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Best Climbing Gyms in Sydney?

riopella

25-Jul-2011
1:04:55 PM

Hey there,

I'm thinking about heading to Australia for a year long work holiday visa. Most likely checking out Sydney for a bit. Was wondering what the best climbing gyms are (if any) in the Sydney area?

I've worked at climbing gyms in the Toronto area for the past 5 years. Do they hire belayers/instructors often?

Are there gyms in Melbourne? What about Brisbane?

Aside from the really awesome/obvious outdoor spots to climb, where else to locals go?

Rio

bones

25-Jul-2011
1:12:36 PM

I've been told the quality of gyms in Aus doesn't really compare to North America.

I don't know the Sydey gyms but in Melbourne theres:

Cliffhanger (Altona)
Hardrock (CBD)
Hardrock (Nunnawading)
Bayside Rock (Carrum Downs)
Lactic Factory (Abbotsford) Bouldering only

strerror

25-Jul-2011
1:28:07 PM

best gyms imo are climb fit on the lower north shore of sydney, not as large as the others around but really good routes. Otherwise indoor climbing at st peters (inner west sydney) is probably generally regarded as the best, it's definitely larger then all but villawood (mostly too far away for a lot of sydneysiders!) and got a nice setup.
Sydney is blessed with a LOT of good little outdoor climbing spots, check:
http://routes.sydneyrockies.org.au/
should give you a good overview.

rodw

25-Jul-2011
1:59:53 PM

On 25/07/2011 strerror wrote:
> but villawood (mostly too far away for a lot of sydneysiders!) and got a nice setup.

? Its closer to the the geographical centre of sydney than St Peters or any north shore gym? how is that to far?...or doesnt anything west of Parramatta count as Sydney?

Wetheril (Evolution) IMHO has the best bouldering for a sydney gym for your average boulderer...but if your better at it the bloc (Parramatta) is good too.

The beauty of climbing indoors in Sydney is choice....I reckon if you rotate through the closest 3-4 gyms each visit, its means most gyms .....would have reset a lot of new climbs to try once your back there.

pmonks

25-Jul-2011
2:19:55 PM

On 25/07/2011 bones wrote:
>I've been told the quality of gyms in Aus doesn't really compare to North
>America.

That was probably me, although I will say that the climbing gym I went to in Ottawa was up there amongst the worst I've ever been to. Been to some mediocre ones elsewhere in North America (Austin TX, Seattle WA) too.

But back to Sydney... I don't particularly like Climb Fit (St Leonards) - it's too short and I find the routes are very cruxy (easy with a hard move or two somewhere - a great way to get injured imvho). I liked the route setting at the old Sydney Indoor Climbing Gym better, and would imagine the new location is even better, what with the bigger premises.

strerror

25-Jul-2011
3:01:39 PM

On 25/07/2011 rodw wrote:
>On 25/07/2011 strerror wrote:
>> but villawood (mostly too far away for a lot of sydneysiders!) and got
>a nice setup.
>
>? Its closer to the the geographical centre of sydney than St Peters
>or any north shore gym? how is that to far?...or doesnt anything west of
>Parramatta count as Sydney?

correct! :)

>The beauty of climbing indoors in Sydney is choice....I reckon if you
>rotate through the closest 3-4 gyms each visit, its means most gyms .....would
>have reset a lot of new climbs to try once your back there.

agreed.

rockotter

25-Jul-2011
10:24:40 PM

I'm just a route climber and only boulder so I don't get weaker than I already am ; ) but the best climbing facility is definately Villawood, far as it is from my home the inner west. Great lead walls with plenty of spicey, tasty climbing, lots of top roping if thats your game and a good staff vibe. It's not overcrowded normally. I leave the serious bouldering comments to the worshippers of the dark side but I have enjoyed the Bloc and heard only good things about Evolution. Climbfit at St Leonards is fun for mid-week volume boulder pump for me.

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