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Today’s Groupon replaces your normal hands and feet with highly skilled climber appendages. For $35, you get five day-passes to Pacific Edge Climbing Gym, including climbing equipment rental and use of the facility's fitness equipment and sauna (a $93 value), plus a two-hour beginner or technique climbing class (a $31.50 value) and one yoga class (a $12 value), a $136.50 total value. Pacific Edge is co-owned and run by a staff of instructors with years of climbing and yoga experience, and was the Best Outdoor Sports School winner in 2009.

If you’re an outdoors type and scoff at the very concept of indoor climbing walls, scoff not: Pacific Edge has a 14,000-square-foot climbing terrain that extends 50-feet high, includes a huge lead cave, constantly changes routes, and features classic rock climbs as well as bouldering. Kick off your climbing with a beginning Basic Safety class, which covers aspects such as safety, knots, harnesses, and belay skills and gives you an orientation of the facility. If you already have some basic climbing experience under your belt, you can opt for the Next Step class, which covers essential footwork and body positions and gets your started on perfecting your vertical technique.

Along with the climbing class, gear rental, and five day passes, your Groupon lets you choose among the 15 yoga classes offered per week, including one that uses the gym’s great yoga wall to provide swing, strap, and bar-based support. You’ll also have access to the sauna and a fitness facility with a weight room and cardio equipment during your visits to keep your climbing-muscles in top climbing condition. Soon you'll be scaling larger, real mountains using only your toes and a six-inch piece of copper pipe.

Pacific Edge staff resumes include competition the Extreme Games, which involves stuff like mountain climbing, not playing Mouse Trap while on fire. These are men and women who ascend 30,000-foot Peruvian mountains while teaching children how to create an account on Amazon.com, all before their morning coffee, which they drink through their ears, because they are that extreme. These are the people you want for climbing instructors, fitness instructors, and to round out your office golf team.

Located at 104 Bronson St., Pacific Edge is a short walk from the beach and one block from coffee shops, restaurants, and a brewery.

Note: Your Groupon must be redeemed for a 5-pass punch card by October 23, 2010. Punch-card expires November 23, 2010.

Reviews

Yahoo! Travel users and Yelpers give Pacific Edge Climbing Gym four stars:

• Great for novices to the radical. Friendly and helpful staff. – doug v., Yelp
• This gym is probably going to be one of my best memories of Santa Cruz...It got me serious about my climbing for a while, and I had a great time conquering the ever changing routes. – Samantha R., Yelp
• Best Climbing Gym. Ever. – Amy W., Yelp