Seattle Bouldering Project, Fremont

Over-populated and under-staffed. Routes don’t get reset frequently enough (IMO) and there’s at least 5 bulbs out on the grasshopper board that don’t seem to ever get fixed. Elevator has been broken for weeks with no repairs which sucks for those who depend on it for accessibility of the whole facility (weight room is on basement level. Shower is on the 2nd floor). I’m a bigger fan of Poplar and support BP as a whole gym. I just wish/hope Fremont will put the effort into fixing issues that are in their control. As of 12/26/22 parking the past two months has been pretty awful. Not sure if that is in SBP control but definitely doesn’t make for a pleasant experience.

I would have rated this gym 5 stars had an employee not mocked me within 3 minutes of walking into the gym. I can be awkward in person, and I unknowingly used a very awkward mannerism when asking for a day pass. The employee who helped me repeated the mannerism back at me twice in a row. I guess he thought he was being funny. It just made me feel like an idiot, and I find that kind of treatment of another person unacceptable. Other than that initial negative impression, the gym had excellent V2 and V3 climbs. The routes were creative and some of the most fun climbs I've ever experienced. Keep in mind that I'm from St. Louis where the routes are less than mediocre. The gym smells pretty bad, like sweat and feet. It also became unbearably crowded after 7pm. Despite my negative comments, I would climb here again.

The route variety here is great, and the designs are memorable. My friends and I found plenty of enjoyable challenges when we visited here, to a point where we ended up staying for over 2 and a half hours. The workout gym is the best I've seen at a bouldering studio, too. My only complaints are that there isn't good parking nearby and the lockers are physical key based and not a rigidly secure system (the Poplar location does it better).

I was a member there for a few months and ended up leaving with a sour taste in my mouth. Even though the gym is nice, the staff always seemed very standoffish to me. I only got greeted walking into the gym once. I would walk in, look up, say hi, scan in, and just get nothing from whoever was on the other side of the desk. Maybe a glance and then back to their conversation or computer. It just made me anxious at the start of every session. I wasn’t super confident starting at a bouldering gym and the staff did nothing to make it feel welcoming. Much to the contrary. Oh, and I should mention I paid attention one day to see if I was the only one not getting greeted, and I did hear the guy at the desk greet two women that came in, but nobody else. Huh, seems strange. Then there’s the upper walls which are fun and nice, but I also just get so weirded out when I walk in and just don’t get greeted. In fact, I was there once earlier than they opened I guess, and the guy working shooed me out saying they open at 9. Another climber near me said “oh sorry I didn’t realize you weren’t open should I go?” And he’s like “OH NAW you’re cool!” Right in front of me. Why was she allowed to stay but I wasn’t? That sort of situation is cringe, and doesn’t make people feel welcome. I could also tell she was confused. Anyway, the only reason I tolerated paying almost $100 a month for this is because I was able to go during most people’s work hours and had the place mostly to myself. I found out on my last week that they had classes too that no staff member ever mentioned to me, not even when signing up! Ridiculous. If you go after work hours, this place is so crowded it’s ridiculous. Overall, SBP made me start bouldering, I did have a lot of fun, but then it made me stop bouldering because I couldn’t really have fun there anymore.

Dope place to boulder in Seattle with fresh routes usually every week! Just make sure to come on non-peak hours. Staff are really friendly, and same can be said with other boulderers, with many willing to help each other out! My primary concern is parking and after SBP Fremont lost their parking a few weeks ago, finding parking was quite difficult especially during peak hours. Wished there was a nearby lot instead of having to circle around the neighborhood for almost half an hour and risk disturbing local residents.

I really like the child programs. It's a great way to get young ones involved. Their outreach is great to the local childcare centers. I will say that the ventilation is poor and my asthma is immediately triggered. I'm not particularly sensitive, so i think this is a legit concern and I need to go outside within 20 min. The smell is something between feet and chaulk, which is probably exactly that. It's a welcome addition to the area and it's quite popular. I would echo other statements regarding parking. Bring a bike.