New Orleans Boulder Lounge

My wife is from New Orleans, and I was always bummed that there is no where (at all) to climb when we visit her family. I’ve been climbing for 13 years and climbing outdoors (and indoors) all over the country, so I was excited to hear that NOBL was opening and was psyched to check it out.
It’s a nice, modern bouldering facility. Clean aesthetics, a nice variety of angles without having too much (turning every problem into a stem problem), a good hold selection. Time will tell how often they clean the holds and rotate out the old ones, but all good so far. The setting was decent, better than I expected. I would say half of the climbs I got on in the v4-​v8 range felt right, and flowed nicely. Some others felt a little awkward and contrived, but I’m sure the overall level will improve with time as the setters get trained up.
For the experienced climber coming here not knowing what to expect, they grade the climbs based on color of tape marking the start/​end holds, with each color being a range of V grades. At the front of the gym they have a list of the actual grades for each climb. I actually really enjoyed this aspect. You can get on a climb only generally knowing how hard it is, but then if you want to double-​check later, you can see the «official» grade. When I was there there was a good variety of climbs up to v5. There were probably 4 – 5 V6s, 2 V7s, and 1 V8. I thought the V8 was the easiest (even out of most of the 6s), not sure if it was due to the flow being a little better on that one or if it was just my strengths. Looking forward to seeing the local population get stronger and see more of those upper-​level grades get set.
There is a nice training area in the back with a campus board with a variety of grips, hang boards, and a peg board. Other exercise equipment was also there, but I don’t recall what exactly.
I went over Christmas, so it was pretty empty. I can imagine it gets very crowded, and hopefully they will be able to expand soon to include roped climbing. NOBL will definitely be a regular stop from now on whenever I’m visiting the in-​laws.

One of the best new additions to New Orleans! I had no prior experience to bouldering before and these guys were more then happy to help. There is an intro orientation for beginners which is good and you can rent shoes if you want to try it for a day. It’s a great atmosphere and a good way to meet new people in the city. I highly recommend it to any level of climbers.

I had never bouldered before and had no idea what I was doing, but the staff at NOBL was really helpful and friendly. They explained everything well and offered advice, which made the whole thing less intimidating. I ended up having a lot of fun and getting a pretty good workout! I thought I would feel like an idiot as a beginner, but everyone else who patronized the place was so nice and encouraging. The other customers ranged from little kids to gigantic buff dudes who could probably climb boulders in their sleep, but everyone was nonjudgmental and nice. I would definitely return for another day of bouldering!

Love that we have a bouldering place back in nola! Only thing is the space is kinda small so you have to wait your turn for a route and you kinda feel like you are preforming in front of an audience. I will say the routes change often and i like that a lot!

Cool spot. Nice place, great staff, and a lot of fun. Definitely recommend it as a hobby or even a one-​time trial.

As mentioned by Jason T, for the experienced patron, the orientation was unnecessarily intensive, but I contributed it to the fact that most New Orleanians have probably never bouldered before, and liability can be a b*tch for a small business owner.
Fortunately, though, the routes had surprisingly quality after the awkward start.
My main issue when visiting was the familiarity between staff members. I would stand at the counter for quite a while before being helped, because staff members would be busy chatting with each other, or friends that had stopped by. Again, I’ll chalk it up (pun intended) to the fact that they’re new, and they’re still figuring it out.
I was also bummed that they don’t allow you to wear headphones while bouldering. I know that seems nitpicky, but that’s the good part about bouldering, right? At the risk of sounding extremely douchey — I’ve been lucky to visit a LOT of gyms, some of which are the highest reviewed in the country — I’ve yet to visit another gym with this policy. But, again, a new gym in a spot where no one can climb elsewhere in the area, I guess I can rationalize the extra safety precautions.
TLDR: One should not expect this gym to compare to other spots in the West (…yet?)

Such a cool place. Very energetic and plugged in to what modern climbing gyms should be all about!

Just what this city needs. Let’s get vertical! Helpful staff in a bright and well appointed facility makes this place a winner.

We were super excited to check this place out! I am a NOLA native and my wife and I live and climb in Colorado and were in town on vacation. We paid $ 15 each for a day pass. A little expensive by a few bucks for the size of the gym but hey, you’re climbing in New Orleans. The «orientation» was a little awkward for us as experienced climbers. The guy asked us if we’d climbed before and I mentioned we were members of the same gym as several professional climbers and my two training partners were full time route setters. He seemed un-​phased by that and started off with «so bouldering is climbing but without ropes». You don’t say… I know they have to give the low down legally so we took it in stride.
They have washed cups for water if you don’t bring your own bottle. A small work out area, and a few snacks, tea etc. Worth checking out to get some exercise in.
The routes were actually set up well in my opinion. The bouldering cave was awesome and I was stoked to see locals pulling some pretty tough moves.
For other experienced visiting climbers, don’t expect too much climbing etiquette. Lead by example and try not to get pissed at someone.
Things will evolve as they build a climbing community in New Orleans. It’s important to stay inclusive and friendly to newcomers. We’re excited to come back in a year or so and see what’s new.

Beautiful, well-​lit space, quality routes, vegan snacks. Stoked we finally have a climbing gym in town. $ 15 is too expensive for just bouldering though. Everywhere I’ve climbed in the past cost around $ 10 for a day pass. The city’s giving them a hard time for busting NOLA’s rock climbing hymen, so that’s probably why the safety precautions were extreme here. Orientation and contracts took 20 minutes, then all jewelry has to come off, and they mean ALL.
We opted not to rent shoes because my partner and I are both experienced climbers with thin, outdoor running shoes, and the friendly desk clerks said that was fine. 10 minutes later though a manager was yelling at us like children for «improper attire.» So it turns out their $ 15 fee is actually $ 20. $ 5 shoe rental isn’t bad, but we left because we felt duped. The manager was super hostile. They need to OK shoes BEFORE you pay if they’re going to play that game.

NOBL is going to be the premier place to climb in New Orleans. I had the privilege to see it at the start of construction, and to climb at their founding members soft opening. And I have to say I’m excited that this has come to New Orleans.
The concept is a little different from a typical climbing gym. It’s bouldering only. No ropes or harnesses, just bouldering problems. Nothing over 20′, and a thick pad at the bottom to cushion falls. Shoes are all you need, and they’re included if you buy a day pass or membership.
We are sorely lacking in climbing near New Orleans, outdoor and indoor. I visit Slidell Rocks from time to time, but I never enjoy myself there. The routes are poorly set and maintained, and their business is birthday parties, not the climbing community.
NOBL is not like that. The problems are clear and smart, designed by climbers. The gym is not huge, but the wall design allows for easy and frequent route changes so it won’t get stale. I expected a learning curve at first for them in setting routes, but I thought the quality of the problems was high right off the bat. Not tinkering too much might be more of a concern than anything (don’t want to see a problem I spend weeks working on to disappear!). There are more good problems in this space than many bigger gyms, and enough variety to keep everyone from a beginner to a veteran busy.
I haven’t seen these yet, but they plan to have a fitness room and yoga classes in their yoga studio. I’m really looking forward to this. Climbing is more than enough of a physical workout that I don’t really need a separate gym membership, and the fitness room and yoga will give some variety and keep my workouts more well-​rounded.