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I'm moving to Columbus in a few weeks and I can't exactly make the drive to the red every time I decide I want to climb. So, any recommendations for good places to climb in and around Columbus? I looked up Vertical Avdentures, but they give very little details on what exactly they offer. I did read that they have topropes up to 25' high, but that's really just bouldering. If I wanted to get on something longer would it be worth it to drive to Dayton?

There is new outdoor climbing structure at Whitier Park downtown. Ist pretty good if you are looking for walls taller than Vertical Adventures to climb/train on - but not very over hanging - and not much shade so its very hot.

http://www.columbusunderground.com/foru ... -7th-maybe

I have to point out that there have been many strong climbers come out of Vertical Adventures so give it a try.

I guess that's what I'm trying to figure out. I definitely don't want what few abilities I have to become dull while I'm there, and I'd prefer if there were a place I could get stronger. Is vertical adventures that kind of place or is it limited in it's offerings? Their website didn't offer much in the way of details on their facilities, so I was hoping someone could fill me in. Is it a serious climber's gym with a family-friendly section or a family-friendly gym with a serious climber's section?

the toprope stuff will get old quickly at VA. the bouldering is pretty limited, and they have kind of a silly way that they tape the feet for problems.... but it's definitely worth getting a pass. if i had to choose one, i'd go with them.

then there's kinetic--i've never been there, but i hear it's a small bouldering wall or something... not sure... but it's maintained by actual climbers, though, which is a plus

the wall at whitier park is cool, very novel, and unique as far as i can tell. never seen anything like it but it's fun and free

then there's a wall at OSU. when i climbed at there, i recall it was a fantastic facility (as far as university walls go) but they had the worst route setting i've ever seen. like, not even fun to climb there--even to just rainbow up the walls.

So, they've got 4 so-so gyms. beats the hell out of most cities.

There is a good group of motivated people in VA, always looking for people that want to train. I don't live there anymore but if you need people to work out with let me know I can get you in contact with them.

depends too on what you're looking for--in terms of your "few" abilities, are we talking mostly routes? bouldering? i've found the more i travel, the better VA looks . the route setting there is pretty good, which helps a lot, and it IS owned and maintained by "actual climbers".
the toprope routes are short, but you can always up and downclimb, too.
good luck!

My take on Columbus, most of which has already been said:

Not a huge fan of Vertical Adventures. Last time I was in there, there were slippery holds, tape falling off the wall, and the same problems as when I had been in six months earlier. The training facilities are good, though, and the problems (I've never climbed routes in there) are well set.

OSU's roped wall has tall walls, and air conditioning (big plus!). I don't think that the routes are as horrendous as an earlier poster mentioned, but they can be really hit-or-miss. The good routes there are on the techy, vertical side, simply because there is not that much steep wall space to work with. Overall, not a good place to get strong.

OSU also has a very small bouldering wall in the Jesse Owens South training facility. It was actually better than I expected it to be. If you are on campus and need a quick place to go run through a circuit of problems up to v4 or so in between classwork, it is a really good place.

I spend most of my time at Kinetic. Really steep angles for power and endurance, motivated and engaged route setters, and a cool community of people there. If you get a membership, you have a key and can go whenever you want. Drawbacks are that it is kind of in the ghetto, gets really cold in the winter and really hot in the summer. Since our last comp, membership really grew, and we're actually not opening any new memberships until this fall. Good place to get strong.

Finally, the outdoor tower at the park south of town is a really cool novelty as a publicly acessible, free climbing facility. Beyond that, though, it is certainly not a training facility or anything like that.