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A new rock climbing gym is coming to Rochester this fall.
Central Rock Gym, a climbing-centered fitness facility focused on indoor rock climbing and yoga, announced it will be moving into a 20,000-square-foot space on Alexander Street.
Currently Rochester is home to two indoor rock-climbing facilities.
The popular RockVentures, located in a converted warehouse on University Avenue, is open year-round and features 18,000 square feet with 50 ropes to climb upwards of 30 to 40 feet.The facility, which opened in 1995, also features a ropes course — a series of rope-walking stations on the upper portion of the converted warehouse — and a rappelling platform.
Rochester Institute of Technology's Red Barn climbing gym is also open to the public when class is in session. The 100-year-old barn on the Henrietta campus features bouldering caves, but the gym also stands without heat and plumbing, making for a chilly climb in Rochester's coldest months.
More: Indoor Rock Climbing: A puzzle on the wall
The new space set to open on Alexander Street between Park and Monroe avenues, will feature 45-foot-tall walls large enough for 100 people to climb at the same time. There will also be dedicated space (300 feet) for bouldering and a kids-specific climbing zone.
Outside the climbing areas, there will be a space for yoga and fitness classes and a cardio area — with treadmills, elliptical and rowing machines and steppers — and weight-lifting stations.
The Massachusetts-based company currently has nine locations throughout the northeast and plans to open three new climbing gyms in Manhattan and Stoneham, Massachusetts, and Rochester this calendar year. The company launched in 2009 and opened a branch in Syracuse in December.
Co-owner Ed Hardy said he is targeting a November opening date for Rochester.
Memberships will cost $75 per month for one year. A day pass is $20 per person. In comparison, RockVentures monthly membership fee costs $40 for an individual or $89 for a family and the gym's daily admission costs $16 per person.