If you are a boulderer or have ever been interested in bouldering, the folks at Squamish's Grand Wall Bouldering Co-op invite you to come on down and check out their OG Squamish gym.
The co-op, located at 38036 Loggers Ln., was established about two decades ago as the first indoor climbing gym in town.
"We welcome climbers of all skill levels," says Thomas Burden, one of about 30 Grand Wall Bouldering Co-op members.
He adds that the non-profit wants to increase its ranks to 50 members.
"Our co-operative structure allows for a welcoming, inclusive environment for anyone interested in bouldering," Burden says.
For the uninitiated, bouldering is a type of rock climbing that involves short climbs on large rocks—boulders—or artificial rock walls. Climbers don’t use harnesses or ropes. Thick crash pads on the ground below protect the athletes, should they fall while tackling various “problems” or routes.
(Found below the Stawamus Chief, the Grand Wall Boulders are a popular outdoor bouldering area in Squamish.)
As a co-op, members of the Grand Wall Bouldering gym are given access to come and go from the facility at any time.
Darcy Witt, who has been a member for four months, told The Squamish Chief he has learned a lot and feels very comfortable at the gym.
"I think a lot of people think that it's a bit intimidating because it's only bouldering," he says. "I'm not as strong as maybe some other people … Coming here, I feel very welcome, and everyone's just very encouraging.”
Witt says he has improved a lot since he started at the gym. During a recent dry spell in the weather, he went bouldering outside and noticed a big improvement.
"I was able to do a climb that I wasn't able to do back when I first started at the end of November," he said.
The co-operative structure allows for a community of people sharing the space.
There's no staff. All of the maintenance, cleaning, and administration is done by members.
When The Squamish Chief visited the gym on Family Day, member Shawn Hudson had just finished repairing the gym’s shower.
He previously built a chin-up bar, with a reinforced wall. Another member supplied some weightlifting equipment.
Burden was one of the original co-op members.
"I was here at the beginning when it opened up, just a young lad," he said.
"A lot of the climbing community was younger at the time, and people didn't necessarily own their own homes and stuff. I think there were maybe one or two home walls in town at the time. It was just at that time when bouldering was starting to get popular, and more people were starting to live here full-time, and throughout the winter. So people thought why not create a space?"
Burden added that a lot of the original crew were carpenters and so put their talents together to launch the co-op.
"A lot of these holds are owned by the original people who started the place... It's grown and changed over the years."
The co-op is hosting a community climbing event and competition, the Grand Wall Grand Slam, from Feb. 22nd to March 9th.
The launch event is on Feb. 22, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
There will be friendly people and neat prizes supplied by local businesses, organizers say.
For more information, check out the gym's website and Instagram page.
