Throughout the years, Squamish locals have always wrestled with what to do in the months of rain that persist over the winter. From the home wall to the unethical historical sculpting of outdoor spaces (see the back of the Cacodemon boulder for more details), the Squamish local will always find a way to keep going during the monsoon.
In recent years, Squamish has been home to the Grand Wall Bouldering Cooperative. This project was originally spearheaded by Tyson Braun and Jeremy Smith. Their vision was to open an indoor climbing space that is shared among its members. The Coop continues to flourish in Downtown Squamish and accommodates approximately 150 members per year. As I am sure anyone will tell you, this gym does not run itself! Through the hands of a few leaders in the community and dedicated volunteers, this indoor space keeps everyone cranking in the winter.
As the city of Squamish continues to grow, so does the vision from the year-round climbing community. Spearheaded by Lauren Watson and Adrian Blachut, a new commercial climbing gym is already in the works. Ground Up Climbing Centre is slated to open in September of 2015 and the community is already abuzz.
Opening a new gym is not an easy task. In fact, it takes a lot of tenacity from those who have a bigger vision and Squamish Climbing Magazine had a chance to catch up with Lauren Watson to get the scoop on what is in the works.
Lauren Watson at the Coop
A lot of rumours are floating around about the new climbing gym in Squamish. Can you fill in a few details for us?
The gym is going to be called the Ground Up Climbing Centre. It speaks to Squamish’s strong sense of climbing culture.
We are in the industrial park, in Solterra’s Rec-Tech Centre. It is a project that is currently being built and tailored to our needs, so we have to wait a bit for the walls to go up (a curse of our name I guess…). By summer we should hold the keys to a 40ft high concrete box and by fall we can open our doors and call it a climbing gym.
Solterra’s plan for the Industrial Park
What is your role or title at the new gym?
Co-Owner/ Operator/instructor/ Provider of fantastic espresso and words of encouragement (or friendly heckling if you prefer…)
Adrian Blachut and I are both owners. We have a lot of the same business ethics and agree on how a community should grow. He is bringing a lot to the table from his business background and his enthusiasm for Squamish. He believes in the vision I have for the gym, and it is an incredible opportunity for both of us.
Do you have a vision for what the new gym will be like?
I see it as a gathering space. The most successful climbing gyms I have been/worked in are those where you feel good about coming in at any time of day, at any energy level, shooting the breeze with the staff, get psyched and climbing new projects. It should be a space where you can achieve new levels of climbing, no matter your ability or age. This requires three major components: good training space, good atmosphere, and good route setting. It should also be a place where everyone has something to work on. I am excited to see how we can develop our community like that.
Will the gym be a bouldering-only gym, similar to the Hive model?
We will have lead climbing, top rope climbing and a bouldering area. Indoor bouldering can offer a lot more freedom and can encourage a positive social environment but because of our location, we feel that we need to offer more. New Squamish climbers need to learn proper rope management and skills to take them outside. We also have an existing community of climbers who we want to cater to.
The Hive in Vancouver, BC
You just came back from to Salt Lake City with Tyson Braun to check out gyms out there? What did you learn?
Yep. Perhaps the best business trip ever: we climbed! Tyson and I went down to speak with Vertical Solutions (VS), a wall building company that runs out of Salt Lake City. Tyson has an incredible eye for design, he has also built and helped develop a lot of the climbing gyms I have train in, including the Co-op. We are pretty excited that he is helping us out.
The goal of the trip was to climb on all the surfaces that VS has in their facilities both in Ogden and in Salt Lake; test the transitions and their signature curved formations to see what we liked. Most of the time was spent between the climbing walls and office, working with the VS design team to try and put together a gym with that combined the experience and insight of everyone in the room. We haven’t finished but we are getting close. The trip helped to direct our vision.
I have visited a few gyms in the Salt Lake area and each gyms has various pros and cons? Anything stick out in your mind?
Salt Lake City has a developed gym culture. Because of its population it also has the opportunity to expand and really focus on different aspects of climbing and its culture within different gyms, which makes for interesting comparisons.
One example- I think that the new Momentum gym in Millcreek is a stunning project put out by Walltopia. The arching centerpiece offers expansive overhanging terrain for lead climbing, along with a separate ‘crag’ for more vertical climbing and a bouldering area that is totally separate from both. It is 23,000 sq. ft. of climbing terrain though, which could not be supported in Squamish at this point.
On the other hand- the Front Climbing Centre in SLC has been a bouldering-only gym, until present. Their unique Baltic birch aesthetics make their designs very appealing to climb and their route setting opportunities endless. The textured finish on their walls is just enough for a purposed smear but not enough to rub your shoe’s rubber off. I like the way they set their space up, with one long wall and seating area off the mats, makes the climbing feel less busy and yet promotes socialization. It creates a good space for climbing without needing much of a footprint.
The Front Climbing Gym in Salt Lake City, UT
The Front Climbing Gym in Salt Lake City, UT
he Front Climbing Gym in Odgen, UT
Sounds like you see layout of The Front working in Squamish! One of the advantages of The Front is the full weight room in the back and the yoga studio above? Are these things part of the plan?
At the moment we are focusing on the essentials. Squamish is a small town with lots of opportunity to focus on yoga and training in existing small businesses. We will definitely have a cross-training area, stretching area as well as climbing training available, but these will be built to support climbers, not stand alone.
How many phases are in the planning of the current gym?
Hard question to answer concisely.
Short answer: Many, it seems, but every time something momentous happens, someone congratulates me on the “ first step” so I guess I am still in phase one? I know nothing else…
If I was to break it down, I’d say there was an idea phase, a motivation phase, a finance phase, a building phase, a legal phase and now we are in the design phase.
Lets talk about the financial phase. A venture like this has to cost a fair amount of money. Is there a developer that is a big contributor to the project. If so, what is their role after the space is built and what is their stake in building such a venue?
No, our developers are building a number of buildings on the property. We will be leasing 4 units of one of those buildings. Their role is to provide us with a space that we can then outfit with to suit our needs. I suppose their stake is that they are relying on the fact that we will be able to pay rent. Forty-foot commercial buildings are not commonplace.
Any roadblocks from the city or climbing community?
That is a funny question. I could easily rant on about municipal zoning restrictions, land affordability, development permits and other things I have learned a lot about in the past couple of years but I think whenever you embark on doing something new in any town or community, there are inevitable roadblocks. I don’t think that they are necessarily bad things though. They make you honest, make sure you know what you want and make sure you are really ready to make it happen, no matter what.
The climbing community has been incredibly supportive. I can’t wait for the place to be open just so I can deliver on this one.
Will the coop continue to exist when the new gym is up and running?
That is a decision for the co-op members as a whole, not for the new gym. I have been a member of the coop since I moved here and I think it offers a very valuable service to experienced climbers. In an ideal world they will both exist. It was built on a passion for community and climbing, I owe a lot of my motivation and psych to that place.
Thanks Lauren. I know it takes a lot of work to get a project like this off the ground and Squamish Climbing Magazine wishes you the best in the endevour. Stay tuned!
