Climb North

Located in the same facility as Jewart’s gymnastics, it’s a nice no-​frills climbing experience. There are several walls as well as a bouldering room. One set of walls includes belaying lines and one wall has a foam pit below it. The rest rely on dragging a gymnastics crash mat underneath them in case of a fall. As an amateur climber, I found several of the routes challenging but manageable.
Contrary to the 2012 review (and in part due to similar reviews), they no longer rate their climbing routes. The staff is happy to point out appropriate routes based on your experience, but a lot of it is catch-​as-​cat-​catch-​can.

Great gym. Friendly staff, reasonable rates (or good rates if you get the monthly thing), challenging routes, good variation.
The biggest downside to Climb North is that the routes are usually harder than they are marked. On the upside, that means that if I can do a V2 at CN, I might be able to get a V4 or V5 at most other walls. Unfortunately it’s a sharp starting curve if you’re just beginning, but I understand they’re working on that. Other than that, the wall is mostly centered around bouldering instead of top-​roping, which is great if you’re not looking to invest a lot into equipment and just want to get started!
The staff is stellar. They won’t get in your way, but they do let someone know if they’re being unsafe. If you ask for tips or suggestions, they’ll give only as much as is requested, and let you figure out a given problem on your own. The place is friendly to kids, adults, and students.
They do sell some climbing gear which is reasonably priced, and seems to be a good way to support the gym. If I weren’t leaving Pittsburgh, I’d be climbing at Climb North every week.