Vertical Endeavors Rock Clmbng

We have gone two times with large groups of children who have never climbed before, ranging in age from 4-14 years. The staff has always been helpful and showed us a complete tutorial of where they are best suited to climb, making sure to tell us they are not allowed in the bouldering area without an adult. The system is really nice as the kids can get themselves locked in, we did have to help the littler ones up to about age 8. The price was good, we buy the punch card and use it for all the kids so the admission price ends up being $10 per person. I feel that is a good price for unlimited climbing. In response to another reviwer, at REI you only get to go up once and they are very impatient and have even yelled at my child with autism because he got scared on the wall and could not come down. Here at VE they are so kind to him. more

We went over Spring Break this year with a group of cousins aged 4-10. I called ahead and asked if it would work for me to bring this age group and if I needed extra adults, etc. and I was assured 'no'. But, in reality you almost need one adult per child as they need help with the clips and there are walls all around a large circle in the center so you can't see many of the walls to know if one of the kids needs your help. They can't go upstairs without a chaperone and we got almost NO instruction at all. There were 4-5 20-something guys behind the desk but no one out on the floor offering assistance, guidance, encouragement. Nothing. I am AMAZED that they offer birthday parties because it DOES NOT seem like an inviting atmosphere for it at all. I would not recommend this place for kids in any way shape or form. I have been to many, many venues in the Twin Cities over the years with kids and this one doesn't cut it. I was hoping to be impressed as my kids love to rick climb at Lifetime Fitness but it wasn't kid-friendly in the least. Go elsewhere. Go to REI and just climb at the store with your kids. It is also very expensive. They say it is $13/kid but then they don't tell you that you also have to rent the gear which is another $4-$8/child. Too much for what it is. Pros: None, really Cons: Not great for kids at all more

What an awesome gym! First of all, it's huge, so you'll find plenty of variety across a lot of grades. There are some particularly cool walls, such as the three-story lead wall and the ""natural"" corner. Routes are changed very frequently so you'll always find something new to climb. On top of that you've got two bouldering areas (where children are not allowed) and awesome staff. One tip- be sure to find a half-off coupon in one of the local papers (the Onion I think usually has one), otherwise you will pay upwards of $15. Pros: Size, variety, staff Cons: Price more

Vertical Endeavors is an awesome rock gym - as a climber of over 10 years, the gym is a great place to stay strong and meet potential climbing partners. For complete beginners, come climb and we'll make you feel right at home among the old geezers, and teenage mutant spidermonkeys. While VE is an amazing gym (huge, decent route turnover, lots of interesting angles and 2 caves), it's the Minnesota climbing community that really makes this gym. Lotsa great people and everybody is your friend even if you've never met them so come and CLIMB A (plastic) ROCK!!!!! Pros: good hours, safe, 2 bouldering caves, nice climbers, HUGE, gear shop, machines, parking, connected to Nicros factory Cons: toprope routes are slow to turnover, a bit pricey, birthday parties, crowded at certain times more

Even though it was my first visit, I wasn't made to feel like an ""outsider"" like many member based locations make you feel. I do think that the memberships are a bit pricey. There isn't much of a price break with memberships. I also think that they should have a separate area for kid's parties because it does take up a lot of space and can be very distracting for the adult climbers. Overall though, this place is a great experience! more