How to Log Indoor Climbing Sessions with ClimbingNote+
Most climbers finish a session feeling either "pretty good" or "pretty bad."
But ask them what they actually climbed — how many attempts, which styles, what failed — and the details are already gone. A climbing log fixes that. This guide shows you exactly how to start tracking your gym sessions with ClimbingNote+.
Logging a gym session takes just 3 taps: select your gym, add routes with grades, and mark them as sent or attempted. ClimbingNote+ automatically organizes your data for progress tracking.
Why Track Your Indoor Climbing?
You think you're training harder — but you're just trying more
Without logging, volume and intensity blur together. Logging shows whether you're actually doing harder moves, or just doing more attempts on the same grades.
You feel "stuck" but can't explain why
Is it strength? Technique? Mental? When you track every session, patterns emerge. Maybe you flash V3s but fail every V4 slab. Maybe you always burn out after 45 minutes. The data tells you what intuition can't.
You forget your wins
That clean send you were proud of? Gone in a week. A log keeps your progress visible — especially on days when climbing feels hard and motivation drops.
Who This Guide Is For
This guide is for:
- Indoor boulderers who feel stuck at a plateau
- Route climbers juggling grades and styles
- Anyone who leaves the gym unsure if they actually improved
Getting Started: Your First Session
1Start a Gym Session
Open ClimbingNote+ and tap the "Gym" button on the home screen. This tells the app you're climbing indoors (as opposed to outdoor climbing at a crag).
2Select Your Gym
Choose your climbing gym from the location list. The app sorts gyms by distance from your current location, so your regular gym typically appears at the top.
First time at a gym? Tap "Create New Location" to add it. The app will save the gym's coordinates for future visits. When you return, the app can automatically detect you're within 100 meters and suggest that location.
3Add Your First Route
Tap the floating "+" button to log a route. You'll see three options:
- Bouldering - Uses V-scale grades (V0 to V17)
- Top Rope - Uses Yosemite Decimal grades (5.7 to 5.15d)
- Lead - Also uses YDS grades for sport climbing
Logging Route Details
Selecting the Grade
Use the dropdown menu to pick the route's difficulty. For bouldering, you'll see the V-scale from V0 through V17. For roped climbing, the Yosemite Decimal System ranges from 5.7 to 5.15d.
Pro tip: If your gym uses a color-based grading system, use tags (explained below) to note the color while recording the approximate V or YDS grade.
Adding Tags
Tags help you remember specific routes and track patterns. Common tag uses include:
- Colors: "red", "blue", "yellow tape"
- Route numbers: "A1", "Route 15", "Competition wall"
- Style notes: "crimpy", "slopers", "overhang", "slab"
- Personal notes: "project", "favorite", "new route"
Simply type your tags separated by spaces or commas. The app remembers your recent tags and suggests them for quick selection.
Marking Send vs. Attempt
After entering the grade and optional tags, choose your result:
- Send - You completed the route (clean or not)
- Attempt - You tried but didn't finish
Recording attempts is just as valuable as sends. It shows which grades you're working on and helps track projects over time.
During Your Session
The Route Card
Each logged route appears as a card showing:
- Climbing type indicator (orange for bouldering, cyan for top rope, purple for lead)
- Grade in large text
- Your tags
- Send/attempt status (green checkmark or gray dash)
Quick status toggle: Tap the status icon to switch between send and attempt without opening the edit menu.
Editing or Deleting Routes
- Edit tags: Tap on any route card to modify its tags
- Delete: Swipe left on a route card to remove it
Session Statistics
At the top of the activity screen, you'll see real-time stats:
- Total sends and total attempts
- Breakdown by grade - see how many routes at each level
Tap on any stat to filter the route list. For example, tap "V4" to show only your V4 routes from that session.
After Your Session
Sharing Your Results
Tap the share icon in the top right to generate a shareable card showing your session summary. The card includes:
- Gym name and date
- Total sends
- Breakdown by climbing type and grade
Share directly to social media, messaging apps, or save to your photos.
Viewing History
All your sessions are saved automatically. Access them anytime from the home screen to:
- Review past sessions
- Compare performance across different gyms
- Track your progression over weeks and months
What You'll Notice After a Few Sessions
After logging consistently, patterns start to appear:
- Certain grades take many more attempts than you expected
- Some styles (slab, overhang, crimps) stall completely while others progress
- Rest days suddenly make sense when you see fatigue in the numbers
- Your "off days" might actually be normal — you just never tracked before
If this sounds familiar, ClimbingNote+ was built exactly for this kind of awareness — not to coach you, but to help you see what's actually happening.
Tips for Better Logging
- Log immediately: Add routes right after completing them while grades are fresh
- Be consistent with tags: Use the same tag format each time (e.g., always "red" not sometimes "Red" or "red wall")
- Track attempts honestly: Recording failures helps you see project progression
- Use location features: Let the app detect your gym for faster session starts
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I edit a route after saving it?
Yes. Tap on any route card to edit its tags. To change the grade or climbing type, delete the route and add a new one.
What if my gym uses a different grading system?
Use the closest equivalent V-grade or YDS grade, and add the gym's grade as a tag (e.g., tag "6A" while logging as V3).
Does the app work offline?
Yes. All data is stored locally on your device. You can log routes without an internet connection.
Can I log multiple sessions in one day?
Each time you start a new gym session, the app creates a separate activity. You can have morning and evening sessions tracked independently.
Start Tracking Today
Ready to gain insights into your climbing? Download ClimbingNote+ and start logging your next gym session. With just a few taps per route, you'll build a valuable record of your climbing journey.
Ready to take your logging outside? Learn how to track outdoor climbs and build your own route library in our Outdoor Climbing Logging Guide.