Ground Up Climbing Centre in Squamish, BC will host their first ever SCBC sanctioned bouldering competition this weekend. With the grand opening of this new facility just last month, the team at Ground Up has joined the BC competition community quickly and their new facility will be on showcase while hosting some of the best competitors from around the province.

The competition will take place on Saturday, January 9th, 2016 with registration beginning at 8am. The Open category qualifiers will begin at 1130am and finals will take place at 7pm. Open Finals will be open to all spectators and doors will open for spectators at 640pm. We thought it a great opportunity to talk to Lauren Watson and Tyson Braun about visioning the climbing gym and now opening the doors. Here is what they had to say.

Photo courtesy of Thomas Burden ©

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For those ‘climbing cinephiles’ out there, here is a concept video that integrates multiple shots and drone footage into a pretty fancy finished product. The film does not feature too much outdoor climbing but may be of interest for those looking for a little edge in their creative projects.

Great little video and feature interview out of National Geographic featuring Sonnie Trotter on Castles in the Sky, Canada’s first 5.14a multi-pitch in Canmore, AB

World-class rock climber Sonnie Trotter takes us on his backyard quest, which resulted in Canada’s first multi-pitch 5.14, in this first film by photographer/climber Ben Moon (Denali, Rabbit Island), just released today. Castles in the Sky is a meditation on what inspires Trotter to seek what hasn’t been done and the process he uses to complete it. And now Trotter has another first to add to his personal tick list—being a dad.

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Steph Davis free solos Jah Man Tower with a Base jump descent.

A relatively recent first free ascent by Tom Moulin, this roof crack was a long-standing project for decades, thwarting attempts by some legendary crack climbers, perhaps most notably those of Hidetaka Suzuki in the 1980s. The Great Red Roof follows an offset beveled crack for twenty-five feet, yet allows only a handful of jams due to its unique angles. A large flake-jug broke when I started working the route last week, making the transition into the final sloper-campus section considerably harder. In the end, I used an inverted undercling method instead.

While we are on the subject, Here is a great little article featuring Elan and his Olympic hopes and dreams. For the full article, please visit The Globe and Mail by Justine Hunter

Elan Jonas-McRae is doing that thing that competitive climbers do – waving his arms around like a conductor with an especially difficult piece of music, while staring intently at a wall. Once he begins climbing, his actions make sense: With a sequence mapped out, he can move fluidly up the wall – and across the ceiling on a route that only the most accomplished athletes can hope to top.

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Adding the carnage of Canadian climbers in Bishop, CA, we are pleased to announce that Elan Jonas McCrae added a number of ascents to his belt, including an ascent of Buttermilker (v13), Beautiful Gecko (v12), and Rorschach Test (v11). He also sent a number of v10’s over the trip.

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We are pleased to announce that Luke Zimmerman has finally sent Vince Pinch (v12) to bring in the new year! Luke has made huge in his bouldering this year but no other problem gave him more trouble. Below is a picture of the conditions! Congratulations Luke!

A number of BC climbers have gone south for the holidays, filling up places like Bishop and Heuco Tanks. We are pleased to announce that Simon Parton has made an ascent of Madala Direct (v12), noting on Sendage.com that it may be harder now that the jug has broken.

It looks as though Simon made his way to Bishop after heavy snow in Heuco Tanks. Notable sends since our last update including Mojo (v10), Mo Mojo (v11), Dead Serious (v10), A Good Day For Swiss Crisp Mix (v10), and a double ascent of Nacho Man (v9) with Josh Muller.

Bring in the New Years with Jeremy Blumel’s final article via The Squamish Chief.

Photo by Luke Zimmerman ©

For climbers, 2015 has been a year of holding still and trusting where patience will lead us, of the Dawn Wall and its effect on climbing and how it is seen by the rest of the world, of sad departures in the likes of Dean Potter, Graham Hunt, Justin Griffin and Kayah Gaydish.

It has also been the year of new beginnings with the Ground Up Climbing Centre in Squamish and clean break ups with the Stawamus Chief’s calving off of 1,600 cubic metres of rock on April 19.

Yet, here we sit, overfed, eyes glazed over and stomach aching from an overabundance of wealth and opportunity, watching as a white winter season descends upon us these last December days.

How will you approach 2016? My mind is constantly swimming in climbing goals, destinations, ideas, training, routes, features, boulders, faces – possibilities. How will you change your life for the better? Will you approach it from a diet angle, curbing your drinking to help recovery, no more sweets or refined sugar, and shrinking your portions to hone in on when you’re satisfied but not stuffed? Will you take this a step further and experiment with a more rigid diet scheme like the Paleo concept, a scale in one hand for portion measuring and a protein shake in the other?

Maybe you’ve climbed for decades but you’re feeling a new push to improve your climbing technique, like foot work or sequencing? It could be the mental game in climbing, where balancing perceived fear with real risk in falling terms is on your agenda? Maybe it’s a physical goal where you want to structure your climbing into more focused bouts of training, instead of just doing what you’ve always done during the winter to stay fit?

If you’re reading this, chances are you’re climbing already or at least interested in climbing. With a new gym in town and a bouldering co-op as well, you’re poised at the edge of your seat, about to commit dollars, blood, sweat, muscle tissue, skin cells and many endorphins to the cause of improving your life by getting into climbing by whatever means available, whether professional or ad hoc.

For the full article, please visit The Squamish Chief.