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    The Gravity Vault - Chatham

    4.5 (70 reviews)
    Open 9:00 am - 10:00 pm

    The Gravity Vault - Chatham Photos

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    Zuobin T.

    Size matters when it comes to climbing gyms. That's what I used to think before I visited Gravity Vault. At 13,000+ square feet as advertised on its website, this is the smallest climbing gym I have visited so far. However, it has certainly left me with a good impression. My friends and I decided to take a short trip from our usual stomping ground of BKB and headed out to New Jersey to check out this gym when we were told that the Buy-One-Get-One-Free deal on day passes would be honored even on this Columbus Day holiday. So instead of the usual $18, each of us only had to pay $9. I was initially impressed by the friendly staff who did the belay check. She pointed out to my friend that he was wearing his harness incorrectly and needed to put it over his T-shirt. She also reminded another friend that she needed to have a double loop for the safety knot on the rope. I thought that the staff's attention to these details is probably a good reflection of the gym's commitment to the safety of the climbers. Did I also mention that it's perfect for people who enjoy top-roping? It has over 45 stations and the lack of crowd makes waiting unnecessary. The routes were challenging (with a good number of them on 35-feet walls) and the grips were neither slippery nor fully covered with chalk dust. The bouldering area was one of the smaller ones I have seen. However, the routes were more difficult than they seemed and the wall allowed for top-out for multiple routes rated V3 and above. The only thing I would recommend to the owner is to put up more of those grading charts around the gym so that visiting climbers can see them more easily and determine the difficulty of the routes. With a team of friendly staff, a climbing space and a resting area that seem almost dust-free, and challenging routes, Gravity Vault is definitely a place I wouldn't mind revisiting.

    Climbing wall
    Barbara C.

    The spot was great for adults and kids. Small group did the staff belay, the staff member who helped us was Kevin. He was great with the kids and adults. The place was clean and parking was a plus since there is a lot right in front. Missed it the first time driving there as it was hidden behind another business, will try again for sure!

    Gentleman, begin hoisting!
    Chris M.

    Prep the arms for a night of uplifting excitement! First timers fear not, the well trained staff at Gravity Vault will teach you how to tie your ropes properly and on your own within a brief 30 minute session, then you're free to climb to your hearts content. Gravity Vault offers about 50 different wall areas to climb, for beginners up to more advance levels. Don't get discourage by the walls either because there was a young child, no more than 7 years of age that was scaling the walls like a pro. Great idea for a unique date place that will cost you less than $20 per person and if you go on Monday they have a buy 1 get 1 free deal! Plus studies show that people are more likely to fall for those around them in life & death situations ;) Went there with a Yelp group, class was hosted by a young gentleman, Aris, who knew his material without getting caught up in the jargon of climbing. They're open til 10pm on weekdays, not as late on weekends though. Beginners will probably only want to spend 1.5 to 2.5 hours there, before your arms or hands begin to get sore from lifting yourself, but it's a great way to challenge yourself or your friends in some exciting competition. After 3 training classes there too, you'll be able to come and go as you please and there are a variety of monthly and year deals that can be used at both their locations.

    bouldering, I believe red is V2 (beginner level)
    Chi D.

    I went here for my first time bouldering last week. Check their website before you go because there are special deals offered here, such as a "lady's night" discount. Prices aren't bad. I did have to rent shoes to climb, and they are a little thick, which I didn't really like. My boyfriend didn't like that they don't offer shoes for more aggressive climbers (i.e. their shoes are fairly flat). They have cubbies where you can leave your things, but there are also very spacious locker room where you can change and leave things (bring your own lock!). It doesn't appear that anyone really uses the locker rooms at all. They are very clean and empty. For general bouldering, they have a decent number of "paths" that you can take, but for me I found the problem to be that there weren't as many the "paths" designed for beginners (which is clearly what I am since I don't even know the lingo). They do have three or four thick mats that can be dragged to where you want to climb if you want additional padding. For a Wednesday night, it wasn't overly crowded, though more people did come as it got later (closer to 7-8pm). The people who come here are friendly; though it's not an overly chatty place, people will sometimes offer to give you pointers, which is nice. Also, if you ask the front desk, they do have bandaids if needed. It's a decent place, I wouldn't mind coming back.

    Me, on an interesting 5.10a at the Gravity Vault
    Josh K.

    Cool place, but they don't let you use your own belaying equipment and some of the ropes are very short, to the point where the belayer needs to climb a couple steps of the course to allow for enough slack for the climber to tie in. We also found that typical of smaller climbing gyms (though honestly this place wasn't that small), the courses were more difficult than the posted difficulty. I usually rock a 5.10B or C and I was having trouble with the As here. My girlfriend who does 5.9s was sticking to 5.8s. Also the courses could be a little more interesting. A lot of the courses were simply straight as an arrow. There was one cool one involving an upside down V (attached to my review), but that's about it. Lastly it is hard to move between difficulties as you keep having to return to the sparsely distributed color guides to determine what color your desired difficulty is. Nothing yet can replace my beloved Mission Cliffs...

    Lee C.

    First time here and I have to say this was a great experience. TJ our climbing assistant was excellent. Very knowledgeable and very supportive. He made this a great experience for first timers. There's parking right outside in the private lot. Sessions last an hour but there are other offers if you wanted to take a class, etc. It cost us $50 for two people for the hour. They also include rock climbing shoes which I highly recommend. It's air-conditioned inside so it's perfect for the summer.

    Men's locker room.
    Yag P.

    Wonderful climbing Gymb. Kids birthday parties make this a wonderful way to get the little ones interested in climbing. My 10 year old joined the cloning team and it is serious business. Check it out.

    The chimney.
    Share W.

    Couches in the front part is kind of kitschy, but i like lying down like dead man on the mat anyway. It has more open space to stand around versus some others. They're meticulous with making sure you know your belay techniques (3 tests) before you can just wander on in on your own. They have some challenging, but fun walls. On super hot weather days, midway up the wall you will notice the temperature change as you go up it gets hotter and heavier. I feel accomplished when completing a climb. (went back on 7/28, temperature up there feels more comfy)

    Suze D.

    I haven't been to many climbing gyms before, but I am happy to say that this place was so welcoming and the people were all so nice to help. For new comers even if you have no idea what you are doing, there are classes you can sign up for prior to coming. Never be shy to ask for help, everyone there is there to have fun, and or experience something new. It was such a work out when you go bouldering. I will definitely recommend it to anyone. Attention girls, Friday nights are ladies nights. they have specials and discounts for entry! Yay!

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    9 years ago

    Very fun an a good time. Will definitely go again. The instructors were kind & helpful.

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    8 years ago

    First time here but won't be my last . Loved this place and the staff . Ryan was our instructor and he is fantastic. The gym is very clean.

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    12 years ago

    Absolutely loved this place, staff was very friendly and helpful, also patient with us as first timers. Will be back :).

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    15 years ago

    Great place to climb at. Not very crowded and staff very friendly and knowledgable.

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    Page 2 of 2

    Ask the Community - The Gravity Vault - Chatham

    What's included in the cardiovascular training area?

    Hello Chaitali, thanks for reaching out. We currently have a five rung campus board, treadmill, pull up areas and boards, plyo boxes, dumbbells, medicine balls, a small selection of kettle bells, resistance bands, and some other miscellaneous items.… Read more

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

    Review Highlights - The Gravity Vault - Chatham

    First time climber and I felt so empowered after my 1 hour belay session with Andrew.

    Mentioned in 2 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    I've been coming here for years, and always have a great time. They offer a wide range of climbing…read morewalls for all ages and skill levels, including a great selection of boulder walls, regular belay and auto-belay options. There are private and group lessons available as well as event rooms for special occasions or gatherings. Every few months they change up their climbing routes, which is nice. On top of that, they have great deals from Monday to Wednesday. Recently, they've opened a cafe serving coffee and food. There is a workout section if you want to warm up or if you're not in the mood to climb. We happened to visit 8/17/24 with some family and unbeknownst to us, it was their 19th anniversary and they've been open since 1995! As part of the celebration, they hosted raffles, offered great deals, huge discounts on merch, and had food available for everyone! It was definitely an unexpected but nice surprise! Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned pro, I highly recommend this place, it's a ton of fun and offers something for everyone!

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    i've been a member for years and they really, REALLY make an effort to make this place as good as…read moreit can be. Always have. Even when freezing my membership during Lockdown and other times i couldn't afford it between gigs. Sure they inadvertently overcharged me for seven months recently by accident (and I didn't follow up) but it only amounted to $200 or so dollars total. So i asked myself: when does life become more important than money? Here. And the monthly charges are indeed hefty but I've never had a run in with rude employees, busted or rude employees of contract switcheroo's - all of which you find at other gyms. So i look at this way: as we get older, we exercise or we're going to have problems sooner. I'm past the old fifties and this could be my last active decade. Our phones are softening us up and not for good but there's also age so why not go out spinning, lifting and grinnin'! And another positive observation, Ace - how they do it here - I can't tell you but daily, they're mixing kids, adults, the elderly and every stripe of our cultural landscape together under one roof without any apparent issues at all. That alone is worth whatever they charge. We could all learn from this. Reminds me of my beloved Denmark. Normalcy, kindness and respect. It's nice to go to a place that's as much Peace Time as Exercise Time which of course makes Lifetime. Yes it's not cheap but if you want cheap, you become cheap. And investment here isn't subject to risk. You know those annoying brokerage or investment caveats? Not here: you put in the lifetime, you extend the life. And get this Yelp of an adage of mine: a gym is one of the few investments of time where if you honestly put the work in, you honestly get results. Yeah. That's what I'm talking about! Personal growth, Baby! Ah Rudyard Kipling. And you can't script this. I'm doing pectorals like Ren and the next thing I know, a phone call comes in from a Summit number and who is it? Berkeley Heights Life Time! "Sir um is this Charles Savoth?" "Why yes", says I. "Well someone returned your credit card at the front desk!" Honest members, honest gym, honestly I'm not the sharpest "bulb" in the gymnasium firmament! But really are bulbs sharp? I don't know but I'm happy as a clam Lifetime has my back, my Buddha front and my slippery plastic! And clams are happy - they're always smiling. Again personal growth on a mollusk-u-lar level!

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    The Gravity Vault - Montclair

    The Gravity Vault - Montclair

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    Whew! Where do I begin…read more.. I first discovered Gravity Vault from the Hoboken location, which I researched online and loved the aesthetic of the business, but never did get a chance to visit. So recently when surfing IG, I saw a posting advertising their Montclair location's 3rd anniversay; the celebration was being broken up into 2 sessions (1st: 11 AM; 2nd: 2 PM) - I opted for the 2nd. So yesterday, I took a nice drive from Bergen County over to Essex to check it out with my kids. As other commenters have mentioned, parking is rough, but we lucked out with street parking across from the library...whoo hoo! Upon arrival (around 1:45), I waited to be greeted; once a staff member was available I let him know we were checking in for Session 2, which he looked kind of lost about and made me question myself, but I told him about the IG posting and he quickly said "yeah, its $5 all day pass, you can climb as much as you want." And THAT WAS IT. He turned around to another staff member about the waiver form, she ends up taking over and he took off. I completed the waiver form. I asked about shoes for climbing because they didn't ask me, in addition to harnesses and rope. The young lady stated it was all free climb at their location. Didn't know that. They didn't ask if we needed climbing chalk, or even to ask if it was our first time climbing. It was a very poor introduction and subpar customer service for US (may be different pending who you deal with). After that, we moved into the main room where we were given some quick Safety Rules (2-3 min); she pointed to a gym in the back of the space with treadmills and workout machine that were available to use. We were on our own soon after. Everything is pretty much centralized, so the small room near bathrooms was setup with a virtual climb; they also had about 3 pizza boxes and 2 bottles of almost empty drinks. My kids were able to get a gulp LOL which was nice because they needed it after the nice workout from climbing. When we leaving, my kids wanted to get some candy, so we waited online for the person who was checking in another couple to climb, but she took them to the back, so we waited for another staff member who was wrapping up with another person. A couple of guys walked in from outside, and when that staff person was done, she completely skipped over us and took the people who walked in from outside. How RUDE! We left after that. Overall experience, we stayed 45 mins to 1-hr, for the kids first time they got a good workout and enjoyed the experience. Me however, I was very unwhelmed by this location - but I still want to try out Hoboken's location. They are brighter, bigger and hopefully with better customer service.

    WARNING: Parking was hard to find. The area had very limited parking availability. I had to park at…read morethe back by the hill and luckily it was freed by someone leaving the space. Otherwise I would have had to park into a private parking spot No top rope or lead climbing. No rope climbing in this gym The climbing area is normal, a bit tight with little space to sit behind to watch over. But it had approx. 3-4 walls for climbing and a nice cave section. The cave section was elevated (not too tall and not too short), wide, and cool. The time that I came here for climbing, most of the walls were set for bouldering competition style with zone and top. I believe there was a competition set for the weekend. So I wasn't able to properly judge its difficulty level compared to other gyms that I have been so far In addition, there is a separate room for fitness area. It seemed big and populated with everything you ever need for bodybuilding/powerlifting It also had a section with moonboard and kittle board section. Pretty nice for training However, the mattresses were old school in which you can notice separation between them. This is no good if your feet was to fall within them, you could get injured. Other gyms that I have been had mattresses continuous which helps you avoid getting injured Overall, this place seems to be a great place for bouldering only. Place is cozy and clean. Definitely recommended!

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    The Gravity Vault - Chatham - rock_climbing - Updated June 2026

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