Since opening in late 2009, Brooklyn Boulders, located in a refitted warehouse formerly occupied by the New York Daily News, has become more than just an 18,000 square-foot climbing facility, making it the largest in New York City. The gym has also established itself as a hub for the climbing community in the most populous city in the US.

BKB differs from the rock walls at Chelsea Piers and the Manhattan Plaza Health Club in that it’s entire facility is dedicated to climbing. Among the gym’s selling points is its convenience–BKB staff teach beginner belay classes four times a day, every day.

For those who are just starting out or who want to deepen their climbing abilities, BKB offers week-long “Summer Adventures” for $495, which include gear, climbing, yoga, art and general outdoor fun time in nearby urban parks.

Since sorting out the kinks that inevitably arise when starting new ventures in recession economies and renovating buildings in former industrial wastelands, BKB now offers daily yoga classes, sells surfboards and will eventually market in-house designed skateboards.

Other features include a professionally-graffitied decor, walls by Spaeth Design (run by the family of gym co-owner Stephen Spaeth) and a scale–scaleable–model of one of the towers on the Brooklyn Bridge.  In other words, BKB is quickly becoming one of the coolest health establishments in New York City.

Community Connection

Learn about the largest climbing gym in America here.