I am 5'3" tall, and 76 years old in this month of July. I have been a Forerunner Member of The Pad Binghamton since their very beginning. I am mostly there FIVE days a week. My sweet spot is Auto-Belay. I am a solid 5.6 and 5.7 climber. On 5.8's it depends on the crux, because I have a bad left hip flexor...which is why I climb. This summer I am getting into Bouldering. No, I don't like doing a "boulder roll" to the floor. It feels like my kidneys are trying to come out my nose. But I do love our traverse routes. They are training new muscles for me. LOL, I am only limited by the types of "holds" I can grip. I have arthritis in both hands. But top-roping gives me more chances to adjust my holds. LOL, what can I say...I LOVE The Pad Binghamton and my other short friends that come and climb with me! read more

You have to sign up with a third part data collection service, just to have your kids climb. Guy said I had to leave, if I was not going to hand over my personal and financial information for my kids to climb. read more

The setting is really not great if you are under 5'6. It feels like all the climbs are catered to this height category, and short people have to overcompensate because the intended beta usually never works. Different heights need to be considered when setting, I don't have fun in this gym at all and leave feeling incredibly frustrated every time. I don't recommend this gym to short climbers. read more

Finally, a climbing gym in Binghamton! No more do we have to drive an hour plus for indoor climbing. As far as the climbing goes, they have that down. Lots of variety (bouldering, top rope, and lead), easy certification process, and good options for a solo climber (e.g., plenty of autobelays). They also have a great shop for gear, more comprehensive than most other climbing gyms I've been to in the region. So you can get everything you need right here. As far as other amenities, they have a chill area with plenty of seating that includes a water dispenser, coffee machine, microwave, and mini fridge. They do have bathrooms and showers but they don't have a full locker room situation. They only have cubbies near the climbing walls. As far as gym equipment, they do have some, and it might be enough for what you're looking for. But they don't have a full gym's worth of equipment. So before you abandon your regular gym membership, consider taking at look at the equipment they have available and determine if that's adequate for your training. They just opened earlier in January and are still setting up. So things like climbing instruction or yoga classes aren't available yet for the foreseeable future, especially because they are still in the process of hiring all of those staff. So it should be coming soon (?), but it's unclear when. They will also have recreational leagues for children and adults but, again, not yet available. The gym is off to a good start and honestly, I'm glad they're finally open even if not all the peripheral amenities are fully ready to go just yet. If you want to climb, you can definitely do that here right now, and that's huge for this area. Just wanted to share this review and be transparent about what is actually available right now (and I can update later on when full amenities are available). Happy climbing! read more

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