Gym membership worth it?

Hey everyone, I was wondering in your guys' opinions if a gym membership would be worth it or if I'd be better off spending the $42/month on gear or classes? I do live in Washington State which does rain a lot but I'd like to also get on real rock a lot too.
Thanks!
Josh

Yes indeed $42 a month for a gym membership is worth it. Not only do you get to train on rainy days or tight schedule days, but it also offers an opportunity to network. If the gym has weight room and cardiovascular equipment that is a smoking deal!

Yes

In addition to getting to climb on rainy days, it lets you get a workout in when you only have an hour. An hour outside would get you to the crag and maybe up a route or two. At the gym, you can get in 6 in that time.

^^ that said though, a route outside is worth 10 at the gym.

Except for the orange one with the Buddha hold. That's like the El Cap of gym routes.

You work 30% harder just by being outside. Gym training is absolutely no substitute for climbing outside on real rock. Ultimately the split of 70/30 in favor of outdoor climbing should be optimal.

I built a spreadsheet that calculates gym costs and gas costs compared to climbing outside the same number of days.

Ultimately, it made more sense (both logically and with the business case) to get the gym membership. You can also rule out the rainy weather factor. Plus sometimes it's nice to have someplace 15 minutes away with no approach to put in an easy burn rather than an hour drive with 30+ minute approach.

It seems (forgive me if I'm wrong) like you may have started climbing pretty recently, so my advice would be to resist the beginner temptation to buy climbing gear other than a decent harness, a belay device, a helmet, and some quality shoes. If you learn how to belay correctly and you're graceful in accepting feedback from more experienced climbers, you'll soon have plenty of partners with whole closets full of climbing gear that you can then test-drive for free, rather than spending a bunch of money on gear that you then realize you don't like.

A lesson or two from a good guide (try to get a specific reference from a happy client, so that your money is well-spent) would be a great base to start from, but you could buy quite a lot of months of gym membership for the price of a day's guiding fee.

At the gym, you can learn movement, practice a few rope handling skills, and get stronger, all while meeting and learning from more experienced (maybe!) climbers, so that seems like $42 very well spent to me.

Optimistic is 100% right. I've been climbing about 16 years and only had a gym membership since 2012. Frankly, it's been great. I've met many new people (AKA climbing partners), my skills have improved and I find my particular gym to be really fun (YMMV). There's a real community that I value. I've also found that I go to gym much more often, because I don't have to cough up for each admission. Comparing the gym to outside climbing is kind of silly. They are different yet complementary activities (it's much more embarrassing to spray about getting the blue one). Just be sure to keep getting outside.

I've never met more partners anywhere else; the gym is great for that. In one hour I can climb 10 routes and get a great workout of muscles. It's a lot closer to my house than any crag. And a pass pays for itself in 4 visits a month (and your gym is $18 cheaper than mine!).

Yes, it's worth it.

I have found my membership at vertical world to be a great investment. Remember it rains a lot here lol. I do freeze it come June 1st though until august as it's prime rock season

the hawties (guys or gals whatevah yr preference) is worth the membership costs alone

;)

It all depends on your goals and your situation. If you really want to improve you need a minimum of three days climbing per week. Maybe two at first, but you'll quickly need more. A day might be a full day of cragging, or a 2-3 hour gym session, or laps at a crag after work.

If you can get these 2-3 days per week outdoors, then do it! But if you can't (and you probably can't, at least not in winter) then you need a day or two at the gym. At that point it's just about what makes financial sense (monthly, or pay per visit).

I tend to work a lot for 3-5 weeks and then take 4-10 days off. That means I have a gym membership to stay fit for my climbing vacations. But if I could climb every weekend and once or twice a week after work, there's no way I'd climb indoors.

That said, $42 month seems like a pretty good deal, provided the gym doesn't suck.

Ryan's points above are spot-on. A few other notes:

-- Having the option of the gym enhances your outdoor climbing in various ways. It makes you stronger, so that you can do more or harder routes outside...this has already been mentioned. But there are other ways as well. It lets you stay fit over the winter, such that you can hit the ground running for the good springtime climbing conditions; without the gym, you'll spend the spring rock season just trying to regain your lost fitness. Also, I like how the gym can provides my "fitness climbing", such that I don't have to worry about using my outdoor time to try to get strong. Instead, when climbing outside I am doing it for fun, or to achieve a goal, or to spend time out in the mountains, or to practice a skill. I don't need to think about chucking in some pumpy laps to keep up the endurance, or going bouldering outside to keep up the power; that is what the gym is for. This can be quite liberating. I can spend several weekends in a row having fun on easy trad routes, without worrying about getting weak; the weekday gym sessions can compensate for that.

--Aside from its "training" benefits, the climbing gym is just a fun place to hang out on a Tuesday evening in the winter, or on a rainy Saturday. They often are a good social venue, provides good exercise, and is just more fun than bowling, or whatever it is that people who don't climb do with their time.

Thank you everyone for the input! I think I'll go with the gym membership, it's called Vertical World and does have a weight room, hang board, etc. Appreciate the input!

Which vworld r u joining?

Everett

you will loose all ability to jam if you join/start climbing at the gym.

I'd say it's worth it, especially if you live in an area where weather makes it difficult to climb outdoors year round.

Sweet. I've been climbing there for a year now since I moved to the area. Pretty good setting pm me if u ever want a partner