Disclaimer: The author of this article is a member of the Portland Rock Gym.
In 1987, the founder of Portland Rock Gym (PRG), Garry Rall, heard of a local community center during his trip to England. This center had an indoor rock climbing wall to help people to stay in shape during the winter. It reminded him of the rainy weather back home in Portland, and gave him the idea to build an entirely indoor rock climbing center. This would later be referred to as a rock gym — a phrase his wife Julie came up with.
PRG first opened its Northeast Portland location in 1988, and according to its website, it was only the second rock gym of its kind to open in the United States. Additionally, it was the first rock gym to have modular holds; this meant movable and interchangeable holds — climbing grips of various shapes and sizes — for climbers. Its mission was to teach and train rock climbing indoors and outdoors, while preserving the local cliffs and boulders of Oregon. Now, PRG is a pillar of the Portland climbing community and has been “turning Portlanders into climbers for over 35 years,” as goes their motto.
As a central location for the Portland climbing community, PRG is unique in comparison to other rock gyms in the area. Between the two locations in Northeast and Beaverton, it has top rope, bouldering, lead climbing, speed climbing, kilter and moon boards, as well as multiple gym sections. “We are one of the very few gyms in the area that have ropes,” said Isaak Saviers, an employee at the Beaverton location. The ropes Saviers referred to are for top rope climbing. This is an area of climbing where a rope is anchored to the top of the route and fastened to a harness, allowing the climber to ascend the wall with a belayer assisting from below. Along with a multitude of climbing types, PRG offers many other fitness classes to their community, including yoga, group fitness, and lessons on both indoor and outdoor climbing. This is accompanied by several youth activities, such as afterschool clubs and a competition team.
In 2023, PRG opened its second location in Beaverton. “It [is] the largest [rock gym] in the country for its footprint, or the actual size of the building, and it will be somewhere between third and second for climbing surface,” said Nickolas Gagliardi, the rock gym’s director of route setting, in an interview for the Portland Tribune. The location regained media attention this past summer after hosting USA Climbing’s 2025 Youth National Championships.
PRG does not only provide state of the art facilities for Portland climbers, but also a space to build connections within the climbing community. Saviers describes his favorite part about working at PRG is his co-workers and the people he sees at the gym. “It’s like a second family,”he said. Lionel Wylde, a senior at Franklin, describes his experience as a climber to be nothing but positive — about half the people he sees at the gym he sees consistently, and everyone is friendly. Aside from the community, Wylde shares that his favorite part about climbing at PRG is the outdoor bouldering wall at the newer Beaverton location. “It’s got huge heat lamps hanging from the ceiling and mats … [it’s] nice for when it’s hot in the gym but cold outside,” he said.
For new and experienced climbers alike, PRG welcomes all levels and encourages participation in the lesser known sport. With its variety of climbing types and classes, it appeals to all those looking for a way to engage in the climbing community. Portlanders should feel encouraged to take this opportunity and experience the local treasure that is PRG.
