The Stronghold Climbing Gym

I love this place! I’ve been a member for a while now and I love that they change their routes a lot. nice staff members, fun atmosphere… i’ve been asked multiple times by staff on my way out, «did you have fun?» and my answer is always a resounding yes :)

AMAZING climbing gym for both newer climbers and the more experienced. I came here with a few friends the other day and was pleasantly surprised with just how big this place was. I definitely think it tailors more for top rope climbing over bouldering, but honestly there’s a little bit of everything for everyone. There’s even a yoga studio and a gym area upstairs with some barbells and workout equipment if you want.
Parking is a little hard to find, but jsut keep looking, as there are lots nearby with a Brewery and art gallery around as well.
I think the day pass and equipment rental came out to $ 26 and includes everything from the harness, ATC, shoes, and chalk bag!

This place is like my second home! I became a member when it first opened and haven’t looked back! here are some tips for newcomers:
— If you’re new to climbing and don’t have any experienced friends to take you, definitely get an intro to rock climbing class from groupon. Otherwise you’ll only be able to boulder (short walls, no rope) or use the 3 autobelays in the roped area.
— If you buy a day pass that includes access to everything in the gym, so you can also try out a yoga or core class to get your money’s worth!
— Don’t hesitate to ask staff members for help or advice. They are awesome! Super nice, caring people.
— If you’ve climbed elsewhere, you still need to take a belay test for top-​roping, and lead test for lead climbing but they are pretty straightforward. If you haven’t climbed in awhile, ask a staff member to give you a quick review.
— Head to Barbara’s brewery next door for a post-​climb beer and food
–Plenty of parking in the long driveway except for weekday nights, when it can get crowded. Just drive past the building and park in the lots behind it.
— Free wifi
— Membership is kinda expensive, but it’s worth it because I go several times a week and can’t imagine life without it!

I just LOVE this place. I have visited 3 climbing gyms in LA and this is definitely my favorite.
It has a bouldering area, which is fun, but more importantly it has LOTS of top ropes and lots of places to practice lead climbing (which is pretty rare I guess ?). Plus a gym and a yoga studio in the upstairs area.
The place is pretty big, There is vertical climbing, shorter and higher routes, overhanging stuff, even a pretty nasty roof that looks super impressive.
Each route has a grade and a board for feedback where climbers give their impressions about the route (what grade it should be and if it was fun climbing or not). There are also self belay devices, and the staff is pretty friendly.
I also love the fact that they are open so early and so late, convenient for awkward hours.

The Stronghold Climbing Gym is F. U. N place! My friend has been convincing for the longest time to go rock climbing with her. One day, I said yes and we scheduled to go the following Tuesday at 7pm.
My friend, friend’s boyfriend, and I met up at this gym. Soon as I got in, I signed my death away. Lol! I didn’t pay anything because friend’s boyfriend had a free pass for me.
This was my first time rock climbing, and it was not bad. They have a lot of different levels you can try. We ended up staying for three hours. Good time and great work out!
Make sure to stretch a lot before you start and drink a lot of water.

This place is a gem. The instructors, Josh and Brian, are incredibly approachable and informative in their classes. The holds are very well maintained and I see the workers constantly touching them up to ensure they don’t get too smoothed out. Their auto belays make it really convenient for you to top-​rope if you can’t find someone to belay you and the gym is very well ventilated. However, in the summer, it does get really stuffy and hot, but I’ve definitely seen much worse and can deal with it just fine.
They also have a basic assortment of weights upstairs for those who want to get their lifting (including squatting and benching) or cardio on (treadmills). With all this in mind, I think their membership dues are reasonable (my first impression was that it was expensive, but have since changed my mind) and the gym still gets a little crowded during peak hours.
The patrons here are friendly and very encouraging. If they see you struggle, they give useful tips and motivate you. I almost feel encouraged to fail (because that’s how you eventually succeed, right?).
There’s plenty of convenient parking. FYI, you’re not supposed to park past the security gate if you’re not a resident.

Wish I could climb outdoors all the time. Working full time as a desk jockey though, being a member at Stronghold is the next best thing for an after work climbing fix. This place gets so many things right for a lead climbing gym. 46 foot walls, well though out space, quality route-​setting, and frequent changing of routes to keep things fresh. The weight training and machine areas are really good and not an afterthought like some other climbing gyms. The staff and vibe here are friendly and people generally look out for each other. Climbing grades here feel fairly accurate compared to outdoor sport grades at local areas.

Best time to beat the crowd for you nine to fivers? That would be weekends when the gym opens. I highly recommend taking the class to learn how to top-​rope. It was incredibly helpful and has us hooked on a new sport.

This is my favorite gym in L.A. It gets a bit warm in the summer but the walls are tall, the staff are awesome and the setting is sweet. Even when it’s warm its still an awesome gym and you’ll definitely get strong. They’re in a cool spot with a good vibe and the local community is really welcoming and friendly. I highly recommend the youth team if you have kids, the coach is awesome. :D

There are some misconceptions posted by some of the Unilocalers for Stronghold Gym that I need to point out. Warren W. mentioned how Stronghold «doesn’t have the belay and lead hooks tied on the ropes» (I’m going to assume he’s referring to autobelays where you don’t need a belayer) like other gyms.
And then he goes on to complain how the front desk wouldn’t let him on and teach him how to tie the rope i under 5 min. That’s a big no-​no. There’s a lot more to tying knots onto your harness than what it seems.
You have to learn how to belay, how to tie on knots, learn how to read when your climber is going to fall and catch his fall, etc. And even in that one or two hour class, you still won’t be perfect with belaying. If the front desk tells you that it’s not a good idea to learn how to tie into a knot, it’s for you safety. Belaying is an important skill that one must master and learn, as your climber is trusting his/​her life on you.
So I would take caution with Warren W.‘s review and take the darn belaying class. And I’m speaking with a year’s worth of climbing experience and even then I still feel like a newb.
Anyway
I went with several of my friends to Stronghold for the lead climbing class. It’s much cheaper than Sender One’s or Boulderdash’s lead climbing class. Peter, our teacher, was excellent in covering how to clip in, rope payout, belaying, and learning how to brace the whipper. I’ll do say that I wish there was more one-​on-​one time with student and teacher to observe your lead belaying and clipping in, but that’s probably due to the size of the class. I highly recommend the class. I probably should practice some more before we take off the top rope belay.
As far as facilities go, their top rope/​lead walls are incredible. The walls are 65 foot long or so I’ve been told. They have three autobelays, plenty of top-​rope routes, and a nice little bouldering section. I flashed a 5.10a on one of their autobelays and it was incredible, but man is the climb so pumpy on your forearms. It’s a lot harder without belayer.
I’ll do say that one of the issues I have with the gym is air conditioning control. It’s hot as sin if LA is experiencing a hot day. Whatever, it’s just me nitpicking.
I would recommend this for any climbers of all skill level. Keep in mind that it’s a great idea to learn how to belay or take the belay class before coming here. Anyway, would love to come back.

Redeemed a Groupon here.
Matt was very helpful, this tall guy wasn’t so helpful. Anyways, Brian was our instructor and and did a very great no teaching us the basics. I’ve taken a couple of beginner classes over the years, but this one’s the best.
The facility even has a gym and a clean locker room with showers. $ 75 — I think it’s worth it. I would join.

Went here Saturday afternoon not that much people which is good.
I really like this place good work out for upper body and it’s cheap $ 25 for whole day climbing.
Also they offer belay class for those people who are first timer and need someone to belay their friends.

Came here with my girlfriend and we were both first timers to this rock climbing gym. We got the hardness on and we were ready to climb.
But, this rock climbing gym doesn’t have the belay and lead hooks tied on the ropes like the other rock climbing gyms I’ve been to. Ok, no problem so I go to the front desk and ask for help on how to tie the rope to belay and lead. The person helping me just kept saying you need to get certified and go ask other climbers for help. I mean seriously, why couldn’t you spend 5 minutes helping us. So I just gladly asked for a refund and went elsewhere .
So if you’re new to rock climbing or don’t know how to tie the rope, I suggest you don’t come here because they’re not really helpful in teaching you at all. It is not that complicated, and it really only takes 5 mins to teach how to tie the rope.

This place is amazing! I tried climbing at another gym in Orange County, but wanted to go to a climbing gym in the L.A. area.
Luckily, I found a Groupon deal for an introduction to rock climbing class! Yes! The teacher was great and the staff is amazing. They look like they enjoy being at work.
A few days after taking the class I got a membership here, which is a pretty good deal.
Membership includes a pass to the fitness center upstairs, yoga/​fitness classes, free rentals and a free buddy pass (per calendar month).
I only have one recommendation for the managers at Stronghold — please please please make sanitization wipes more available in the fitness area. Last time I went you guys ran out.

I’ve been here a few times with some friends. I think that this is one of the better rock climbing gyms that I’ve been to. First of all, they allow dogs here, and being a dog owner, that’s an automatically PLUS in my book.
Secondly, they have a variety of routes from easy to very challenging. I’m still very much a beginner so it was easy for me to find a handful of routes that were easy enough for me to complete and challenging enough for me to feel good about.
They also have a small gym up stairs with a few deadweights, and treadmills.
I had a few freebies since I know someone who was a member. I did have to pay once and it cost $ 25 bucks for the day. The other members here are very supportive. Rock Climbing in general is full of supportive people.

I’ve only been to one other climbing gym before a long time ago so I admit I don’t have much to compare to. I also don’t even pay for this (my wonderful sister has been but I’ll pay next rounds) so I’m not sure about the value here. But being «encouraged» to come by my sister and her boyfriend, I do admit that I enjoy it. It’s fun and yes, there’s the joy/​thrill in completing the climbs.
Anyhow, why I like it. I’ve been here a couple of times and thought that I would be bored of the routes but it turns out they seem to change them out often to keep the routes fresh which is great. It’s spacious enough so that even when it gets crowded it’s not bad and there’s no wait. And they have routes for people at all levels. The bathroom and change room are clean (compared to the 24 hour fitness I go to for my regular workouts which is really really bad). And the staff (as well as other climbers/​guests) are nice and pleasant. Oh, and we brought my cousin once too and renting the equipment (harness and shoes) was like $ 5. Nice!
We’ll be continuing to come here. =)

This place is huge and maximizes it’s use of Half of the gym is for bouldering, with the other half on the rope, with this being the gutted out Brewery you can climb really high. The second level on top of the bouldering area is for training: there are power balls of various sizes, campus boards, fingerboards and a challenging moonboard.
On the other side above check in is their gym area: knee raise/​dip station, rowing machine, stationary bike, treadmill, elliptical, kettlebells, a pair of gymnastic rings, battle rope, jump ropes, weighted medicine balls, stability exercise ball and monkey bar/​chin-​up/​pull-​up station. It’s a well-​though out compact gym within a climbing gym! There was also a canvas enclosed «room», where people were participating in a yoga class.
For the bouldering section the routes seemed much easier rated than my go-​to gym ARC in Arcadia. This is a plus when bringing friends that are new to climbing. The ability to complete routes, will have friends feeling accomplished and keep the enthusiasm high resulting in a desire for future climbing. You can seriously spend you day just on the bouldering section, the transverse red/​black that goes across the entire section was a fun surprise.
I am seriously going to come back here with my harness and spend sometime on the ropes. The 46 foot walls just looks glorious. :O
Check-​in as a first-​timer was a cinch with the mini iPads. Snack area was looking a bit spartan. Parking is limited to street, but not it’s not too difficult to score a spot. Slightly pricier than other gyms to climb for the day, $ 20 for a day pass. If you live nearby really consider investing in a membership, since they also have classes and what seems like a sweet gym set-​up. Lots of hip folk here, felt out of place with my lack of tattoos and edgy haircut. ;)
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Stronghold Climbing Gym is a solid 5 in my book. I gave this gym a 5 star on my original review for their varied routes that change regularly. For my update, I’d like to also add that their customer service is exceptional. They go above and beyond to make their customer happy. And happy, I am very.
Stronghold has a holiday special. With the purchase of a $ 50 gift card (good towards anything in the gym), you get one free day pass. Now, this is a great deal because a day visit is $ 20. Anyway, I purchased two gift cards. The first one was for $ 100, which was mailed to me within 5 days. The second one was for $ 150. I was sent the confirmation email and was expecting to receive the gift card within a week. Well, I eagerly awaited its arrival every day for a week. And on the seventh day, I sent Stronghold an email asking for the status of said card. I got an immediate reply from Kate, who said she would ask the staff member who was in charge of gift cards to look into my order. Sure enough, true to her word, she sent me an email later that evening and said that they had made a mistake and will fix that immediately.
Kate had someone hand deliver the gift card to my house and also included an additional free day pass with my order. Not only that, but I also got a t-​shirt for the inconvenience. Now, I don’t know about you, but I have never had such a pleasant customer service experience. Stronghold was prompt in replying to my email and looked into this matter immediately. Thank you, Kate for the wonderful service I was given. I look forward to using my free day passes and spending my gift cards and will highly recommend Stronghold for both the routes and customer service.

Stronghold is the only rock climbing gym I’ve been to. Thanks to my boyfriend, who has membership and can bring a guest for free once a month, I’ve gone twice now. Although I absolutely hate and fear heights, I still strangely enjoyed myself.
Rope climbing route levels range from 5.5 (kiddie) to 5.14 (professional). I started at 5.6, which was terrifying, but finished the level and felt really proud of myself. I’ve tried 5.7 and gave up halfway up as it was just too difficult, tiring, and scary — but next time, I’ll finish it! Beginners should do a belay class (~3 hours long), where the staff teaches you about the history of climbing as a sport, safety, and lets you practice climbing. Otherwise, if you’ve gone climbing before, bring a partner who can belay you or you can rely on the auto-​belay. There’s only two, but they’re usually free cos people bring their friends. There’s also bouldering, yoga, and a full weight gym on the second floor.
The facility is very clean, although there are faint smells of worn socks, which is expected as everyone is mostly barefoot. The women’s restroom is spotless and includes multiple stalls, lockers, and showers, which is neat for those of you who want to freshen up immediately after climbing. I also love that the water from the sink is hot and they provide lotion for your hands after you rough them up by climbing.
I have no other rock climbing gym to compare to, but Stronghold is so great, I doubt I’ll go anywhere else.

Gorgeous repurposed space for a climbing gym. Hipsterriffic to the Max. Love the impressive smoke stack. Reminds me of being in DTLA over by Bestia. Industrial chic. There are brick walls, lots of metal and of course because it’s a climbing gym lots of padding!
Rumor is that the walls were created by a local artist. They are blasted with sand to create the gritty texture. Extra hipster points.
East LA sorely needed a climbing gym that included ropes. Stronghold fills that void.