Rock climbing at Dogpatch Boulders 🧗
This bouldering gym is one of the best in the city || (2 min read)
My buddy Tomas is a bouldering and rock climbing hobbyist. He’s tried out different bouldering gyms in the city but prefers Dogpatch Boulders, located in Dogpatch just south of the UCSF hospitals. There’s a lot of hype around bouldering, especially among young professionals in San Francisco. I had to go check out what the hype was all about.
Dogpatch Boulders
Dogpatch Boulders is owned by Touchstone Climbing, a company with a strong reputation for establishing quality climbing gyms across California. It was my first time visiting and I didn’t have a membership, but my friend Tomas does.
A membership will cost you $100 initiation fee and $100 / month afterwards.
A day pass will cost you $34 (including shoes). If visit with a member like I did, you get $10 off, so $24 for the one day pass
If you consistently boulder, it is most definitely worth it to get a membership. Dogpatch boulders is San Francisco’s first bouldering only gym, and it is the largest bouldering gym in all of California. They have obstacles for all levels of climbers, well-trained staff, great equipment, and a bunch of amenities.
Amenities
Spray walls, kilter boards, and campus boards to improve your climbing technique and grip strength.
A regular gym. You can also just come to Dogpatch Boulders to lift weights. Gyms around San Francisco already cost $100/month. Might as well get a Dogpatch membership and have a climbing gym as a plus!
Since I am not an experienced climber, I can’t really compare the quality of courses to other gyms. Tomas has climbing experience and has said that Dogpatch Boulders’ pieces aren’t too harsh on the hands, its courses are excellent and challenging, and the equipment is great quality.
As a first time climber, Dogpatch was very friendly. They use the V grading scale to rank the course difficulty, and they have courses ranging anywhere from VB (basic) to V10. As a first timer, I was able to V0’s, most V1’s, and some V2’s. Tomas has been climbing for over a year and spend the day working on completing a challenging V7. There were a lot of other people also at the beginner level, so I never really felt intimidated at the gym. There were also lots of experienced climbers I observed and learned from. People at Dogpatch Boulders are very friendly.
Vibes
I visited Sunday afternoon at 2pm, and it was not busy at all. You do have to be courteous of other people’s space and wait for them to finish, for safety reasons. There was never an excessive wait to start any course. However, I’ve heard that it can get really busy right after work during the weekdays around 5pm - 7pm. This is because Dogpatch Boulders is conveniently located in proximity to many of the tech offices and the UCSF hospital.
I felt pretty safe leaving my shoes, wallet, and phone in the cubbies. The facility was very clean and I felt comfortable climbing. If you’re really into bouldering, getting a Dogpatch Boulders membership is well worth it. If you’re a beginner and not sure, just get a day pass with your friends and give it a try.