Sportrock Climbing Centers

5308 Eisenhower Ave, Alexandria, VA 22304, USA

Address:	5308 Eisenhower Ave, Alexandria, VA 22304, USA
Phone:	+1 703-212-7625
Site:	sportrock.com
Rating:	4.3
Working:	6AM–11PM 6AM–11PM 6AM–6PM 6AM–11PM 6AM–11PM 10AM–9PM 11AM–9PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 5

Peter Zinsli

Sportrock suffers from a few issues: 1 - Over crowded, and then busy evenings they schedule classes and take over wall space. Sometimes you ll end up climbing the same route over again because there is nothing else open. Renovations could expand the climbing walls but I havent heard of any changes coming. 2 - The routes themselves are not particularly interesting. If there is a crux it is generally because some of the tape came off. They recognize that they dont pay enough attention to the routes but theyre solution was to have paying members sign up to monitor a route. Also the routes tend to be packed together and crisscross meaning you have to keep your eyes on where others are. 3 - You have to do things their way, not because its safer but because their lawers say so. Its laws vs. reason. 4 - Music? They havent had any at audible levels in a long time, but it is so loud most of the time you wouldnt be able to hear it at peak hours anyway. 5 - Temperature. It is either hot or cold with big gradients as you climb. 6 - Dust. If you go check out above the offices. Its never been cleaned. The gym is run by a group of investors not climbers and it feels like it. But ultimately what are you going to do? Other places are way too far to commute on a week night. I go because there arent other options, especially in the winter but I find it to be frequently frustrating. UPDATE 7/29/09: Sportrock of Alexandria is currently expanding. Once complete some parts of the review may no longer be valid. UPDATE 6/11/10: The expansion has helped with the crowds, but I think so have the price increases. It is now $18 for a one day pass. I would say that over all things have improved. They have more space for classes bouldering and an exercise area. Unfortuantely the top roping section of the new area is not as high as the older section, to compensate it seems like the routes are more difficult.

Jeremy Phone

For the past three days I have sessioned at the Alexandria location and have found it enjoyable. With just moving into the area I am looking for a home gym and have been highly considering this spot due to its expansive bouldering area even though its about an hour from where i live. Ive yet to make a trip to Maryland but can attest to Sportrock being superior to the gym in Manasses (which is only about 20m from my home). The facility is primarily focused on routes but has a decently expansive bouldering area as well. Being from the south this is a huge plus for myself, also because its hard to find partners due to my erratic schedule. The problem setting is good and there is a nice balance of v-easy to v-sick. The training area is large and has everything one could ask for. From dumbbells to machines, bikes to treadmills, campus boards to hangboards, this gym has it all. I was extremely pleased to find Olympic rings as well. I only have a couple caveats... one being that there arent any autobelays. Im sure there will be some to defend this exclusion as more purist or a way to keep beginners from clogging the walls but I have always enjoyed running laps after a hard bouldering/training sesh. Secondly, there is an initiation fee to purchase a monthly membership. I understand that most gyms around here charge the same fee but it is absolutely ludicrous in my opinion to have to pay an establishment $50 to be awarded the privilege to pay them another $85 per month. Lastly, the staff is hit and miss when it comes to friendliness and hospitality. Ive had great experiences two out of the three times Ive visited but this last visit did leave a kinda bleh taste in my mouth. TLDR; Pros: good size gym, good setting (for bouldering), nice training area. Cons: expensive, dismissive attitudes depending on the staff that day.

Anonymous User

I really struggled with how many stars to give Sportrock, given that I had never been to any other indoor rock-climbing facility. But here goes...It was a little bit difficult to find because there is not a huge sign out front to mark it, so I took half a star off for that. The facilities lost another star (not the greatest first impression when you walk in), and the price/lack of other options took it down another half star. The staff was great (see below), and ultimately, I had a blast at my first lesson, met some really fun/interesting people at the lesson, and ended the night with a climb. Staff: I went there for the first time last night, and the staff was very friendly and helpful. My instructor, Josh, gave everyone individual attention, and I felt that I learned a lot from my first lesson (mostly how to belay and tie knots, plus some safety tips). Facilities: They recently expanded the place to add new walls/climbing routes, so it is bigger than it was. That being said, if I had gone there before the expansion, I would have felt stifled. There were a lot of people there on a Monday night between 7 and 9 pm, and it seemed like more experienced climbers had to wait for others to finish before being able to climb. The lighting in the expanded area was not working yet, so there were these huge floor lamps set up that made the place look a bit like a movie set. If you look around, the walls have this warehouse-y look/feel to them, so it made the experience less enjoyable. Price and other options: It is rather expensive, and you can find all that info on their website. It does not seem like there are really any other options close by (I live in Arlington, and my drive was 13 miles). The only other place I know of is Earth Treks in Rockville, MD, and the pricing seems comparable.

Al T

Zero Stars. Check out the real yelp reviews too. Sports Rock is just not worth your time or money. I have tried to make it work for my family over the last couple of years but I have not had good experiences there. The management is incompetent and the staff is unfriendly to non-regulars. ie. if you are not a regular member of the clique, dont bother. Yeah its one of those places that runs like a high school club. I have a belay card from the club but the management can never find a record of me or my experiences there since I can only make it every few months. Of course the staff doesnt care to remember or recognize me so I get the full "why are you worthy to use our ropes" treatment every time. Every time I go in I get to fill out new waivers for me and my kids. It is just too kid/family unfriendly, they could care less since they are in a busy location. If this was one of my companies, I would be hiring some new customer friendly staff/management today that would welcome unfamiliar faces. But that is just me, I care about customers more than my staffs clique of friends.

Priscilla Yuen

Ive been spoiled by the awesomeness that is Earth Treks Climbing gym so going to Sportrock was just lackluster. Sportrock is like an Average Joes type gym. Nothing fancy and they obviously give no crap about their appearance. It is small, archaic, and is in dire need of renovations. The routes and boulder problems were fun, but they need to switch to color coordinated routes because the tape markings are just messy and peeling off. Its hard to tell if a hold is yours or not. On the routes that I had climbed, most of the holds had no grip. It was way too smooth and I felt like the climbs were just hating on the short people. Some of the crashpads are pathetically thin. However, I like their textured walls and also the couches and tables for people to sit at. Parking is limited and a pain to find. They need to expand their facility and renovate. Otherwise, they will lose all of their members once Earth Treks opens up in Crystal City. *Wednesday nights are for members only. Closed to public.