Between work and our social life, it can be difficult to squeeze in a workout. And while we’re being honest, sometimes running on a treadmill or doing deadlifts after a long day of work just isn’t it. For those who are looking for a different kind of exercise, consider climbing – it’s a social sport that’s easy to pick up, with physical and mental challenges that’ll keep you on your toes.
To make incorporating climbing sessions into your schedule more seamless, we’ve rounded up 8 climbing gyms that’s accessibly located in malls so you won’t have to travel to ulu places to break a sweat. Along with it are tips shared by Singapore national climber Vanessa Teng, for you to refer to when visiting these gyms.
For those who’ve just begun their bouldering journey, Vanessa recommends gyms like Boulder Movement that are beginner-friendly with a good range of routes to try out. Besides the branch located in the OUE tower that’s perfect for CBD workers, there’s also a new one in the Marina District at Suntec City.
The walls here are generally more focused on horizontal movements, and require less dynamic movements of jumping that might seem intimidating to first-timers.
Expect to be parallel with the ground.
But that’s not to say that seasoned climbers aren’t welcome here as the Suntec outlet has a 70° overhang wall that’ll require some serious Spider-man abilities. Think lots of core work and campus moves – AKA climbing without much use of your feet.
While the place is slightly smaller, facilities are not skimped on as you’ll have showers and cubbies to use during your time there.
Rates: $30/pass | $135/5 passes
Suntec City outlet
Address: 3 Temasek Boulevard, #01-484/85/86, Suntec City Mall (North Wing), Tower One, Singapore 038983
Opening hours: Mon 7pm-10pm | Tue-Fri 11.30am-2.30pm, 3.30pm-6.30pm, 7pm-10pm | Sat-Sun & PH 10am-1pm, 2pm-5pm, 5.30pm-8.30pm
Telephone: 6993 9702
OUE outlet
Address: 6A Shenton Way, #B1-03, Downtown Gallery , Singapore 068815
Opening hours: Mon 7pm-10pm | Tues-Fri 11.30am-2.30pm, 3.30pm-6.30pm, 7pm-10pm | Sat-Sun & PH 10am-1pm, 2pm-5pm, 5.30pm-8.30pm
Telephone: 6816 6001
You’ve probably chanced upon Climb Central when you’re out shopping or grabbing a meal. They currently have 4 outlets around Singapore: Kallang Wave Mall, Novena, Funan Mall and the newest i12 Katong. They primarily focus on high walls, which are basically the taller walls with longer routes that span over 2 levels, and require a harness.
All climbers are required to attend a safety briefing.
There’s a variety of walls to choose from, including Top Rope, Auto Belay, Boulder, Timer Auto Belay walls and Lead walls. If these all sound foreign to you, just know that they’re pretty similar but have different rope anchoring systems.
The gym at Kallang Wave Mall at Singapore Sports Hub is undoubtedly the OG Climb Central. Here, you have the Top Rope, Auto Belay, Lead, Boulder to play with. There are various routes for you to choose from and challenge yourself with, and these routes cater to both new and seasoned climbers.
They also have a small designated training area with weights for strength and endurance training which will help when you’re tackling harder routes. For those who do not have their own climbing shoes or harness, you can easily rent these from the gym.
For Easties, the outlet at i12 Katong lacks a bouldering area, but has amped up the routes by adding the arch wall for lead climbers.
Lead climbing requires an SNCS Level 2 certification and a Climb Central verification.
You can also bring your kiddos to try their hand at climbing from mid-June onwards as the gym will be setting kid-friendly routes and opening rope courses too.
Rates: $25/adult (aged 18 & above) | $105/5 passes
List of Climb Central outlets
Climb Central website
Tucked away in Bukit Timah Shopping Centre is Z Vertigo, a bouldering gym that’s smaller in size with affordable pricing.
During our visit there, we noticed that the routes were on the challenging end, so it make sense that pro climbers tend to favour this gym. You’ll see more advanced hand holds like slopers, pinchers and crimps, that’ll have your fingers in awkward – and painful – positions.
Practice your footwork here and attempt matching your feet.
But that’s not to say that newcomers should veer away from this place as the lower levelled routes are good for training key techniques needed. Or, practice reading routes and outline the best ways to go about finishing them. You’ll learn that going in with a plan of action is vital when climbing, as it helps save you time and energy while you’re up on the wall.
The gym also has an endurance wall which, as the name suggests, builds your endurance and stamina for climbing.
The fingerboard and hangboard are also another way for you to train hand and finger strength – start with the biggest holds and hang for a couple of seconds, before progressing to the smaller holds and hanging for a longer period of time. You’ll be on your way to doing 1-finger pull ups in no time.
Rates: $15/adult, $10/youth (born in 2005 & after), $7/child (born in 2010 and after) | $120/10 passes
Address: 170 Upper Bukit Timah Road, B2-20B, Singapore 588179
Opening hours: Tue-Thu 11.30am-9.50pm | Fri 3pm-9.50pm | Sat-Sun 10am-8.20pm | Mon 10am-4.50pm
Another place to bookmark for new climbers is Origin Boulder, a boutique gym with atas facilities that’ll bring your climbing sessions to the next level.
Peep the Dyson hairdryer that’s available for all to use.
There are lockers and shoe shelves to place your belongings like laptops and shoe bags from work. They also have fancy shower facilities, and shirts are provided for you to wear when climbing so that chalk doesn’t get all over your clothes. When you’re done, simply return it to the designated laundry box and the gym’s laundry service will take over from there.
For those who are afraid of heights, bouldering might be daunting especially since there aren’t any harnesses involved – meaning it’s a free-fall situation onto the cushioned mats. But here, the walls are relatively shorter with routes going horizontally so there won’t be any dizzying heights to conquer.
You can challenge yourself and tackle the routes on the arch too – the gym’s staff are more than happy to provide guidance.
You’ll also notice that there are no demarcations of the route gradings here. This was done intentionally to encourage newbies, because if you’re anything like me, we tend to avoid higher level routes and stick to the comfortable level 1s and 2s.
You can order their in-house espressos or iced teas for a pick-me-up before climbing.
To know the respective grade of the route, you’ll have to scan the QR code on the wall. We recommend keeping the element of surprise and scanning only after you’ve completed the route. Who knows? You might’ve even finished one that’s harder than your usual levels.
Rates: $26/entry | $120/5 passes
Address: 18 Cross Street Exchange, #B1-117/118, Singapore 048423
Opening hours: Mon, Tue & Thur 11am-10pm | Wed, Fri-Sun 9.30pm-10pm
Email: hello@originboulder.sg
Located at the intersection of Lavender Street and Kallang Road, boulder+ is a bouldering gym that can be found on the Level 3 of Aperia Mall.
Upon walking in, you’ll notice that the gym has 2 levels – the first featuring several bouldering walls, and the second with an endurance wall and an exercise corner with equipment including weights.
For our veteran climbers, this gym is probably no stranger to you. Vanessa shared that boulder+ walls have harder grades and a wider spectrum, which means you’ll have a variety of routes to choose from. And for rookies, don’t be turned off by this as the lower level routes are beginner-friendly and a good place to start.
A pseudo Mount Everest moment.
You’ll notice that the arch wall also features topout boulders that will spice up your routes, and simulate natural outdoor climbing. Be sure to snap a pic of yourself topping out once you’ve reached the top.
Pay a visit to the gym’s 60° overhang wall as well, where you will learn to really engage your feet and core.
Rates: $180/10 passes
Address: 12 Kallang Avenue, #03-17 The Aperia Mall, Singapore 339511
Opening hours: Mon 12.30pm-10pm | Tue-Fri 7.30am-10pm | Sat 8am-8pm | Sun 8am-5.30pm
Telephone: 6282 7530
Recently opened in Sembawang, Boulder Planet offers a plethora of routes for climbers of all levels to attempt.
If you’re new to climbing, don’t be shy to request guidance from the staff or sign up for coaching classes. They’ll cover the basics of climbing, including the right way to fall and the different holds to take note of.
Head to the back if you’re an ace, and tackle the competition wall. When we visited the gym in late April, the routes were from the Block Games (North leg). Spoiler alert: we were not able to complete any of the routes.
The gym also has a ton of amenities, including gender divided lockers, changing rooms and showers. You can also restock on your climbing gear as there’s an open-concept shop at the gym. Remember to BYOB if you’re purchasing from there as the place adheres to the “Zero Single-Use Plastic Policy”.
Rates: $30/adult | $16/youth (18 years & below)
Address: 604 Sembawang Road, Sembawang Shopping Centre, #B1, #22/23, 758459
Opening hours: Sat-Mon 10am-9pm | Tue-Fri 10am-10pm
Telephone: 9469 2386
Walk past the “graffiti” on the wall at SingPost Centre and you’ll find Boulder World.
There are plenty of walls to attempt here, with varying levels of difficulty. You can train dynamic climbing where movements are more fluid with short bursts of power moves, and static climbing that rely on slower, controlled movements. Simply refer to their grading chart and you’ll be good to go.
Boulder World’s kilter board (right) is adjustable too.
They also have other walls including the moonboard and kilter board, which you can connect to the respective apps on your phone and set your preferred route.
Friends from the climbing community have shared that moonboards generally train your fingers and deadpointing, and kilter boards focus on strength – but these are also dependent on the routes chosen.
You can start off your climbing sesh with a quick workout at their designated gym room. There, go ahead and work on some bench presses or do deadlifts with the bars and weighted plates. There’s also the option of using the dumbbells provided, and the fingerboards on the side to hang. End off with a rinse off at their shower rooms.
Rates: $25/adult | $18/youth | $120/5 passes | $200/10 passes
Address: 10 Eunos Road 8, #01-205 SingPost Centre (Enrichment Zone), Singapore 408600
Opening hours: 9am-11pm, Daily
Telephone: 6917 7783
Families with kiddos will be familiar with The Rock School – with outlets including Our Tampines Hub. While many youths and children frequent this gym, there are also high walls and boulder routes which older climbers are welcome to try out.
This lead wall is a whopping 13m tall challenge, with a double overhang.
Play around with the top rope lanes, or experiment with the auto belay ones. There are around 65 different routes to choose from, with an assortment of easy to difficult levels. Fingerboards, pull ups, Swedish bars, and Lattice Boards. Similar to Climb Central, harnesses can be rented from the counter if you don’t already own one.
For those who sign up for the classes, you’ll also have access to the training room a couple of units down from the gym. There’s also weightlifting equipment like dumbbells and benches, as well as a smaller-scale boulder wall for instructors to use during lessons.
Rates: From $17/adult | $15/youth (aged 13-18)
Our Tampines Hub outlet
Address: Our Tampines Hub, 1 Tampines Walk, #02-81, 528523
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 11am-10pm | Sat-Sun 9am-9pm
Telephone: 9635 3488
Bedok CC outlet
Address: 50 New Upper Changi Road, Singapore 467352
Opening hours: Sat-Sun 10am-7pm | Thu-Fri 1pm-7pm (Closed from Mondays to Wednesdays)
Telephone: 8923 3831
Fitspo folks have plenty of ways to clock in those muscle-burning sessions. And climbing is one sure-fire way to work out the entire body, plus give yourself a good challenge. Not to mention, it’s easily accessible at these malls around Singapore.
Round up your friends for a group activity, or go solo and push yourself to the limit. What’s more, you can conveniently sneak in a quick bite before your workout at the mall’s F&B stalls without needing to travel.
The promo code applies to GoCar and GoCarXL services.
And when it comes to travelling to malls, you’ll be glad to know that Gojek is currently offering $3 off 2 rides to or from any mall. Shave off a couple of bucks when you book your ride anytime from 10am-10pm daily. To redeem, simply key in the promo code <GOTOMALLS> when booking.
To keep up with Gojek’s upcoming offerings and deals, check out their Facebook, Instagram and TikTok accounts to get the latest updates. The money saved can even go to funding for your next climbing gym pass.
This post was brought to you by Gojek.
Photography by Brad Lee.
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