Because tucking a secret marinara recipe away in one's heart requires invasive surgery, most sauce masters opt to hide their prized concoctions atop the highest peaks. Infiltrate Granny's secret mountain compound with today's Groupon for Planet Granite: for $34, you get a climbing package for two people, which grants both climbers a day pass, gear rental, and a climbing and belay lesson at any one of Planet Granite's three Bay Area locations, in Belmont, Sunnyvale, or San Francisco.
Planet Granite is an expansive climbing gym that offers instructional training, climbing walls, and cardio and weight training equipment, as well as yoga and fitness classes. In the one-hour introductory belay and climbing class, future spider-humans learn the rope-management skills needed to securely ascend vertical surfaces. Standing at the base camp, belayers work to provide safety anchors for the climber. Instructors give one-on-four attention, teaching aspiring belayers how to manage the ropes. At the completion of the class, each indoor mountaineer can proudly produce a temporary belay card to officers of the climb, meaning they are certified for the day to safely hold down the ropes for a partner or rise and shine themselves.
When not scaling the rock wall and checking the utmost crags for nest eggs and mutual funds, climbers have full reign of Planet Granite's non-mountaineering gym. Ground-level training with cardio and weight equipment gives muscles the substratum strength they need to face mountains or molehills. For more information about redeeming your Groupon at Planet Granite, check out its handy Groupon FAQ.
New clients only. Liability waiver and government-issued ID required. Must be at least 14. Parental or guardian consent required for climbers younger than 18. Call to schedule your class.
Reviews
Planet Granite in Sunnyvale and Belmont received a four-star average from over 100 Yelpers, who also rated the San Francisco locale a 4.5-star average. Five Insider Pagers give it a five-star average, and three Yahoo! Locals give five stars:
- This rock climbing gym has a lot of variations of rock climbing for people to do. The instructors are all very polite and teach safety well. – John L., Insider Pages
- It was a lot of fun. The staff was great and they made learning the basics very fun & easy. – Mike Tadlock, Yahoo! Local
Planet Granite
When the climbers of Planet Granite say that community anchors everything they do, they have a history of outreach to back it up. After Castle Rock State Park appeared on California’s closure list, Planet Granite’s team quickly organized a fundraiser to save the sanctuary. They pledged $10,000 in matching funds, put together an auction, scheduled guest speakers, and obtained support from companies like REI. In one night, they raised $20,725. This kind of response has been the norm for Planet Granite’s team since they opened in 1994.
One of the first climbing gyms in the country, Planet Granite has expanded to four locations in Belmont, San Francisco, and Sunnyvale and Portland. Each gym features a diverse array of climbing resources which led Popsugar to name the gym conglomerate one of the top five in San Francisco in 2011. At the San Francisco location, members scale 25,000 square feet of climbable surfaces that include top out bouldering areas to 50-foot walls.
In keeping with their commitment to community, the staff tailors instruction and climbing routes to every ability level. They also supervise each gyms’ fully equipped fitness centers, including yoga, which provides a peaceful counterbalance to the full-body workout of rock climbing.