Joe Rockhead’s Climbing Gym

Absolutely love it here
The staff are super friendly :) environments great, and the walls are fun to climb
Recommend it to everyone and anyone

I boulder regularly at a different gym closer to where I live. Love it there, but sometimes I’m in TO and I have friends who want to try bouldering. So I’ve sampled a couple gyms in Toronto as well. I could probably ramble for a bit about why I was very unimpressed with this place.
The fast summary: unengaging staff, unsafe environment for bouldering (did not top rope or lead there), poor route setting. Overpriced considering those conditions. Looking for bouldering? Go elsewhere, PASS on this place.
— staff is not very welcoming
–we were not given a run down of the gym, safety rules (don’t rest on mats, how to fall, etc.), general climbing rules (what colour means what, etc.). That’s fine enough for someone who has done some bouldering and understands these things, but my friend was new to bouldering/​this gym. At my gym, even if you’ve bouldered elsewhere, you still get a quick rundown so they know that you know basic safety.
— HARD floors to fall on. They are mildly soft, but not the mats that should be there. There were some loose mats we were to use (I get that this is similar to bouldering outside, but these mats were small and THIN. Plus, we’re not outside, be safer), but only 3 small ones available and two of them were so worn down it was the equivalent of using a bed comforter to pad your falls.
— I witnessed a beginner class happening, and they instructed these people to jump down from walls, but never explained how to fall so you don’t injure yourself.
–not enough space to fall. In some spots of the bouldering area, you had maybe 3 feet of room on the raised platform to fall. Miss that and land on hard concrete. This is very plausible if your angled away from the wall, or don’t fall right.
— terrrrrrible/​uninspired route setting. Beginner routes that my friend was trying out required some pretty difficult moves. But even these «difficult» moves are not hard because of needing technique. They’re hard because there’s a lot of wide gaps. So it’s not even like fun, smart, technically hard routes. Just wide gaps + jump.

My instructor was amazing for the beginner’s class today, and the facilities are really nice. However, the staff at the front desk were awful and so so so rude. I really wanted to like this gym, and continually go, but their treatment was so off putting that I can’t even think of giving this place more money.
For one thing, they were unsmiling to everyone. Not a great start, because it means they’re likely underpaid and unhappy with how they’re managed. Keep in mind that the gym was pretty dead, even for a Saturday, so they were not rushed in any way. I didn’t expect these two individuals to take out their aggression on the customers in these circumstances.
We went for the beginner’s class for noon, and at 12:25, the class still hadn’t started. 8 of us were sitting on the floor, waiting, when I approached the front desk and asked why the class hadn’t started. They said that the last two people were still getting ready for the lesson. I looked over, and one girl was putting on lipstick while the guy was texting. I then asked if we could start without them, as we’d been sitting around patiently as a group for 25 minutes. The guy at the front desk nastily rand dismissively replied: «No. You’re waiting for them. Just go over there and boulder.» I then said «But we were all on time– why must we continue to wait for these last two people to finish up whatever they’re doing in order to start a lesson? Can’t they just join in when they’re ready?». He rolled his eyes and slowly repeated «Go. Boulder.» Him and the other woman at the desk glared at me and then kept chatting when I went back to our frustrated group of 8 people who were all sitting down.
The instructor was so amazing, so it pains me to write this review. Her lesson was perfect, minus the 30 minute late start, and she was very fun to talk too! She tried to make small talk while we all sat on the floor, waiting for the couple to finish texting and applying makeup, but the energy was pretty diminished. This was crazy– the front desk staff could have approached the couple and asked them to join the group, or even have allowed the instructor to start the lesson with out them– after all each one of us paid at least $ 45 to there for the lesson at noon. This is a business and we are the customers!
I asked about joining for the 2 week membership after the practice to see what they said. I am having surgery in the next week, so I asked if I could have my two week membership start after the surgery with a doctors note provided. I had a short, unsmiling «No. That’s not how it works» said to me. Not even a «Let me see if we can make an exception, but it’s unlikely, sorry.» That’s when I decided to write this review. The owner needs to be aware that your staff are treating your customers like they’re lucky to even be apart of your business, not the other way around.

Great experience. They have many routes to climb for all types of levels. They have Boulder climbing, regular climbing, including a whole section for beginners. Not to mention a set of climbing gym equipment to beef up your skills. They have soft matts in case you have a little tumble, otherwise it’s all safe all the time. It’s best to find a buddy to go with if its your first time. But please take the lessons as you need to know what your doing :) happy climbing

I was here yesterday and had a really good time!
The staff at the front desk was really welcoming, and quick. Luckily there wasn’t a line up. I recommend reserving a spot and showing up 30 min before the lesson time. It’s common courtesy. We had to wait a while for the rest of the group but the instructor did a really amazing job killing time by showing us bouldering routes.
I really enjoyed the bouldering routes, it was a bit busy, but there are some really talented people you can’t help but watch!
The lesson itself was pretty good. Luckily there was a girl there who was a an avid climber helping a friend that knew what she was doing. She helped us out. The instructor did a great job trying to help out such a large group, and through all the noise from other groups that were in the room. Stick close to the instructor so you can hear and see better! I recommend forming smaller groups or having multiple instructors/​assistants to help out.
This gym is especially good if you’re on the upper levels. I feel like a lot of the routes were quite difficult. Nonetheless, I’m motivated after watching those climbers, and it was an awesome workout.
NOTE: BRING YOUR OWN LOCK!

It is a nice gym and I have been away for over a year. Went on sunday and gym was not too busy. Crowds cleared around 430 with minimal wait time for top rope and bouldering. Staff are super helpful. Book a lesson if you need one. My friends forgot to do so but luckily, there were spots available for lessons after they arrived.

First time rock climbing in EONS and I’m glad I went. :) (Visited last Sunday).
Got there late and missed the beginning of instruction, no big deal.
Must not go without mention — the instructor (I think his name was Isaih, or something to that effect — lean black guy) was BEYOND AWESOME. Perfect balance of comedic and informative, warm personality and really clearly wants to make sure everyone is comfortable and having fun. He totally made the experience!
Got to monkey around on the various walls. Facility is clean and everyone is safe and respectful. Parking right across the street.
Ended up being just under $ 40 per person including equipment, instruction and climbing time.

The last time I had gone to Joe Rockheads was when I was high school, and I remember thinking «jeez, people here are so old!» Liberty Village was also a very rundown area back then. So, lo and behold, this time coming to Joe Rockheads in my 30s, and everyone all of a sudden looks like a young whippersnapper. Jeesh!
Beyond feeling like a fogey, Joe Rockheads remains one of the best maintained climbing gyms in Toronto. It never smells, the staff are nice, and I don’t find it as busy as other climbing gyms. The routes are also challenging — as someone who has to keep starting from scratch again and again each year (I am really bad at keeping a regular pace on climbing) I wish there were more 5.7 level routes, but it is nice that they do have a couple challenging 5.8 and 5.9, 5.10 ones as well.
The facilities have also been kept up really nicely — I am amazed that even after Liberty Village has been gentrified with rents going sky-​high, Joe Rockheads has been able to keep up their space! Glad it is still there.
PS. At any given time there are lots of guys climbing there who I think might be Spiderman. True fact. How are people so nimble!!!

Toronto has four good top-​rope gyms in Toronto. Each gym has a distinct personality, and there are many pros and cons to each. Joe Rockhead’s is, in my opinion, the least appealing of the four, but I want to clarify that this doesn’t mean it’s not a good gym. It’s a fine gym!
LOCATION: ⁴⁄₅
If you live/​work downtown, this is your gym. It’s in the heart of Liberty Village, easily accessible by bike, or car. TTC not so much — King street stinks.
CROWDEDNESS: ¹⁄₅
This was definitely the busiest I’ve seen a gym. I asked at the front and they told me it was an «off-​night» which scared me right off of ever going there on a weekend.
SELECTION: ¹⁄₅
Others have pointed out that the gym is mostly made up of 5.9s and 5.10s which was accurate when I was there. On one hand, I recognize this is a popular level for most climbers, but considering how crowded the gym was, I found myself waiting often to switch into a route. My friend was having an off week and would have preferred some easier routes, but there was very little for him. So there was lots of waiting, and asking if people were switching out… I don’t mind waiting once or twice if I’m curious about a specific route, but I do mind when every route at your level is taken, including the ones you’ve easily sent already.
ROUTES: ⁴⁄₅
Most of the routes were fascinating and challenging. I definitely appreciated the creativity put into their designs.
BOULDERING: ⁴⁄₅
My friend was late to arrive, and I found myself staring at an enticing Bouldering room. Often I find myself turned off by designs that have a massive gap between ‘for kids’ and ‘I hope you train on a hangboard’. There were plenty of V2s and 3s that drew me in, and challenged my strength and balance without making me feel like my forearms would explode. Hard floor, though. There was an additional Bouldering section with a padded floor in the back, but I didn’t get a chance to check it out.
PRICE: ¹⁄₅
At 18 bucks, it’s the priciest Toronto gym.
STAFF: ⁵⁄₅
Everyone seemed super nice. No complaints.
MUSIC: ?
I didn’t really hear any, which is much better than the climbing gym 90s rock standard.
GENERAL FACILITIES: ²⁄₅
Small locker room considering the crowd, and I didn’t really see a lot of gym equipment. Comparably, I think the other gyms have better peripheral amenities.
All considered, it’s great for downtown climbing, but I would advise going during off hours.

Ok climbing gym, always seems to be cold, pretty expensive, ok selection of routes, often feel like there are a lot of egos in the gym. Makes for an even colder environment, you’ll have to pay to do a lead test if you want to do any lead climbing.
Maybe I only object to it because I don’t understand this model of climbing gym, I have to accept that all inclusive $ 80 a year climbing gym memberships which I’m used to, don’t exist in Toronto. Lots of other people seem to enjoy it though.
Lots of bouldering options and the climbing routes seem to change often enough though, so it’s not all bad. I’ve experienced much better.

This place is great. My friend and I signed up for a Climbing lesson a few months ago. We had both been climbing before but it was a few years ago and we really needed to start from scratch again.
We arrived at on a Saturday at 10:30am as scheduled (very easy to find btw), and our instructor was a little late. No worries, we changed, and enjoyed watching the other climbers while we waited.
The climbing package that we got was great. You pay for the lesson (I think it was $ 45 w/​tax), and you get two weeks of free climing, and a t-​shirt.
We got the gear and shoes as part of the lesson, and we were eager for our instructor to arrive. He shows up and takes us on our way. I think we were with him for over an hour. He was fantastic. Laid back, easy to talk to and showed us everything we needed to know. We had ample time to practice before he let us go on our own and made sure we were comfortable before releasing us to the rock gods.
We climbed for another hour or so, we were pretty tired after that — being our first time in a few years and all.
We were given a card to show for our free-​two weeks of climbing. Shoes and gear you still need to rent. Comes to about $ 12 for both. It can add up quickly though for your rentals, so keep that in mind.
We made full use of our free climbing, and at the end of it we were able to purchase a month of unlimited climbing for $ 50 (half price). If we decided to sign on after, it would be the full $ 100 for the first month, and $ 50 afterwards. Neither of us wanted to comit at that time so we didn’t stay on. If we would have been able to do month-​to-​month and kind of pay as you go on a monthly basis, we probably would have done that.
Overall, this place is great. The staff are friendly and helpful and so are the other climbers. We had some great convos with the climbers and you never felt like a tool when climbing or anything.
I will definitely go back here when I decide to climb again.

I’ve been to a bunch of the other gyms in and around Toronto (old and new TCA, old and new Rock Oasis) and I must admit this gym is very comparable to those ones. They have a nice area for bouldering, lots of high walls for top rope and lead climbing, and a variety of routes that are changed up fairly frequently. The people are friendly and the staff competent.
BUT, with all that being said, they keep losing my information. I don’t even know what the fuck that means to be honest. All I know is they keep making me fill out the same waiver form and doing the same belay test over and over. They do have computers. I see them at the front desk, so I don’t know why this is happening. It confuses me. And its not like I come once every 3 years or something. This has happened three times over the past two months. Last night I had to wait around for 20 minutes to get a belay test because they were understaffed and a big group came in they had to take care of. Ridiculous. Get your shit together, Rockheads!

Who: 2 kids under 14, 1 adult
Parking: 30 second walk street parking for less than $ 10
When: Friday night 6:30 to 8:30
Price/​Value: Not an everyday treat but good for one a month or two: $ 70 for all of us plus $ 2 for two bottles of water (change available at front desk — with a smile)
The only other place I have seen with my own eyes is Rock and Chalk in Newmarket which is dark and dirty in comparison.
I took two boys here tonight (10 and 13) and myself. Our trainer for 2 hours (about $ 70), which was just about right, was **Rich** from Scotland and he was moon and stars better than expected. He encouraged the boys, talked to them as big people, reigned them in when they got cocky and even tried to get me to do a second climb (nothing doing — I am afraid of heights)
Great front desk staff (Satchi?)that were able to point us towards a slice of pizza afterwards (Magic Oven was also Magic!). Not too crowded. Concerned about safety and climb etiquette and overall awesome!
Even the Intro Learning group was polite to us… as well as the «regular Friday niters». Maybe because with Rich we were obviously supervised.
Call ahead if you are a first timer and need a «guide/​trainer» — best to give them 24 – 48 hours.

Love this rockclimbing gym!
it’s a bit far away for those who live up north like me but the quality of the gym is totally worth the ride or commute!
there are plenty of routes to choose from for top ropers, lead climbiers and boulders. The routes are changed regularly so you won’t get bored any soon.
The major advantage over other climbing gyms for me is that it has more space so it doesn’t get as crowded as other places, it also has good air conditioning so you won’t slip while climbing cuz your hands are wet of sweat… and for the top ropers — the grigri’s are NOT attached to the floor! which gives you so much more flexibility while you belay.
The bouldering area has been recently extended so many new routes there were added.
there are also few competitions are happening at this place that are interesting to watch and participate in.
I love this place and would definitely recommend it to everyone!

It’s true that I haven’t actually been to any other rock climbing gym, but when you have one this good, so close to your house, why bother going anywhere else?
I took the lessons and the teacher was really nice and helpful. I was climbing 9’s in no time (that’s rock climbing lingo for those who aren’t in the know). The routes get changed up a little almost every 2 weeks so there’s always something new to try. And they have a number of different routes for every skill set. They have a ton of bouldering options as well.
If you’ve never been, bring a friend, take the lesson, and spend the day there. It’s a pretty neat way to spend your Saturday.

1^st time at Rockhead’s last night. Used to climb at TCA years ago. I think, if I remember correctly, that TCA had more climbs than Rockhead’s does, but Rockhead’s is still a good facility.
I understand that they’ve undergone a bit of a facelift recently — changerooms are well appointed, if a little short on locker space during evening peak.

It’s fun, the walls are challenging and the routes are constantly changing so that eventually a novice climber would be able to to try the same slopey angles as a more experienced climber had last week. At this gym, climbers are attached to the belayer, not to the floor as with some other climbing gyms. Bouldering is plentiful as well.
It’s conveniently located close to the Gardiner so it’s a breeze to drive there when it’s not rush hour and there’s lots of parking around. For public transit takers, the trek is pretty straightforward east-​west on the King Street car (get off at the Joe Shuster Way stop, it’s closer than walking in from Dufferin).

Not a bad space at all and tons of parking nearby. Person at the front desk made me feel like I was wasting her time by asking questions (maybe she just had a bad day?). Either way not very helpful at all and I almost walked out even after paying.
I’d like to try this place again but the «feel» was not very friendly. Maybe I just had great experiences at other places so I’m disappointed.

Great climbing gym in Liberty Village.
I’m not an expert climber by any measure, however the walls and bouldering they have is challenging and fun to learn on.
Staff can be a bit inattentive, however they are definitely concerned with safety and ensuring that everyone on the floor knows what they are doing.
Pricing is reasonable, however if you know you will be going often, rentals can get expensive, so its worth looking into buying your own gear (harness, shoes).

I came here a loonnggg time ago for summer camp as a kid and I absolutely fell in love with Rock Climbing here! Joe Rockhead’s is apparently the first indoor rock climbing facility in Canada but it sure doesn’t seem that old.
The instructors here are amazing and make it a lot of fun and they enjoy their time working there as well. It is definitely not a «huge» place and they don’t have any outdoor walls to climb (or they didn’t the last time I went) but they have a lot of walls that range in a wiiideee range of difficulties so whether it’s your first time rock climbing or you’re an expert looking for a challenge (top rope, lead climbing, and bouldering), I think Joe Rockhead’s has got you set!
They also provide you with full equipment rentals if you don’t have any of your own. It’s a great place for groups and groups of kids as well!