About The Oaks Climbing
A bouldering-focused gym located in a former movie theater, offering a unique two-floor layout, a workout area, and a sauna. It fosters a good community among climbers but has mixed feedback regarding route quality, rental equipment, and parent-child supervision.
What parents should know
Summarized from real visitor reviews.
Best for: Families whose children are experienced climbers and whose parents are already knowledgeable about gym safety and etiquette.Parents looking for a bouldering-focused gym with extra amenities like a workout area and sauna.Climbers interested in a community-oriented gym with a unique architectural space.Families looking to participate in or attend bouldering competitions and events.Primarily suited for children old enough to engage in bouldering. Parents must be prepared for active and informed supervision, as the gym does not offer explicit safety education for non-climber parents regarding supervising minors, which could be a concern for families new to climbing safety protocols.
Why families love it
- Unique gym design with two floors of tall bouldering walls, housed in a former movie theater.
- Includes a dedicated workout area and a sauna for post-climb relaxation or fitness.
- Staff at the front desk are consistently described as friendly and great.
- Fosters a good community among nearby climbers.
- Hosts well-regarded bouldering competition events.
- Recently perfected down-climb handles, which benefit kids' confidence and save the backs of older climbers.
Insider tips
- Bring your own chalk if you require it, as it is not provided and must be purchased from the gym's shop.
- If you are a non-climber parent supervising children, be prepared to educate yourself thoroughly on climbing gym safety and etiquette, including fall zones and right-of-way, as the gym does not provide this training.
- If your children are still developing climbing confidence, the recently perfected down-climb handles may be beneficial for them.
- Experienced climbers seeking challenging V5+ routes should adjust expectations, as routes may feel easier than in other gyms.
- Avoid relying on rental gear due to reported poor quality.
Good to know before you go
- If you are a parent new to climbing and expect the gym to train you on how to safely supervise your children around bouldering walls.
- If you are an advanced climber seeking highly challenging and varied route setting (especially V5 and above) and expect top-tier rental equipment.
- If you expect basic climbing necessities like chalk to be provided without extra cost.
- The gym does not provide chalk, expecting visitors to purchase it from their shop, which is viewed by one reviewer as a 'scummy business practice' for a basic necessity.
- Route setting is criticized for being 'bad' and 'average'; V5 routes are perceived as easier (questionably V4s) compared to other gyms.
- Crowds
- The gym's atmosphere is described as 'a little underused for the size', suggesting it generally has good capacity and may not often feel overly crowded.
- Value
- The basic entry fee does not include chalk, which must be purchased separately from their shop, a practice described by one reviewer as 'scummy'. Rental gear is considered poor value ('worst in the bay area'). For experienced climbers, the routes may feel easier than expected, potentially diminishing value for advanced sessions. The overall value might be better for those who appreciate the facility's unique amenities (workout, sauna) and community, rather than purely the climbing experience or gear quality.
- Accessibility
- No accommodations mentioned.
- Safety
- Recently improved down-climb handles for kids' confidence and safety. However, a significant gap in safety is the reported lack of gym-provided education for non-climber parents on how to supervise children safely in bouldering fall zones and active climbing areas.
What parents say
"What an amazing concept... but... How unfortunate to not have chalk and to have bad routes. They advertise all these routes, amount of walls to climb, but don't even provide the bare necessities. This means you have to pay for their shop, which is a scummy business practice. Then you go to climb, and it's not this mecca of bouldering but just an average gym that looks cool. Pacific Pipe has SO MUCH more to climb, has chalk, better equipment, and better everything... just avoid here and go there if you're visiting. This place will leave you wanting more. What this gym has going for it is a g"
5 months ago
"I love The Oaks! It's a great facility -- bouldering, workout area, and, of course, the sauna!!! The staff at the front desk are the friendliest folks. A gem of a gym in North Berkeley! I have been with touchstone climbing since they started, and I love this new addition."
4 months ago
"This is overall a great climbing gym. I’m giving a one-star regarding how children are supervised here. I think the gym has a responsibility to train non-climber parents how to safely supervise their children. But what I see here (and other touchstone locations as well) is that a lot of parents don’t understand the climbing etiquette and safety. They’ll let their children start a route intersecting with a climber on the wall. They’ll stand in the fall zone of another climbing with their children. They’ll stroll with their kids along the wall. I don’t think this is the parents’ fault. I think t"
2 months ago
Reviews sourced from public Google data.
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