Bouldering Project

As a relatively new climber (less than a year of climbing), this gym has been great. The A-C (v0-v4) routes set at opening have been inviting for new comers like myself. The staff has been very friendly and helpful by presenting multiple opportunities to mingle and talk about routes while taking any and all critics. I can confidently say that I've at least tried every A and B, coming back multiple times a week to progress on routes I had trouble with. 2 weeks after opening, some of the walls are getting reset, the density of routes on a wall is growing, and the amount of route overlap (particularly around corners) is being reduced. This is because they are listening to the community! I am very excited to see how the gym grows and how the staff continues to adapt to feedback. My only complaint is that the layout of the traditional gym (cardio and weights) feels really tight, almost always forcing me into the adjacent group exercise room to lift free weights.

I have a BKB membership in Chicago and decided to check this site out. Despite the strange setup (east and west bouldering walls on opposite ends of the gym), really enjoyed the routes and the variety of options.In terms of the A-G scale that others are complaining about, I personally enjoy it. It gets my head locked out of what I can or cannot do, and then it also gives me permission to just enjoy the climb and not be focused on the grade. I know other gyms that do a similar scaling method (of different levels including 2-3 V grades) do typically record a specific V grade for their books. Not sure how one could access that info though.

I joined BKB as a “founding member” before the gym had even opened up. The gym is conveniently located for me and I was excited to try bouldering (new climber here). Also this area is kinda gym desert (Other gym companies, if you are listening, open up some gyms in NoMa/Union Market!!). Overall, the gym is clean, the staff are friendly, and its a popular location. However, there are several problems and for the reasons listed below I will not be renewing my membership:My biggest complaint is the physical layout of the gym itself. Many people agree with me when I say that the gym seems to be in an identity struggle. It wants to be both a climbing gym and a regular gym; and unfortunately its too small for both. The weight and cardio area just sucks. Lack of mirrors, weights, and general layout makes this space very frustrating. There are two studios (one group workout and one yoga) but there are few class offerings. The climbing areas seem to take up the majority of the gym but in general there really isn’t much of that either. You’ll find yourself dodging people when attempting to do a route. The “beast” looks really cool, but I rarely see people actually using it and it kinda feels like more space that could have been used for normal climbing. Throw in a lounge and three climbing boards (with ipads) that aren't used much; you’ll be left with the feeling that this could have been much better organized.Growing pains. It’s a new gym and there are always going to be growing pains, but it does detract from the overall experience. There are few classes offered and the app can be difficult to use. The water pressures in the showers are weak. Communication has gotten better but there were some long periods where I didn’t hear anything and few times is feedback requested. Also the included “intro to climbing class” offered was sorta useless. We got about 15 minutes of instruction and then we just all climbed on our own. Not much info on technique and not well organized.I really wanted to love this gym, but BKB needed to focus on one thing and one thing only.

BKB is a great addition to the community. It's a positive place that feels very welcoming for adult and kid climbers alike. (I'm an adult without kids and I'm very impressed with how seamlessly kids and adults all climb together here.) The climbing and gym facilities are both beautiful, and the staff is awesome. Definitely my new favorite gym.

Have only been a couple times so far - but have to call out the front desk staff I worked with (Blake and Daniel) for being so genuinely friendly and helpful. Really made me feel part of the community as a new climber. They weren’t “salesy” as I’ve experienced in other gym settings and they answered all my questions.I signed up for a membership and am so excited to go back as soon as I can lift my arms again :)

Setting was good when I was there with climbs that had a variety of holds and fun setting. Grade range is too large in my opinion, as each letter (A,B,C,D, etc) correlates to 3 V-grades.The gym and facilities are super nice however, the two bouldering areas have such a large divide that it’s impractical. To go from one bouldering area to another I have to walk for 3 minutes up 2 stairwells and down a third stairwell.Finally the price point is just too expensive. I pay 70$ currently for my climbing gym membership in the DC area and will not pay almost double (130$) for their membership. Day passes are also 29$ which is ridiculously high. I hope their ownership recognizes that other climbing gyms in the area have far lower price points (this isn’t New York City where BKB originates). Lower and competitive pricing would be appealing to out of town visitors and the climbing community.

Edit 8.10.22- old review deletedSince the SBP acquisition I’ve seen some great improvements, now opens at 6:00am (huge!), the silly “Xboards” are being torn down, hiring of female route setter. All great things! There are still some things I would like to see improved to be a 5-star gym.Route setting has improved a lot since the gym opened. This may be, in part, due to getting the route-setters a wider variety of holds. In recent months, there have even been more technical slabs on the slab walls. Much appreciated, route-setting team! Ya’ll are great!For a 5-star review, I would like to see:Greater safety training for new climbers or a way to prevent people from walking under me when I climb. Too dangerous, and happens too often at DCBP. New climbers are great, we need to welcome them by teaching good safety practices!Better use of space- maybe put up another wall.A training area with multiple hangboards and a spray-wall.Turn down the heat, especially in the winter. Why pay for heating to make the gym over 90F in the winter? Open the garage doors, and you can make it the perfect temp (cold) for free!Daily cleaning of the yoga room floor. Its nasty, I use a saniwipe to clean the floor around my mat before I do yoga, and still is gross.Greater communication from MGMT. An employee theft using master key of climber belongings out of a locked locker rattled my confidence in accountability systems. I no longer trust the lockers. Others at gym are concerned, too. Communicate with us about what happened, and how we can be sure it wont happen again! Maybe need managerial approval for master key, or video-log of master key, or something!Turn down the volume. Often, I can’t even hear my buddy who is right next to me over the music. It hurts my ears, too. It’s a bouldering gym, not a night club.Sell useful stuff at the front (books, chalk, tape, brushes) when I need things, you don’t have them, so I buy from REI. I wouldn’t mind paying an extra dollar to buy them at the gym… if the gym sold these things.Add more brushes! I can never seem to find one, and usually climb a nearby route and use my hand brush to clean.More pull-up bars!More yoga classes! Also Genevieve, specifically, is an outstanding instructor but only teaches once per week. She’s awesome! When you get outstanding instructors, make the most of them!Pare down some weirdly specific gym equipment, like the rope-pull. I’d rather have more space in the gym.There are awesome boulders in MD, PA and WV. The DCBP community is largely disconnected from them. Help connect the community. Bouldering is about boulders!

Amazing facility that completely beats any other climbing gym I've visited. They really thought of everything (including hair dryers and lotion in the women's locker room). This was my first time climbing since COVID-19 and a spine injury, but I felt SO incredibly secure with all of the down climb holds. Definitely a boost to my climbing confidence as I get back into it!

This place is worth it for the location. As the only rock gym in DC, it's great not to have to drive out to Crystal City to climb. The Beast Wall is also cool and the staff has been really friendly. But there are a number of features that are surprising/disappointing. Despite being a bouldering-only rock gym, there are not actually very many routes or walls. It feels like the actual climbing space is being poorly utilized. On top of that, the lack of tunnels/caves in the bouldering area limits how interesting most of the climbs are. The routes mostly end before the top of the wall, which makes many feel like 3-4 moves and done. They also use their own proprietary grading system that makes choosing a climb a little more frustrating for seemingly no benefit.The fitness area must have been designed by someone who has never used a gym before, because there is no other explanation for some of the choices in there. I've never been in a weightlifting gym without even a single mirror. This makes watching your form really difficult and has potential safety implications. There is a cable machine, but you can't actually use it if someone is using the nearby lifting station because they are so close together. There are four rowing machines, but again, they are so close together that there is no way to use all of them without smashing elbows with your neighbor. There is only one pair of each dumbbell, so if someone else is using a common one, like #20 or #25, you're out of luck. Overall, the weight area is clearly too small for the equipment they have in there. Weirdly, there could be a ton more space, but it's taken up by two large fitness studios and three large adjustable system boards. I like a system board as much as the next person, but three is overkill, especially when you're sacrificing a usable weight gym for that redundancy.

I really enjoy it, I do think some of the A routes are more difficult than they should be. It's a little difficult for beginners, but the routes change every few weeks so it is fun to challenge yourself. The staff are really friendly, facilities are clean. Close to buses and NoMa metro. I wish it had a bit more variety of weight machines. I haven't taken the fitness classes yet, it was cancelled without notice when I tried to go to one. But hopefully that is a one time thing.