Super nice place to climb walls in a relaxing environment. All levels are available and instructors are available to help. You will get a workout in short time and you will build your upper body strength and stamina long term. Climbing here is like solving 3D puzzles in space and time and getting a workout.

This First Ascent bouldering-centric location is great. The main area is a wide, cavernous space on the second floor with plenty of problems to go around, even during crowded times. Free temporary lockers with digital locks are on the ground floor.  Staff is super nice. If it's your first time, definitely fill out your online waiver ahead of time and expect a brief in-person orientation by the staff to show you around and relay the requisite safety precautions. Paid metered parking along the front street if you're lucky to snag one.

Had a great time here. Lively gym, extremely spacious and clean, felt just like home. On the first level as soon as you enter they have an area for weightlifting and strength training. Moving upstairs to the second level, they have a variety of walls and climbs for athletes at all levels. During the daytime is when the natural light makes this place shine!

I love how they also have a location in the Loop so I can workout when I commute too! Pro tip: BYO hotspot as the wi-fi isn’t quite strong enough for reliable zoom calls

The weight lifting machines are not calibrated right. For a gym as expensive as this you'd expect that at least. General cleanliness isn't up to the price point either; it's dirtier than LA fitness and that subscription is less than a third of the price at FA. The value at this gym is by far the staff being so friendly and good at building community, which is ironic since they're grossly underpaid.

Gym needs renovations and updates. I was a member in 2022 and it needed some love then even. Bathrooms/lockers are decrepit. This goes for the Humbolt location also. Climbing routes/setters are amazing amazing! Grassroots vibes for sure. The climbs are definitely worth the subpar accommodations.

Made the trek all the way downtown to check out this climbing facility and really enjoyed the huge variety of bouldering problems compared to the other climbing gyms in Chicagoland area. Definitely felt like they are truely aiming towards all levels of climbers very well which helps improve climbing skills much better than the smaller gyms which usually only cater to the mid to higher level climbers. Will be back here (or one of their other facilities) at least once a month for some much needed variety in my bouldering routine.

I climbed for the first time early morning on a weekday. The space was calm and quiet. The Red Line hovered across the windows from time to time and basically I faced a sprawling wall covered with bits of broken hard candy. These are labeled and color coordinated by level for beginners like me or seasoned members like my friend. The experience was fun and exclusive, like having a birthday party room all to yourself. With unlimited turns. Once you find the right level of difficulty, you climb the candy to the ceiling and back down. Not as easy as it seems and not as hard either. Highly recommended!

Nice place. Only downside is that they only have bouldering and no full size walls. But every time i went the place wasn't crowded, and they had plenty of routes for all levels

Friendly climbing gym! Love that yoga classes are included with the membership. The free weight gym is also well-equipped with multiple power racks.

I love First Ascent and each gym provides something unique on top of their high standard of polite and friendly staff. Plenty of space to use weights, yoga classes and place to stretch, moonboard, space to chill and work, WiFi included, lockers, clean bathrooms -- although only a few changing rooms by the lockers which are away from the bathrooms. Very fun upside-down climbs & this particular gym has unique setters (like the others!) who have done some really fun horizontal climbs on a few occasions. Really awesome test in patience & technique. Another place with problems that are lessons in and of itself.

As a beginner I was nervous of being judged in too serious of an environment, I also didn’t know how kid friendly it would be, but First Ascent went above and beyond my expectations for both! Everyone was positive and friendly and helpful, it seems the climbing/bouldering community is such a safe/delightful, warm and supportive one. Also it was very kid friendly, I was able to introduce my 6 year old to bouldering, the quick 5 minute training video prepared us well, and he really absorbed and listened to the safety instructions. There were easy practice spaces, and once we started getting our footing, we had fun for hours! Would do it again in a heartbeat. Thanks, First Ascent!!

This location is my favorite for bouldering. They have a wide range of routes for all levels of climbers. It’s kept very clean and the employees are always super friendly and helpful

Climbing is a great workout! I had no idea. Membership includes access to the gym equipment and yoga classes. Highly recommend.

One of the best bouldering gyms i have been to as someone who is more new / intermediate to bouldering. first, the staff is always so welcoming and kind when you walk in. the prices are pretty reasonable and they have lockers where you can keep your stuff. they have a weight gym, a bouldering gym and a yoga studio. the bouldering gym is a pretty good size and they seem to frequently change the routes. there is a wide range of routes and even the ones that are there for awhile, they are creative and fun to do again. they have classes that i have yet to try but they are available. also a bonus is the regulars are all pretty friendly and helpful too ! I always have a great experience at first ascent and definitely will keep coming here.

Facility is nice. Gonna be honest here: the setting was bad across the board. Speaking of board…The moonboard is almost impossible to sit start without dabbing because of the way the pad is tapered into the kickboard. Final straw is that they have no protein bars/drinks. Response: I couldn’t find any bars/drinks with more than 8g of protein. Y’all should really consider getting something with at least 15-20g.

They have a lot of great puzzles to climb, clean facilities, friendly and helpful staff. It's my ideal gym, I'm so glad I visited last night as a guest of a friend. I can't wait to take some lessons and start really challenging myself!

I took a beginner bouldering class. It was a smooth and easy process to book. The instructor was friendly, welcoming and encouraging. Definitely will be returning.

It was my first time bouldering and I loved it. Kadin was super knowledgeable and very helpful. He picked the perfect combination of routes to challenge me both physically and mentally. I hope to be back soon!

Awesome place to climb! Beginner-friendly, clean facility, and fun bouldering routes to try out. The staff were super helpful and made sure I was ready to go before starting out. 10/10 will be coming back again.

Excellent experience! I took the beginners class and the teacher was fantastic. Made it feel easy, even though I was so new to climbing. Also the huge beautiful windows are great for climbing in the cold winter while we can't be outside!!

The addition of the new hang board area and new weight machines finally make uptown nearly complete climbing gym! The new improvements lately really make a huge difference and have massively boosted my psyche for training