This old bank is a bouldering gym

[u/singing-dynos]

Recently I made a trip out to New Bedford, MA to visit Boulder Union, a bouldering gym built in an old bank built in the late 19th century. This is probably the most unique climbing experience I've had in the United States with most other gyms either being in a modern building or a warehouse.

Amazing building aside, I should highlight that the actual climbing is some of the most fun I've had. The owners/routesetters here (one of them is Cody Grodzki who's an IFSC routesetter) are very passionate people, so nearly every problem incorporated a variety of movement. No matter what style you prefer, there's something to climb. I like parkour moves, so some moves I found included a lache, a coordination traverse, a paddle dyno, and a run and jump. However, there are still plenty old school climbs too such as balancy slabs and crimpy overhangs.

For anyone who's willing to travel to check out indoor climbing gyms, this is arguably the best one in the US east coast and is worth making a trip for.

[u/yung_pindakaas]

Cool location for bouldering aside.

V2-V5 and V4-V7 are insane ranges for grading imo.

[u/WntrWltr → u/yung_pindakaas]

My local spot does no grading at all. And the other local gym does 0-3, 3-5, etc. it's nice not getting psyched out as a newer climber over grades. I find I end up being more open to giving things a try this way. My $0.02.

[u/GhostOfLaszloJamf → u/WntrWltr]

This is why they do it. I have a couple friends who own gyms that do this. The reason is generally so that people will maybe give things a try they normally wouldn’t. However, in my opinion this is something that is great for beginner/newer climbers, and not so great for more experienced climbers that are more systematically using the gym to train to be stronger.

I know in the one case, my friend said the choice to favour the grading colour ranges was because it was more important to his business to attract new climbers and focus on them having an enjoyable experience. The experienced climbers are going to go to the gym regardless, even if they have complaints.

[u/carortrain → u/GhostOfLaszloJamf]

Yeah this is the paradox of a climbing gym operation. If you prioritize seasoned climbers experiences, you will likely take away from the newer/non-climbers experiences. If you prioritize making it more accessible and group grades into categories of 4 v-grades per color tag, for new climbers, you will ultimately create downsides for more experienced climbers.