Whetstone Climbing

My husband and I always love to go to whetstone. We have been a member of this gym for almost one year. All staff are super friendly and kind. I enjoy not only climbing but also yoga classes as well. This place is great!

I've been coming here pretty consistently for about a year now and I absolutely love every aspect of this place! The staff, owner, and community is the best I've seen by far in terms of friendliness, support, and overall workmanship. You guys are amazing and I very much appreciate all the humbling time I've spent here.

Skillful route setting; friendly, relaxed atmosphere; great space for hanging out and socializing; ALL around a beautiful, perfect place we are lucky to attend...the half-price Thursday beats the competition for folks needing an affordable day-pass option.

**UPDATE MARCH 2020**I have been hearing over the last couple months that things have changed for the better here, so I came back in to give it another shot. The setting has improved immensely, and the general tone/vibe of the place is very different (for the better).I’ll happily recommend and support Whetstone now, and am happy to be able to say so, as I’ve missed their ropes. :)Cheers Whetstone - and give that head setter of yours some much deserved praise.Original Review:I know this is a low score, so I'll try to qualify it with two metrics:An objective rating of the facility itself, and a subjective rating about the staff/management/owner attitudes toward the local climbing community.The objective rating is probably 3.5 - 4, while a more subjective rating is a 1.So objectively:Pros:Lots of terrain. Numerous bouldering problems and roped routes mean lots of stuff to climb when you're there.Staff seem fairly experienced, and friendly.Belay and lead tests seem straight forward and on-par with other gyms.Amenities - full gym and yoga classes are a great idea.Retail - I like the small retail area where folks can grab stuff they might need (rope, harness, ATC, etc.)Cons:Walls are of relatively poor quality. They appear to be Walltopia walls, which have some known negatives. These are no exception, and seem to be prone to damage/issues.Setting consistency - especially with boulders, where there is often some variability. It's weird to hit a V2 on one side of the gym that's harder than a V5 on the other side.Top out "rule." First visit I was told that you "have to" top out on boulders. It's fine in principle, but the layout of the down-climb after topping out is a little dicey, and frankly unsafe when kids are running past you.Now the Subjective:Growing up here, climbing has always been a communal thing. It's an inclusive, social activity that was never, in my experience, exclusive or ill-willed.You're at the crag and forgot something? Someone lends you theirs. Having trouble with a route? Someone's going to coach you along with beta and encouragement.This gym doesn't seem to engender these qualities as an organization, but some of the members there certainly do (which is awesome).This is less a gripe about the overall vibe in the gym, and more about the stance that the gym has decided to take within the climbing community itself. How the staff and management have interacted with, and treated other climbers, gyms, staff, and the community at large seems to be starkly at odds with literally *every other* gym/vendor I've come into contact with in CO.I *want* to love Whetstone - it's a great second gym to have (sorry, the bouldering simply isn't on par with multiple other local places, but the ropes are great), and I have strongly considered supporting them by having a second membership.But I can't.I can't support a gym that doesn't support its local community. I even have a nearly-full punch card that I don't feel comfortable using. After hearing about management/ownership talking about destroying the local competition and speaking unfavorably of other local gyms, I can't in good conscience "vote" for this gym with my dollars, or my support.Long review, I know - but given the tight-knit community of climbers in CO, I wouldn't feel good about *not* calling this out and having the conversation. I hope it can, and *does* change - I want all the local places to succeed, ultimately. Until it does, though, I can't support Whetstone.This isn't all coming from NoCo, either. I'm hearing the same input from folks at places in Denver, Boulder, etc.It's not too late, Whetstone - I hope you can turn it around, we'd love to support you - but I for one can't, as long as you put yourself at odds with your local community.

I came to Fort Collins to visit my brother and his family from California and needed to get some climbing in, thankfully I found this new awesome gym right down the street from his place! Brand new, nice space, great variety and top rope climbing. Everyone was super friendly, we all had a great time, that was months ago. Today I'm writing because I had an amazing experience over the phone with an employee named Zach. I wanted to get my brother and the fam a gift certificate to encourage them to climb more (who wouldn't want to right?!) Long story short, Zach did me a solid and I'm super thankful, this review is for the badass costumer service that he provided, thanks for being awesome and going above and beyond! I will be back next time I'm in town most definitely 🤙🏼.

The staff could not have been more helpful or accommodating. The girls had a wonderful time and didn't want to stop climbing. The staff related what they did back to their soccer team and it was an incredibly positive, very easy event! Will definitely be back!

Let me tell you, the folks at Whetstone Climbing are the full package! Funny! Whitty! They can dance! They can sing! One of them even juggles!! I don't know if any of that is actually true, but I'll be darned if my not going to keep telling people about it.The routes are fun. The staff is super great (even if they can't juggle...). There's a bar for people who don't feel like climbing. What more do you want? What?!There's nothing more you could want! I'm glad I went the first time. I'm glad I got a membership. And I'm excited to go again today! And tomorrow.. and the next day!

Exemplary gym. Big, roomy, spreads out crowds well, friendly staff, amazing walls and features, and killer, consistent setting for both boulder problems and routes. Tons of angles, as well, from very overhanging to vert and slab tech. Also, there are a Moon, Tension, and Kilter Board, all side by side and well maintained, with good padding. Plus a clean, very modern weight room. Cafe is a nice touch too.I love the low-key vibe, and the climbing and the amenities. Family friendly as well. Highly recommend! Well worth the drive even if you don't live in FoCo.

This is my favorite climbing gym. Routes are kept long enough that a person who can only come once a week can have more than one try at it, but also changed often enough there is always something new to try.The layout of the climbing and bouldering areas can accommodate a lot people so even if it looks packed, you are still able to find routes in or just above your ability to try. Staff are friendly, and welcoming. Climbers are nice and most are helpful with suggestions if you are stuck on a problem.

As a one time visitor to whetstone, this gym was wonderful. Good location. Lots of route diversity. Love that all boulder can be a top out route. Day pass was a little pricy but worth it I though. If I lived in foco, I would probably push for a membership.I didn’t do ropes but looked like a lot of options there along with a free weight gym. Also there looks like there’s a bar in the facility which made me thirsty after sending a couple of routes.