Climb So iLL

First time climbing in St. Louis. We have climbed extensively in Ohio and Wisconsin. The height of the walls in the main wall room are awesome. It mimics outdoor climbing in that you need the stamina to get to the top. We found the routes to be decent. 5.8 was easy, but 5.9 and above was impossible. We wished there was something between 5.8 and 5.9 to help us ease into harder grips. The walls are all non-​organic (i.e. Nothing looks like a faux mountain). The belay check off was demeaning. He treated us like idiots even though we’ve been belay certified in three states. The front desk worker was super friendly, but the bouldering peeps were judgy wudgy. I was stared down at all times. Jake helped me with shoes and I bought 5.10 shoes. He helped me with the fit and was the best. I had just been at REI that morning and tried shoes on there. No one was there to help and I could have easily bought the wrong size. We saw him later with a child and he was a very good baby sitter. We would trust him with our child if we had one. On the over hand, there were workers there climbing and they were «superior.» We could care less about the people there or how judgmental they are. With that said, the thing that killed it for us was the texture of the wall and holds. When you’re forty feet up you don’t want to feel like letting go. The texture of the holds reminds you of sand paper. The wall is rough too. It appears they painted he walls with a sand mix. This makes knees and any extremity that touches get a hefty exfoliation. I thought snags on my shirt were bad at our Norma gyms but this was whole new level. The training/​gym area was legit and totally what a member would want. There’s enough auto belays that a person would be able to come alone and get decent climbing experience alone. Many gyms don’t have higher level climbs on the auto belay. I would say the only con is the roughness of the holds. It was straight painful to do finger grips let alone hand grips. Also, Friday is kids night. They allow children to be dropped off and a staff member to belay them even on harder walls. This proves for annoying flailing and inconsiderate wall etiquette. Overall, I would rate the gym experience as an 8. If the holds were less abrasive we would rate it a 9 or 10. We are currently traveling the country climbing all the gyms we can and having raw hands is not optimal nor necessary for a strong climb.

This is the best rock climbing facility in St. Louis. The staff are very friendly and knowledgeable. It is a bit pricier that other gyms, but it’s worth it. For first timers, an employee will guide you on how to use the ropes.
There is an upscale restaurant called Elements inside. So you can bring the kids for rock climbing, then have cocktails and Hors d’oeuvres while you overlook into the gym.
Pros
Clean Facility, Cool building (its a renovated power plant), Excellent Staff, Facility does not smell like a gym locker
Cons:
Parking is a bit confusing (no clear signage to parking and entrance)
Tip:
Look for building sign for Element Restaurant and Lounge to make it easy to find. They are in the same building.

If you’re a beginner, don’t go here. The girls that work here have sticks up their asses if you ask questions which you will have to because they’re hardly informative. But my least favorite part about being here was that my friends and I arrived at 8 and they made a last call for 15 mins. We started to leave about 10 mins before 10 (close) and as we are getting our shoes on and gathering our things the employees are saying things like «should we turn on angry music so they’ll leave faster?» Which I found quite rude. Rock climbing was a fun new experience for me and I don’t like to finish the day with knowing they want you to «fucking leave already.» If you’re not one of the regulars, you’ll get eye rolls from all the hipster kids working there. Otherwise, cool place lol

Best damn rock climbing facility in the state if Missouri!
I haven’t been to them all but I’d put my money on Climb So iLL anyway.
I had my first rock climbing experience here and the building is absolutely breathtaking. They have walls for all ages, sizes and climbing levels.
They have all the gear you’ll need available for purchase or rental if you’re just going for the day. It’s great for a fun day out, a date or large groups. The upstairs has a private area where you can eat, chat, hangout… whatever.
The guys here are super cool, knowledgeable and willing to help in any way.
Downstairs is even more exclusive; I enjoyed being away from the other intimidatingly tall walls. Little did I know the short (low) wall in the basement area was a real KILLER. I was even able to plug my iPhone in to the Aux speaker and listen to y own music in solitude while I worked. Rock climbing offers a full body workout if you didn’t know. Takes real skill.
I have found my home.

Great staff, good sets, safe gym, this place has it all.

My first time climbing and glad I had the expertise of Dave and Molly to get me started. The space is amazing and I was lucky enough to be there during the late morning when it’s a bit slower so I had all walls at my disposal and loved it! Will definitely be returning!

One of the best spots in St. Louis. It’s a social scene, it’s a rock climbing mecca, and it just has a good vibe about it. I have brought a handful of people to this gym with me out of excitement, and they love it too. It’s one of those places that you find, and then you are proud of.
Great staff, a superb facility. They have a ton of extra activities as well. If you’ve never been climbing before, this is a perfect place to start. If you’re a seasoned vet, you’ll probably meet 15 of your new best friends on the first night.
If you’re thinking about going, go. It rules.

Can’t believe I haven’t written a review for this place yet. Gees, where do I start…
If I could give any business listed on Unilocal 10 out of 5 stars, it’d be CSI. I’ve visited this place countless times, and even taken a few classes. The vibe is of the sickest, and super chill. The staff treats everyone like family, and they are all super knowledgeable. They keep the place insanely clean, and when it comes to a climbing gym, this is not an easy task. Their pro shop has all the good stuff, so stock up on swag before you slide out the door.
My only complaint about this place is that it’s not located immediately out my front door.
I wish all the good things on CSI and their future!

This place is unbelievable. For all you rock-​climbers out there. this review is probably useless. For all you amateur athletes who wanted to do something fun and chalk it up to your weekly workout, this one’s for you! My girlfriend and I got the Groupon for this place because we’re monetary slaves bound to college, but hell I’d be willing to pay full-​price again.
So the first thing I did was check fellow Unilocaler reviews on our way over (because I trust all you other Unilocalers!) and noticed a motif of being surprised at how kind the employees are. Well let me address this recurrent comments and tell you these are literally the nicest people I have ever met. I wanted to be everybody’s best friend, they all are very helpful and relatable and just awesome people (or maybe they just laughed at my occasional dad-​joke, but whatever they’re still awesome in my book!).
As far as the actual climbing goes, I’ve only been to 1 other rock gym in phoenix years ago so my background is anything but extensive. But I will say it was a TON of fun– we learned the auto-​belay (sp?) walls and did them all and they were just what you’d expect– a wall with «rocks» that you’d climb! You could also ask one of the certified belay-​ers (if that’s a word) to belay you if you wanted to try one of the many other routes requiring that. Plus they had free lockers if you check in a car key for them to hold while you use the locker, so that was shweet!
All-​in-​all, when you go to a rock gym you sort of can guess what it’s like, and this place had all that and more. Very friendly environment (if you couldn’t tell from this oh-​so-​giddy review) and quite the experience! WIll definitely be back.

Really had a great time here. I bought a Groupon signed the wavier and we were off. The staff were extremely friendly they explained things in detail and answered every question we had. The area was neat and clean. I liked the fact that it was fairly quiet and not a large crowd. We randomly went after work during the week, so I’m sure that’s why.

I first got introduced to rock climbing in Seattle and wanted to pick it back up here in St. Louis. A few weeks ago I saw a Groupon for this place ($ 30 for 2, including rental gear) and thought I would check it out. I’m glad I did because Climb So Ill gave us each a bogo after our first visit (provided we come back within two weeks). It is worth mentioning that this Groupon (as of today) is still available. If you decide to come without a Groupon, this is place is a tiny bit pricey. A day pass is $ 15 (without rental gear) and a 10 visit punch pass is $ 120. Also, if you do have your own gear, make sure to bring your own ATC (otherwise you’ll have to rent one for $ 3).
First, I think the space is pretty cool. As others have stated, it is a renovated former power plant. The colors are vibrant and the layout is pretty decent. With that said, I think the space is a little smaller than what I’m used to. It does look like they’re planning on expanding, which may later bump my rating up. There are two other downsides in my mind. First, I am not sure I necessarily agree with the route ratings. What they call a 5.8 out here seemed more like a 5.9. Second, there are only a few routes available for each place that you «tie-​in.» I noticed that there seems to be a lot of room to add additional routes so I hope that is something they do in the future. I know others have indicated that they change the routes regularly so maybe that’s why. If this is indeed true, then I would say this could also be viewed as a positive, especially if you climb here frequently.
Even with those downsides, the place is still pretty great. There are about 6 auto-​belays, which is nice. There is also a great bouldering area. Finally, this seems to be a really great place to come if you’re an experienced rock climber (and if you don’t know by now, I am DEFINITELY not). The routes are pretty challenging. There are also tons of options for lead climbing, which is again nice for more experienced rock climbers.
In terms of their staff, they are extremely friendly. One of the women today was able to do a refresher with us really quickly (as we haven’t climbed in about a year) to make sure we were still competent enough to belay each other. She had lots of helpful recommendations and was extremely friendly.
In short, this is a pretty neat place to spend a few hours (or more), although a little intimidating if you’re not an experienced rock climber. If you’re a novice, I would recommend starting with the auto belays.

Great time, great place! First time rock climbing and had a blast with our friends. Ready to go back as soon as we can…
Friendly, helpful AND knowledgeable staff for first timers.
See you guys soon!

A renovated power plant holds the rock walls of Climb So iLL. A relaxed seating area welcomes you in the building, followed by the front desk room where you can buy granola bars, beverages, and rent/​purchase gear. The staff were friendly and helpful to get me signed up with a waiver and gear checked out to me. The floors were clean and benches houses cubbies to store shoes, wallet, etc.
The bouldering portion was impressive, offering numerous options for all skill levels. It is large enough to hold multiple climbers at the same time. The mix of climbing options makes this location perfect for all climbing styles. There is also a gym type training area to work on basic techniques and strength conditioning.
The crowd was heavy on a Saturday afternoon, but it seemed to come in waves. Fellow climbers were respectful and accepting of any skill level.
I will return to attempt the unsuccessful climbs and see how many new routes have been added. All of which are rated and color coordinated.

Must bring your own ATC\Gre gre, if you plan to climb the belay ropes. Staff is good, lots of routes available (if you know how to top rope)

First climbing gym I have ever had a membership, and so far the experience has been great!
The building itself has a lot of character, I wouldn’t expect a climbing gym to be housed in a historic power plant building (that’s why their shirts have a plug). The indoor atmosphere itself is very vibrant and colorful. The décor is modern, and the all the facilities are well kept up.
The staff is friendly and very helpful in answering any questions. The place can look a little intimidating if climbing is new to you, but the more experienced members are always glad to lend a helping hand. I especially like how even complete strangers will cheer you on when you are working a certain problem. And don’t worry if you’re not very good yet (like me), there are members at all kinds of levels. No one is there to judge, so just enjoy yourself!
Would highly recommend this place for any sort of event or if you want to get into climbing.
Oh and it gets pretty crowded on weekdays starting at 6pm, but not too crowded to climb to your heart’s content. If you want to avoid crowds just come before then.

So I have absolutely no idea why you are called Climb So iLL or why your logo is a plug (I think your building used to be a electrical company/​warehouse?). But anyway, wow. Wow wow wow.
Two seasoned friends took me here after I was nearing the end of a grueling go-​go-​go month of work and not taking care of myself (I was running a national campaign at the time) and I had actually just learned that I failed a particularly brutal exam (hint: not even close to 50%). So I was kind of wary, completely out of shape, down on life, and feeling pretty chewed up and spit out at that point.
Learning how to climb at Climb So iLL brought me back from the dead. This place clears your mind. Come here for the endorphins, stay for the empowerment. I would be halfway up a wall, seemingly out of options and stuck, and start panicking… it trains you to either a) be nice to yourself and prepare better next time or b) take a breather to realize you’re halfway up the wall, and you might as well calm down and somehow keep going…
I say that like I’m actually good at climbing. Hah. We started with bouldering on the Eye Wall (without the harness). LOL. It was hell. The bouldering on the Eye Wall is color coded and numbered with something called a V-​Scale, from low to high (easy to difficult). I still can’t make it past V1. Someday…
My favorites right now are the Tulip and Elephant Walls, and Elite Hall South. they have autobelays and harnesses (a psychological godsend for newbies like myself), also ranked by difficulty. Again, I can’t make it past 5.7, but my friend remarked that the difficulty really changes each time you climb… it’s like an ever-​changing chess game, and you get to try out all your possible moves.
I wouldn’t take a date here (it’s kind of high pressure in that sense), but others might. I would, however, find a friend who’s either been or knows what they’re doing… if you fly solo, they do offer classes, which I am considering once I hopefully save up for it. I would recommend clipping your nails (fingers and toes!) before coming here – otherwise gripping the rocks gets kind of painful. It also gets kinda crowded in the evening after everyone gets off work, so definitely mind your surroundings – it gets kind of chaotic with everyone climbing all over each other.
Staff is super, super nice. If you haven’t tried them out at least once, doooo it. Just be prepared not to use your sore forearms the next day.

Great first time experience climbing here. The workers were super helpful and friendly. They were not pushy about getting/​buying membership. Before I left the worker asked if I enjoyed my time and if I was planning to come back. Yes!
Definitely would try this experience again.

So I took my boyfriend on a climbing date to this place and we had so much fun. We took the rope skills level 1 class and learned how to tie the correct knots as well as check our gear for safety. Our instructor was funny and a nice guy and soon with his instructions we were climbing.
This place is great because you can either go solo and find someone to belay you or you can use the auto belay or you can go with a friend. There are many walls to climb from easy to difficult and building has a great atmosphere. I would recommend this place if you are looking to get out and climb or you need some exercise on a rainy or snowy day. Great place!

LOVE this place.
I decided 2013 would be my year for taking risks and trying things that I’ve always been afraid of. Rock climbing fell into that category.
Perhaps more crippling than my fear of heights is my fear of being judged. This has held me back from a lot of cool things, and I was especially afraid that a rock climbing gym would be full of people who would point and laugh at the girl dangling by one foot from the auto-​belay.
Not so at this awesome gym (or probably at any gym, but whatever.)
The positive vibes for Climb so iLL started before I set foot inside. Never having climbed anything besides my kitchen counter to change a lightbulb, I gave them a call to see what a first timer should do.
The girl who answered the phone was so friendly and helpful. I learned that first time climbers don’t have to take a full on class to get started. You just rent your gear, pay for your day pass, they’ll show you around and you’re free to get climbing.
The customer service at this place is top tier. I’ve never been to other climbing gyms, but I have to imagine if other places are a Hampton Inn, this place is the Bellagio.
Both people at the front desk were super helpful. The girl, whose name escapes me, was just the best. She helped me with shoes and got me into the right harness. She walked us around and taught us how to use the auto-​belay system, showed us the different areas, and before I knew it I was scaling the walls.
Just for reference — with shoes, a harness and the day pass it was about $ 25 to climb. Kinda steep to do on a weekly basis, but totally worth it for this experience. They also offer memberships and punch cards.
I’m getting wordy so I’ll wrap up. They have a handful of auto-​belays you can hook into if you don’t have a partner. I took advantage of four of these and had an absolute blast challenging myself to reach the top. After about an hour or so, my arms were toast and my soft, baby hands were killing me. But I really wanted to keep going. That’s how much fun it is.
If you’ve always wanted to give climbing a shot, but have been too nervous or think you’ll die out there, just get to this place. It’s so laid back and cool and fun. Stick around and watch the pro’s climb without harnesses. That’s some inspiration for you.
Really great place. Fantastic staff and customer service. Clean facility. Not intimidating in the slightest. I’m definitely coming back for a class.

Climb so iLL as in Southern Illinois but really it should be called Climb So iLL because this gym is so iLL. iLL as in sick, rad, awesome, cool or whatever word you kiddos use these days.
The staff is super friendly and more than willing to answer any questions. The are knowledgeable and seem genuinely passionate about climbing.
To be fair, I have to say this is the only climbing gym I have been to in STL.
The facility is clean and well maintained. The routes are interesting and get re set often enough that you won’t get bored. They have a training gym in the basement. The rental gear is in good shape. They have several auto belays. You can pay for a drop in, punch card or membership. A few cool things about the membership: no contract, 15% off stuff in the pro shop, and 2 levels of membership. There is an awesome bouldering wall with routes ranging from V0-​V12. They have training/​learning labs and yoga on Thursday evenings.
The only reason I’m going to even try another gym is that I have a Groupon.
Check this place out. You will not be let down.