Hangar 18 Upland

Would much rather climb at Hangar in Rancho, with a much nicer staff. The guys here come off pretty snobby and «too cool,» or whatever. for the 8 months or so that I’ve had a membership I never really feel «welcomed» at Upland which is unfortunate cause it should be a fun place to go climb and hang out

Overall:
Had a Groupon so for $ 15/​person, it was a great experience for the price. But perhaps a bit underwhelming for the general $ 33.
Location/​Ambience:
Located within a warehouse-​like building, it is pretty hard to find/​may seem a little dead in the surrounding areas especially during weekdays. However, any skepticism of the place is negated once you step inside — it is actually v pretty with all the colored rocks. The place in itself is not meant to handle huge amounts of crowds, so avoid morning hours especially during breaks. Around 1pm, it started dying down and theres no wait time to climb any of the levels.
Experience:
With our package, they offered lessons which is definitely needed. Lessons happen at the hourly (11am, 12pm, etc) so be cautious of the time you arrive.
1. Come in, sign your life away with liability forms and orientation checklist. Receive harness + shoes.
2. Wait til hourly lesson. They teach you the four checks and basics of knotting and safety of coming down. Our instructor Isaac was super helpful and patient. Warning: This is a partnered activity and you will need a second person to pull the rope as you climb.
3. After a bit practice with the instructor, you are free to climb anything you want for as long as you want. There’s many different levels but unless you are a natural with much upper body strength, the kid ones are where its at. An hour or two of switching off between the climber & rope handling, we were pretty much done with it. Its a decent size, but as a beginner there’s only so many you can climb.

Isaac and Mike were very knowledgable and helpful w/​both hangar18 policies/​perks and climbing in general. I had previously only visited the Rancho Cucamonga site (once), which only had bouldering. My friend decided to join me yesterday at the Upland location where I was pleasantly surprised to see many many more routes for both climbing and bouldering. We both learned toproping (climbing) procedures and safety rules from Mike who was very patient (we had a few different groups of ppl taking the class at the same time). Though my friend and I both had a couple times where Isaac had to be more stern w/​us for our safety, we didn’t end up on his ‘bad’ side, and he was very congenial in our talk at the end of our time there. Not only are the staff and facilities great, the people who go there are generally nice too. One of the women who participated in the belay lesson w/​her husband and son seemed to already have had climbing experience, and she kindly gave tips while we learned. Others in the bouldering section were generous w/​their tips, chalk, and space (e.g. made sure n00bs like my friend and I got a chance at the parts of the wall that were marked V0 [the easiest]). It was such an enjoyable experience for the both of us!
N.B. it was a bit tricky to find since it seemed to be in an abandoned alley next to a strange warehouse that had a ‘For Lease’ sign, but I just trusted google maps, and it faithfully brought me to the right place. There aren’t super clear marked spots for parking, but it seems like everything in that open area next to the Hangar18 building is free for parking.

Quick background: I’m fairly new to climbing. A pretty solid 5.10a top rope climber and about a v1-​v2 on bouldering.
The boyfriend and I are frequent climbers at the Long Beach location (like at least 3x a week) but we were up in Rancho Cucamonga to do our taxes and our gear was in the gear, so hey, why not? The location is pretty well-​hidden, tucked down a small street in a large warehouse. I really liked the atmosphere there on a Tuesday afternoon. No stinky smells, beautiful natural light coming in through the big windows. Just a nice peaceful vibe for a bouldering session.
The bouldering is varied and extensive here, with a couple topout sections where you can climb onto the second floor and take the stairs down. I hope they’re working on a gym section or something cool here because it’s great space that’s not utilized right now. The V1s don’t seem to have as much of a learning curve as the Long Beach location, which I liked a lot.
Top-​rope seemed to be fairly varied, too, and they have a crack! I’m a little new at crack climbing but it seems so challenging and hard that I really wish Long Beach’s top-​rope section had a crack so I could practice.
Overall, if I had a free day, I’d totally drive all the way out to check it out again. Great spot!

Had to cancel my membership because I had wrist surgery. Received a call from an employee at the upland location that my card Info had changed so I needed to pay for the previous month and the current month (not a problem) I explained that I wanted to cancel and he said okay, I’ll charge you for one month and then you’ll have a free month if and when you want to return (so they would waive one months fee since I’m not able to climb)
Looked at my bank account to find a charge for 81 dollars, which doesn’t make sense even if I were to pay for the full 2 months since the membership is something like 32 a month. I called back requesting a return call so I can figure out why I was charged for 81 dollars… this was a few days ago and still no return call.
Riverside location is way more customer friendly.

Meh.
The two staff were overwhelmed with amount of people coming in. Doing too many things at once, ie: answering phones, signing in new people, teaching intro classes. I was irked by the fact that the desk boy was a snob when I mentioned the Two for Tuesday day clearly advertised on their website after he tried to charge me for both of our day passes. His almost verbatim comment, «Oh we don’t mention that and for good reason, but you know if you ask for it, we will give it to you.» Um what exactly it that suppose to mean? You don’t offer the same offers on your page unless someone asks for it? That would be like me going to a happy hour and ordering drinks but being charge regular price because I didn’t mention it was their happy hour. But I digress.
As others have mentioned, their holds are filthy and frankly the gym is just too crowded for it’s own good. Having climbed at Threshold in Riverside (before it joined the Hangar 18 family) I am use to an open space, ample places to sit and actually missed the experience of being able to top out. As someone who has brought several friends with them to other gyms, it would have been nice to have seen one or two V-​B climbs somewhere for true newbies.
There’s nothing super wrong with this gym it’s simply not my cup of tea.
I basically walked into Hangar 18 ready to sign up for monthly memberships for two people but decided to pass.

This place is terrible! I have been to many rock climbing places but the some of the employees are so rude! And the customers are also rude! And hog everything!
Also this place is very hard to find if your not local.
I don’t recommend this place to anyone.
Sender one in Santa Ana is unbelievable and I recommend it to everyone! They are so friendly and not cocky! Everyone helps everyone. And Sender one is 10 times bigger then hanger 18.

Probably one of the worst climbing gyms I have ever been to. The holds are very old and covered in chalk, the staff never ever clean them, The crash pads are thin and suck also. The entire place is worn and dirty, I honestly can’t even believe I come, every time I’m here. Staff were kind of nice when I managed to get their attention but ignored me midsentence when the phone rang. It’s a personal pet peeve of mine when I’m in front somebody and they start talking to somebody over the phone.
Also the paper towels in both restrooms were out and since hand warmers are so full of germs I brought that to the staffs attention. They were pretty rude in replying, saying «yeah it’s out for the staff too, just use the hand warmers».
I honestly want to bring a pressure washer here one night and clean the place up, but that would give more business to a filthy establishment and put more money in a stingy worthless businessman. I’ve emailed the company to ask them to clean the gym once and a while but those emails have been ignored. Everyone who comes here should email and petition the owners or managers to spend some more money on making the gym a nicer place.

Not gonna lie, rocking climbing indoors didn’t really seem appealing to me cause it didn’t seem like it could be that fun… I was wrong! After a month of membership, it really grew on me!
LOCATION: I definitely am not in the upland area all that much, but surprisingly the location is pretty sweet. It’s in a residential /​warehouse area? Though a bit secluded/​quiet, I didn’t feel sketched out. Plenty of parking! There’s an independent storage that sells random antique/​second hand stuff literally next door as well to check out. Also conveniently within walking distance of downtown upland for more small random antique shops/​coffee/​food!
STAFF /​CROWD: Everyone was actually really nice, welcoming, and courteous. I’ve never climbed before and both the new and old members always offered help whether it was with putting a rope on a specific climbing route or with tips for better climbing.
MEMBERSHIP: I believe it like costs $ 53 for a month of membership. It offers free fitness classes and you can go as many time as you like within the month as well as for a free belaying class (to teach you how to use the harnesses and ropes when with a partner). It costs $ 5 to rent a harness and shoes each visit. They also offer membership discounts through renewal promos, Black Friday sales, and holiday sales! Personally, my friends and I snagged a groupon promo, which was like $ 53 for two people for one month– entailing 1 free belaying class, free fitness classes, and 1 free guest pass at any of their locations! Their promos are pretty affordable/​awesome!
ROCK CLIMBING: Apparently they change up the climbing paths on the wall every week which was pretty sweet! The facility is a huge warehouse so it’s pretty spacious and bright from natural sunlight coming through the ceiling. I’ve only been a member throughout December, and it’s been pretty chilly during each visit, but once you start climbing, it’s not as bad! You need a partner to belay you and vice Versa if you want to climb with a harness and ropes. There’s also a free climbing section where you just climbing without ropes/​harnesses– if go by yourself. There’s also an advanced section where you can rope yourself onto the wall as you climb (you learn to rope yourself to the wall through 3 classes for like $ 40– just ask the staff). All the different climbing routes are labeled differently depending on difficulty level. There’s an upstairs section for kids. I’d say rock climbing is an upper body workout… So if you want to get your guns on point for the gunshow, you should probably consider rock climbing :)
RECOMMEND TO A FRIEND?: Yes! I’d recommend everyone of all ages to try at least one month of membership for you to be hooked! Definitely more fun than I anticipated: D.

Fun gym.
The climbing here is good, a little crowded due to a shared layout but still a fun place to climb.
Unfortunately the staff are TERRIBLE! Unhelpful, snob-​ish and condescending.
I’d like this gym a lot more if they hired some better help.

Been a member for over 2 yrs. Staffs are super friendly. It’s my favorite climbing gym among all hanger 18 gyms.

My husband bought us the groupon for this place. We’d never done this before and the staff was very cool and understanding. We did the belay with the harness and ropes first. Isaac instructed us and he was very thorough, patient, and cool! We both climbed the wall twice and took our turn being the belayer. It was fun! Afterwards, we tried the bouldering and that was fun but difficult! It seems most people go there for the bouldering as only we and another couple we on the belaying rock climb. I like the fact they have a lot of diversity for their climbs and Isaac told us they are always changing them out to keep it fresh and new. We could have paid a couple extra bucks more to get a month long membership, but opted not to at this time. The memberships are good at all of their locations, which is awesome. I would try it again!

New to rock climbing and had a pretty good first experience at Hangar 18. We went in on a Sunday late morning and was able to squeeze in their belaying certification lesson right before they got way too crowded for my liking. As a first-​timer, I wanted to stay in the top rope area but was pretty much kicked out when a group of 20 – 30 people showed up (for an event I think?).
Employees were friendly and we were lucky enough to have gone when they were offering 50% off a 1-​month membership! Definitely plan on coming back on a weekday instead.

Came here for the first time yesterday and had a great time! Eric and Mason were both incredibly helpful and you can definitely tell that they value their work and their priority is safety. They made sure everyone understood how to safely and properly rock climb. We had a fantastic time and I would definitely come back!

Challenging routes that get rotated every few months. Plenty of bouldering walls.
HOWEVER, the layout of the place makes it super crowded in the middle since the seats are shared between boulderers and top ropers. It also feels like a sauna during the summer season even with fans on.

So far, not impressed. The staff is a couple of barely out of hs guys who stare at your dumbfounded as to why you’re there. They tell you one thing and do another. Their timing is THE WORST. Talk about bad service. They stand around talking to their friends more than anything.
They expect everyone who walks in to be an expert looking to kill time. Seriously, they offer a groupon for beginners lessons and treat you like crap for not knowing anything and make you wait around for eveeeer.
Long story short: save yourself the disrespect, headache, and most of all time & don’t come here. We won’t be coming back here & don’t have anything nice to say about this place or the people who «work» here.

I’ve been going to this location for about a month now.
I definitely like their rental shoes here better than other locations because its more comfy.
They have a lot of challenging ones for bouldering here but they also have top roping which i haven’t tried yet.
their staff are friendly.
they have a lot of fans at this location but i prefer air conditioning.
only one complain though… that one room with no window or any air circulation is the worst because kinda stink!

This is my 2^nd climbing gym I’ve gone to. Fortunately, it is way better than my 1^st one. How so?
1. The employees. They are knowledgeable (which you expect they’d be experts when it comes to climbing activities) and helpful with tips if you only ask.
2. The gym itself. They have free memberships for REI employees and possible discounted prices for other individuals ie. students. They also have classes you can and may want to attend such as belaying classes.
3. Customers/​climbers. Environment is friendly due to the customers as well. If you’re looking for help when it comes to any wall, if you can’t find an employee, trust that another climber will give you some pointers.
Overall, it’s fun working out and having a positive vibes from other climbers/​gym goers. They have multiple locations so don’t hesitate to look around for the location near you.

Came here yesterday for their Tuesday BOGO deal. I’ve only ever gone climbing at LA Boulders and that place was awesome! Compared to LAB, this place was small and crowded (I assume most people also take advantage of the BOGO deal). There are no lockers to put your belongings, but plenty of cubby space. Though I appreciate that the worker told us that climbers are known to be very honest people… I also grew up in the real world. Glad to say our shoes weren’t stolen (thanks honest climbers!), but I’d like the added security of a locker.
I feel like Hangar 18 has the bare bones for bouldering. Perhaps if I wasn’t a novice climber, this place would seem better. But I was very limited in my routes due to my comfort level remaining around the V0-​V1s (not their fault of course). But I didn’t get much climbing time in because there were so many other people who wanted to climb those routes too. I also didn’t like that there’s no topping out. There is a real sense of accomplishment when you top out, and all I could do was touch the top and then climb back down. Blehhhh.
But whatevs. I had good company, so I still had a great time: D

I’m going to start this off by saying that I’m an absolute beginner and that my best at this gym was accomplishing some V0s. Adding to that, I’ve also had the pleasure of visiting Rock City in Anaheim before coming here, and I can say that this Hangar 18 is the bigger of the two. There’s the option of top-​roping, bouldering, and lead climbing with plenty of routes and space for all 3.
The employees here are friendly and although they had some issues checking me in the first two times, they were very apologetic about the situation. You’ll see them walking around from time to time to give pointers (when asked) and to make sure people are being safe (i.e. not standing too close beneath friends while one is bouldering).
While I make it a point to try and avoid Tuesdays because it seems to be more crowded, you’ll notice people of all levels climbing on different days at night.
If you want to save time, make sure you complete the waiver before arriving (
)!
P. S. Check groupon for deals! I scored 2 one month membership for $ 53 (the price of 1 one month membership) that includes all rentals whereas a day pass is $ 16 per day.