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Chockstone Forum - General Discussion

General Climbing Discussion

Author
Gravity Worx gym (Melbourne)
jdb
14-Feb-2017
4:11:55 PM
Arvo All,

I'm mystified as to why people (or not many) are not climbing at this new gym.

At the risk of opening up a can of worms, and hopeful not upsetting the owner ( I guess feedback whether positive or negative is useful), I'm really curious as to why people aren't climbing here?

Is it: lack of public transport / too hot / not back from holidays / the route setting / etc?

I thought the adage went - build it and they will come........

Cheers, JDB
technogeekery
14-Feb-2017
4:49:37 PM
Keep it to yourself, mate, and enjoy being able to get on any climb you like whenever you like! Our gym is so busy that it can be hard to get on climbs some nights.
davew
14-Feb-2017
5:07:42 PM
Personally, I'm enjoying it and using it frequently. Heaps of space, quality textured walls and very accommodating (lead assessments whenever you like). I'm a fan.
(removed)
14-Feb-2017
5:59:46 PM
Likewise I'm a fan - owner in it for the right reasons - frequent route changes and lead pass assessment whenever you go (I won't climb at Hardrock for this reason)

Will only get better as
1. route setting matures,
2. new walls opens up with better advanced angles
3. more people find out about it
4. they build a local presence

It obviously lacks the off-the-street instant marketing that Hardrock CBD has, but for climbers it is a much better gym.

Pleasingly Cliffhanger (Altona) has also started reinvesting in regular new routes which was a shocking non-investment for far too long from previous owners.

rodw
14-Feb-2017
6:06:29 PM
I think new routes setting constantly is the make or break for a gym, most start out with good intentions then after a while it drop off.

Being in Sydney I cant comment on this gym but up here you have many to choose from so can rotate through then during the month which keep thing fresh....to give them time to set new routes etc.
lost tazmaniac
15-Feb-2017
9:21:32 AM
Here are few of factors which may or may not explain the lack of people -
1. Time of the year.. people are still outdoors..
2. Location..
3. Community.. we all like climbing with the people we've already have relationships with..

Kp
15-Feb-2017
10:45:48 AM
I heard the holds are no good (poorly designed, lots of sharp edges) and the setting lacks feet.
(removed)
15-Feb-2017
5:41:21 PM
On 15/02/2017 Kp wrote:
>I heard the holds are no good (poorly designed, lots of sharp edges) and
>the setting lacks feet.
  • Holds aren't bad, but they are on the rougher side - they will settle down

  • Setting definitely needed work as I mentioned earlier - but again, they'll get better at that too simply because they're doing it a lot and listening to feedback.

  • Pricing is the other one which may have deterred people - it's relatively expensive with an intentional skew towards memberships. If I could pick one area they could change to get a bit more short term interest to try and build the base, this would be it.

Andrew_M
16-Feb-2017
11:31:22 AM
Pricing: expensive (~20-25% more for casual visits than other alternatives).

Holds/setting: lack of variety in the climbs - they just feel the same. Not much in way of features and similar moves using fingery holds that get smaller as the grades go up. Unless I missed them there didn't seem to be a single sloper in the entire gym.

Travel: for me coming from Carlton at least it's quicker in peak hour to get to Nunawading or Altona (or of course hardrock CBD). Someone last night coming up from the south east came before peak hour and worked from his car for 2 hours just so he didn't need to sit in traffic.

On the other hand...staff were super friendly and keen to do lead belay tests at a moments notice, zero crowds and cheap membership packages.

Basically it feels like a work in progress. The route setting was probably rushed to get climbs in the place when it opened and should get better - especially when they get more holds. Definitely worth persisting with.
Potex
11-Mar-2017
1:03:40 AM
Went there today and had a great time.

First visit and we were invited to do our lead assessment because Glen the owner noticed we bought a rope. Nice feel to the assessment and induction.

Really enjoyed the place, the routes were well laid out and multiple auto belays is a big plus.

We made the trip from Hampton and even with the decent drive we will be going back for sure.

There are 10 messages in this topic.

 

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