Tim W

Review of Delaware Rock Gym

This was my home gym for about a year until I move...

This was my home gym for about a year until I moved out of the area. Overall, this is an excellent gym that I would recommend to anyone in northern Delaware.

The staff is all very friendly and helpful. They are an approachable group and are always courteous to the climbers, including guests, parties, and first-timers. If you pick their brains, you'll find they're also pretty experienced and can give a few good pointers.

The overall quality of the facility is excellent. The felt padding throughout all climbing areas and the additional padding for the bouldering area is all in great condition and very comfortable. While some of the holds can collect chalk, I almost never saw a truly dirty hold. The ropes are also in great condition, especially since they switched out for new ropes in early 2018. The lead climbing ropes, which can be borrowed for free, are also in good condition. While the place can get a little hot during the summer, they can open the large warehouse doors for a good breeze and tan. The overall quantity of climbs is very good, especially for top-rope, and they rotate out climbs frequently enough to keep the regulars satisfied.

Praise aside, I do have a short wishlist of things that could make this place even better:
* The strength & conditioning area has no dumbbells. This is useful for climbers to train antagonist muscles (push muscles like chest and triceps) and avoid injuries.
* The "lounge" area has uncomfortable plastic folding chairs and tables that probably deserve an upgrade.
* While they do offer private instruction (if you ask for it), it would be useful if they offered occasional group technique lessons.
* The shelves for personal belongings fill up very quickly during busy hours, so an additional shelf (or lockers) would be nice to have.