Reviews of First Ascent Avondale (Gym)

Joshua Schleman

Nice facility, great climbing atmosphere

Chloe Tan

I'm from Singapore and visiting a friend in Chicago. We wanted to do some indoor climbing. Googled to find First Ascent. Very impressed with the service, routes and equipment. I also bought a pair of climbing shoes from them. If I stayed in Chicago, I would go there everyday...

Richie Betts

I've been to a lot of climbing gyms around Chicago and this is the bees knees. The Place Is huge! Lots of boulding and even more sport climbing. Locker room is classy, clean and safe. No need to remember to bring a lock, this place has digital lockers. By far my favorite climbing gym.

Ben Kautz

Routes are great but it seems most of the week they are changing them which requires a good 1/3 of the gym (where the top rope climbing is) to be roped off. Considering they only have about 7-8 auto belays in the gym, when this is happening and you go by yourself, you can climb about 2-3 routes, most of which are extremely easy. This makes using the facility to train on your own time not nearly worth the price of a membership. If you have a group and are looking for a fun way to spend some time it's perfect.

Peter Kosmal

I love, love, love this facility. Been climbing at First Ascent gyms for 2.5 years and sprung for the membership a couple months ago. Staff is friendly, routes are fresh, gym is gigantic and people are lovely. Everything you'd want in a climbing gym.

Tara Jones

Routes could be replaced more often. I think they've switched to every 2 months but it's not highly regulated. They're prime on safety, though can be very condescending if you're doing something that's not mainstream (I've been climbing for 7 years and know that what they've brought up was just logistical). The beginner's tour is only given if you go to their Avondale location. If you sign up at one of their bouldering gyms, there is not an efficient way for them to know you're new to the Avondale location. Otherwise, friendly staff, mostly excellent routes, and good gym equipment. I'd say it's the most affordable, highest quality gym you can get in Chicago without a car.

Alex Uceny

Great climbing gym. Fun long routes. Good classes. Very nice knowledgable staff.

Parth Bhatt

Great walls, great people

k s

They have a really difficult Cancellation process. I called to try and cancel, but was directed to use their website. But they still continue to charge me, and no one is getting back to me.

Cherie MacFarlane

Love this place! Walls are so high! Instructor are good. Auto belayer allows you to climb without a partner. Didn't even know this existed. Yoga classes, gym, lockers, etc. I'm shocked they don't charge a lot more for membership.

Geoff Prall

Besr gym I have ever been to. Walls are huge. Everything is new. What more could you ask for?

Sam Kawsarani

This was an interesting experience. The facility is top notch, very clean and plenty of routes to climb. Grigri on every top rope route and a solid Bouldering section. What I did not like was the fact that no one bothered to belay check us or show us how to use a grigri, I have my own gear and know what I'm doing but I expected someone to make sure I know.

Brian K

Superb walls, infectious atmosphere, and passionate staff. Highly recommended!

Sherlock Ortiz

Bad: Little expensive. Good: Everything else. Large amount of belays for free-climbing. Great rental equipment. Large bouldering area. Great gym section. Clean, crisp, modern. Very friendly and helpful staff who know what they're doing. Never too packed. People are always friendly. Routes change often to keep things fresh.

Karolina Nowak

Best gym in the Chicago area!

Rick van Duin

Truly an amazing indoor climbing facility. Great variety of walls and routes. The staff is very friendly and knowledgable. Lots of different food options and public transit located in the area. Would definitely recommend it.

Sydnei Slutsky

This gym is absolutely wonderful. The routes are constantly changing, so there are always new problems to solve. There are 200+ routes including the bouldering area, so there is something for every level of climber. And beyond the gym itself is an incredible community. Everybody looks out for each other and gives tips to one another. They have weekly events to introduce strangers to new friends and climbing partners. This gym exemplifies what a positive and supportive community should look like and it is without a doubt the place to get your climb on in Chicago.

Brian Park

Awesome facility with lots of cool strength building stuff. Really friendly staff and climbers of all levels.

Matvey Kostukovsky

Awesome place! Suggestion: more open hours (I bet a few people would be happy to come in earlier Mo, We, Fri mornings)

Kurt Williams

The BEST in Chicago hands down not even a competition! Brooklyn boulders goooo back to Brooklyn and get out of my city!!!

Susan Loren Lovell

I went climbing for my first time (in quite a few years) and in the city, & it is definitely a place I highly encourage anyone to come to, whether as a guest or if you’re seeking membership. The facility provides ample space to climb with so many routes – I cannot fathom getting bored or not being challenged. The staff is very friendly and helpful and give advice for newcomers (I’m relatively inexperienced with the facts of climbing, not the actual physical part.) The facility is really well-kept and the crowd is so friendly. Even if you’re not necessarily the best climber or just getting into it, this place really motivates you to try harder, try new things, and most importantly, have a fun time.

Denys Huz

Awesome place! Everyone should try this !!!

Maeve Bustell

Great gym! Came for day while visiting from Vermont and we were very impressed with the cleanliness, organization, and friendliness of the staff. Got the impression that there’s a real community here and we felt super welcome even just for a few hours! One thing to note is that the ratings of top-rope climbs seemed a grade or two softer than what we were used to on the east coast, but after about 10b or so we felt they were adequately challenging for what they were labelled as. Overall great experience, though. Will definitely come by again on our next trip out!

Allie Kreitman

this is the most gorgeous and we'll run gym in the Midwest. the staff are funny and friendly, and the routes are fun and versatile

Edward Yu

Amazing staff. First ascent gyms are where you will find the real climbers. Just wish they had a gym in south loop!

Rachel Scown

Invited as a guest and had a terrific experience. Careful guidance, encouragement, and the auto belays encouraged me. Btw, I'm 73. And will continue.....

Travis Johnson

Great climbing gym. Great professional staff that knows how to set routes.

Brandon

Love this gym!

Elizabeth Kueny

A great rock climbing gym! The bouldering area is well maintained as is the cross training area. The movable training walls in the back are awesome. The training classes and yoga offered are also really good. Saturday morning Core for Climbers and Woman Crush Wednesdays have been great additions to my workout.

Aaron Catanese

Super cool place, had never gone climbing and I had a lot of fun. A little pricey for the membership, but as a one off event very reasonable price. Lots of different walls to try, will definitely leave feeling sore and sweaty.

Alice Jasmine

Best climbing place for beginners, very friendly staff. You buy the pass, quick orientation and you climb with autobelays in less than 30 min.

Sabrina Dietz

Great rock climbing gym. Creative route setting with a good variety of difficulties. There are changing rooms, showers, shampoo, convenient lockers, a gym and a small boulder area. Difficulty stops at 12d, sometimes there is a 5.13 but I have not seen one often.

Dave Ojeda

Excellant kids classes make this our go to place for cold days. The teachers here are top notch and take the time to really understand the kidsstrength and weaknesses.

Giuliano Di Franco

It was a ball. Everyone had so much fun. The instructors were so kind and they would encourage you until you reached the top of the rock mountain. There was a day when I went to a camp there with my friend and it was so fun cause we did zip lining, played capture the flag and most importantly climbed the rock mountain.

Carolyn Horne

My favorite place to climb. The staff is great, the routes are challenging, and it's a good atmosphere.

Michael Johnson

Best climbing gym in northern Illinois! Fantastic route setting and programming make this THE place to get stronger. Well done First Ascent!

Zoran Stepic

Great place for beginners as well as advanced climbers, friendly staff is always there with any climbing needs

Erick Yu

Huge top-rope and lead routes. I really appreciate how most routes have the lead-option. The upstairs bouldering area is compact, but packs in quite a lot of routes given the space.

Joe Mlachak

Really fun and challenging environment. Highly recommend.

Bradford Benson Taylor

Great place to boulder, rock climb, and hit the gym! Always friendly staff available to answer any questions.

Mary Christina Szafraniec

Were we desperate for a climbing gym in Chicago? Yes. Does this place deliver? YES! Super friendly & helpful staff to boot.

Tiffany Tran

It's a great, clean facility with a nice staff that'll answer questions if you have them. The people who come here are not judgey and will generally mind their own business if you are feeling self conscious about being a rookie! The autobelay drops you a LOT faster than you may anticipate!

Victoria B.

One of the most beautiful and well set gyms I've ever been to. Great staff and people too.

Jerry Nelson

Great place; tall enough to challenge you and super clean with friendly staff and reasonable rates

rodrigo perez-segnini

Great community of climbers, with phenomenal infrastructure, and constantly updating their routes/problems.

Robin Lenz

This place is great. Everyone is very friendly. Started with the intro to climbing class and had a great instructor. Well worth it to get a good head start to climbing. Many routes as well. The bouldering area is great.

Ross Burkholder

Great climbing gym in Chicago. Nice new facilities, friendly staff, giant wall with good routes. The bouldering section has gotten better as well. A little pricy, but definitely worth it.

Michael Easthope

Great for beginners and experts alike. Super friendly and helpful staff and very reasonable rates.

Edris Sidiqian

Great first time experience! Gabby was a great instructor in showing me the ropes

Eduard Antonyan

Best gym for rope climbing in Chicago. Pretty good for bouldering as well.

Michael Unger

Staff was very friendly and helpful! I believe Lisa gave us the tour and belay test. She was very knowledgable and helpful. Walls are tall and habe very good routes for all skill levels. This has been by far the best indoor climbing gym I have been to and will return!

Chaz Ott

A truly world class facility with a lively and motivating atmosphere. First Ascent offers the complete experience of rock climbing encapsulated in an indoor gym. Wish I could visit more often!

Charlie Stahmer

The staff is amazing, the climbing community is great and the routes and problems here are always keeping me entertained and challenged. Absolutely the best rock climbing gym in Chicago right now

Kacie Hattaway

I started bouldering at another First Ascent location nearly a year ago and started coming to this one when I moved nearby. I really appreciate that the membership includes all locations and all the yoga classes! Locker rooms are nice with clean showers and programmable lockers that don’t require your own lock. As a beginner climber I feel comfortable in these spaces - people are friendly and non judgemental. So thankful for a gym like this!

Chris Fedorczak

Great gym. Can almost lead every route. A real climbing community. Routes change frequently and have a great variety of styles and difficulty. Decent number of auto belays.

Chris LaVesser

While spending some time in Chicago on business I decided to try out a climbing gym away from home. I paid a visit to First Ascent and was delighted. The place is huge, the walls are tall, the routes are fun, and the staff was friendly. Lockers were free, WiFi was available, the orientation was straight-forward and the price was right. My only criticism is that the top-ropes were over-engineered: heavy, large-diameter ropes were routed one and a half times around the anchors, making for massive amounts of friction. This is great for safety, but for experienced climbers it makes for annoying belays. If you're in the area, check it out. Great place.

Anne Gruber

Great facility - well maintained. Staff is knowledgable and concerned about safety. We love going there!

Andrew McCormick

Best gym membership to get.

Aran Schultz

The walls are so tall!

Joe Schramm

Went on a Groupon. Good training, lots of fun.

Deliana Escobari

Best climbing gyms in Chicago. Membership gives you access to all locations. Great for lead climbing. Their training area is also pretty decked out. They have a large campus wall and a wall that you can adjust the incline for a tougher workout. And the community is outstanding.

Andrew

Great facility. The routes are very closely spaced so things can get cramped when it gets crowded.

William Cordero

Love tht gym. Friendly staff. Biggest of all FA.

Andrew McCurry

Great place to climb. Tons of bouldering and top rope routes, friendly staff, and other workout equipment.

Ashraf Mizo

Amazing experience!

yanke e

Staff was very very friendly and help full! Had a great time!!

Ronald Oliva

Nice place if you're into this kinda stuff.

Heather H

I like First Ascent so far, my husband and I have been going for a couple weeks. We have done bouldering and I tried a few clip-ins. And so far that has been really fun! What I really don't like about it is that there is no gym daycare. We want to be able to go together (you can bring your kids with you) but it just doesn't work well at all. We don't want to have to alternate going nor do we want to pay for a babysitter each time we go so it looks like we will be canceling here soon. If they had even a couple hours a day, we would totally stay!

Kenneth Maximus

I've been climbing here since they opened. Bright, welcoming, and they refresh routes regularly. They also have some excellent yoga teachers, and the classes are included with your membership. Love this place.

Jay Dean

My friend and I visited the Avondale location yesterday. There was a lady with short, reddish hair (Christie is her name, I believe) sitting at the front desk and as soon as we walked in she immediately looked at us as if we wandered on the wrong side of town. The expression on her face was incredibly blatant and rude. She looked confused - almost as if she didn't know blacks were allowed to rock climb. I thought I was the only one who'd noticed and maybe my perception was off so I didn't say anything until my friend and I went over to the iPads to complete our forms and he asked if I'd noticed the look on her face as well. Her attitude came off as really racist and made us so uncomfortable that we contemplated leaving. Once we completed our forms she was gone and there was a gentleman who gave us an orientation around the facility. He provided us with quality service and though we didn't stay long, we enjoyed the experience. As we were leaving, the young lady (Christie) was back at the desk and she'd turned around and took a long sigh and rolled her eyes almost as if she were irritated that black people were in the facility. I don't know if she's completely unaware that blacks are free or if she was having a bad day and we just so happen to land in her crossfire. I'm going to go with the former. Either way, I don't believe someone like that should be providing customer service to ANYONE.

Luke Aguirre

Great climbing gym to either train or practice your bouldering or top rope skills. Also, has plenty of gym equipment for strength training. Happy to be a member!

Lesley Ladlad

BEST CLIMBING GYM IN CHICAGO

David Suckstorff

Tall walls, tons of climbing, good bouldering variety too. My gym of choice in Chicago!

Nathaniel Wallen

Great new gym my buddy brought me to and it didn't cost me because members get yearly buddy passes. Very clean with a nice fitness area to change up workouts.

Antonella Terracina

beautiful place filled with great people :)

Melody Ovard

Wish I could take this place home to Virginia with me. Reasonable prices, locker room with showers. Clean. Friendly stuff. Don't think I could ask for anything to be added.

Erika Meier

Friendly staff and members, stellar route setting. Best gym in Chicago!

Nicholas Virgilio

Incredible facility with a very friendly staff and outstanding community.