Alta Climbing and Fitness

I’m writing this from the perspective of someone that has climbed for almost three decades, much of that time spent climbing competitively and with the top climbers in the world. I have seen dozens and dozens of gyms. I have setting experience, both recreationally and competitively.My review today is about the Gilbert location which is primarily made up of sport climbing and some bouldering.To start, the gym is massive. The walls are big (close to 60ft) and they’re Walltopia which is great. The angles are good and the place screams potential. The place is clean and even has a decent weight gym. The hours are good and you can lock your things up in lockers where you set your own code.Gilbert also has a nice pro shop, fully loaded with an excellent selection of gear.The staff has been great for the most part. It's mostly made up of teenagers that love climbing and they’ve been welcoming to us so far. Heads up, almost everyone is NEW to the sport. If you’re an experienced climber, keep this in mind if you’re looking for a gym that cares about your needs as a serious climber. I’m talking to people who compete and want to be at the top of the sport. This is not the place for you (yet). It is very commercial. The sport climbing is okay but the bouldering so far has been terrible.The negatives. I want to be fair here because I’ve had the opportunity to speak with one of the owners who at first came off interested and receptive of my input. The gym is simply lacking holds on the wall. Mainly in the bouldering area. There are patches of wall that’re completely open which keeps climbers from traversing the wall which is critical for development in climbing. I even offered up the idea, start by adding 30% more holds and you’ll reach a more diverse group of climbers who would otherwise frequent this gym. It seemed like I was being taken seriously but it’s been weeks and nothing has changed. Still bald patches of wall and nothing harder than one V9. There are sections of wall that could have 4-5 problems but instead they stay bald because according to a staff member, filling your walls up with holds is “outdated” and spray walls are a thing of the past…Filling in the bouldering area with more holds is something I would like to see as a paying customer. I would also like to see better problems. I know parkour style has taken over the comp scene but the redundancy of cirque du Soleil style setting is over used.Etiquette. This is a big one. Guests, need to learn some simple manners like not going underneath someone who is climbing, waiting your turn when someone is on the wall and ultimately, not crowding the immediate wall space where someone is climbing. Expect crowds at this gym. It gets crowded.All in all, if you’re looking for a gym built for families and parties, this is it. Kids new to the sport will also love this place. The upstairs has a section just for them.To serious sport climbers, expect mostly parkour style in the sport area. Bring your own rope if you plan to lead.These thoughts are subject to change based on how this new gym evolves. If the bouldering area could fill up the walls with more holds that would be a good start. If you want any of your team to climb harder than they are now, they’re gonna need harder problems to push them. Having one V9 isn’t gonna cut it if you want anyone to stand on the podium. And the last thing I wanna hear from your staff is to go to the Chandler bouldering gym because you won’t adjust your Gilbert bouldering area. Not all of us can get to Chandler.These are just my thoughts and constructive criticisms from my experience in this sport. I hope it can be taken seriously and at least meet us dedicated climbers somewhere in the middle. I like climbing here. The future of Alta will be exciting to see. I look forward to them expanding their setting staff. See more diversity and HOLDS. Possibly bring in some other professional climbers and have them work alongside the setters to get a clearer idea of what accurate ratings and setting looks like.

Awesome gym, membership is same price as many gyms with way less facilities, you get access to 2 gyms, 2 fitness gyms, awesome locker rooms with showers, towels and soap included, yoga sessions, and honestly some of the best and interesting route setting i have climbed on.

Nice facility, clean and fun! Lots of options.

So fun (get a membership)

Love Alta! Great vibes, high walls, our whole family enjoys it.

The disappointing part of my visit was, that the slack line and 15m Olympic Speed Wall were not available. The date was unknown as to when the slack-line will be back. 15m Olympic Speed Wall, was locked and not open to the public.Fantastic gym with the tallest climbing walls in the valley and a bouldering area. This is a clean facility that is air-conditioned with knowledgeable friendly staff. There is ping pong, a full gym for weight lifting, and probably a couple things I have yet to try.

Soo much fun! Recommend for a date idea, staff was really friendly and nice 😊 …

Great climbing for ropes and boulders

Love this place so much! The community is great and so are the employees!

Staff just doesn’t care about climbers or the experience here. Consistently bad experience. Had a spinner on the moonboard and wasn’t fixed for 2 weeks (and counting) told staff again today and they said “ok we’ll fix it later” and just went about their day sitting behind the desk doing nothing.