The Brooklyn based bouldering facility is extending their brand by opening a gym in Chicago.

The original Brooklyn Boulders (BKB), in Brooklyn, opened in 2009. In the summer of 2013, BKB opened another climbing facility in Sommerville Massachusetts. And now, BKB is serving deep dish. Designed by Summit Design + Build LLC, the 25,000 square foot facility features bouldering, auto-belay, rappelling, top-roping, and lead climbing. Additionally, it has all the other common amenities of a climbing gym - Yoga classes, a weight room, cardio machines and fitness equipment.

BKB Chicago is also opening up a coworking space. The Chicago Tribune is reporting that members will pay a small additional fee to use the space. Those who signed up early payed $625 for 12 months, usually $925 for 12 months.

After reading though the comments on Yelp, it sounds like there is still a lot of work to be done. The general conscientious is that they are under staffed, the grading is soft, the parking sucks, the walls are slick, it’s expensive, and there are only 5 auto-belays.

If you’re a wealthy hipster in the area, and aren’t an experienced climber, this place is probably awesome for you. -Craig E.

Soon enough, BKB Chicago will have another competitor to bump elbows with; First Ascent.

First Ascent is opening this year. Hopefully it will fix some of the pain points that climbers have with BKB Chicago.