Easy to start, challenging to do, and perplexingly fun. Now my teenager won't stop searching for climbing boots and planning to join the local gym on a monthly subscription. Thanks Rockytop! :) read more

The climbing area is fantastic and they also have a separate gym! The staff is really friendly and helpful.

I love Rocky Top because it has two walls to climb. One of the rooms is where you climb sideways. And one is where you climb up. One time when I was there, I got to the very top, and I bet you could too. read more

Rocky Top - Recreation Centers Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

I love the vibe. It feels like people there just come for the love of the sport. Plus the staff is relaxed and friendly. My only concern is is that I feel like they are out growing the location and often when climbing it feels very compact. This place has a lot of things going for them and is great for any truly in love with the sport. read more

Rocky Top - Weight area - Recreation Centers Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Rocky Top is the best climbing gym I've been to so far. It's small, but it's mighty! Coaches and setters are experienced and friendly, whole community is welcoming and kind. Highly recommend. read more

The PRIMARY goal in climbing is safety. I don't know how somebody hasn't been seriously hurt here yet. The "bouldering" area is about the size of a large walk-in closet with very old and very flat pads. I generally do not down climb but rather fall on purpose. If I did hat here, I think I would break something. Also, the holds are not secured properly. On several occasions I was blundering up a wall and the hold would turn on me. These two are MAJOR safety issues. Additionally, every climbing gym I have ever been to has roaming staff looking for safety issues on the floor and assisting climbers in need. The one time I went here, the only safe member was a young guy and he was climbing himself. The next goal of climbing is to have fun - this place is so small that climbers are practically all over each other for the routes. Plus the walls are very short and the routes are not marked very well at all. There is a weight room - ALL CLIMBING GYMS HAVE A WEIGHT ROOM. And... well... I can't think of anything positive to say about this place. I try to go to go to climbing gyms when I go to a new town. I will NEVER again go here and I pray that somebody doesn't get seriously injured here. If you are in a real jam, go to a normal gym or drive to RVA or D.C. to see a real climbing gym. read more

I had never been to Rocky top before but my daughter was dying to have her bday party (she turned 9), at a rock climbing wall. Although I was initially turned off that you could only have bday parties between 10-12, it turned out that every child could come. I guess less conflicts than afternoon. We got there and the kids got shoes and harnesses. There were two young men who worked with the girls be helping them climb the walls. There were also two extra spaces where the kids could climb that did not require assistance. They also showed my husband and me how to use the equipment so we could also help the kids. My daughter has a high energy group of friends and this was truly a perfect venue and activity for them! They loved it! read more

After reading the reviews I wasn't all that sure I wanted to go to this gym, but now that I went, I'm glad I did! A couple things... It IS really TINY. But the thing is.. I don't know why people would complain about the size of the gym... Don't expect a huge gym, expect a hipster little bouldering cafe of sorts and u will love it ;) There is a full weight room and some great routes to climb. There are a couple things that make it a bit unsafe. The window next to the bat cave(upstairs) scared me a bit. The NO shirt thing... I read that in another review and the thing is... I don't know how much that person has climbed but climbing with no shirt just seems to be a rock climbing thing. Ive been to several places including in Europe(okay maybe mentioning Europe and no shirt isn't helping since people go bare at the beach but anyway) it just seems to be a thing haha so i wasn't too upset about some of the guys not wearing shirts. (I mean sometimes its an ego thing and that is annoying buuuut then again some of the people r really attractive... I mean i wouldn't mind Ryan reynolds or Zack efron climbing next to me without a shirt..) JK (too honest?) As for the person who talked about the frat boys rap music...UVA is like a mile away so i don't expect much different, buuuut i'm glad u said something because i hate frat boy rap music and got a chance to nicely ask them not to play it and they didn't! So definitely ask next time and I'm sure they will be more then happy to change it to something More wholesome Anyway, the thing is this gym is very much a tiny hipster do-it-yourself bouldering fun place to climb. So whoever was worried like me, just go for it! read more

I'm spoiled because I'm used to climbing at much larger gyms. The Rocky Top website is some AMAZING advertising. This place is TINY which is fine if all the off-clock employees weren't climbing shirtless. Emma and a boy who's name I don't know were pointed out as said off-clock employees, they took up the whole gym and intimidatingly/awkwardly climbed shirtless and kept telling my friend and I that we were in the swing zone. I had to wait 10 minutes when I arrived to pay and be admitted. They told us if we knew how to belay to grab the ropes and go crazy...unbelievably unsafe considering they didn't check or stick around long enough to watch. I gave this place 2 stars because it was close and since I own all my own equipment so it wasn't overly expensive. All in all, it would be worth the drive to do somewhere else. read more

This is alternative unique gym with very friendly kind staff. The monthly membership was cheap and worth it for all the indoor rock climbing you want or the other gym facilities such as racket ball or practicing areal dance. While they may not be the Y and have lots of gym equipment they are never crowded and have the basics like some treadmills and weights. I wanted to write a review earlier, but was selfish and did not want to give away this secret and gem because I liked always having a racquet ball room open for practicing soccer moves or actual racquetball. The rock climbing wall isn't just on one wall, but on all the walls in one room and the hallway. read more

The Rocky Top website describes itself a no-frills gym. That's absolutely true, but I would add that it's the best value in Charlottesville--monthly membership is under $50. People come here for two reasons: 1) to climb and 2) Bill. He is so knowledgeable. A friend of mine had shoulder pain, and Bill set him up with some exercises that made it disappear. A few UVA Varsity athletes come to this gym so they can work with him. It's nothing fancy, but it's definitely a cool gym. read more

I get it its a no frills gym, but even that is a stretch. It is a poor excuse for a rock gym. Routs are set haphazardly without any real flow or creativeness, and they are super outdated set months ago. The biggest issue I have is how unprofessional everything is. It seems that most people climbing work there (as someone else also mentioned and they are shirtless) It is juts grimy no one wants to be on the mats after your sweaty skin is all over it (thats how ringworm and MRSA spread). The frat house rap is offensive and again completely unprofessional. The thing that I have the biggest quarrel with is the lack of safety. Regardless of the size of the walls this is a dangerous sport and they have no metrics to guard safety. I saw people climbing without ropes (not bouldering) and there is limited supervision to ensure that climbers can belay properly. Its seems that they are one accident away from a huge lawsuit that will close them forever. That may not be a bad thing because it would not take much for a new climbing center to outdo this facility. read more

I'm a new addict to Rock Climbing and was happy to discover this place during a random drive in C'ville. I went in to get a tour of the place and find out about pricing. Based just on my tour and talking with the front desk guy, I'm definitely a fan. The place looked well kept (although from the outside, I couldn't tell it was a gym or that I was at the front door) and I loved the different amenities the place has. Some of which were a weight room, rock climbing area, racquetball court and storage area for personals. Pricing sounded great. I was interested in Rock Climbing and was told $9.50 daily, $3 rental for shoes, or a $45 monthly membership. I'm planning on rounding up a couple of buddies who want to try it and doing the monthly membership! read more

A good place for beginner climbers. Rocky Top has great prices ($10 admission/$3 shoe rental) and everyone is really friendly and helpful. It's a pretty small place though so it can get crowded real fast. I saw that they're installing a new wall and going through some renovations though so looks like this place is getting some much needed improvements! read more

I've been to a lot of climbing gyms in my day and while all of them were bigger than Rocky Top, the quality here is higher than most. Setting is interesting and diverse, ratings are consistent, and walls are reset frequently enough to keep it interesting in spite of its size. Bonus: this gym cultivates a great community of climbers. Everyone climbs safely and respects turns, and people are helpful (when asked) and friendly without being pushy or braggy. The workout room is pretty antiquey, but then again, I've never wanted to use equipment that I couldn't find there. So I guess what I'm saying is: don't let the size put you off. I'm almost never bored at Rocky Top, and I'm there several times a week. read more

Just bought a the living social deal for this place and came to try it with around 7 friends. It was a fantastic experience! We got a lot of teaching on safety and techniques on how to boulder, and the staff was friendly and knowledgeable. The pricing for monthly membership is very reasonable, too. read more

First time I've ever tried out a rock climbing gym. I really enjoyed working with the trainer. I wasn't afraid to climb a wall like I thought I would because he kept me from thinking about something other than my fear of heights. Thank you Shirreff. I'm telling eveyone how much fun it was. You sold me. read more