to get their hours is to call in and ask, but they have to be open to answer, or go on yelp for their hours of operation. If their hours are on the website, it seems to be in a silly location. This is a great gym if you have no other alternative; although, I heard the zip-line place down the street is planning on opening up a rock wall XD read more

Kendall's management has no desire to create a friendly environment for climbers. They are constantly running through staff and route setters, and only care to cater to the birthday party and Boy Scout crowd. What was once a decent gym in a good facility should be thriving, but it is barren due to incompetence and increased competition. Beyond that, management's callous disrespect for their staff members is appalling, to the point where I (and anyone else who has climbed at Kendall regularly) truly feel sorry for folks to have to work at Kendall. Any slack if they make a mistake? None. Any store discount worth their time? Not anymore. The day-to-day staff is wonderfully kind and helpful and deserves better. This gym is owned by people who are great at three things: 1. Throwing birthday parties. 2. Alienating the majority of Northeast Ohio's strong climbing community. 3. Ignoring constructive feedback from those who want to see the gym improve. Anyone looking for a case study on how to mismanage a facility and alienate its customers should look no further. read more

Worst gym ever. The staff/setters are awesome people and I have climbed a lot with many of them. There is no bouldering, the price is too high for what you get, and it is super old. Rockmill is opening in January 2016 (right by U of A campus). I would suggest going there 100% because it is state-of-the-art and has weight rooms and yoga. Also, it is definitely going to be worth the price. Lets stay positive with Kendall Cliffs though! The sport routes are really great if you are an avid climber. Also, with Rockmill opening, the owners of Kendall Cliffs are going to have to innovate or die. Let's hope they choose to improve the gym because nobody ever wants to see the climbing community lose a gym. Come on Kendall Cliffs!!! You can do it!! Let's see what you can do!! read more

Here was my experience. I used to top rope in my 20's with friends in Hickely (20 years ago) now I have kids and wanted to introduce them to rock climbing ( they are 8 and 10). I asked some friends on fb which one I should go to and they recommended here. They said you sometimes get an attitude at the other place ( I do not know either way ). I called when they opened got some info on the belay test and such because I have never been to a indoor gym before and it was a 40 minute drive for us. We got there, counter guy was friendly we rented shoes and put our harnesses on and I got my belay test and we where ready to go. I have not heard of an auto belay before which was a plus because I was not planning on really climbing but it was pretty cool and the kids loved it more than me belaying for them ( go figure ). Well anyway the kids want to go all the time and I get to do something I enjoy also. I would definitely recommend to anyone. We stayed from 4pm - 9pm with a break for dinner.. By the way, this is the first review I ever have written read more

Excellent place for Family climbing. Great for winter times when activities are more limited. Prices can be steep, but if you go on their reduced pricing days they are competive. Staff is WONDERFUL and it's inexpensive to get certified to belay. Routes are challenging and they re-do routes often enough to keep it challenging and fun. It's great for a group of friends too - instead of going to dinner you can burn some calories! Great place! read more

I am visiting home for the holidays and climb regularly in San Diego. Maybe my standards are too high but I decided to try this as it was the closest place with belay and lead. The one staff member was awesome, seriously great.... tall, ginger..... but the rest were there just to socialize. It seems like more of a kids hang out than a serious gym. I paid the $20 for day pass and harness. They were out of chalk so I went next door to get more. Then came back out and all of sudden chalk was stocked? I bouldered for about 15 minutes with a group of teenagers sitting on the floor in the way of anyone wanting to jump down / fall. I decided to finally leave and overheard a staff member comment to a mother (she told her teenagers to wash their hands after climbing) and the staff member said, "yes because there's poop on the walls." Joke or not, and maybe I visited on a bad day, but I had hoped that this place would be rad for climbing and I was disappointed for sure. read more