The Studio Climbing

Great variety of routes, big bouldering area, lots of top roping, and lead areas too.
Also a gym with weights and machines, and a yoga studio.
The routes are marked very well, with BOTH colored holds and colored tape. (It’s always frustrating going to other gyms with poorly marked routes)
Cons:
Just a little pricy, and there are no auto-​belays

The bouldering here was pretty bad. I can only evaluate v0-​v5 and I can say that the routes felt very confused. Missing foot holds, etc. It’s worth paying a little extra and going to a place like planet granite in Sunnyvale.

This is a really cool place to go with a group of friends, your ride or die partner, or just going there by yourself. Not only is it a cool place to go workout and have fun but it use to be an old movie theater, which makes it feel like a hidden gem in Downtown SJ. When I was a wee’ little boy, I remember passing this location various times but often disregarded it because I had always assumed it to be a theater. This plays out really well because it just shows that only a selected few know the place meaning less people to cause traffic for your climb.
Another thing that makes this place really good is the fact that they color code the climbs. Not only do they use bright and colorful tape but the tapes they use match the rocks as well, making it easier to view and spot. This is great because unlike other places that I have been to, they tend to just use the color tapes rather than using the same color rocks which often causes a lot of confusion. I remember very vaguely that I was climbing a V3 and wandered onto a V6 that was nearby, due to the color of rocks.
Overall, I really like this place a lot just because I know I can get a good deal if I do the early bird special. But I am not a professional rock climber so I can’t say «This is the best place to go to!» because I don’t quite have the criteria but nonetheless check this place out!

I recently joined an introduction to climbing class here with my fiancée and I had a great time! Both of us did. The class costed $ 30 per person but it included the intro basics, rentals, plus a day pass so you can keep climbing afterwards.
As far as the website says, it appears this place is not only a climbing studio but also a gym with classes. I had originally considered coming here as a member with that variety in mind, but unfortunately I don’t think I will anymore. The climbing is great, don’t get me wrong on that. But in my opinion I don’t think the gym is really as fully functional as I would like, nor are there many classes available to partake in. Back to the climbing though, the climbing is great. The climbing walls are aplenty with all different levels of difficulty available and clearly marked. Upstairs they also have an area for bouldering.
In terms of the introductory class we took, I really enjoyed that. The instructor was very thorough and gave clear instructions and he was very patient. The class only had 6 students but each of us learned at a different pace and he was kind to go back and make sure everyone was on the same page.
One negative I can think of though is the parking situation. You just have to find parking along the street and hope you get lucky. A private lot would have been nice, but I suppose in this area that would be hard to come by as well.
I may not be back for a membership, but for sure I will return for more rock climbing!

A really neat rock climbing studio that used to be an old movie theatre! I stumbled upon it when walking around this part of San Jose (it’s really close to SoFA Market) and decided to check it out.
I love that it wasn’t super crowded on the weekend. $ 20 for a day pass. They have a wide variety of climbs for all skill levels and a great bouldering section in the upstairs part of their gym.

Validated parking
$ 20 For bouldering with shoes
$ 30 For highrope with classes at 4pm and 6pm
From what I remember, those were the prices.
They change the climbing paths pretty often so it’s always different. Your forearms will be tired, but it’s all good fun

Definitely the best climbing gym in downtown San Jose.

Attitude, amazing attitude. Easily, the best staff and regulars I’ve found at any gym in the bay.

I don’t know almost anything about climbing but the two guys at the front are pretty cool. This is based 95% on them. We showed up and went for bouldering then the rope-​pull-​not-​clipping wall and began doing that. Soon the 5’8ish worker who wears the 5 panel hat came by and asked if we had cards that allowed us to climb these walls. Nope. So he took us back up front and put us through a safety test and turned us lose again. He was helpful, professional, and not too much of a stickler to ruin a good time.
The other tallish redhead guy is just chill. Not as much joking as the shorter one, but both of them made me comfortable. Hazzah.

I love this gym! They often change the climbing routes. The staff is very nice and I loooooove to take the Monday night yoga class.

Lot’s of fun! Kind of pricey, but seems like for an avid climber, it’d be worth it. I took the beginner plus class, the guy was a great teacher, got me trained and up a few walls and bouldering in no time! Left me feeling confident, even though I wasn’t as strong a climber as I would have liked. Did a couple 5.9’s on my first visit though… Not bad I think lol, Definitely worth a try if you want to get into climbing or think you might like too. They also have other workout equipment and tons of other classes and stuff too!

Good coaching. My friends and I had a great time. It was our first time. The instructor was very helpful and patient. Wonderful climbing experience

The people really do make a difference here. People at this gym are always friendly and helpful. Whether you are bouldering, top roping, lifting weights or taking yoga classes there will always be a friendly face around… Except when the gym is empty, and that happens quite a bit but it’s not a bad thing… unless you like crowded problems and waiting for gym equipment.
I used to take Jack’s class for strength and conditioning. It was tough at first but he really pushed the tight knit group that we had there. He challenged us, and didn’t let us quit. I started out a novice in all the main heavy lifts (squat, deadlift, bench) but now I am more in the intermediate range. I put on a solid 15 lbs from taking Jack’s class and learned proper form for a lot of lifts. I really appreciated all the time and effort he put in to making us stronger mentally and physically. But he doesn’t teach the class now and Victor is the new trainer teaching the class. He’s comes off nicer than Jack so the class is less intimidating. But his work outs look just as tough. I tend to just work out on my own now but, yes the people do make this gym worth while.

I joined the Studio after graduating from college and have enjoyed coming here for the last two years. This gym has an extremely supportive member base and community feel. Though that community is relatively small, it’s nice to climb at a gym where pretty much everyone knows everyone else, and where new faces are so openly welcomed into the group. However, there will be weeknights where you can count your fellow gym climbers on one hand. So it can get a little lonely. Average wait time for climbing a route is pretty much how long it takes for you to walk to it and start climbing.
It’s definitely not the largest gym. The bouldering area is small and depending on your level can leave a lot to be desired. Setting is skewed toward lower grades. Most of the time, there will only be a handful of routes graded v7 or higher. When I started coming here, that wasn’t much of a problem. Unfortunately, I now find myself quickly burning through new sets and am left choosing between two or three routes that I’m stuck on. On the one hand, it definitely forces you to work on your projects. On the other hand, it would be nice to not have to wait so long for new stuff to work on. This isn’t to diminish the quality of the gym’s route setting, which is usually quite good.
The rope walls vary in height, but the tallest is nowhere close to the walls in PG Sunnyvale. There’s actually a pretty large/​quality collection of top rope routes, a few very difficult cracks if you’re into that sort of climbing, and a dedicated lead wall. Very few members at the gym currently lead, so that wall sadly doesn’t get a lot of love. I know the gym is trying to remedy this, but the lead classes are too expensive and few and far between for most members to take an interest.
The facilities are fairly well kept up. The only issue is that the upstairs carpet around the bouldering walls is falling apart. There are areas where you can easily sink around 6 inches into the foam padding where the carpet has split. The foam is starting to get torn up, and it’s becoming a bit of a mess. Apparently management didn’t have any immediate plans to fix it until a few members started to complain. There is definitely a legitimate safety concern, and the problem should have been addressed before it was allowed to get so bad.
All in all, the Studio is a great climbing gym. I just wish there were more bouldering options.

Thank you, Touchstone for giving me my first-​ever rock-​climbing experience. If you are first-​timer, book a 1-​hour Intro Class to learn the basics of climbing… in no time, you’ll be dangling 40 feet above the floor.
For a rock climbing studio, Touchstone is relatively clean and non-​crowded (so you’re not waiting around all day, yay!). They have lots of different options for both bouldering and belaying, and they always have new routes. They do have more difficult options than easy ones (I recall only one 5.6 and two 5.7s).
The staff here definitely know their stuff and are super friendly & helpful. They sell rock climbing gear here (shoes, chalk, etc) and their own branded swag.
This definitely is not a cheap hobby by any means — a day pass is $ 20 and gear rental (shoe, harness, belay device) is $ 5. HOWEVER, if you come before 3 pm, you will only pay $ 15 for a day pass on weekdays.
But you pay the fee to enter Touchstone, you will also have access to their gym ad classes if you’re looking for a little variety in your workout.
To get the most bang out of your buck, I would recommend coming here early in the day and planning to spend a few hours climbing; go out for some lunch and come back to the Studio to log some more hours.
Happy Climbing!
PRO TIP #1: every Friday is Student Night which means $ 15 all-​day passes for anyone with a student ID
PRO TIP #2: this place is within walking distance to a LaVic’s and sometimes has food trucks outside (so you can eat back all the calories you burned)
PRO TIP #3: if this is your first time rock-​climbing, know that your upper body (back, shoulders, arms) will definitely hurt due to improper form; try to use your lower body more when climbing!

Make sure if you don’t know how to rope a knot, that you attend the class and get there as early as possible in the day. They don’t do later classes on knot tying.
We did the smaller wall instead, it was alright. I’m way out of shape. I probably would have done better though on the large walls.
I will likely try again once I can find time to go early enough and maybe after I lose some weight (lol).

I drove down to San Jose with my climbing partner to check out The Studio, and I totally fell in love with it… dare I say, more than Mission Cliffs? I didn’t get to check out the spacious bouldering area upstairs but instead stayed in the main top roping area, where a few challenging bouldering routes are interspersed.
The best part about this gym is that it’s SO empty. I was here on a Sunday, and there was hardly anyone around except for large hoards of kids doing a climbing crash course. There are plenty of routes, so I never really had to wait (long) for any one I wanted to tackle. The walls are shorter than those at Mission Cliffs but they’re still pretty high!
The staff members are super San Jose chill. Less crowded gym also means less crowded locker rooms. I’m glad that other climbing gyms are stealing the masses because I’m totally coming here whenever I venture down to South Bay.

Most supercalifragilistic place to break a sweat in San Jose, or anywhere in the bay area in my humble opinion.
I loved this place from Day#1, with a cordial, knowledgeable staff, open atmosphere, and great memebership percs, there has never been even a glimmer of dissappointment in all my time here.
The bouldering area is able to accomodate alot of people, and it will get busy diuring the eveneing (open until 11 pm WOW)
there is ample top roping routes, and even a HIDDEN SECRET CAVE!!! (spooky)
TRX, Yoga, Weight racks, punching bag, and finger boards all have their own rooms/​areas as well, making this gym a super well rounded, exceptional place to get down and sweaty.
Check it out for yourself, dont take my word for it! (climbing is addictive.)

Love this place, perfect spot to enjoy a day or night with friends, price is affordable and day pass is the best when you come in before 3 pm
Great different levels great environment even has a gym upstairs and boulders you can climb
It’s 15 dollars before 3pm for the whole day so worth it and it’s like 5 dollars to rent gear,
Challenge yourself!

In the quest to regain a modicum of youthful prowess (just kidding, look at me; I’ve never even known what svelte or spry means) and — actually, mostly this — overcome some pestering, panicky, post-​injury anxieties, Studio and the people of have become a safe-​place away from egoist and elitist.
Nearby Planet Granite Sunnyvale is easily 3 – 4 times larger and offers at least that much more in rope and bouldering options, as well as being better-​outfitted with weight/​fitness equipment, but Studio’s small downtown locale and reclusive-​chic [read: mostly hipsters, granolas, & co-​eds] make for a less hurried scene; not as much queuing up for climbs/​problems, fewer (scrutinizing) eyes on your climbing, less imperative on topping out, more on nurturing ability.
Some might contend that the smaller facility equates to a lack of options — that one will have climbed/send’d everything they can in relatively short order and that the routes aren’t refreshed with enough frequency. Probably not untrue, but if you’ve climbed everything you *can, why not press yourself on the problems that are rated harder or just above your comfort zone? (…see what I did there? «above»? Because climbing? I know. I’m the worst.) Get after those moves you couldn’t do yesterday, pass that crux you couldn’t read last week, top that route you wouldn’t have even tried last month. In that regard, there is almost always something to climb.
True, Studio (as well as most indoor-​climbing gyms to some extent) rate their climbs subjectively and those ratings can vary from chain to chain, setter to setter, climber to climber. To that I say don’t be so fixated on grade. Read routes, look for cruxes, make attempts, push your limits, climb safe regardless. Just try things; you’re your own/​only competitor here.
Namaste.
Proximity to Japantown/​downtown make Studio [personally] accessible by bike (agreed, street parking can be a pain) and lends itself to easily seek out food or a post-​session drink [priorities, am I right?]. A trek to PG is always looked-​forward to, but necessitates some planning. A jaunt to Studio can happen on impulse, and I like that. (Do I maybe have commitment issues? Don’t answer that.)
Plus, Studio being frequented by downtown dwellers, there’s a whimsical camaraderie borne of running into and socializing with business owners, bartenders, & restaurateurs outside of [their] work.
PG might be the big glimmering mecca, but there’s something nice about neighborhood-​y Studio.
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Workout, then nosh on a burger! Hi, I’m mikey and I do fitness wrong.