First Visit/FAQ

Yes, every person that enters Alta must have a current waiver on file whether they plan on climbing or not. If you are under the age of 18 years old, a parent or guardian must fill out the waiver for you.

Definitely! We will happily allow members and guests to rent climbing shoes, harnesses and chalk bags. You can view our day pass and rental rates in the menu above.

Nope, everyone is welcome! We have many options depending on what you are looking for. We offer monthly EFT memberships, day passes, 10 Punch Passes and Pre-paid One Month and Pre-Paid One Year memberships.

A day pass includes full access to our world-class climbing routes, climbing-specific training areas, quality fitness, yoga classes and indoor cycle classes, full-service weight rooms, and community events.

If you decide you’d like to become a member by the end of the day, we’ll even apply your day pass to your total membership cost!

Absolutely! Every membership includes 1 FREE guest pass each month to be used at your convenience.

It does! Your membership includes full access to Alta Climbing in Gilbert and Alta Boulders in Chandler.

Alta Climbing Gilbert offers roped climbing terrain up to 55 ft. tall and bouldering terrain up to 15 ft. tall, and Alta Boulders Chandler offers bouldering terrain up to 17 ft. tall.

Yes, we do! – our roped climbing gym in Gilbert has over 20 auto belays available for use. Auto belays are great if you are climbing alone. They allow you to clip and climb without the need for another person to belay.

Comfortable, stretchy athletic clothing is best. Pants or shorts that cover your knee are recommended to protect them against scraping the wall.

We do! Both Alta Climbing Gilbert and Alta Boulders Chandler have large retail areas for a well-stocked climbing and outdoor gear shop. We have a great selection of climbing shoes, harnesses, ropes, chalk bags, chalk, and much more to gear up to climb indoors and outside! We also sell lightweight outdoor camping equipment.

Belaying is the act of managing a rope to protect a climber. The belayer is there to control the slack in the rope system, catch a climber if they fall, and lower them down when they’re finished climbing. Belaying is It’s an essential skill to learn and refine, and one of the first skills we teach when you come in the gym.

The minimum age for belaying is 12.

Yes – Alta will require belay checks for both top rope and lead climbing. You can request a free belay check when you arrive. The wait time is typically 15 minutes, but we do ask for your patience during busier times as it may take longer to complete your belay test. Give us a call if you have questions about the best times to test or the skills needed to pass our belay test.

Bouldering is climbing on shorter walls that range from 14 to 17 feet tall without a rope. While you do not need previous climbing experience to boulder, it helps! Learning how to fall in bouldering is one of the first things we will teach you when you come in the gym.

Climbers should not stand or sit on the black pads unless ready to climb. If you just tried a route, you should step back off the pads and let someone else have a turn on the wall before climbing again. This system increases safety, gives everyone a chance to climb and encourages mutual awareness among climbers.

Look at an entire problem before getting on the wall. This ensures the route doesn’t intersect with another climber’s route and helps to avoid running into someone already on the wall.

When on the wall, stay at least an arm’s length away from others and outside of their fall zones. Again, this is helped by looking at the routes other climbers are on before getting on the wall. Problems overlap and one problem may end directly above where another begins. Stay out of the fall zone!

Down climb a boulder problem, when possible. Every fall is a ground fall, so reduce the potential impacts by downclimbing rather than jumping off, when possible. If you do jump, please check underneath you to make sure no one is in your fall zone. There is no way to guarantee a safe fall while bouldering, but techniques have been developed over the years that may mitigate some injury risks. Attempt to fall in a controlled manner and use the following general falling guidelines:

• Spot your landing before releasing to ensure it is clear and there is enough landing space.
• Stay relaxed and attempt to absorb the landing while bent knees rolling to your butt, back or side if needed.
• Avoid extending your arms to catch your fall.
  If you’d like to learn more about bouldering, ask our front desk staff about taking a class.

Do not climb barefooted.

Do not wear climbing shoes into the bathroom.

Minimize chalk usage by shaking excess chalk in the chalkbag, not blowing it into the air. Better yet – give liquid chalk a try!

In the route climbing area, place water bottles and other personal items next to the wall, not in the middle of the floor.

We do not provide daycare, but we do have many ways that you can climb with your kids. Within the kid’s zone are routes up to 40’ tall and many auto belays for parents and their kids!

The colored labels are an easy way to determine the difficulty level of a route or problem. We developed our grading system to be broad to accommodate for the individuality of climbing grades. The colored labels are simply a guide for what to expect. They are not intended to judge a climber’s ability.