Garden State Rocks

Paul Ranieri

It was great instructors are are very patient unbelievable with the kids

Vr Gamer

It's a small rock climbing place but it's fun I would recommend you bring your own gear as the prices ad up quickly but is worth it

Ryan Amos

This gym mainly focuses around bouldering, but has some top rope options, and a limited number of auto-belay and lead climbs. The setting quality is decent, and they have a challenging finger crack I’m looking forward to working on. They also have some interesting features like a chimney section for top roping and bouldering walls ranging from slightly slabby to very overhung. A minor point is that routes are taped, an old-school approach. It seems most routes are approaching mono-chrome, with variation in color shades of the holds. I don’t think this is a big deal. Another minor issue is the burdensome waiver process. You’ll be asked to fill out multiple waivers on your phone, which take a significant amount of time. Having a waiver-tablet and simpler waivers would be a significant time-saver. I have some more substantial concerns however: The first is that while they have a fully padded floor, the padding is thin. They supplement this with drop mats, but the mats are old and lumpy, and both the floor and mats are in desperate need of replacement The second is the number of “safety” rules for toproping that are unsupported by evidence & climbing associations. I believe these practices are unsound and lead to a false sense of security through security theater. Specifically: 1. They mandate the use of a double-fisherman’s stopper. The stopper knot is a holdover from the bowline era. There are no documented cases of a fully tied and dressed figure 8 coming undone. (When I brought this up, I was told I would be the first) 2. They mandate the use of ground anchors, which aren’t necessary unless the weight difference is large. Additionally, they fail to take the reasonable precaution many gyms do of double wrapping their top anchors (this may be because not all anchors are have top bars). Personally I find the ground anchors disruptive to the belay, although those belaying with a large weight difference will appreciate them. 3. Furthermore, the way they mandate ground anchoring to be done may create a tri-axial load on the belay carabiner, potentially reducing the strength of the carabiner to 1/3 it’s rated strength. 4. They mandate the use of manual belay devices. Many gyms now require assisted braking devices, or at the minimum permit their use. These devices reduce strain on the brake hand and give the climber a chance against a bad belay. I hope that GSR can address these issues, because I think the gym otherwise has great vibes and decent setting

Suraj Sehgal

Had a group of beginners and signed up for a private belay. Rich was a wonderful staff member, supportive and encouraging - everyone was super excited to have tried climbing!