big new climbing gym New York City
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At long last ... Really open ... |
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$25 for a day pass? I don't know how anyone could afford to live in the NYC area. EVERYTHING costs literally double the prices we enjoy in the rest of the universe. |
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Yeah it's open. The bouldering at BKB is better but the lead climbing is extremely good. I think the facilities outmatch their talent as routesetters. Also, it's not that crowded |
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It's been open for weeks. Bouldering is decent, mostly taller than BKB. The lead wall is huge, with a massive overhanging cave, which should be good, but..... |
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Jon H wrote:It's been open for weeks. Bouldering is decent, mostly taller than BKB. The lead wall is huge, with a massive overhanging cave, which should be good, but..... I do have some pretty big gripes with that cave though. When you're belaying, as soon as the climber pulls over the lip at the end of the cave, and onto the final 15-20' headwall, the climber is absolutely out of view. Because it's a loud, crowded gym, communicating (even shouting) with the belayer is almost impossible. This, by itself, is an annoyance, but not a critical problem. The bigger issue is that (most) belayers then walk 20' backwards from the wall to be able to see their climbers. This is an absolutely terrible habit and when these climbers transition from gym to real rock, people are going to start getting hurt. Worse, because of the friction of the rope running over the edge, it's seriously difficult to give a soft catch. Finally, because the transition from horizontal roof to vertical headwall is so abrupt, it's not hard to see a scenario where a falling climber could fall under the roof with his legs, but hit the base of the headwall with his face/torso. All in all - the cave, while very cool, is poorly designed, in my humble opinion.I don't disagree with that. I have a really good belayer, so I guess I didn't think about it but now that you mentioned it I remember the staff saying something about being careful in over-the-lip fall scenarios |
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The lead wall is fine. You frequently cannot see the climber as a belayer outside, and it shouldnt be a problem to belay by feel. The setting is on the whole better than bkb, not to mention the place is way cleaner and a much nicer environment to spend time in overall. |
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have to agree with nate. you should be able to belay someone over a roof, and you take your chances with a fall once over a roof- just like "real" climbing. that big roof is a small part of the leading available. |
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I agree completely - you should be able to belay by feel. But that wasn't my point. My point is that it was a poor design. |
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Yes now even more misguided people into the game..when they ever hit the real outdoors and non bolted climbs.. Due to indoor climbing walls it now becoming more and more unlikely to find many "climbers" on rock routes that have any form of risk.The death of pure rock climbing started with the end of risk. |
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Jon H wrote:you should be able to belay by feel. But that wasn't my point. My point is that it was a poor design. There's no reason to force people to belay by feel in a gym.Definitely agree with you there. They can't change the wall now. But they can properly space the bolts to mitigate taking a fall into the lip. Either have the climber fall well past the lip or have them hit the wall just above the lip. |
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positives- |
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haven't been there, but the gyms in the sticks generally suck, while city gyms are pretty awesome. It wasn't until recently that the Capital Region had a good gym, and even though it's a fairly awesome gym (no real complaints from me), it still pales in comparison to more densely populated places. |
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J. Serpico wrote:It wasn't until recently that the Capital Region had a good gymWhich gym in the NY capital region do you like? |
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USBRIT wrote:Yes now even more misguided people into the game..when they ever hit the real outdoors and non bolted climbs.. Due to indoor climbing walls it now becoming more and more unlikely to find many "climbers" on rock routes that have any form of risk.The death of pure rock climbing started with the end of risk.the advent of the pulling on plastic to train for the rock was the 1st stab of the thousands that now so disfigure "climbing"as to make it unrecognizable to many of us who sought to get away from the banality of the normalcy shoot, the sucking sphincter that leaks stuff like the gym rats . P.S. you brits are to blame... some greasy gym in Leeds OR Brickston was my 1st intro to indoor climbing it was '82 or '83 ? |
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kenr wrote: Which gym in the NY capital region do you like?as far as i am concerned, there is only one. The Edge in clifton park. very nice, but i refuse to pull plastic, so i havent gone in over a year. im not one of those guys that transitions well, and quite frankly,i dont care if i can climb 5.11 in the gym. |
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Michael Schneider wrote: the advent of the pulling on plastic to train for the rock was the 1st stab of the thousands that now so disfigure "climbing"as to make it unrecognizable to many of us who sought to get away from the banality of the normalcy shoot, the sucking sphincter that leaks stuff like the gym rats . P.S. you brits are to blame... some greasy gym in Leeds OR Brickston was my 1st intro to indoor climbing it was '82 or '83 ?Good one .and yes the Brits are still at it .Now being built in my town a new rock wall as well as a frozen ice wall.Maybe that will keep them indoors for ever. Bye the way I am also an all American that as has yet never managed to touch a greasy plastic wall.I guess I enjoy the outdoors too much .Grades mean nothing. |
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USBRIT wrote: Good one .and yes the Brits are still at it .Now being built in my town a new rock wall as well as a frozen ice wall.Maybe that will keep them indoors for ever. Bye the way I am also an all American that as has yet never managed to touch a greasy plastic wall.I guess I enjoy the outdoors too much .Grades mean nothing.Hardest moves ever done were on a woody in Sheffield... |
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Jon H wrote:It's been open for weeks. Bouldering is decent, mostly taller than BKB. The lead wall is huge, with a massive overhanging cave, which should be good, but..... I do have some pretty big gripes with that cave though. When you're belaying, as soon as the climber pulls over the lip at the end of the cave, and onto the final 15-20' headwall, the climber is absolutely out of view. Because it's a loud, crowded gym, communicating (even shouting) with the belayer is almost impossible. This, by itself, is an annoyance, but not a critical problem. The bigger issue is that (most) belayers then walk 20' backwards from the wall to be able to see their climbers. This is an absolutely terrible habit and when these climbers transition from gym to real rock, people are going to start getting hurt. Worse, because of the friction of the rope running over the edge, it's seriously difficult to give a soft catch. Finally, because the transition from horizontal roof to vertical headwall is so abrupt, it's not hard to see a scenario where a falling climber could fall under the roof with his legs, but hit the base of the headwall with his face/torso. All in all - the cave, while very cool, is poorly designed, in my humble opinion.Sounds almost exactly like climbing outside... so mother nature poorly designed most the roofs outside too? |
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Morgan Patterson wrote: Sounds almost exactly like climbing outside... so mother nature poorly designed most the roofs outside too?I think their point was that this was something engineered (poorly), and that for liability/safety reasons you would think this would have been a consideration. |
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Kevin Heckeler wrote: I think their point was that this was something engineered (poorly), and that for liability/safety reasons you would think this would have been a consideration.sarcasm Kev... i get the point but its just a fact of having roofs. To me, its like complaining because water is wet. |
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+1 to everything Morgan said hahahahahaha |