First visit
Everything you need to know for your first visit to DYNO Detroit.
sign A waiver
All visitors, including children, must watch the full orientation video and complete the waiver at home, even if not climbing. Be sure to select "Adult + # minors" to include one adult and all dependent children in a single document.
Doing this beforehand will get you climbing sooner, and you won't have to spend 10 minutes on our iPads when you arrive!
If you have not visited us since October 9, 2023, you are required to redo your waiver.
BUY A PASS
Day passes are $23 and can be purchased at the Welcome Desk.
Need gear? We rent shoes and harnesses for ALL sizes. Click here for our rental pricing + to learn what gear you'll need.
Already know you're gonna love it? Explore our 10-Punch Passes and membership options below.
Belay checks
The orientation video covers entry to the facility and bouldering.
Autobelays require ALL climbers to join us in a 5-minute training + certification.
To top-rope and lead climb or belay, participants must pass a certification test. Read about what you'll need to know to pass here.
Visited our gym, or another, at least once and want to learn your way around the ropes? Check out our climbing classes below.
climbing with kids?
Parents or a legal guardian must sign waivers for all minors who want to climb. No one else can complete a waiver on behalf of a minor.
The following adult-to-child ratios must be adhered to at all times:
Ages 6 and under: 1 to 1
Ages 7-10: 1 to 2
Ages 11-13: 1 to 3
Parents and Supervisors, if you plan on climbing, please ensure another adult is present to supervise the children while you send it! Taking turns supervising is a great way for everyone to get off the ground.
that's all!
If you have any more questions, refer to our FAQ below. See you soon!
FAQ Categories
Click a category to view its FAQs
Simple! ALL VISITORS, even those not climbing, watch video and complete waiver (preferably at home). Children must have waiver completed by legal guardian or parent.
Doing this beforehand will get you climbing sooner, and you won't have to spend 10 minutes on our iPads when you arrive!
If you have not visited us since October 9, 2023 you are required to redo your waiver.
SHOW UP solo or with friends/family whenever you’d like! No prior experience or reservations required and stay as long as you’d like!
CHECK IN at our friendly Welcome Desk and we’ll guide you through the rest.
Nope! Come on in during our expansive hours and stay as long as you’d like!
Most folks stay anywhere from 1.5 to 3+ hours.
A Day Pass is good for the whole day which means you can leave and come back! That is if your forearms don’t pump out first, or your fingers don’t become too tender!
For top rope climbing, all ropes have a Petzl GriGri permanently attached to them that belayers are required to use.
For lead climbing you are permitted to use an assisted-braking device of your choice.
The use of manual braking devices, such as ATCs, are not permitted for use at DYNO Detroit.
$6 Shoes, $6 Harnesses, $10 Shoes + Harness package
We have harnesses and shoes to fit all bodies: XXS - XXXL harnesses and Y11 - 17 shoes. Even harnesses for expecting mothers!
Use of our GriGris is required for top rope and is provided at no cost!
The minimum age to climb is 5 years old. This is the age we find most children begin to enjoy the challenge of climbing, as well as understand the basic safety protocols.
We have 100+ space parking lot, you may also use our neighbor’s lot around the back, as well as park on the far side of the street. Please be mindful of all posted signage and do not leave valuables in your car.
We have open cubbies available for you to stash your personal items. While we cannot guarantee, we have never had an issue with theft inside the gym.
Best practice: Do not leave valuables in your car. Leave them at home or bring them inside.
A personal lock is required for lockers or our staff will be happy to secure them at the Welcome Desk!
Nope! Climbers with little or no prior experience may boulder or use our 10 autobelay devices after a facility orientation. Simple as that!
That said, if you are looking to take your climbing to the next level and have visited our gym, or another, at least once, we highly recommend our 90-minute Learn the Ropes course. It’s FREE for members and $50 for guests, which includes a day pass, rental equipment, instruction plus an additional day pass and rentals to use another time!
We will also offer an Intro to Climbing course for new climbers interested that covers basic techniques. It is taught on our boulders, but you are not required to climb high or fall if you are uncomfortable with bouldering.
Oh, yeah! We have a solid selection of climbing gear for all skill levels and budgets, including shoes, harnesses, belay devices, carabiners, ropes, chalk bags, chalk, and helmets.
The brands we stock include: La Sportiva, Scarpa, Evolv, Petzl, Mammut, Misty Mountain, Organic, Butora, Cozy DYNO Detroit merch, and more!
Before your first visit, complete the mandatory video orientation and waiver at home. This applies to everyone, including non-climbers (parents, spectators, etc.). The video is 6 minutes and 30 seconds long, and you can't proceed into the facility without watching and completing the waiver.
Parents, please watch the video with your children. It is your responsibility to ensure they understand safety protocols and etiquette. You must then complete a waiver for yourself and any dependent children by selecting "ADULT + X Minors" on the electronic waiver (parents often miss this step). Remember, you can only complete waivers for your dependent children.
For non-dependent individuals (neighbors, nieces/nephews, friends), their legal guardian must complete the waiver. Share the video link beforehand and advise their adult to watch it with them.
Spouses and adult relatives must complete their own video and waiver for familiarity with the space and supervisory roles.
The minimum age to climb is 5 years old. This is the age we find most children begin to enjoy the challenge of climbing, as well as understand the basic safety protocols.
Thank you for asking! Watch the orientation video with your child[ren], learn the rules and etiquette, and talk about it with your child.Once you're here, please supervise your children. Most unsafe behaviors are quickly identifiable and corrected when parents are informed and children are closely supervised.
Please see our Youth page for more information about climbing with children.
The following ratios must be adhered to at all times in the facility, and supervision must be within STEPS OF ASSISTANCE. If you are unable to meet these requirements, we will kindly require you to invite another supervising adult to join before your children may climb.
Ages 6 and under: 1 to 1
Ages 7-10: 1 to 2
Ages 11-13: 1 to 3
If you are the only supervisor to particularly young children, you will not be permitted to climb as your children would not have proper supervision when you are on the wall. Please plan for another adult to join so one can supervise while the other climbs. It’s safer and more fun for all!
We recommend most new climbers start with the autobelays to get a feel for climbing and falling. Autobelays are devices that control the rope and automatically lower you once you fall. You will get the most climbing done here with the lowest risk of injury because there is always a rope to catch you - so long as you’re properly clipped in. After a brief, required training from our staff, you can climb up to 50 feet on any of our 10 autobelays, offering 20 different climbs!
Bouldering is a form of climbing without ropes and harnesses done on shorter walls. It is most popular with younger adults and teenagers and only requires a pair of shoes.
While bouldering can be enjoyable for children, ages 6-9 might struggle with anything but the most beginner-friendly boulders and be exposed to the risk of falling adult climbers. We recommend bouldering only during quieter periods and under close supervision.
- A helpful comparison: consider the climbing pads a busy street where falling climbers can be likened to falling cars from the sky. Treat the pads with the same caution as you would a high-traffic street near your home.
If you would like to access all of our ropes for yourself and your children, climbers ages 14+ can take our 90-minute Learn The Ropes class! Upon completing a successful Belay Check on your subsequent visit, you may belay (control the rope) for other climbers, even if they themselves are not certified!
We do not offer children-specific programming at this time, but we still welcome your family to come climb! So gather up your young ones and supervising adults, complete your waivers and come climb together! It’s a great way to spend time with your children.
We do not accommodate birthday parties, but we always suggest bringing your child and 2-3 of their closest friends in for a climbing session. They are able to focus more on climbing, less on the group dynamic, and it’s overall a richer experience for everyone.
We ask that you keep walk in groups to 6 climbers.
We are able to accommodate larger groups on a case by case basis. Please email groups@dynodetroit.com for more information.
We do not accommodate birthday parties, but we always suggest bringing your child and 2-3 of their closest friends in for a climbing session. They are able to focus more on climbing, less on the group dynamic, and it’s overall a richer experience for everyone.
Reservations are not required for groups of 6 or less, but please ensure that everyone in your group has completed our waiver before arriving. This includes anyone not climbing.
We cannot accommodate walk-in groups larger than 6 and have limited capacity for larger groups. Please email groups@dynodetroit.com for more information if you have a larger group.
Monthly recurring + prepaid annual membership to DYNO Detroit includes:
- Unlimited access to climbing and fitness area
- Unlimited access to 14 yoga classes per week
- Free 1st time guest pass for one first-time guest per day
- One returning guest pass per month - whether they’ve been here before or not
- Free Learn the Ropes Class. Discounted classes.
- Free rental gear for 2-weeks, 50% off after that
- 10% off all retail
- Quarterly Member appreciation events, discounted entry for parties and competitions, bonus guest passes for certain events.
- Unlimited membership freezing ($10 per person, per month)
- No contracts! Terminate as needed.
*NOTE: 1-month prepaid memberships receive the one 1st time guest pass/day, but are not eligible for the the monthly returning guest pass.
Yes! We waive the enrollment fee if you:
- Switch from a punch pass to membership after your punches have been used
- If you have previously taken our Learn the Ropes class
- If you switch from a prepaid (annual or 1-month) membership
All great ways to try our facility with minimal commitment before joining!
Members can bring in one first-time guest for FREE, every day - a $23 value!
Rental equipment, if needed, is not included.
Members can also bring in one free returning guest each month. The member’s guest pass renews on the first of the month and does not carry over. Your guest can use one pass per month.
View our Membership Terms & Conditions here.
Visit our Manage Membership page and complete the short form.
Don’t worry, it’s simple and there is no Planet Fitness-type runaround!
Freezes must be requested before the 1st of the month and are $10/month/person. You can freeze for a defined period or leave it open-ended. Upon returning we’ll charge you prorated dues for the remaining days in the month of your return. Freezes may only start on the 1st of any given month.
Updating billing information can be done via this form.
As we have no contracts, you may cancel whenever you’d like, but it must be submitted before the 1st of the month.
Nope! Minimum that is required is to watch our orientation video and complete the waiver, and then you’re clear to boulder.
To use our autobelays we require a brief 5-10 minute training.
If you have experience belaying, we require a belay check with one of our staff members and you may sign up at our Welcome Desk.
If you would like to learn how to climb on ropes, consider our Learn the Ropes class! This class is approximately 90-minutes and will teach you everything needed to learn how to Top Rope belay! We’ve taught thousands of new climbers how to belay and we find folks do best when they have at least one climbing session under their belt using autobelays, boulders, or climbing with a friend.
Please see our Class Overview page for more information on climbing classes!
We set new rope routes on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, and new bouldering routes on Wednesdays. The target turn-around time for bouldering routes is around eight weeks and for ten weeks for rope routes.
Ohhhhh yeah!
If you work at another climbing gym, show us your most current pay stub and you can climb for free, once a month.
Bouldering
Bouldering is climbing on much shorter walls with no ropes or harnesses and padded floors beneath you. All that is required to boulder is a pair of climbing shoes.
Autobelay
Autobelays are devices that control the rope for you and automatically lower you once you fall.
These are SUPER FUN for new and experienced climbers alike! A separate autobelay certification is required before using autobelays.
Certification takes approximately 5-10 minutes and run as needed during slower periods, and every 20 minutes during peak hours.
Top Rope
If you would like to top rope belay, you must pass a top rope belay check. Learn what's covered in the top rope check here.
You will be required to belay using our facility’s GriGri pre-fixed to the rope. If you know how to belay, but have never used a GriGri, we can show you during the check! Please inquire at the Welcome Desk to sign up for a check.
Climbers accompanied by certified belayers do not need to be certified themselves to climb.
Want to learn how to top rope belay? Check out our Learn the Ropes class! You must be 14 or older, and we suggest having climbed at least once before.
Lead Climb
If you would like to lead belay, you must first pass a lead belay check.
Lead climbing must be done on an assisted braking device of your choice. Manual braking devices, sometimes called “ATC’s” are not permitted for any climbing at DYNO Detroit.
You will be required to demonstrate competency on the ground and catch two falls (announced and unannounced) as well as take two falls.
Lead checks take time and while we do our best to get to them ASAP, there may be a wait, especially during peak hours. Please inquire at the Welcome Desk to sign up for a check.
Come on in, detroit