Who runs this site? How long have you been climbing? Why did you start the site?

Hi, I do! My name is Tess.

I’ve been climbing for almost 4 years and I currently climb top rope, lead, and boulder. I also dabble in dry tooling but I’ve never ice climbed. I’m originally from Washington state, but I currently live and climb in Salt Lake City. My favorite type of climbing is slab, but I tend to struggle with slopers and dynos. I’m primarily a gym climber, but I have done some outdoor bouldering in New York, West Virginia, Salt Lake City, and the Czech Republic. Feel free to follow my Instagram for videos of my climbing.

Whenever I travel I try to check out the nearest climbing gym to see the difference between other gyms and my home gym. I’ve had the pleasure of climbing at a variety of gyms in the U.S. as well as several gyms in Japan and the Czech Republic. I love visiting new gyms and seeing how the climbing scene has grown over the years.

Why do your reviews have a V-rating, like a boulder?

I rate each gym based on many factors, such as how challenging the setting is, the variety in climbing types, and gym convenience (such as parking options). I decided to use a V-scale to rate the gyms to keep things more interesting and give me more range than just a boring 1-10.

V0-V3: Beginner (Much room for improvement)
V4-V6: Intermediate (Some room for improvement)
V7-V9: Advanced (Little room for improvement)
V10-V13: Expert (Basically perfect)

** Just remember that these ratings are solely based on my own opinions of the gyms. I encourage all climbers to visit other gyms and make their own opinions on what they like, since all climbers have different styles, strengths, and preferences for climbing. Ratings aside, I wholeheartedly support all gyms that support their local climbing community and help climbers to get stronger and more confident **

When did you start writing reviews?

I officially published the site in October of 2023, but I have been posting video reviews on my TikTok and Instagram pages for several months prior to the full launch of the site.