Steep Rock West

It's a good gym with interesting routes and a good community. However, it may not be worth the $115/month for everyone. The wall is smaller than most places so you have a limited variety of problems although they are good problems. The gym area with the workout equipment is pretty small and cramped. They don't have student discounts but they do have financial assistance programs. However, it is not the same thing. I'd rather have student discounts, no questions asked. The $115 is for access to all 3 gyms west Harlem, east side and Brooklyn and the Brooklyn gym is much bigger and had a lot more facilities but it's unrealistic to expect people who live near west Harlem to make the trip to the Brooklyn gym 3 times a week. I would pay $115 for the Brooklyn gym, no complaints but I don't see why I'm paying for a privilege I will use maybe once a month at most. No showers is also a little annoying. However, the route setting and staff is top notch and I still enjoy the climbing sessions. It just doesn't feel like it's worth $115/month to me. If they introduced a $75-$85/month plan for just west Harlem, I'd give it 5 stars easily.

Facilities are clean. Decent variation of problems. Wasn’t too busy in the time that I was there. The lobby area is so huge!! Almost seems like a waste of space? I like that they have cardio offerings upstairs with a bike and a treadmill. Free weights and campus and hang boards downstairs for stretching and conditioning. Kind of surprised they don’t have showers here seeing that is it’s a climbing gym? Hm. Overall it’s a nice place to not think about too much & pull on some problems

I've been climbing at this gym for over 3 years the transition from steep rock to vital has been a mixed bag tho mostly downside from a members perspective. If you're thinking about becoming a member here don't expect to get a guest pass like at other gyms. I have a lot of friends who climb at different gyms in the city, they all have guest passes and this allows us to climb together at least once a month and provides a ton of value to me. no freezing your membership either so if you're a student or have long term travel plans I'd think about that. On to the things I still love about this gym. First the setting, easily the best reason to climb here and not somewhere else. Consistently has diverse sets of fun and interesting problems featuring all types of climbing even at lower climbing grades, which I don't always see at other gyms. Second the gym does have a small neighborhoody feel, my fellow climbers tended to be very helpful and friendly. This could change as the gym evolves into whatever it is becoming but for now the community is still solid.

Nice climbing walls, the gym/lifting area is a little small but everyone knows the etiquette and takes turns. They change the climbing routes pretty often and the staff are very helpful and nice.

Amazing ambiance & kind staff. Expect to do stairs if you need to use the locker rooms at all. Great facilities, but a bit small for a climbing gym.

Good setup for that quick weekday afternoon climb -- and access for the weekend trip to VITAL Brooklyn.

One of the best bouldering gyms in the city, with airy and beautiful space, a great variety of routes that change frequently, and an amazing staff.

Great bouldering gym! Huge windows means there's lots of natural light, and good variety of routes. A small gym/weights area too, and lockers and bathrooms in the basement. There are free lockers for storing your stuff during your session bring your own lock, and also smaller lockers you can rent for $25 per month, for storing stuff between sessions.

Great bouldering gym. Very open, and routes are reset in rotations frequently for fresh challenges. Two floors, with an arch on the bottom floor, and some hangboards and weights as well.

I love Steep Rock West. I come here at least twice per week and I always have a good time. The staff are always super friendly and helpful. Problems are pretty subjective based on who sets them but I find them to be both fun and challenging. I’ve made a ton of progress in the last 5 months and I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon. I don’t like to shower at gyms so the lack of showers doesn’t bother me, but it might to some. Other than that, the gym is cool temperature-wise and very clean. I highly recommend it to new-comers and veterans alike.