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Hardrock in the city at last


bluey

24-Jan-2008
1:52:13 PM

Hmm, it really is bloody annoying, but the place is still chockful of happy newbies. I can't remember if the spinners are mainly on lower or higher grade routes.

I guess if they're total beginners they may be climbing rainbow style anyway or not too fussed using a hold of a different colour if they come across a spinner - so may not be a big deal?

It's not as if it's unsafe on toprope...will get them used to falling!!

drdeviousii

24-Jan-2008
2:05:36 PM

b o y c o t t !


bluey

24-Jan-2008
2:27:27 PM

i don't think they care if all the experienced climbers boycott. They're still full to the brim with every passer-by, city resident and worker trying it out.


nmonteith

24-Jan-2008
2:37:24 PM

Although the novelty always does wear off eventually. You can't run a business promising a new and exciting experience in 10 years time.

Pen

24-Jan-2008
4:01:22 PM

Hi
I don't post very often but I have been following this thread for a while now as well as other gym related threads on various forums.
Why do climbers bag out on gyms so much. I can understand very minor points of frustration, but surely its not worth the time that goes into these lengthy threads.
a) spinners are not a huge problem, every gym has them and due to the change in seasons and the expansion and contraction of the walls holds will always spin.
b) if you need to tell your belayer you are falling, get a new belayer.
c) holds break off real rock on lead and any number of other reasons can cause a climber to take an expected fall, 1st clip or last it can happen in the outdoors as well.
d) Thanks to the person who actually offered some constructive critism on stopping spinning holds because otherwise this thread would have been a complete loss.
Cheers to Hardrock and all the other gyms in australia that constantly try to improve their facilities in the face of threads like this one.
Cheers
Frustrated


nmonteith

24-Jan-2008
4:11:58 PM

In the 6 years that this forum has been online I have never heard about a gym that suffers from the 'spinning syndrome' that this gym suffers from. Our problem is not gyms in general, but a specific problem at this gym which seems to be a continual problem that goes unresolved. Have you actually climbed at this gym Pen? I think for many of us city folk we spent years watching this gym being built with the expectation that it would be a replacment for the loss of the Mill and Vic Ranges. Alas it hasnt work out that way at all. We are still having to do the long haul drive to Nuna and Altona for a decent training experience if we want to rope up.

Pen

24-Jan-2008
4:22:50 PM

Okay. Sorry. I have climbed in the city gym, when I was last in melbourne. I am sorry that is has caused you guys to have to drive further than you would like but spare a thought for those of us whom aren't even offered 1 facility like nunawading or cliffhanger without driving for hours.

I thought the gym was fine, I don't see it has having anymore spinners than SICG or climbfit and Vic rangers had more spinning holds than any gym I have ever climbed.

Thats all from me, please continue undisturbed.


bluey

24-Jan-2008
4:35:19 PM

I find the sarcasm rather unpleasant.

I have never had any reason to "bag out" Nuna or Altona and never have.

CBD on the other hand is a pain in the butt. You seem to think we should be thankful for the privelege of climbing at Hardrock CBD. Well, I on the other hand think they should show their gratitude for my hard-earned dollars by providing me with a gym that actually provides a climber-friendly environment.

In the same way I bag Connex for giving me crap transport experiences for my $, I'm bagging Hardrock CBD for giving me crap climbing experiences.

Btw, complaints on this thread about spinning holds would never have perservered if there was evidence of the problem being addressed.


nmonteith

24-Jan-2008
4:38:41 PM

I spun more holds in the space of 3 hours at the CBD gym then i have in 10 years of patronage to the other Melbourne gyms combined. I don't remember having the spinner problem in QLD where i climbed at several gyms for 5 years either...

drdeviousii

24-Jan-2008
5:13:31 PM

>c) holds break off real rock on lead and any number of other reasons can
>cause a climber to take an expected fall, 1st clip or last it can happen
> in the outdoors as well.

Yes but you don't have to sign a waiver or pay money to climb outdoors. If Hardrock didn't charge an entry fee then we wouldn't complain so much about spinning holds.


cruze

24-Jan-2008
9:22:27 PM

Glad you mentioned SICG Pen.

I reckon every person ever wanting to get into setting up an indoor gym should look and learn from that story (SICG). Start off in the best location you can (when it was at summer hill), develop agreat vibe/reputation over a number of years. Then expand to a new location and create the most awesome gym you can and then don't stop evolving. It is a seriously good indoor gym.

Hardrock should have been aware prior to opening in the city about issues like:
1) spinning holds and how to fix them;
2) getting experienced staff that know about the problems such as - spinning holds, being able to swing into a massive glass window, etc.
3) listening and learning from what would have been a loyal base of regulars.

The deafening silence on this website from Hardrock since opening is not bad manners or disrespectful to us (who are we?), it is just plain stupid because it is directly bad for their business.

chalkischeap

24-Jan-2008
11:04:11 PM

It's a no brainer, just go to The Lactic Factory (www.thelacticfactory.com.au)

If you want to improve your power endurance just climb each problem 4 times without resting or work out some downclimbing linkups.

Some gyms remind me of going ten pin bowling i.e. most people just trying it out and a few regulars with their own shoes.


tmarsh

25-Jan-2008
7:35:17 AM

On 24/01/2008 chalkischeap wrote:
>Some gyms remind me of going ten pin bowling i.e. most people just trying
>it out and a few regulars with their own shoes.

And just like climbing gyms bowling alleys make their money from the numpties that turn up, have to hire shoes, then think that the night's not complete without a jumbo popcorn and some raspberry slurpies, and then play Dance Dance Revolution with their mates before finally leaving.

'Serious' climbers are not where the gyms make their money. They own all their own gear, they bring their own food and drink and they invariably have some kind of membership to get them a discounted entry fee. Climbers threatening to boycott the gym won't cause too much anxiety I would have thought.


ajfclark

25-Jan-2008
7:46:14 AM

On 24/01/2008 cruze wrote:
>The deafening silence on this website from Hardrock since opening is not
>bad manners or disrespectful to us (who are we?), it is just plain stupid
>because it is directly bad for their business.

I'll be in there tonight. If the manager is about I'll ask him to have a read of this thread.

gfdonc

25-Jan-2008
9:47:40 AM

I have been trying to assist with the spin at Hardrock CBD over December/January by marking spinners with chalk then pointing them out to staff.

However, there seems to have been no concerted effort to resolve this problem & I am voting with my feet - back to Altona for us. It's no fun trying to onsight a route you've not tried before only to find the key hold 1/2 way up is a spinner.

In terms of injuries and risk etc - one of the key holds for clipping on the tower was spinning about a month ago - if you didn't know and grabbed it to clip you'd be in for quite a fall.

In terms of falls, rope etc - I prefer to lead-climb at gyms making the 'unexpected' falls a bit more serious. My partner also broke a foothold before the first clip and decked - fortunately low enough to not be injured, but if it had been been a foot or two higher it may have been nasty.

The other main gripe is the "short rope syndrome". Two weeks ago, several topropes were too short to be able to clip easily while standing on the deck .. what gives? Worldwide shortage of nylon or something?

Hardrock have built an impressive wall, just needs to resolve these problems to be a great gym. Bye for now.


IdratherbeclimbingM9

25-Jan-2008
9:51:24 AM

>several topropes were too short to be able to clip easily while standing on the deck .. what gives?

Perhaps they were trying to protect their patrons from decking too hard after falling off spinners?
Heh, heh, heh.


westie

25-Jan-2008
10:34:49 AM

On 24/01/2008 chalkischeap wrote:

>Some gyms remind me of going ten pin bowling i.e. most people just trying
>it out and a few regulars with their own shoes.

but bowling alleys don't let in visitors to hang around, take up seats and have a look see. Hardrock CBD always seems to have a crowd of browsers taking up the limited space available.


nmonteith

25-Jan-2008
10:36:54 AM

Do they have lockers yet? When i went there you had to leave your possessions lying on the ground - and with a bunch of on-lookers hovering around I always had to keep one eye on my bag. It is the CBD after all!


ajfclark

25-Jan-2008
11:44:09 AM

On 25/01/2008 nmonteith wrote:
>Do they have lockers yet? When i went there you had to leave your possessions
>lying on the ground - and with a bunch of on-lookers hovering around I
>always had to keep one eye on my bag. It is the CBD after all!

There's always been lockers, they're just not visable. They're out the door into the carpark that's to the right of the front counter. Ask the counter staff for a token. They're $2 if I remember right.


nmonteith

25-Jan-2008
11:56:16 AM

sweet! maybe some free shelves then - like altona?

There are 227 messages in this topic.