Climbing Walls and Gyms in Mexico City
What is it?
Most of the climbing walls in Mexico City are bouldering gyms. This means that the walls are smaller (metres) and you climb without harness or rope.
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Although bouldering scares beginners because they fear falling, the "floor" is padded and it's easy to learn how to fall properly.
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A handful of indoor walls offer top rope or sport climbing. So far, there is only one outdoor wall in Mexico City with texturized rock that can give you an idea of what climbing real rock would feel like.
Where?
Most of the climbing walls in the city are located near Metro or Metrobus stations around the nieghborhoods: Roma, Escandón/Condesa, Polanco, Narvarte and Coyoacán.
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There is a small cluster of gyms around Santa Fé and a new one in Satélite but they are too far out for most people.
How long?
Most climbing walls have day pass admissions. This means you can stay there as long as you want.
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In the center of Mexico City there are a few gyms that open as early as 7am and close at 10 or 11pm.
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Keep in mind that climbing rush hours start at around 4pm on weekdays.
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If you want to climb on the weekend, I recommend you arrive as soon as the gym opens. Any time later than 12pm may be too crowded.
How much?
An expensive climbing gym charges $250 MXN or more for a day pass. A cheaper gym charges about $120 MXN for a day pass.
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There are a few gyms that offer special discounts for students. If you have a valid student ID you can climb for as little as $75 MXN!
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If you want to be a regular at a gym, consider getting a monthly membership. However, I recommend that you choose a climbing wall that has perks - a good gym, showers, discounts in gear, etc.
Don’t underestimate
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Safety rating: 5
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You know those experiences that split your life in a “before and after” moment? This mountaineering course did that for me.
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Yes, I had an anxiety attack brought on by claustrophobia while crawling through caves for 11 straight hours... But I also had a glimpse of what traversing the Mines of Moria would’ve been like.
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Yes, I succumbed to mild altitude sickness while going up Iztaccíhuatl (5,220 m / 17,125 ft.). Once I reached the summit all I could think of was, “Ooh, I hope I don’t vomit at everyone’s feet.” But I finally crossed-off “climbing a mountain” from my bucket list.
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Battling my weaknesses, refusing to eject all the contents of my stomach at the summit and knowing that I accomplished what I set out to do—to climb mountains, jump off cliffs and crawl through caves—seemed to signify that a new era was dawning.
Mexico City's Climbing Scene in Numbers
Climbing Walls and Gyms in Mexico City
Our favorite bouldering gym in Mexico City! It’s a good size, has a small workout area, cool bathrooms and showers (sometimes cold). It’s not the cheapest but we think the extra money is worth the facilities and cleanliness. Extremely beginner-friendly routes, perfect for newbies, but they have challenging routes too.
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There are a few more locations in Santa Fé and Satélite but they are quite far from us. I've been told that the one in Santa Fé is very small. The one in Satélite is pretty new and looks amazing.
This place is advertised as “the highest artificial climbing wall in Latin America.” It’s built with artificial texturized rock, which makes it challenging but accessible. Go there to experience top rope climbing and feel the heights. It’s beginner-friendly, with various difficulty levels. The staff is helpful, but the organization could be improved.
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This bouldering gym is big, has interesting routes and a sizable workout area. It’s the only gym we’ve seen with a dedicated “warm-up wall.” It’s beginner-friendly but we didn’t like that many holds haven’t been replaced in a while and are quite slippery. We love the café on the second level!
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As a super popular gym for veterans and competitions, this gym doesn’t quite cater to beginners. It has a few “easy” routes, but not that many. It’s very crammed and a bit dirty. The upstairs workout area is OK but lacks variety of equipment and machines. We rarely go there.
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This new bouldering gym is massive, like a big warehouse. We felt the padding was quite hard, so we felt a bit nervous about falling. It’s definitely not for beginners. We spoke to one of the managers and he explained that even their “easy” routes are designed to mimic real rock conditions, so they are naturally more difficult.
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This is a bizarre climbing gym because it’s basically someone’s garage. It’s so small that they don’t have much room to make difficult routes, so it’s just holds crammed around a wall. It’s very popular and beginner-friendly, though. No workout area.
A visit is on our to-do list!
This outdoor climbing wall is strange because you access it through a private elevator in a mall. It’s has “yo-yo” belay, so no need to have a belayer. It’s not quite beginner-friendly because even their smaller wall is challenging. The routes seem to lack maintenance (holds super dirty or loose).
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"Face the fear because your goal demands it."
Alex Honnold
"Free Solo"
As I said at the beginning, this course was indeed a gateway to mountaineering. Everything we have done since we took it wouldn’t have been possible without it. Or maybe it would have but there would’ve been a lot more trial and error.
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We hiked around 180K along the Bruce Trail in Canada. We finished the W Trek in Torres del Paine, in the Chilean Patagonia. We have tried to find trails and outdoors activities every time we travel.
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There is an undeniable self-confidence that comes from knowing, really knowing, that we could do hiking trips without guides. We have begun looking at adventure races that require orienteering skills because there is no set route. We feel more and more eager to expand our outdoor knowledge and try activities that we wouldn’t have considered before...
I’m not sure I would try caving again, but we currently have our eyes on ice-climbing and slacklining! And none of this had been in our wildest dreams before taking this mountaineering course.
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We want to make room for the people who want to adventure but don’t necessarily want to take it to an extreme level.
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Are you curious about starting out in outdoor activities?
Bekenyn’s blog contains raw accounts of our travels and lessons. You’ll also find some inspiration and helpful advice.
