Project Rock Climbing Gym Review – Sneak Peek of a New Gym in South FL

ProjectRock Climbing Gym Review

Name: ProjectRock Climbing Gym

Price: $19/day pass

Owners: Marc Landau and Jeffrey Echeverry

Overall Rank: 5 out of 5 from customers

ProjectRock Climbing Gym Overview

ProjectRock is a brand new Rock gym at 3580 N Andrews Ave, Oakland Park, FL 33309. Oakland Park is a city slightly north of Fort Lauderdale. The gym grand opening was December 2017. ProjectRock’s mission is “bringing the outdoor climbing indoors.”

ProjectRock features hand-sculpted walls and holds to create the feel and texture of different outdoor climbing such as Castle Rock in Tennessee, Yosemite in Northern California, and Devil’s Tower (crack climbing) in Wyoming.

ProjectRock bouldering

The walls are up to 60 feet high which is great for training endurance. We do not have the height for most gyms in Florida so this is definitely a plus. The facility has 18,000+ square feet of climbing. There are 125+ routes for different levels in bouldering, top-roping, and or leading. One cool thing about the rope routes is that most of the routes are designed to maximize both top rope and lead climbing. You will definitely need a 60-meter rope to lead climb at ProjectRock.

The Good & the Bad

The Good:

PRO #1 RealRock features the feel and texture of real rocks.

PRO #2 Tall up to 60 feet high wall for great top rope and lead climbs and nice boulder area. It is great for everyone at all different levels from beginners to advance.

PRO #3 Crack climbing routes are available which is rare to find at any indoor gyms.

PRO #4 Nice equipment, clean facility, and nice air conditioning.

The Bad:

CON #1 It is hard to find a negative aspect of this gym. I am bummed the fact is that it is a 2.5-hour drive for me from Orlando. =(

CON #2 We visited on Sunday (Memorial weekend). It took our group over an hour to go through a tour, pay, check, and verified for belay certification. There was only one person available to certify belay for a busy morning. However, we all bouldered while we waited for our turn. Thankfully, it is only the first time thing. When we come back, we can go straight to climbing.

Who is ProjectRock Climbing Gym For?

ProjectRock is a great rock gym for rock climber enthusiasts and adventure seekers who like to try alternative sports. They have challenges for all levels from beginners to advance climbers. It is a large indoor adult playground.

There are plenty of routes for new and beginning rock climbers with staff support and guidance. There are crack climbing and lead climbing routes that challenge the seasoned climbers.

The bouldering section is also fun for those who love to boulder and be free of the rope binding harness. My son and his friends zoomed to this area the first opportunity they got when we visited.

ProjectRock Climbing Gym Support

The staff is friendly and supportive. They have rental gear available for all ages and sizes. The gym does not have sandbags or extra rope to anchor the belayer. Instead, they provide equipment called the Edelrid Ohm Assisted Braking Resistor. I have never used one before until I visited ProjectRock. It is definitely an effective device for a belayer who is lighter or smaller than the climber.

There is also rock climbing glasses available for sale at ProjectRock to aid you while belay. They are special glasses that allow us to view the climber at 40 to 60 feet above our head without having to crane your neck up to look. We got ourselves a pair. It took a bit to get used to and adjusted my vision. The glasses helped my neck big time. Click here for a review on the climbing glasses ==> Belay Glasses Review.

ProjectRock Climbing Gym Price

The basic pricing is a day pass and gear rentals. A day passes for climbing at ProjectRock is $19 without rental gear. With gear, the day pass price is $25. There are also multi-day pass for 6 visits and for 9 visits if you want a bit more exposure to climbing and not sure if you can climb often enough.

The most inexpensive route is the monthly membership which pays for itself when you climb more than four to five times per month. I usually climb 3 times a week and 12 times per month so it would be totally worth it to go monthly.
ProjectRock also has discounts for veterans which is called Honor-pass, students under 18, and seniors over 60.

In addition to day pass climbing, there are kid camps, kid parties, team building for a corporation, climbing classes, and yoga. These classes and activities are additional costs. You can visit Rates or Activities for detailed membership and activity costs.

My Final Opinion of ProjectRock Climbing Gym

We had an amazing time when we visited ProjectRock Sunday, the day before Memorial Day. My husband and I took my son and his climbing team-mates for a climbing road trip. We were there from 10 am to 6 pm and climbed until we dropped. We were like kids in the candy store. Oooh, I want to try this, and this, and this, and this…

My husband and I focused primarily on the top rope and lead climbing. We were exposed to crack climbing which we rarely climbed normally. That was fun. There were so many routes that we didn’t even have time to climb them all.

ProjectRock has a faux rock formation of a stalagmite which was so cool. I had a chance to climb it with my husband. PR-stalagmite

One thing we asked the staff at ProjectRock was a youth climbing team. Because the gym is so new, they have not had a chance to establish a team yet. ProjectRock would be an excellent training ground for the youth team in the near future.

I would definitely come back in the future. It is a treat when we can find the time.