Home > Profiles

Save the Cave

Canmore Bouldering Cave in Immediate Need of Funding, Will Close if Fundraising Deadline Missed.

CANMORE, AB.—The Canmore Bouldering Cave, the fledging climbing gym founded two years ago to support the Canmore Junior Climbing team, is in dire need of more members and more funds in order to continue operating. The Cave has served as training grounds for many climbers since its inception in 2012, and the amount and versatility of features at the gym would make many a larger gym envious.

However, due to the low-key nature of the Cave, as well as the opening of Elevation Place, the new community centre in Canmore, its funding is stretched to the point of breaking. If the Cave does not meet its fundraising deadline of April 20t, the location will likely close a month thereafter.

The Canmore Bouldering Cave functions in a co-op format, meaning that members of the Cave get 24-hour access to the gym, as well as personal responsibility for keeping the gym in running order. This collaborative format also means that over the years, members have added enough training features to the gym to make it truly world-class for its size. A campus board, a dry-tool campus board, multiple crack machines, hangboards, pull-up bars, and gymnastic rings have all been contributed to make the gym a great place to train.

The Cave has also flourished as a centre for dry-tool training. The multiple long traverses set up in the gym have made the gym a staple training component for the mixed and ice climbers, as well as a point of pride for Canmore-ites when orienting their American mixed climbing counterparts to the Canmore scene.

The gym has also been lauded for its laidback, communal bouldering vibe, as well as its exceptionally comfortable couch and creativity-inspiring chalkboard wall.

However, the gym is closing in on its fundraising deadline of April 20th. In order to remain open, the Cave needs only $5000 more committed. This comes out to about 13 memberships, at $400 each.

If you are in the Canmore or Calgary area and are interested in a membership, or if you simply want to contribute to the cause, contact canmoreboulderingcave@gmail.com.

Will Gadd in the Cave
Will Gadd in the Cave

 

Check out the latest buyer's guide:

The Best Climbing Gear According to Our Editors – March

Every month we're bringing you our favourite gear so you can complete your climbing kit with the latest and best stuff out there