Twisters Climbing Gym

Twisters Sports Center is well known in the Bay Area for providing gymnastics and Tae Kwon Do facilities since its opening in the 1970′s, offering many classes for kids and young adults. What most people don’t know is that they also offer an excellent indoor rock climbing gym! Since it opened in the early 90′s this has been one of the few places you could go to learn the sport in a safe indoor environment, compete with friends, and avoid bad weather. It remains one of the most down to earth, least crowded alternatives to gyms such as Planet Granite in Sunnyvale.

The scene at Twisters is very supportive and relaxed. One hardly has to wait for a turn at one of their routes and the staff is very friendly and into the scene, they love what they do and aren’t just hired help. In my experience, the staff will actually point out routes and provide climbing tips, they are very real about the whole thing and youth lessons are a big draw here. The walls are constantly changing and it’s not uncommon to see a completely new feature one month to the next. Unlike some of the higher end chain gyms, most of the walls at Twisters are made of wood and then coated with rock texture paint. For me this is a trip back to the early days of climbing when I lived in Loveland Colorado. My gym coach in middle school (who happened to be world famous rock climber Tommy Caldwell’s father) had a wooden climbing wall installed in the gymnasium. Students were allowed to make their own routes and add bumps, boxes and overhang sections much like Twisters. It’s really amazing how much variety such walls and features can provide!

If you’re looking for an intimate climbing gym where you can bond with the staff and become part of a family then Twisters Rock Climbing Gym is perfect for you. It’s a great spot to learn because of its intimate size and crowd levels. Since they also offer gymnastics there are a few extra toys to play with including a trampoline and mats (after 7pm on weeknights). A few other things worth mentioning here include a twister board painted onto the wall (as colors are called climbers have to move a foot or arm to a hold  in the corresponding area, see pictures and video below), a tunnel area with overhangs and skylights upstairs, and a pinnacle made of concrete.

• Location:
  2639 Terminal Boulevard
  Mountain View, CA 94043
  (The Rock Climbing Gym is on the left (South) side of the building along with parking and a side entrance)
• Phone: (650) 967-5581
• Price: $12 drop in fee, $45 monthly
• Hours: M,W,F 4pm-10pm – T,Th 12pm-10pm – Fri 10am-12pm, Sat & Sun classes 12pm-2pm (call to reserve time on weekends or for parties)
• Website: www.twisterssportscenter.com

Video Review:

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