Phase Three of River Rock Reopening (updated May 11th, 2021)
The gym reopened on July 6th as a member-only facility. This page includes information on starting new memberships, options for returning members, how to make a reservation, and detailed information about our health and safety measures; what we are doing for you and what we expect from you.
Please bring a good attitude with you and be respectful of our staff. We are a caring and compliant community that understands the risks and responsibilities of these times. Come prepared to protect yourself and your neighbor, otherwise kindly stay home.
We will remain a members only facility for the foreseeable future, but we have reached a point where we feel comfortable opening up the opportunity for a limited amount of new members. We are also allowing punch-card visits.
New members: We offer Prepaid Memberships and EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer) Memberships. Please review member pricing options here: https://riverrockclimbing.com/members/. Interested in becoming a member? Read below on how to make a reservation to come climb. We will set up your membership upon arrival.
Returning Members: Please make a reservation to come climb (more information below)! Whatever date you reactivate your membership you will pay a prorated portion of those dues based on the cycle of our billing date. Freeze/Cancellation options: If you were a member and choose not to reactivate your membership, you will remain frozen but will begin to pay the frozen fee as of the July 2020 billing date.
It is going to be different for a while. We will not allow in the public or use of member guest passes until we are able to operate without capacity restrictions. We will also not be offering any youth program or fitness classes until capacity restrictions have been lifted. Top rope belay classes will resume in the near future on a limited basis. Top rope belay skills checks will be offered when staffing allows. It is recommended to schedule your belay skills or lead climbing checks by emailing info@riverrockclimbing.com
The novel coronavirus, COVID-19, has been declared a worldwide pandemic by the World Health Organization. COVID-19 is extremely contagious and is believed to spread mainly from person-to-person contact. The River Rock has put in place preventative measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19; however, cannot guarantee that you or your child(ren) will not become infected with COVID-19. Further, activity inside the facility could increase your risk and your child(ren)’s risk of contracting COVID-19. Older adults and people of any age who have serious underlying medical conditions might be at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
As of Saturday, May 15, 2021: Governor Northam has announced that, in alignment with recent CDC updates, the statewide mask mandate has been lifted for those who are fully vaccinated (2 weeks have passed since receiving Johnson & Johnson OR 2 weeks have passed since you got your second dose of Pfizer or Moderna) with a COVID-19 vaccine. If you have yet to receive your vaccine, please continue to wear your mask inside until you are fully vaccinated.
To comply with the Virginia Phase Three restrictions, the following will be implemented:
| What WE are doing for YOU: Capacity Restrictions – As of May 11, 2021 we will be allowing 40 climbers in the facility at a time. Increased cleaning – while we were closed, we super cleaned and refreshed the gym. We are stepping up our usual cleaning, the entire facility will be cleaned and sanitized daily, and throughout the day our staff will also be adhering to a strict cleaning/sanitizing schedule. Staff precautions – our staff will undergo wellness checks prior to each shift and will adhere to all new hygiene guidelines. Ample sanitizer provided – we have sanitizer stations in the gym for your health and convenience. Following recommended guidance – our Governor, local municipalities, the CDC, and industry leaders have drafted thorough guidelines designed to help mitigate the risk of exposure to COVID-19. If you have any issues or are planning on not following our new procedures and policies, please do not visit the facility. Using technology – we have implemented a reservation system and will be asking everyone to check in and out (this is new) at the front desk. This is to ensure your access, assist in monitoring capacity, and help with potential contact tracing. You will also see a new feature on our website that will show how many people, in real time, are climbing in the gym (on the mobile platform too). Increased route turnover – we will be setting approximately 20% less densely and more frequently to assist in distancing. Once occupancy restrictions are lifted we will revisit our route density. Air quality and filtration – We installed a bipolar ionization unit that will charge ions in the airstream that will “conglomerate” viruses, bacteria, etc., and capture in our filtration system. These are the same type of air purification systems utilized in operating rooms and clean room environments. Preparations we need from you: Stay home if you have been sick or are experiencing common COVID symptoms. We will screen touchless temperature checks and anyone currently experiencing fever (100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher) will not be allowed into the active climbing areas. Please do not visit the gym if you sense of having a fever, a new cough that cannot be attributed to another health condition, new shortness of breath that cannot be attributed to another health condition, new chills that cannot be attributed to another health condition, a new sore throat that cannot be attributed to another health condition, or new muscle aches that cannot be attributed to another health condition or specific activity (such as physical exercise). Anyone experiencing symptoms these symptoms, please do not visit the facility. Book your session in advance using our online reservation system. We are offering 90-minute sessions, limited to 40 slots for every time cycle. We are restricting the reservation system to only accept sign-ups with 72 hours’ notice. Be on time for your session and be patient while we check you in. Reservations are highly encouraged! If you do not make a reservation and we are at max capacity when you arrive, we will ask you to make a reservation to return at another time. If we do not have 40 reservations scheduled, we will allow members into the facility first come, first served – until we reach the 40-climber maximum (for that specific time slot). We increased our max capacity restrictions on Tuesday, May 11th. Temporary hours are weekdays Noon to 9 pm with last reservation at 7:30 pm, and weekends Noon to 7:30 pm with the last reservation at 6 pm. If you are supervising a minor climber (member under the age of 14) – you need to reserve two spots, one for the climber and one for the adult supervising. You count as two towards our capacity restrictions. We will be asking you arrive dressed to climb. Bring your own pre-filled water bottle and leave any unneeded items at home or in your car. Showers and towel service will be unavailable. The drinking fountain will only be available to refill bottles. Bring your own climbing shoes, harness, and chalkbag; rental shoes and harnesses are discouraged, but will be available. Shoes will be sanitized every night, and harnesses will be quarantined from use for a 72-hour period. We will not be providing any chalk bags as they cannot be sanitized after each individual use. Community/shared use of chalk bags are not allowed. Hygiene and distancing while you are inside: Maintain 6 to 10 foot distance from others. Practice good hygiene by washing or sanitizing your hands when you enter and frequently throughout your session. Cover your coughs and sneezes, and do not touch your face. The boulder area will be limited to 2 climbers per flooring zone. Please follow staff direction or you will be denied access to the facility. Auto Belay stations have been outfitted with a protective sleeve that can be sanitized and sanitizer will be available for each climber to spray down the lanyard after disengaging from the unit. Do not climb immediately next to someone on an auto belay route to maintain distancing requirements. Roped climbing stations reopened on October 1st, 2020. We encourage participants to wash or sanitize hands before moving to another rope station. This is particularly important when patrons are using shared equipment that is not easily cleaned or disinfected between use. Do not climb on a rope station adjacent to another climber to maintain distancing requirements. |
