The Refuge Climbing and Fitness

Pros: 1. Grading is closer to outdoor grades than most gyms. The grades will feel stiff compared to most climbing gyms. 2. The staff are friendly and supportive. 3. Open until 10pm. 4. This is the closest climbing gym to the strip if you are one of the many people visiting Vegas on business, and you just need to get some reps in while you're away from home. 5. There is a small workout area including a moon board, tension board and some weights. There are also 3 auto belay stations if you bring a harness, but this is primarily a bouldering gym, so I would consider these more of a training perk. Cons: 1. Chalk is everywhere. I've climbed in gyms all over the US, and I've never seen a gym with a chalk problem this bad. The first thing I noticed when I walked inside was the chalk cloud in the air. This will undoubtedly cause many regulars to have chronic lung issues later in life. This place would really benefit from 2-3 chalk eaters. Also, chalk is layered so thick on some of the holds that it is sometimes hard to tell if you're on route if an adjacent problem is a similar color. These should be thoroughly cleaned on a more regular basis. 2. Layers of paint on the walls. It's peeling off in many places and scrapes off under your fingernails. It's clearly old and time for a renovation. 3. Unaware crowds. Like most busy gyms this place gets crowded. Unfortunately, people here just sit in crowds under overhanging walls limiting the useful climbing space.

Pretty good gym. Good setting. OK community. Too obsessed with profit. Always busy, only gym in Vegas right now. Effectively the only gym I've ever been a member of with no guest pass. Have one but it is only usable if the person has never been to the gym so it is not a membership benefit but a gym advertising tool. The owner only hires women too which is pretty creepy.

Routes are graded aggressively.. I usually climb V3-V4 at my home gym in CA but, my ego took a hit today. V1s and V2s only during this 1 hr session. Would have also liked some more slabs, walls are a bit old, but there is plenty to try as a visitor. Also walls are nearly un-smear-able. Climbers are friendly. Staff was friendly. Prepare to be humbled at all levels.

My first time at this gym and I absolutely love the settings. I’ve been climbing for 1.5 years and noticed some of the VB-V3 climbs are sandbagged. Not sure how beginners can even climb some of the easier sets! The gym has a training area and it’s so well used. A lot of climbers here don’t slack on training and you can tell because there were a lot of strong climbers on a schedule or had their training apps on! I personally enjoyed the treadwall because I don’t have this back at my home gym. I also appreciate the tension and moonboard and the different varieties of climb, especially the slab wall. Not sure if I would recommend this gym for beginners but if you’re more on the experienced side, I think you’ll appreciate the sets here.

This is a GREAT gym. I felt every grade actually increased in difficulty, and as a V6 V7 climber the pinks were really fun and the yellows were challenging but totally attainable in 1 or 2 sessions. The climbs here are really long, and the holds seem old but still feel really good. Overall it had an old school feel and the staff, setters, and climbers were all really friendly. The bouldering area is a little cramped so you have to get out of the way when other people are climbing.