GOOSE ISLAND — A huge climbing gym is coming to Goose Island, joining a growing number of similar facilities in the city and across the country.
West Coast-based Planet Granite is opening a four-story, 45,000-square-foot facility, its fifth and largest, at 1301 N. Kingsbury St. The company is aiming to open the gym in 2018.
The gym will specialize in climbing, offering bouldering, top rope and lead climbing with walls as tall as 60 feet. Other amenities include a dedicated room for group fitness classes, including yoga, strength and cardio equipment, a gear shop and spacious locker rooms.
It will be double the size of Planet Granite's largest existing gym in Portland, Ore.
Founded in the Bay Area in 1994, Planet Granite bills itself as a pioneer in the climbing gym movement. The company said its founder, Micky Lloyd, was among the first to design and build climbing tools that are common today like hydraulic walls.
Planet Granite is the latest climbing gym to open in the city in recent years.
First Ascent opened two facilities — one in Avondale and another in Uptown — and Brooklyn Boulders runs a facility in the West Loop. Health clubs like Lincoln Park Athletic Club and XSport Fitness also increasingly feature climbing walls.
“There are several good climbing gyms in town and we look forward to working with them to help grow the climbing community,” Lloyd said in a prepared statement. “We are also excited for the growth of Planet Granite and the opportunity that this gives our great team.”
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