Planet Granite Portland

I’ve climbed both here and Portland Rock Gym, and if you’re trying to figure out the difference, I think we’ve got it figured out. I’ve only been climbing for 2 months, but so far, this seems to be the common consensus among our climbing group.
At Planet Granite, you’ll find the routes to be graded a bit easier. They require more strength and endurance instead. The holds and the walls are newer. They have a large weight training area. They have some higher walls, and a great spot to practice overhangs. The place is corporate feeling and the staff don’t make much conversation. It’s more expensive than PRG. They provide you with belay devices when top roping. I’ve successfully climbed 3 5.10cs here.
At Portland Rock Gym, you’ll find the routes to be a bit more intricate – they will require more technique and creativity, and you will rarely ever find yourself sprinting up the wall. They have auto-​belays. The staff are warm and friendly, and it feels like you’re supporting a local Portland business. I climb a pretty solid 5.9 here.
So the two are fairly different.
Planet Granite is great if you don’t have a regular gym to go to. It’s also great if you travel to the Bay Area since they have some other locations. The place is new, has a sauna, and is large and well lit. Memberships are on the steeper side, price-​wise, but it’s a great option for people who like climbing!
The one downside is having to watch the bouldering video and no auto belays.

I’ve been living in Portland since 2008, and since then have been looking for the mythical climbing unicorn that is an «ideal» climbing gym…
Some of the many things I look for in a good climbing gym;
— friendly staff that you can chat with.
— Not feeling like everyone treats you like a complete climbing newbie.
— Feeling like even newbies are safe and well cared fore.
— wide options. i.e. good range of difficulties, types (overhanging, crack.)
— friendly folks
— good workout facilities.
— cleanliness — lots of chalk, lots of dirtbags = hard to keep clean.
I started going to Planet Granite about a year now, and I can honestly say I’ve found my Portland climbing home.
One of the difficult things to really pin down with gyms is an attention to routes. This means consistent route updates/​changes, but also it goes beyond that. A good climbing gym has good route setters, and route setting is a mix of science and magic I think.
So on top of the list above, which Planet Granite has nailed, they also have the route setting wizards. These wizards equally attend to the bouldering area as they do the sport climbing routes.
Much better though they’ve got an amazing workout area, friendly and warm staff, and lots and lots of great people to share belays with. I love PG, and am happy to have found a place to set down my climbing routes. I mean roots.

Another great climbing gym. Our home gym is PG SVL, so it was quite a thrill to visit this spacious gym in Portland. It has all of the look and feel as home, right down to the bathroom tile. If you enjoy climbing, this gym is top notch.

You guys in Portland have it SO good with your Planet Granite.
Yes, I know the California locations are much older and are full of character and whatnot. But I started drooling when I walked into this location. Let me give you a brief recap:
+ State of the art climbing (for both bouldering & top roping)
+ Multiple levels to work out on
+ A very up-​to-​date lifting area with brand-​new equipment (I would kill to have properly sized plates, instead of the 2 old donated bumpers and a whole lot of nothing else at my PG)
+ A clean and well-​maintained facility (proof that a big gym doesn’t need to be dusty and grimy)
+ More than 2 bench/​squat racks (seriously, I’m so jealous.)
+ Fantastic air flow/​temperature control
I know my PG is a neighborhood classic and community favorite and all, but you put the other PGs to shame. I vote the CA locations invest a little money into upgrading a bit (although to be fair, the SF walls are fairly legit).

The gym is big and wonderful, some really cool walls. However their route setting is really soft especially for sport climbing. Bouldering grades aren’t as bad, but top rope and leading you can climb so much «harder» at the gym because they are a tad undereducated when it comes to what a real 5.11 is. It gives people false confidence which will bum you out and make you climb stuff much lower in grade when you go climb at other gyms or outside.

This is a fantastic place to workout, it became more fantastic because there is a barber shop has opened recently which is called, Metromna Hair Salon. It’s a great place, I got a haircut before going to workout. I’m happy that they open an upscale barber shop by my favorite gym .
Anyway, this is the biggest rock climbing gym in Portland. There is great energy, people are very enthusiastic here .
There is a guy that his name is Zeck who is very cool that work here.

Beautiful, huge, brand new gym. What most climbing gyms should work to emulate. The only detractor is the lack of autobelays. Also, the texture of the cracks is akin to sandpaper. Should have been smarter than to go into a gym crack sans tape or gloves… but alas, my IQ is less than my age.
The setting and monochromatic setting are awesome. Angles of the walls are ultra modern. The ramp feature for bouldering is fantastic, as are the top out walls. Throw up some auto-​belays and this place is the Shangri-​La of climbing gyms!

I’ve been to rock gyms all over the country and internationally, and this is one of the best rock gyms I’ve been to. The biggest differentiators between here and other gyms you’ll ever go to: This is clean, it has a legit weight area, it has a sauna.
The dozen other reviews talk about the climbing, so I’ll just discuss the weights. The weight area has 5 racks you can configure for benching, squats, or anything else with a bar. The weights are the bouncy colored type so you could go full olympic weightlifting and do cleans and drop the bar. The dumb bells go up to 100 lbs. There are two cable machines. There are various bars and handles for the cable machine. There is a hamstring machine and leg press machine, but admittedly both feel awkward. There are no mirrors (I’ve seen one guy actually bring his own mirror to the gym). There are big windows that are usually opened up for air flow. There are some rowing machines, running machines, and assisted pull-​up machines. There are tons of bars and hangboards around to do pull-​ups and practice finger strengths.

This is probably my favorite climbing gym I’ve been to. Not only are the routes color coordinated by the holds, they often change and also require a variety of technique to accomplish. The staff is always smiling and stoked to help you answer any questions or give advice. They facility is incredibly clean and well kept (it is brand new). I’ve also witnessed their classes for both adults and children. These guys take climbing seriously but make everyone feel welcome in participating. It’s a great atmosphere.
There is also an epic bouldering area. Bouldering is not really my forte but lots and lots of bouldering, a whole floor!
My only gripe with the facility is that there are no auto belays. I can’t always get to the gym with a parter and sometimes really just enjoy going it alone. There are many resources for climbing partners but I’d rate this place 5 stars if they had auto belays. Even if it were just a couple.

I have a friend who has been trying to get me to rock climb with her for the last 10+ years. When I visited her recently, I decided to finally give it a try at Planet Granite.
Planet Granite has set my expectations high after my recent visit. Its a gorgeous gym with bold colors and is fairly spacious. Luckily, my friend had a guest pass so all I had to cover was shoe and harness rentals, costing me $ 8. Not bad at all.
Before we jumped into climbing, we did a 1 hour fitness class that I can’t remember the name of. My friend thought it would be a great idea for me to take it since the focus of the class is improving proper climbing form. The class consisted of shoulder stretches, planks, wall balls, weights and pull ups. I really like the instructor. She was very friendly, gave clear instructions, and corrected form when needed. It is one of the better fitness classes I have taken so far.
After the class, my friend went over the basics of rock climbing. I was impressed with how high I went for my first time. Even though there were a few times I got scared, I had a lot of fun. The fitness class and climb is such a great workout. Its been 3 days since I went and I am still sore!
I really wish Planet Granite was in Seattle because I totally would get a membership with this gym but for now, I’ll just have to settle with occasional visits.

What a beautiful gym!
I just started climbing this month and I already got a membership to this place. I’ve been experimenting with other gyms such as The Circuit (all 3 locations), Portland Rock Gym, and Stoneworks. Hands down planet granite was the best one in my opinion. It has both top roping and bouldering. It’s beautiful and it’s for a relatively decent price (I have a student membership so I’m paying $ 54 a month)
Membership perks: you get a guest pass every 2 months (it doesn’t roll over so be sure to use it) but you can sign up to 2 friends a day to take a belay lesson for free! Belay lesson + day pass + rentals (shoes&harness) = 28 dollars originally but it’s free if you have a member sign you up for the lesson. Definitely a great way to introduce climbing to your friends, without having them to pay. All they need to do is take the lesson for an hour and they’re free to do whatever they want in the gym.
I really like how the routes are all one single color and not labeled by colorful tape unlike the other gyms.
I notice they change the top roping routes more often than the bouldering routes. I also notice the routes here are harder than the other gyms. A V1−2 here would be a V3 at one gyms.
Great staff. Easy to point out, they all wear light blue t-​shirts.
Looking forward to develop my skills as a climber here.
The only downfall for me is having to pay for parking. Paying to park sucks in general but paying for parking and having a membership can add up. So either go at 6am till 8am or after 7pm to avoid paying for parking.

Disclaimer: this was my first time doing rock climbing.
Went here on a weekday night to give rock climbing a shot with a couple of friends. Said friends knew how to rock climb so that was good, otherwise you have to take a lesson to learn how to belay before u can hit the walls, should have looked that up before I got there!
Its pretty reasonable in cost, $ 24 gets u unlimited rock climbing with all the gear u need. The walls looked like they had a good spread from the easy to the extremely difficult. They have a bouldering gym too on the first floor. Nice cheerful place to check out if you like rock climbing.

Probably a top 5 gym in the Country, at least top 10.
The routes are a bit soft, but that will likely change with time, especially considering how un-​soft the real rock is in the Portland/​Bend area.
The route-​setting is top-​notch, the angles were very well thought out, the Cracks are the absolute best gym cracks I’ve ever seen (besides the other Walltopia cracks at Momentum in Salt Lake City), and the people are generally friendly and polite.
Thank god there is a place to hang in Portland when the weather blows, like when I’m visiting family for Christmas.

I normally climb at Seattle Bouldering Project and was visiting Portland for Christmas break and thought to try out this new gym! I hear it’s super popular in California and I was excited it was making its way up north. I have been drooling over the pictures and in awe of how enormous the gym seems. It’s located downtown, but in a less crowded area, so you could still find some free parking if you look carefully.
Upon walking in, you can sign your waivers and pay at the desk. You are greeted by the massive, tall walls where you can top rope and even do some lead climbing. What I really like about this facility is that there is a separate area to take the belay test. The places I’ve been to, it’s just at a place where you can climb on the wall. There are sooo many routes that loop around into rooms with even more routes. I’ve climbed in Seattle at Stone and Vertical World and I must say the routes here are quite long. I got pooped after one! I like that the routes are numbered with which rope you are supposed to use. There’s also a shorter wall for kids to climb with easier routes.
I mostly boulder indoors and top rope outdoors, so I was impressed with the bouldering area. It’s located upstairs. They have a pretty decent bouldering area with «the wave» that juts out where it’s more overhung. I’ve noticed most of the walls have some sort of slope or curve to the wall to add dimension to your climb. There are some parts of the wall where it’s completely vertical. There is also one top out boulder. The most exciting part of this area is the underhang part that has a 45 degrees incline. There are mats right below you so if you fall, it’s not a long way down. SUPER fun spot.
They also have a large area to work out in with several treadmills, weights, hang boards, etc. They also have more machines upstairs. Lots of variety to mix up your work out. I noticed that people come here primarily to top rope. They also don’t change their bouldering routes that often. I noticed routes dating from when the opened and not many newer ones were put up. I don’t know how their schedule works. Their selection of equipment (bags, carabiners, crash pads, helmets, etc) is also impressive. It’s comparable to online! They also have a wide variety of shoes to choose from. Compared to REI, you have quite the selection here, with a lot of different sizes you can try on. The gym is very clean, colorful, and large!
Needless to say, I will be back!

Great facility! Having both bouldering and top-​roping options under the same roof is great. The climbs are color coordinated making it easy to distinguish between routes. The base floor workout area is spacious and filled with new shiny equipment (treadmills, stationary bikes, elliptical, rowing machines, there are more machines on the 3^rd floor).
I also tried out the power yoga (studio on the 3^rd floor) and two F10 fitness classes. They offer a great workout alternative and are included as part of the monthly membership. My partner went to a spin class which was held in the group fitness room on the 2^nd floor.
Sauna, showers and towels in the bathroom. Signed up for the introductory pricing at the family rate of $ 110 for both of us. Amazing deal!

This is one of the nicest rock climbing gyms I’ve ever been to. Everything is so fresh, shiny and clean… because it’s brand new. But still — there are others ways you can tell that this is a great gym.
For instance, they’ve got garage doors on the bottom AND top floors that will open in the summer to let fresh air in – crucial for rock climbing gyms, since most tend to be in just barely-​ventilated warehouses that heat up fast the higher you climb. And they’ve got a TON of other fitness equipment, all top of the line stuff like Rogue brand pull-​up stations, Olympic bars, weights and even medicine balls for wall balls. It’s wonderful. Also, they have towel service!!!
The routes themselves are also well planned and more thought out than that of Portland Rock Gym. They use the Yosemite Decimal System to grade climbs with more granularity than PRG (Planet Granite does stuff like 5.10 A/​B/​C/​D, whereas PRG only does 5.10+/-), and have a wealth of different grades. It’s also definitely more beginner friendly, with a larger variety of easy routes (5.6−5.9) for those just starting out (in contrast, PRG only ever has 2 or 3 of those types of routes).
The only downside is that it’s super corporate. There’s a surprising amount of red tape to go through before you can do anything. Signing up for the family plan with a partner means you have to show proof of the same address (or have the same last name), and you’ll need proof of a current ID before you do anything else. Parking can also be a hassle. But aside from that, I’ve no complaints — all the high quality routes and equipment more than make up for those annoyances.

In the Pearl a place to hang out. LOL!
Climbing works your core and entire body, in theory. Exercise your mind while you’re figuring out your hand and foot hold and moves, like a puzzle, when climbing the wall. Feel the adrenaline hanging out, different then pumping up in the gym
Do you want to join a gym. This is another way to train and get in shape while having some fun and challenging your strength and flexibility.
My facility tour went well. I’m ready to give it a try, take a class. All equipment, even shoes, provided for the beginner. Lots of classes for climbing and nice engineered hardwood floor in the yoga room, stories high, with views of the Pearl.
Lots of exercise equipment for aerobic and light weight conditioning. Sauna. Prices for a day look reasonable to see if you like it before locking in a membership.

I was here during opening weekend. It was a bit of a cluster because there were so many people there, but place is definitely awesome. I interacted with a few staff members and they were all really nice and helpful.
I’m not a seasoned climber, so I can’t comment much on climbing here compared to other places, but here’s some pricing info.:
Reduced introductory pricing until the end of the year. These prices are valid until 2016. Go check it out and jump on it if you’re interested:
Individual: $ 67/​mo. or $ 737/​yr.
Student: $ 54/​mo. or $ 594/​yr.
Family of 2: $ 110/​mo. or $ 1210/​yr.
Membership includes access to all four PG locations, yoga, gym equipment use, etc. For more info:

I have to admit, Portland, I’m a little jealous. You already seem to corner the market on brunch, beer, and boobs, but now you’re home to one of the coolest climbing gyms I’ve ever seen!
I mean, there’s no love lost for the climbing gyms back home — each one has their niche and character, their grandiosity or their homeyness — but Portland PG has to be one of the sleekest environments ever; newness and fresh coats of color and gleaming finish might have contributed to that excitement, but the thorough, thoughtful design of absolutely everything, from rock-​walls to washrooms, make this newest PG feel like it’s many peoples’ passion made real.
«…indoor climbing is never going to be rock climbing, so why try to make it look like rock?» — Chris Sharma
The [Triangles?] Walltopia system all through the rope & lead climbing area have a modern, vibrant look and add variety to towering 55′+ ascents. The bouldering areas offer some exciting features like top-​out walls for those that like to stand atop their conquests and a ramp under a lengthy negative wall for all of you overhang climbing gluttons [me]. The weights and cardio amenities should be sufficient to occupy most circuit trainers & fitness freaks.
Route-​setting runs the gamut from straight-​forward, muscle-​y ladders to funky, body-​mechanic engaging, balance tests. Like anything, what’s been set and how it’s climbed is subjective and a matter of personal process and ability. Sometimes cerebral, sometimes daredevil, find your way and have fun with it!*
While this newest PG is fresh and new (for now), it’s great to see some familiar faces from PG Sunnyvale manning the staff and that they’ve brought their welcoming and friendly vibes with them!
Mmmm. I could almost move to the Pacific North West if everywhere vibes as positive and laid-​back as Portland and Portland PG. Very much looking forward to coming back!
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*Knocks, but not really: already, even on opening day, elitists (of which I am so glad there were only a few) scoffed at the presence of so many newbs and «soft» ratings — that routes were graded harder than they should be. To that and them I say STFU; we get it, we get it, you’re an awesome climber and you need to qualify that. Blah blah blah. F*cking snobs, calm down; let excited new climbers be excited.
Dear newbs (myself included): just read routes and try them — don’t let a rating determine whether you think you can or can’t try to send something. Go after it.

State of the art, new climbing gym in the Pearl. I have been tracking this place for almost a whole year, marking their progress and waiting for their doors to open. I am so excited to say that time has finally come!
Following the footsteps of their amazing legacy gym from San Fran, they know exactly what they are doing… in fact, I think this is the company’s 4^th gym nationwide. They put a lot of time, money, and thought into every bit of construction of this fantastic place. They have weights, cardio equipment, 55 foot rock climbing walls, hundreds of bouldering problems, a yoga studio, a spin studio, and a sauna. There is definitely something for everyone in this world-​class over 30,000 square foot gym!
The managers and staff are so nice and so excited for this place to open just as much as the public. They had a couple preview nights for avid fans to sign up for memberships early and take a sneak peek of the place. It was jaw-​dropping. I have climbed at one of the biggest gyms in the country (Earth Treks — Bethesda, MD), as well as a lot of smaller ones. This place is Grand, capital G, Grand! It’s like the «Equinox» of CLIMBING gyms.
The locker room walls are gorgeous, they might actually be made of granite. Tons of day lockers, several bathroom stalls, and individual showers. Towel service included! Just try to only use one and don’t abuse the towel availability for everyone else, unless you need a clean one post-​shower, before entering the sauna, then by all means keep hygienic. They also have these cool sink faucets with built in Dyson hand driers (yes there are paper towels available as well), but what I really appreciate is the built in lotion pumps by the sinks. Great for those post-​climb dry hands. Brilliant foresight, thank you Planet Granite!!!
They don’t have their own parking deck which is a bummer, but there is a decent amount of street parking since it’s more on the edge of the Pearl neighborhood bordering the still developing areas of Naito Pkwy. Short walk to park, or short walk from where the street car takes you and you should be okay.
Their rates, relative to their spectacular-​ness, are unbelievable. Right now, for a couples month-​to-​month membership (which is obviously what I got) is only $ 55 per person! That is RIDONK!!! Speaking of Equinox, high class gyms of any affinity usually are over $ 100 monthly memberships per person, so think of it that way! It’s a sweet deal, in fact they could’ve charged more and we would’ve still done it. This place is sick, totally worth it! You can tell how much money went into the place with the exquisite route setting. They obviously had enough dough to shell out a plethora of holds so they could have all matching-​colored holds, despite changing them around all the time, so they didn’t have to fuss up their beautiful walls (signature 3D styles by Walltopia) with so many different colors of constantly-​removed-​and-​replaced masking tape.
I could go on and on about how much this place is (pun-​intended) ROCKIN’, but actually I’m afraid too many people will come and crowd me out… hehehe. Seriously though, I fear for PRG, they are so going to lose some business. Source should still be safe though cuz not all people want to drive over the bridge to climb. To each their own… me… I think I found my local place.