Cascadia
Welcome to the Cascadia page!
Here you can find information about the sport of climbing is as well as what Project Send It is working on in the NW Oregon/SW Washington area. We also have a list of local gyms and their youth offerings so you can easily find the closest gyms to you and get started.
What's going on in PSI Cascadia?
Sendership Applications Open
Finance Director
Q&A: Climbing Edition
What?
Who?
How?
Where?
Why?
Climbing is an interesting sport in that it uses nearly every kind of muscle and energy system in some capacity. Endurance? Check. Cardio? Check. Strength? Check check.
Aside from the physical benefits, climbing gyms provide a “third space” that isn’t home or school. Climbing allows kids to find community in addition to challenging themselves and gaining confidence through learning new skills. This sport can especially appeal to kids who haven’t found passion in typical team sports, because although it’s collaborative in nature, it’s individual in performance.
Local Gyms
Portland City
The Circuit NE
The Circuit NE is one of three Circuit locations in the Portland area and is located just off NE Sandy and 17th. It has a slightly separated kids’ area with a slide and top-out boulder in addition to a variety of bigger bouldering walls. It offers several after-school classes for kids of various ages as well as a recreational youth team.
Note that the Circuit does require reservations for all kids 12 and under between 9am and 4pm on all weekends and no-school days. You can make a reservation here.
Mini Monkeys: ages 5-6, 1-hour classes, 6-week sessions
Short Circuits: ages 7-10, 1-hour classes, 6-week sessions
Circuit Bouldering Club: ages 11-14, 1-hour classes, 6-week sessions
Recreational Team: ages 9-18, 2-hour practices, 2 days per week. Tryouts for the fall season are on September 23, 2024 from 4:30-6:30pm. Email [email protected] if you have any questions.
Sign your Circuit waiver here.
The Circuit SW
The Circuit SW is one of three Circuit locations in the Portland area and is located off Macadam, just north of Willamette Park. It has a small kids’ area with a slide and top-out boulder in addition to a variety of bigger bouldering walls. It offers several after-school classes for kids of various ages as well as a competitive youth team.
Note that the Circuit does require reservations for all kids 12 and under between 9am and 4pm on all weekends and no-school days. You can make a reservation here.
Mini Monkeys: ages 5-6, 1-hour classes, 6-week sessions
Short Circuits: ages 7-10, 1-hour classes, 6-week sessions
Circuit Bouldering Club: ages 11-14, 1-hour classes, 6-week sessions
Competitive Team: ages 9-18, 2.5-hour practices, 3 days per week. Tryouts by invitation only. Email [email protected] if you have previous competitive climbing experience and would like to try out.
Movement
Movement Portland is the only PNW location of a nationwide chain of climbing gyms. Located in Northwest Portland/The Pearl, it has a small kids area at the back, as well as a variety of bouldering and rope climbing terrain. It offers several after-school programs and climbing teams for kids of various ages.
After School Programs ages 6-8: 1.5-hour classes, 8-week sessions
After School Programs ages 9-12: 1.5-hour classes, 8-week sessions
All of Movement’s teams are open to kids ages 6-18.
Intro: 1 day/week, 2-hour practices
Intermediate: 2 days/week, 2-hour practices
Advanced: 2 days/week, 2.5-hour practices
Competitve (split into younger and older groups): 3 days/week, 2.5-hour practices
Sign your Movement waiver here.
Portland Rock Gym
The first climbing gym to open in Portland, this location of Portland Rock Gym is located in NE Portland, just north of Sandy and 12th. It has a separate room geared mainly towards youth and instruction, in addition to a variety of bouldering and rope climbing walls, and a cafe upstairs. It offers an afterschool club for new climbers, as well as several climbing teams for various ages and abilities.
Introductory Youth Club: ages 9-13, 1.5-hour classes once per week, 4-week sessions
Youth Belay Class: ages 9-13, single 3-hour class to teach belay skills
Recreational: ages 9-18, 1-2 days/week, 1-hour practices
Development: ages 9-18, 4-6.5 hours per week
Competition: ages 9-18, 4-6.5 hours per week
Sign your PRG waiver here.
Skyhook
Youth Programs: ages 6-18, 1.5-hour classes once per week, 6-8 week sessions
Note: Skyhook offers pick-up from Abernathy Elementary for youth classes. Email [email protected] with any questions.
Skyhook’s climbing team begins 9/16/24. Initially, the team will practice all together two days a week. As the team grows, they will split into Recreational, Development, and Competition teams.
Sign your Skyhook waiver here.
Vancouver
The Source
The Source is currently the only climbing gym in Vancouver, WA. Located on Main and 12th, the facility has a rope climbing area including autobelays up front, and a bouldering area towards the back. It also has a youth climbing area upstairs. The Source offers several levels of kids’ classes for intro climbers in addition to their youth teams.
Youth Intro Class: ages 6-12, single 1-hour class
Youth Classes: ages 6-14 (classes divided by age), 1-hour classes once per week, 4-week sessions; must take Youth Intro Class first
The Source’s current climbing team season is 9/7/24-6/6/25.
Recreational: ages 9-18, 1-2 days/week, 1.5-hour practices
Competition: ages 9-18, 2-3 days/week, 2-hour practices
Sign your Source waiver here.
Gresham
Rock Haven
Youth Bouldering Class: ages 5-12, 1-hour classes, both weekly and monthly sign-up options
Recreational and Competition Teams: ages 8-18, 1.5-hour practices, 2 days per week; email [email protected] for more information and to register.
Sign your Rock Haven waiver here.
Beaverton, Tigard, Hillsboro
Portland Rock Gym Beaverton
Recreational: ages 9-18, 1-2 days/week, 1-hour practices
Development: ages 9-18, 4-6.5 hours per week
Competition: ages 9-18, 4-6.5 hours per week
Elite: ages 11-18, invite-only, 7.5+ hours per week
Sign your PRG waiver here.
The Circuit Tigard
The Circuit Tigard is one of three Circuit locations in the Portland area, and is located at Upper Boones Ferry and Durham. It has a large kids’ area with two slides and two top-out boulders, as well as a variety of bigger bouldering walls. It offers several after-school classes for kids of various ages in addition to a recreational youth team.
Note that the Circuit does require reservations for all kids 12 and under between 9am and 4pm on all weekends and no-school days. You can make a reservation here.
Mini Monkeys: ages 5-6, 1-hour classes, 6-week sessions
Short Circuits: ages 7-10, 1-hour classes, 6-week sessions
Circuit Bouldering Club: ages 11-14, 1-hour classes, 6-week sessions
Recreational Team: ages 9-18, 2-hour practices, 2 days per week. Tryouts for the fall season are on September 23, 2024 from 4:30-6:30pm. Email [email protected] if you have any questions.
Sign your Circuit waiver here.
Stoneworks
Stoneworks is the second-oldest climbing gym in the Portland area, opened in 1993. The gym is in Beaverton, just off Hwy 217 and SW Denney. Its concrete walls make up a variety of boulder and rope terrain, and it does have autobelays. Stoneworks offers a youth team which is open to newer climbers as well as more experienced athletes.
Recreational Team (grades 3-6): 1.5-hour practices, 2 days per week
Recreational Team (grades 7-12): 2-hour practices, 2 days per week
Comp Team (grades 6-12): 2-hour practices, 2 days per week
Sign your Stoneworks waiver here.
Beyond the Wall
Rock Rascals: 1st-3rd graders, 1-hour classes once per week, 6-week sessions
Send Squad: 4th-6th graders, 1-hour classes once per week, 6-week sessions
Mountain Mavericks: 7th-8th graders, 1.5-hour classes once per week, 6-week sessions
Beyond the Wall does not currently have a climbing team.
Sign your Beyond the Wall waiver here.