The Explorette

🏆GYM OF THE WEEK:

Adventure Rock, Milwaukee

Adventure Rock is an open concept climbing gym that even has bleachers for spectators and competitions. The taller walls for roped climbing have varying surfaces from vertical to radically overhanging. They even have a few full-length cracks for jamming fans.

A mix of auto-belays, top ropes and lead walls to sprinkle throughout the gym letting you experience different challenges no matter what type of climbing you are doing today.

The upstairs mezzanine is home to the bouldering walls and fitness area. There are boulder problems of all levels and big soft mats when you blow that dyno.

The fitness center has weights and cardio along with a mix of climbing-specific training tools.

🏆GYM OF THE WEEK:

Energy Rock Gym, Charleston

Energy is a bouldering gym with varying walls up to 16 feet tall. The mix of slabs, vertical and overhanging faces give you lots of climbing options. They even have a massive mushroom feature from Super Mario. The ramping overhang is a favorite feature getting steeper the higher you go. There are about 90 problems with new ones rotated each week.

This is a great place to train with campus boards, fingerboards, and gymnastics rings. If you want to work on your one-arm pullup their weighted pulley system will let you take off however much weight. This will let you work up to your full body weight in a safe manner. They even have a moving Treadwall that will allow you to do a climb that never ends.

🏆GYM OF THE WEEK:

Petra Cliffs Indoor Climbing Center, Burlington

Part climbing gym, part outdoor school, Petra Cliffs Indoor Climbing Center is a full-service climbing gym, activity center, and mountaineering school.

They offer courses in mountaineering, backcountry skiing, and rock climbing. A full selection of youth programs from outdoor education to indoor high ropes courses is here as well.

The public climbing gym offer bouldering from V0-V10+ which means there is something for almost everyone. On the taller walls, they have auto-belays, top rope, and lead climbing. The terrain starts vertical and progresses to horizontal roof structures so there is something for everyone.