Video: An Early Look At Chicago's Latest, Expansive Rock Climbing Gym

By Rachel Cromidas in Arts & Entertainment on May 3, 2016 9:28PM

Climbing at Planet Granite in San Francisco (Photo by Jesse Wagstaff via the Creative Commons on Flickr)

Indoor rock climbing walls are all the rage right now in Chicago, with the openings of Brooklyn Boulders and First Ascent in the past year. Some local gyms have long featured their own rock climbing walls, but yet another large-scale gym devoted to all things rock climbing is set to open in the city.

Planet Granite announced last month that it will be opening on the Near North Side in 2018. Now, the San Francisco chain says its Chicago location, slated to be the largest in the U.S. with 45,000 square feet of space, will be located near Goose Island at 1301 N. Kingsbury St.. This new gym will be four stories, according to company reps, with bouldering, top rope and lead climbing, as well as a variety of yoga and fitness classes.

The company released a series of videos showing renderings of the site, and they're a hoot: easter eggs include a man in a suit and a woman in an evening dress that has no business being used as rock climbing attire, and a cartoon of Bart Simpson that we assume is violating some copyright policy. Enjoy: