Big Sky Fitness Club

I've been training at this gym for almost 4 years now and it pretty much went downhill since they rebranded the place to Big Sky Fitness from NSD. Since the rebrand they managed to REMOVED warm-up areas, REMOVED power racks and deadlift platforms and still manage to raise prices for members, please tell me how this make sense? Im a loyal customer that has brought along about 10 members to this gym and are still currently active.

If you asked me three years ago how many stars I would rate this gym (when it was formerly NSD) I would give it a solid 5/5. Reasonable pricing, decent amount of parking, and small rooms to warm up in, and a good atmosphere. It also had seven power racks, and 5 deadlift platforms which was a BIG plus for me. I rarely ever had to wait for equipment.

With the switchover to Big Sky Fitness in late 2016, everything changed. There are now only 4 power racks and 2 olympic platforms. I find myself almost always waiting for this equipment. They removed the boxing ring, and you are not allowed in the smaller rooms to warm up/stretch due to all of the classes. You're not even allowed in them when there are no classes happening. It is near impossible to find a spot to warm up without blocking a pathway. There is a strip of turf available, but good luck trying to share the narrow area. Bi-weekly prices have increased. I now pay more than what my friends pay at Good Life.

As of Tuesday March 13, they also implemented a few new rules:

1. No chalk
2. No bags
3. No outside footwear
4. Break down the equipment and return all weights after use
**Bags on training floor must be approved by management beforehand. Please see member services to inquire about an approved bag tag.

Being a commercial gym, I understand rules 1, 3, and 4. However, I can NOT wrap my head around the ban on bags on the training floor. I understand the prevention of stealing, and the use of lockers, but because I powerlift, there is quite a bit of equipment that I like to carry. Am I expected to loosely carry everything and leave everything on the floor for someone to trip over?

In regards to the "bag tag" rule, they did not even have any bag tags available on the day that they put the new rule sign up. How can an establishment implement a rule and not have the proper materials to enforce it??? Yesterday, my friend's request for a bag tag was rejected. They said they didn't have any tags available. However, that same day, there was a random person's bag on the training floor. When my friend asked an employee about it, they said it had a bag tag so it was allowed on the floor. It is EXTREMELY unclear as to who qualifies for a bag tag, how many bags are allowed on the training floor at a time, etc. The staff are not very transparent about the fine print on this specific rule.

And don't even get me started on some of the staff's lack of customer service.

If you are serious about lifting, do NOT go to this gym. If you know of an awesome gym, let me know because I need to cancel my membership ASAP.

A very solid gym. The prices are fair as they offer prepaid solutions that are only slightly more expensive than the subscription model. That, and there aren't that many people there for most of the day, so you're not waiting for the equipment you want to be free. Recommended!

I liked the gym better when it was NSD. Some parts of the revamp are cool, but the outdoor theme just doesn't make sense at an indoor gym.. There's photos of people camping, fishing, the banff springs hotel etc??? Clients cannot use any of the three extra rooms as they could before, you must pay for classes...