Dead-end street on the east side of Rochester transforms into newest indoor rock climbing venue

A dead end street on the east side of Rochester has been transformed into a rock climbing haven.

The cavernous Central Rock Gym Rochester opened its doors last weekend at 725 Averill Ave., offering 20,000 square feet of climbing terrain in different styles, including a 45-foot tall lead climbing wall.

The indoor climbing community is growing in the area, due to the sport’s building popularity nationwide and the lack of outdoor climbing options in Western New York, said Jason Kraybill, who runs youth programs and events at Central Rock Gym Rochester.

“People want to do it as a form of alternative exercise … or if you want to push your limits and train for outdoor climbing, you can do that here too,” he said.

The community has been served by two existing gyms in the Rochester region in recent years — RocVentures on University Avenue, which offers an array of climbing options, and the Red Barn at the Rochester Institute of Technology, which is strictly a bouldering gym, meaning routes are lower in height and climbed without ropes.

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Central Rock Gym’s Rochester facility is one of 13 locations around the Northeast, with new locations slated to open in Boston and Buffalo soon. A location opened in Syracuse last year.

The founding Hardy brothers, who opened their first Central Rock Gym in 2009 in Worcester, Massachusetts, and huge success propelled them to expand their gym network, said Kraybill.

In addition to climbing, Central Rock Gym offers fitness classes like yoga and High Intensity Interval Training in an onsite studio and fitness room, which also includes treadmills, weights and other gym equipment. In-house instructors will teach progressive climbing classes to help climbers of all levels hone their skills.

The gym focuses on several things — helping members become better overall climbers, whether they’re planning to climb outdoors or not, and, for those who’ve never climbed before, exposing them to the rock climbing culture, said Kraybill.

“We’re all about community, we’re all about encouraging people to meet like-minded folks here … and to get involved with things you might not normally be involved with,” he said.

Membership is $75 per month, with a discounted option for students or military personnel. A family membership is $119 per month. Memberships include access to all climbing and fitness classes, access to all CRG locations and other benefits.

The standard day climbing rate is $18 per day, plus gear rental ($7 for a harness, shoes, chalk and a belay device.)

For hours and other information, go to Centralrockgym.com.

STADDEO@Gannett.com