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Want to set up a climbing gym in Melbourne? 16-Aug-2009 At 4:55:16 PM alrob

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On 16/08/2009 WM wrote:
>On 15/08/2009 Rat Man wrote:
>>But I'm pretty sure one of the existing gyms would have to go. Melbourne's
>pretty saturated for climbing gyms at the moment. It would have to be
>a REALLY good gym.
>
>I reckon it'd be pretty easy for a gym with half decent bouldering and
>roped climbing to take significant market share off nunawading. nuna has
>the crappest bouldering (both the cave structure and the problem setting)
>i've ever seen, with the route setting also pretty poor mostly. but they
>have a captive market because going to altona involves wasting 60+ minutes
>in the car for easterners. so nuna sit on their laurels and do bugger
>all re-setting, happy to leave the same shithouse problems and routes sitting
>there for years, because they know we have no choice.

Sorry Will, but that's not true at all. Firstly, Bayside Rock is going to provide climbers in the east with an alternative to Nunnawading. I think the 2 gyms will complement each other in the long run, with both offering a different climbing experience, ultimately getting more people excited about climbing. And secondly, while I'm not the biggest fan of Hardrock, mainly because I spent so much time there in my youth and I mostly boulder now, I wouldn't be so hasty to make comments like
>so nuna sit on their laurels and do bugger all re-setting, happy to leave the same shithouse >problems and routes sitting there for years, because they know we have no choice.

I think they lack in quality routes, yes, but thats more to do with the very limited pool of experienced routesetters in Melbourne, and not managments decisions to not bother trying! Seriously mate, thats a grose exaggeration, and one I know a lot of Melbourne climbers make. Most climbers out there can't begin to imagine, not just the amount of time and effort required to set routes, but also the difficulty and knowledge in setting a route which climbs well and people will enjoy, rather then a smattering of holds up a wall that resembles a route but climbs like shit.

But yes, the bouldering is junk. Baysides beats it hands down.