Squamish has a new place for bouldering in the midst of downtown, as the new climbing boulder was officially opened at Junction Park Sunday afternoon.
The boulder was actually installed late last year, but the project’s partners wanted to hold off on the official opening ceremony, although it did not stop people from using it.
“Pretty much every day, there are people climbing on this boulder,” Councillor Karen Elliott said during the opening ceremony.
Elliott, who spoke of behalf of the District of Squamish as acting mayor, said the project started as a part of the plan to revitalize downtown.
The process started a few years ago, then hit some delays. Andrew Coffey of the Hive gyms was in the process of coming to Squamish to open up his business and decided to get involved.
“I realized it was still on the agenda,” he said. “This seemed like a really good thing to get more people climbing.”
Coffey spearheaded the project and worked with Eldorado, the Colorado-based supplier to design something that fit with the Squamish landscape and at a reduced price.
The District of Squamish said Coffey was able to bring down the cost by about $40,000 to around $65,000. The Hive donated about $30,000 for the project, and the district provided the rest of the funding, initially reported at $40,000.
The district is now hoping to get camps going for children in conjunction with Coffey and make these a part of programming.
“It really does build on that partnership model,” said Elliott, who cut the ribbon with Coffey.
He also had to work with a non-profit on the project, the Climbers’ Access Society of B.C.
“They were kind of a natural fit to lend their name to this,” Coffey said.
After the ceremony, the society’s Tim Schaufele said, “We’re just thankful to be a part of the process.”
Coffey explains the concrete structure is also designed to look like local granite and even has Chief-style streaks along the side.
“It’s sculpted out of concrete to resemble the Chief,” said District of Squamish director of recreation Tim Hoskin, who added the project fits in with the district’s master plan for recreation programming.
Coffey raves about Eldorado’s work in designing realistic structures that look like rock. The steel-framed, weather-resistant boulder is also designed to have an easy, intermediate and difficult side.
“You can make up your own climb,” he said. “You can try to climb all the way around.”
The boulder was installed by crane in late 2015 once the wood chips and everything else on site was ready.
Organizers wanted to hold off on the official ceremony until the weather was warmer. Still, Coffey says, it did not take long from the time it was installed for people to latch on.
“There were people climbing on it within moments,” he said.
For the District of Squamish, the boulder fits with its plan to have recreation facilities that help initiate young people into different physical activities and sports.
“People need stepping stones,” Elliott said.
