From the base of the 40-foot high climbing walls inside Stone Gardens, the view is intimidating and inviting at the same time.

The walls themselves were manufactured in Bulgaria by Walltopia and shipped across the globe complete with an assembly crew that remained on-site for six weeks completing construction.

In total, Stone Gardens offers more than 21,000 square feet of climbing terrain, nearly double the amount of the franchise’s original location in Seattle. That includes a kids area that features both a pirate ship with a fire pole and castle that provides access to a twisting slide, all designed for climbing.

“What we try to do with our youth classes is create age-appropriate instruction,” Climbing School Director Jeremy Bowler said. “That ranges from teaching them how to put on their own harness to tying their own knots and learning safety checks. And having fun in the process, of course.”

The youth area is also available to rent for children’s parties and other functions.

Once youth climbers grow weary of the pirate ship and pizza parties, they can join the Stone Gardens junior climbing team, which is offered for kids age 10-19.

The team, which has around 14 members at the Bellevue location and 12 more in Seattle, trains twice per week for around three hours per session and competes against other climbing teams from around the region. One female climber from the team out of the Seattle location parlayed her experience on the Stone Gardens team all the way to a spot with the U.S. National Team.

Then there’s the main stage.

The majority of the mammoth facility’s climbing space is found in the top rope and lead areas and bouldering section. The top rope and lead area offers opposite facing, 40-foot high walls that feature overhangs, dozens of professionally set routes of varying difficulty and even a section of wall that can be adjusted up to 10 degrees inward and 15 degrees outward to accommodate a variety of skill levels.

The bouldering area includes a top-out section as well and has “boulder problems” ranging from V-0 (moderate) to V-12 (very difficult). Nothing other than climbing shoes and some chalk (and of course, a waiver form) are required to take a run at bouldering, which is climbing at lower levels without a rope support.

“I think we’ve done a good job with terrain,” Bowler said. “It ranges from the most novice climbers to the most advanced.”

Bowler said since the Crossroads location opened last weekend, clientele has ranged from some of the more experienced climbers in the Greater Seattle area to walk-ins off the street whose curiosity is peaked by the massive rock façade that frames the entrance. He hopes Stone Gardens becomes a training designation for climbers from around the Eastside who are relegated to indoor climbing during the prolonged colder, wetter seasons of the region.

“A couple of our employees are top-level climbers and they love to train here,” Bowler said, adding that he oversees pre-training with all of his instructors and offers ongoing feedback for teaching climbing techniques.

Stone Gardens also offers a variety of classes that cover everything from the basic necessities like tying proper climbing knots, gym safety and equipment introductions to private climbing lessons and specialized training in bouldering technique and advanced rope climbing.

“Every introductory class has no more than four people,” Bowler said. “You get a lot of personal interaction with the instructor.”

For more photos of Stone Gardens, visit photographer Chad Coleman’s blog Focus Northwest. Contact Josh Suman at jsuman@bellevuereporter.com or by calling 425-453-5045.