Mission Cliffs

Top notch climbing gym in SF. Great for lead and belay Bouldering section is a bit cramped when crowded. The weights section is pretty good. Good lockers and sauna

My wallet was stolen, and Mission Cliffs couldn't care less! Their response was consistent with the dismissive attitudes of staff members mentioned by other reviewers. I love the Mission Cliffs community, but the attitude of the staff is really disappointing. On March 25, 2025, between 7:30 and 8:30 PM, my wallet was stolen from my backpack, which was placed on a bench between the bouldering section and the yoga room during my class. I later discovered that the camera in the bouldering section clearly covers the theft area—but the gym manager, Donna Hawkins, initially claimed "camera does not cover the bench". I sent photo evidence, marked the camera and bench in bright red, and emailed gym manager. Later I was told the footage was reviewed and handed over to the police, my request to view the footage in person has been completely ignored. I’ve been trying to work with the gym to get access to this footage, but it’s been nothing but delays and excuses. Here’s a timeline of my requests: March 25th night – Original request. I was told I can't review the footage, I needed to file a police report first. March 26th morning – They Excused with "we’re busy now, but we can review this afternoon." I requested being present for the footage review but got ignored. Later told that the footage was transferred to the police, with no further details. March 27th – I formally requested footage review once again and asked for info about the footage transfer. March 28th -- Police information is provided, incident time was identified, told I can review the coming two days but need to make appointment. March 29th – Follow up within the timeline given to confirm for review time, however I was provided a very short window , which conflicted with my schedule. My request for alternatives went unanswered. The lack of cooperation and constant delays in accessing critical evidence is both frustrating and concerning. The first response to my request to review the footage was a blatant "lie" about the camera not covering the theft area, which was easily disproven. It’s clear that they couldn’t care less about helping you resolve a theft on their premises.

I’ve come here for a few years and mostly really enjoy it, but it’s just too crowded unless you get in at or before 7am or during work hours. People leave their crap all over the floor/walkways and locker room benches, don’t re-rack or return weights, and it’s really stressful to work out in such an environment, let alone climb. I’m switching gyms unfortunately to avoid the hectic crowded vibe.

The damage Touchstone climbing and their “yogis” caused me continues to hurt me to this day. Shame on all of you, If you’re lucky enough to be unburdened by a constant preoccupation with energy or the flow, don’t go to Touchstone. One of their yogis will likely plant that seed in your mind, and it’s a poisonous mentality that takes months or years to deprogram, and coincidentally, is often used as a tool for manipulation in cults. It’s been over 2 years since this cancer entered into my consciousness and I still get anxiety about it daily. Shame. I’m suspicious that this may be the same thing preoccupying the minds of a lot of people I’ve met that struggle with homelessness, addiction and/or mental health issues. Shame! Now for the good stuff: I love touchstone gyms, they have the most floor space, the best routes, the cleanest holds and really nice facilities. I’ve been to all the climbing gyms in SF and Touchstone is my favorite. $107 is very reasonable for access to 5 local gyms, they have tens of thousands of square feet of climbing space, every piece of equipment you need, an incredible variation of climbing routes in countless styles, classes, trainers, coaches, snacks and fingernail clippers, they have it all. The problem with touchstone gyms is the culture. Climbing is a sport with a very high barrier of entry monetarily, so, most of the people in this and touchstone gyms don’t have to worry about money and don’t understand the damage they do to people that do have to worry about it. Whether it’s asking to use equipment you just started using then getting mad at you for asking for some more time to finish your sets, or someone telling you they need to use the pull-up bar you’re using because they only have 10 minutes to do 3 sets and then freaking out on you for suggesting they use a different one. Or maybe you just want a snack bar and the person behind the counter decides to treat you with absolute contempt for existing and needing calories. Shame. Make no mistake, if you don’t look, act, or flow a certain way at Touchstone gyms, there are people that will make your life difficult. This is after 2 years of observation. I love touchstone and their gyms, but this is unacceptable. I’ve been working out here and at touchstone gyms for 2 years, I even worked at a touchstone gym, but the entire time I’ve been observing, I see the same behavior time and time again from the same archetype of people, wealthy entitled people that think you owe them whatever they ask for. Lastly, I’d like to mention this: I absolutely love climbing, Mission Cliffs and Touchstone. I kicked a 14 year nicotine addiction just so I could train harder for climbing and I love getting to climb and train at the network of fantastic gyms touchstone has. And this: I have a disability, I don’t tell anyone, but in the past, I genuinely almost died because of it twice. Touchstone gym has made the symptoms of my disability immeasurably worse. Shame. Shame on everyone responsible. Shame.

Been going here for years. Honestly, I only go anymore because it's very close to where I live. The gym is pretty worn and crappy. It's also SUPER crowded after work on weekdays, to the point it's impossible to climb with any efficiency. Workout machines are old and crappy and frequently broken and they have a very limited selection. Sauna is nice, but very small. The classes are kind of a joke, there are literally zero hiit classes that are not during 9-5 working hours, so if you have a normal work schedule you will never be able to attend. I did go to one once and it was also very strange, just an instructor writing the exercises on a board and then you do them at your own pace. Zero energy, zero good music to pump you up, literally just like working out on your own? Get better instructors and get more classes at times people who have jobs can attend. Getting harder and harder to justify the ever increasing cost of membership. Movement is much nicer and has better classes, more interesting routes, cleaner, and less crowded.