Earth Treks Golden

700 Golden Ridge Rd, Golden, CO 80401, USA

Address:	700 Golden Ridge Rd, Golden, CO 80401, USA
Phone:	+1 303-222-9564
Site:	earthtreksclimbing.com
Rating:	4.7
Working:	Closed 6AM–11PM 6AM–11PM 6AM–11PM 6AM–10PM 8AM–8PM 8AM–6PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 5

Jeremy Jacobsen

For the golden area, this gym is a great resource. The walls are unique in that they are finished with a sticky surface you can smear on. There are yoga classes at no charge to members, as well as a very nice workout area with treadmills and free weights. Additionally, and most importantly, the gym is brand new. On the flip side it is unfortunately not locally managed which causes unnecessary difficulties when closing a membership or opening one that is not standard such as a family civil union plan. There is nobody at the gym that can make judgement calls in such matters without asking permission from the east coast... but you will have to do this yourself as they probably wont offer to do it for you. The bouldering quality is generally good.. but the walls are very high and the pads are quite firm which could easily lead to strains or sprains. To add to the hazard, many setters finish problems with a "spicy" top out. Be careful and aware. I usually wont bother finishing boulder problems at my limit in this gym as Ive seen the ambulance have to rescue other hapless climbers who have managed to dislocate body parts. The routes are generally good but lack the consistency you might find at other gyms. You may find one route to be spectacular (very well thought out) and another to be terrible (awkward reachy moves). The grading is very shifty from one setter to the next which leads me to believe there is no forthright grade vetting from the other setters. The gym is designed such that routes intersect in the overhangs which equals long waits on busy nights for harder routes. Im not sure what the story is with the upper level but is doesnt get much use aside from occasional birthday parties. Parking is ample and location is convenient. Overall, if you are living permanently in Golden, or the surrounding areas and want to join a gym, this is realistically your only current option and its pretty good. Understand that my three stars is relative to all Colorado gyms Ive visited and that in some other states Ive lived this would be a 5 star gym.

Adolisa Schaefer

We absolutely love this gym. Weve been climbing a little over a year now, and the staff has been so helpful in answering our questions about technique, gear, places to climb, classes to take for better understanding, etc. Weve taken several classes here, and Id highly recommend them, especially since theyre included in the membership price. They have a super laid back vibe and we learned something new in each class. I am also happy to say that were climbing outdoors now, in part as a result of the support and confidence that weve received from Earth Treks staff. I think theyre even targeting outdoor climbing in some of their classes now. Also, yoga classes are included in the membership. I cant say enough about Elans Sunday noon class. The gym is always clean, the routes are changed up often, and the people who frequent here are so friendly. Ive never felt uncomfortable or out of place. Im by no means a great climber, but I always have a good time here. A note on their billing: I had foot surgery during my membership here, and it was so simple to suspend my account while I recovered. I just submitted an online form explaining what was going on and they suspended my account. It was just as easy to get it going again when I was ready to hit the wall. Ive never experienced anything short of stellar customer service here. Were moving so weve actually had to cancel our membership, and Im here writing a review because I was reading reviews of other climbing gyms near our new place and am super disappointed to be leaving Earth Treks. =/ Keep up the good work guys!

Alex Macha

I have had a fear of rock climbing since I was young and I was told that I could, "curl up and die," because of my fear. As a result, taking a trip to a climbing gym is incredibly stressful for me. Today, I tried to go to Earth Treks after months of having my boyfriend talk the gym up. He explained that there was nothing to fear, that the staff here were wonderful people who would make sure things were okay. Unfortunately, because it has been six years since I last belayed anyone, I was rusty. When I went over to take the "safety test," the staff member in charge told me he would happily give me some tips as I remembered how to get everything hooked up, then he walked away to greet every person who walked through the doors. My boyfriend was giving me a couple tips when the staff member walked back over and explained that I could not pass the test without taking the belaying class, and that we could boulder, pay extra for a belaying class another day, or leave. I understand that the gym is focused on safety, and I do appreciate that, but I am not appreciative of the attitude the staff member gave me. Many other gyms have been more than happy to review the steps with me before quizzing me on them. I dont understand why this would be a problem for this gym.

Christian Mason

Pros: The facility is good and modern. The front desk staff are friendly. Cons: Extremely poor customer service. I had a recurring EFT membership. I found out that I would be unable to climb for a month and attempted to cancel it. I mistakenly canceled one month, not the entire recurring series. So I was surprised to see the balance debited from my checking account the next month. I called and explained that I was unable to climb due to medical issues, and had made a mistake only suspending one of the months. They said they could not refund the fee, despite my not having been there for a month. I indicated that I understood, and asked if they could credit my account for a month membership in the future. They again refused to accommodate me in any way. While the business was well within their legal rights, their unwillingness to make ANY accommodation for me has cost them years of dues. Very short sighted, and poor business. Contrast this to Movement (both Denver and Boulder), where the staff will go out of their way to keep the customers happy.

David Wire

This is my local gym and Im a member. The facility is great, the staff is nice, and some of the route setting is pretty good (it seems to get better as the grades get harder). Unfortunately, the gym is extremely crowded in the evenings on weekdays and noon time on weekends. Parking at those times can be a pain and its not uncommon to spend quite a bit of time looking or waiting for open routes, particularly in the easier grades. Another unfortunate side effect of the overcrowding is that folks will start climbing routes that are dangerously close to or overlapping others already on route. Its also not uncommon to see horrible belay practices and clipping. I have yet to see anyone called out by staff for any of this, which is a bit of a downer. I thought about submitting something about this to the suggestion box but with all the sarcastic responses they post it seemed like a waste of time. With the overcrowding and being surrounded by unsafe climbers I would likely be a member of a different gym if one were located anywhere near me.