Portland OR rock gym?

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Messages 1 - 18 of total 18 in this topic
Gunkie

Trad climber
Valles Marineris
Topic Author's Original Post - May 2, 2016 - 06:33am PT
I will be on business in Portland on MAY 16/17 and will be taking a red-eye back east late on the 17th (early 18th) and want to hit a gym that evening before the flight. So I see that Portland has like one rock gym for every micro-brewery in town. My questions:

1. Which gym has showers I can use?
2. Which gym is close to a good micro-brewery with decent food?
3. Which is the best micro-brewery in Portland, just in case I don't make it to the gym?

Thanks in advance!
christoph benells

Trad climber
Tahoma, Ca
May 2, 2016 - 07:17am PT
Portland rock gym is my favorite, there is that stupid planite granite hipneess if you want to inflate you're ego with soft grades,

support PRG. planite granite is the anti-portland corpo gym.

Base camp brewing is a short walk from PRG and is outdoor themed, climber/outdoorsy folks hang there, although that owner just got in some sketchy trouble with guns and drugs and cops and what not...

there are too many breweries to choose from...

Southeast Portland is such a cool place!

Next Adventure is a legendary gear shop just down the street from base camp and PRG, where i worked for many years, stop by and tell em' christoph benells sent ya!

Winter

climber
May 2, 2016 - 07:50am PT
I respectfully disagree.

Planet Granite has been a great addition to Portland's climbing community and I think its kind of lame to bad mouth it for being too corporate or to complain about inflated grads. The climbing facilities at Planet Granite are world-class, both for lead climbing and bouldering, without question the best in town. And they won't charge you to use a towel (or two).

christoph benells

Trad climber
Tahoma, Ca
May 2, 2016 - 08:09am PT
your points are valid.

it is a great addition to the climbing community, and it is a better facility.

but to me, it represents how portland is changing, and not for the better.

Portland is/was great because of all the funky, locally owned businesses. Now, all the corporations and developers are moving in and ruining what made Portland unique in the first place.

I won't support it (the new development in portland, not planet granite necessarily [climbing gyms are better than condoes...]), and I encourage others to not support it also.


SE Portland is the REAL portland, NW is getting worse by the minute. Many Portlander's haven't crossed the bridge to the NW in months.
phylp

Trad climber
Upland, CA
May 2, 2016 - 09:24am PT
planite granite is the anti-portland corpo gym

Hmm, It would surprise me if Portland Rock gym isn't also a corporation.

The Portland gym is the fourth offering from the Planet Granite team. (I've met a couple of the owner/climbers over the years - great people). I haven't been to the Portland gym, but I loved all three of the first PG venues, Sunnyvale, SF and San Carlos. Their ethos seems to be to build the best indoor climbing experience they can, and to add supporting facilities and other activities that the local community wants. All of their gyms I've used are clean, light, have great facilities and friendly staff.

Your complaint seems to be that the owners are not "locals", and that Portland is changing. But the business will be staffed by locals and will succeed or fail based on locals perception of value for the cost.

Good luck to all the gyms. Portland is a big city and can probably easily support more than one.
bobinc

Trad climber
Portland, Or
May 2, 2016 - 09:31am PT
ASFAIK, PRG is owned by one family and has been from the start (late 80s). I am a member there and do like the grading and general quality of routes (as well as the routesetters) and they did just expand (mostly bouldering. There are many good watering holes very close to PRG, including the Sandy Hut (but no on-board brewery there). Base Camp is a good call (but hadn't heard about any run-ins with the law).

PG's facility is brand-new, has taller leads (55' or so) and an unsurpassed fitness area. Yes- it's corporate but that's kinda the way things are going and having a choice isn't a bad thing. Bridgeport Brewing is pretty close (but itself went through a Planet Hollywoodification a few yrs back...)

In the time it took to write this, there are likely at least 3 more microbreweries now established in PDX. Yelp yourself to happiness on that.
ms55401

Trad climber
minneapolis, mn
May 2, 2016 - 10:31am PT
where is Hudon most likely to be sighted?
bobinc

Trad climber
Portland, Or
May 2, 2016 - 10:34am PT
probably El Cap Meadow this time of year...
Spiny Norman

Social climber
Boring, Oregon
May 2, 2016 - 11:16am PT
…an unsurpassed fitness area…

If you actually want to train v. being seen and socializing, don't %^&* around. Go to Loprinzi's.
bobinc

Trad climber
Portland, Or
May 2, 2016 - 11:30am PT
sure.. guess I meant 'unsurpassed' by other PDX climbing gyms...
Gunkie

Trad climber
Valles Marineris
Topic Author's Reply - May 2, 2016 - 06:07pm PT
Thanks for the tips!
couchmaster

climber
May 2, 2016 - 07:30pm PT
I've been climbing for over 40 years but can say but little about the Portland climbing gym scene. Sorry. I have tied in with Gary Rall back in the day, such a good guy. Gary developed the 2nd rock gym in the US and it's still both highly regarded and called the Portland Rock Gym. Last time I was there Gary had allowed drytooling so that the local folks could have a competition, and/or John Frieh was doing a slide show. I came in from a day climbing, had but a single beer and awoke surrounded by friends and a pile of crap on my chest having both missed the slide show and won a bunch of raffle things. Furthermore, Portland Rock Gym is centrally located and outside of the "NW PDX crazy no parking to be had" area. So 'd go for that. I have been to Planite Granite, great place. Stoneworks in Beaverton, excellent folks - but no showers. Club MILF, aka Club Sport, has good routes (long ones) great showers, and beer you can drink afterwards while you watch your younger buddies still climbing from a balcony. That's worth something, but it's in Tualatin, long way away. The Circuit has high topouts, only bouldering and no showers (Lake O location, can't speak for the farther Tigard one)

As we are having good weather, best to try and get a lap in on real rock.

ps, I misspelled planite and it wasn't intentional. Went for a hike today and got my ass handed to me:-) That and 2 glasses of wine.
gunsmoke

Mountain climber
Clackamas, Oregon
May 3, 2016 - 06:18am PT
Hmm, It would surprise me if Portland Rock gym isn't also a corporation.

PRG was one the first rock gyms in the nation. Definitely a home brew, not a big corp as one might expect not knowing the history. Planet Granite Portland is much bigger and with better amenities such as showers, but also is getting really crowed, I hear. After a 1 month membership at Planet Granite I returned to PRG.
phylp

Trad climber
Upland, CA
May 3, 2016 - 09:50am PT
Hi, my point with the "corporation" comment, just had to do with the way businesses are organized, either as sole proprietorship or a partnership, unincorporated, vs an incorporated business, a C-corp, S- Corp or LLC, which gives your personal assets one layer of shielding from lawsuits. I cannot imagine anyone would own a high liability business without being incorporated.

When I was a single person working as a consultant, I was "incorporated" as an LLC.
skitch

Gym climber
Bend Or
May 3, 2016 - 12:01pm PT
The owner of the PRG is a tool! He tried to get the circuit shut down... But at least the people that climb there are complete dicks as well.

Planet granite is the best gym I have ever been too and it is very close to several top notch breweries.
christoph benells

Trad climber
Tahoma, Ca
May 3, 2016 - 12:14pm PT
that is a bunch of hearsay.

any business owner would be peaved if another similar business moved in right down the street.

especially when PRG has been at it since the beginning, and then all of the sudden climbing is cool and the nightclub..err... i mean the circuit pops up and tries to reach into his customer base.
Spiny Norman

Social climber
Boring, Oregon
May 3, 2016 - 03:03pm PT
Like Couchmaster & Christoph said.

Another thumbs-up for Gary Rall & Co. Stand-up guy who helped found the industry.

Gary & PRG deserve your business. For a regular gym, Loprinzi's is where it's at, and has been for almost 60 years.
Gunkie

Trad climber
Valles Marineris
Topic Author's Reply - May 21, 2016 - 05:30am PT
Thanks agains for all of the tips. Ended up going to the Portland Rock Gym, which was great. However, I couldn't slide the $17 bouldering day fee past my boss as a meal or a hooker. And Henry's 12th Street Tavern was also very nice. Great place to get lit before a red-eye.
Messages 1 - 18 of total 18 in this topic
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