Climb Nashville East (Gym Review)

Everyone knows indoor bouldering is not my #1. I mean, are you even climbing if you’re not on a rope? Hardly. 

Maybe if you were on real rock.

And maybe if you were at a sick bouldering gym, like Climb Nashville East (aka East). 

While Murf will always be my favorite of the Climb gyms in TN, East does have a special place in my heart.

Before you even enter the gym, you’re already happy. East is in this little shop complex in east Nashville, so when you arrive you’re surrounded by cute lights and good smelling food (yes there is a delicious vegan joint in there). To fit in the complex, the gym can’t be huge, yet it doesn’t even need the space. There are separate lifting and moon board areas/rooms, but the bouldering is essentially a moderately sized room. How can this have enough bouldering to be fun?

The answer is in the setting. The differing wall geometries around the room lend themselves to unique movement, but the setters take care of the rest. Of course, there are your standard powerful problems and sketchy slabs…but there is always something whacky brewing. Some of the routes are unreadable (in my opinion), and you just have to get on them to see what they’re about. These usually have the attention of half the gym, so it ends up being you projecting some insanity with everyone else there. Plus, these crazy fun problems come in a wide range of grades, so you’ve always got something fun to work on.

One downside of city gyms is that they tend to be so busy that the holds get unusably chalky and full of rubber. Somehow, East is immune to such madness! Though, that does mean you have less to blame when you don’t send…

…but who needs to send when you’re having fun, right?…

…you got this…even anti-boulderers…go East!

Click HERE for Climb Nash East’s website!