Stone Age Climbing Gym

As soon as you walk in, the staff greets you nicely! I did my waiver online prior to going, so it made the check in faster. Be sure the rent shoes for excellent climbing. The worker did a great job explaining everything and giving us a quick tour! We began climbing immediately and had a great time! They have climbing options for every level! And bouldering! Time went by so fast while climbing. I am definitely going back to get more climb time!

Came to ABQ for a climbing instructor course and was blown away by Stone Age. From top to bottom it is an amazing operation. I have climbed at gyms all over the country and this is the best run and maintained gym I have seen. Their customer service was top notch, employees were knowledgeable, and the routes were set well. I will definitely back if I ever find myself in ABQ again.

Stone Age has made me addicted to rock climbing. This place is seriously awesome.
For those of you that haven’t climbed before, don’t fret, they make it super easy to get started. You have to fill our a waiver when you come in, but then head straight to the front desk to pay. It’s super reasonably priced, and they give you a tour and show you how things work around the gym.
There’s walls that are easy, and walls that are very hard: it fits every skill level. If you’re a serious climber, you can take a class in order to do the larger walls in the middle of the gym. Otherwise, theres the auto-​belay walls that are still super fun.
A few things to be aware of: the shoes fit SUPER tight. This is how rock climbing shoes are suppose to be. If it’s your first time, I recommend going at least one whole size up. There’s certain times when there’s a lot of kids here. When you or your child are rock climbing, be sure to respect others waiting to climb. It’s a courtesy to switch off who is climbing a wall. Buy chalk at the shop, it’ll help you immensely when climbing the walls, especially harder ones.
I’ve been going as a day pass lately, but have considered a membership, which is also a very reasonable price! I love this place!

Incredibly friendly and helpful staff, the gym has a ton of routes that are constantly changing and challenging for all skill levels! I would go here 3 – 4 times a week when I lived in Albuquerque, and it never got bored or repetitive.

Still surprised that it’s the only game in town here, but thankfully they don’t let it go to their heads, and SA is still a fun, community style gym, plenty of space for all, and all levels! Fun for ages 6 – 66, and beyond (I hope I’m still climbing at 66yrs young). Kids classes available, but pay attention and sign up early, as they sell out quickly.
Pricing is reasonable, especially if you grab a new year special, student discount, or police/​mil/​fire discount (no ambulance/​EMS discount, lame!). Plenty of parking, plenty of new friends to make, and more than enough routes to keep you busy all year… except the staff is very good about resetting routes throughout the year, to keep you from getting stale on old routes.
Climb on!

This is the only place in town that offers indoor rock climbing. The new renovation was a great improvement. The only downside is needing to become belayed certified to actually use their big room, but I can see why it should be a safety precaution.
If you are not, you can always use the auto belay and the bouldering rooms, those get pretty tall also.
They frequently change their climbs and puzzles– it’s actually pretty cool and you will never be bored! The workers are pretty awesome and knowledgeable. There’s this guy (most likely the owner) that oversees the biggest belaying room. He seems super chill, the employees even call him dinosaur. The atmosphere is super relaxing but also supportive.
If you also get the membership, you save on your admission and you get discount on gear and food!

Was visiting in the area and as avid climbers, my boyfriend and I had to stop by :) it was good prices although a complaint that they didn’t rent out chalk which was odd. The walls were high, routes were amazingly fun, the service was great and they had cool workout equipment. Highly recommend!

I have been to gyms in other cities and this one rocks! The staff is helpful and the place is well designed. The offering of classes is great as well. The location could not be more central and easy to get to in the city, important if I am going to go to the gym. I love how many children are there and that it is family friendly. Really great atmosphere.

Visiting from Seattle, WA: I enjoyed the friendliness of the staff very much because they allowed me to get my Fire/​EMS discount even after I didn’t bring my license.
The facility is definitely a great catch-​all for good bouldering, top roping, leading and all sorts of cross training equipment you can get your hands on.
I spent all of my time bouldering and there is definitely a good variety of routes for new and experienced climbers alike. I believe the gym left me wanting more variety in types of bouldering climbs. I felt like the majority of the climbs just kept getting more roof-​like w/​small holds instead of techinal problem solving. That’s all that kept this from 5 stars.

It is the only climbing gym accessible to the public if you are unable to get on KAFB in Albuquerque, and also the best climbing gym in the beautiful state of New Mexico. There is a constant rotation of routes, lead, bouldering, auto belay, and top rope. If you are by yourself, there are numerous auto belays available and many Boulder problems. Rentals are available and if you go with a member for the first time, admission is free.

Great climbing gym. Everything you need to train or just have a good time on the wall. The bouldering section seems a tad neglected. I might be a little bias because I usually only go to bouldering gyms. Overall though the place was great I loved that you could workout or climb it was awesome.

Solid climbing gym. They have it all: top-​rope, lead and bouldering. Plus, as an added bonus, they have a few cardio machines and weights, They maintain a good variety of route difficulties, so both the novice and expert have something to challenge them. Also, it seems like they change their routes fairly frequently to avoid becoming stale.
If you have never tried climbing before, I suggest you check Stone Age out. And if you have climbed for years but are new to the area, I would get a membership ASAP. If only I lived closer…

(This review is my review from their original location. It all still applies, plus they have a shiny new look with higher walls and much more room!)
I got my first taste of climbing at Stone Age years ago and have been a regular ever since. Great gym. There is always a good mix of TR, sport and bouldering routes and the levels go from easy (5.7 and VB) to very hard (5.13 and V9/​10). The staff is helpful and friendly and the people who go to SA tend to be reflective of the general climbing community in NM: friendly, relaxed and welcoming. Its popularity makes for a crowded gym at times, but it is roomy enough that you can usually find an open route even when swamped.
If you are an out-​of-​towner and looking for a place to climb, this is it. You can almost always find people willing to let you hop on a route or find a group of boulderers ready to share beta and encourage you.
Like most climbing gyms, SA’s bread and butter is birthday parties, so there tend to be a lot of kiddos around. I don’t mind this at all, but if you don’t like kids you might want to call in to see when the parties are being held.
In addition to the climbing gym, SA has a small traditional gym with decent cardio equipment and free-​weights. There is also a multi-​use room where they hold classes (free for members and for day-​pass holders) such as yoga and kettlebells and when not in use for classes or for birthday parties can be used by patrons for personal use.
SA offers climbing classes from the very basic Intro to Gym Climbing and Fundamentals of Movement to Lead Climbing and AMGA Climbing Wall Instructor Course and Certification.
All-​in-​all a great climbing gym and worth checking out.

Climbing assuages the Lego geek in me. It does, I was noting this during the very first climb of my life, at Stone Age. I never got over Legos, I can still build like I did when I was eight, there’s just something carnal about getting the right brick for every square inch of plastic peg. It’s the same with climbing. A good climb is a synthesis of a toe that perfectly sticks, a deep breath, getting your digits around the right hold, building, ascending, #NailingIt. And then there’s the whole exercise/​workout aspect, which is a bonus.
I won’t pretend to claim that I know Jack about the sport, but maybe that’s what makes this review legit. I knew nothing. The staff very effectively taught me the basics. Within a half hour I was off on my own, scaling some pretty steep walls and using my Spidey senses on the boulders. Suddenly I totally understood why people completely geek out on climbing: it’s a ton of fun.
This enormous facility has to be one of the best in the southwest, if not the entire country. Each week new routes are designed over the old, very Lego. I love that they have a gym upstairs, with weekly classes like yoga and kickboxing. And I think the cost of a monthly membership, somewhere in the area of $ 70, is a terrific deal; most average gyms charge more than that, Crossfit will run you $ 125. So if you’re an amateur, take heed, this place will teach you the ropes, literally. Oh, and kids can get in on this beginning at age 5.

Stone Age is the only one of its kind in the Albuquerque area. It is a great alternative to normal gyms, but just in case you want to lift, they have a small full sized gym upstairs– it’s a win win for meat heads and hippies.
Stone Age has enormous walls for sport rope climbing– I believe you need a 35 – 40 meter rope at minimum. They also have a vey large bouldering section where you will see many people literally hanging out. Stone Age prides themselves on being the largest indoor climbing gym in the southwest.
Great staff and great management who seem to be really involved in the community. They teach many classes and are always willing to help.
Some problematic areas for me:
Since they basically have a monopoly going, they can make the prices however steep they desire. A day pass will run you about $ 15 not including rentals. Monthly membership is about $ 70. Student pass per semester $ 170. It can be worth it if you use your pass a lot.
They also get extremely busy from 3 – 8: no parking and lots of people everywhere. I would suggest coming earlier or later — happy hour– meaning you can get a reduced price on a day pass and rentals.

While on vacation in Albuquerque, Stone Age has been the ideal spot for us to take our kids (and their cousins) to let off some steam on a cold winters day. Though we had not been here in a while, all we had to do was sign some paperwork and perform a 5-​minute demo of our knot-​tying and belaying skills before they let us loose inside.
This is yet another Albuquerque business that has moved to bigger digs; the new space is much more spacious than the old one. In fact, I think it may be the biggest indoor climbing gym I’ve ever been to! As before, they still have:
– Auto belayers on selected routes: allows you to climb without a human belayer. Sort of like a vacuum cleaner cord when you push the button — it pulls in slack but not powerfully; When you’re done climbing, just push off and it lowers you to the ground quickly but gently. I wish they had these at Planet Granite in CA!
– «The boulder» offers a variety of short routes in varying difficulties, from expert to beginner, with a «top» area for sitting or standing. Short enough to not require ropes, and there’s plenty of padding underneath. It is ideal for kids, who get to chill out on top as a reward for their efforts. Better than a babysitter, especially when the parents get to climb a little too.
So happy to see this business thriving and expanding. Now only if they’d open a branch in the Bay Area!

Really enjoyed every time I visited while I had a membership. They even got new gym equipment for lifting! If it had been a little closer, I would have worked out there every day.
Routes are constantly rotating/​changing and there’s always a new puzzle to figure out. They do a great job at keeping the interior clean and swepted. Even the bathrooms are in pretty good condition.
If you have kids and have thought about bringing them rock climbing, this place is great! I don’t have kids but there are A LOT of them all around climbing and having fun. SA even offers classes for kids too, I believe.
My only gripes — Some of the staff can be kind of iffy some times with their attitudes BUT most of them are really nice and inviting. And the rental equipment is just okay, wish they had better shoes. But those are just minor things imo.
Oh, and I really wish they had a slack line somewhere, but that’s just a nicety.

This place is BA. If you’re not sure what that means then this isn’t the review for you. This place would get 5 stars if I could afford an annual membership. Even with a military discount it would cost quite a bit for me and one or two other family members. The location, staff, rentals, layout and amount of space are great. I never feel like I don’t have somewhere to climb and I don’t even have a certification to use the big-​kids walls. For now I will continue to visit every now and again and just use the «happy hour» to get a sweet workout on my poor finger tips. :)

This place is amazing! Super friendly and helpful staff, and tons of routes to climb, both bouldering and sport. My favorite thing about this place? If you’re looking to purchase shoes, they will actually let you try them out on the wall before you commit to buying them. That way, you know how they will actually feel when you’re climbing. Go check it out if you’re looking for gear, a new gym, or just a rad little spot to be active for an afternoon. They have day passes as well as memberships for regular climbers.

This is the new location for this gym. And a great location! I’m not a great climber. In fact, it’s been quite some time since I have climbed. But I came here with some friends and was really blown away. The last time I did any climbing indoors was in Tucson, which had some nice walls, fun routes and a great vibe.
Stone Age blows them away and then some. This place has about a hundred routes (not kidding) of all levels of difficulty, some up to about 40′ in height. Lead rope and top rope. And even on a weekend afternoon, no more than a 5 minute wait to climb a route.
Add to that two different bouldering areas (climbing fairly low, without need for ropes and such. And really good ones, including walls, overhangs and complete inversions.
Is that all? No! They also have a «pro shop» with shoes, harnesses and other accessories, as well as drinks and such. These guys even do parties for the kids as well as instruction.
If you’ve every had an interest in climbing for fun or exercise, this is seriously a world-​class place. Prices aren’t cheap, but not unreasonable for the facilities. Check it out!

Wow! Completely awesome! Incredible new space! The talk walls are great and there is room to spare! Love it! I was completely blown away!!!