Phot included in council agenda package

By Curtis Galbraith

City Hall

City council agrees to look at new climbing facility for Grande Prairie

Mar 8, 2022 | 6:10 AM

About 40 people came to Monday’s city council to advocate for a new climbing facility in Grande Prairie.

Grande Prairie Climbing Association vice-president Kate Weber says climbers have been without one for two years.

She adds the climbing wall at Grande Prairie Regional College closed at the beginning of the pandemic and is not going to re-open.

“We were upset by that, so we created a non-profit association looking to find a home in the city in an existing city building utilizing public funds and grants to open a climbing facility that can train world-class athletes and youth in our community.”

City council has approved having administration work with this group to put together a report on possible new facilities to a future committee meeting.

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Weber says there are more than 300 people in the group. She adds they are hoping to see something established within two years.

“We really see our first phase as being in an existing facility. The new site at Avondale where the existing Leisure Centre is will be demolished.”

“There is going to be a rec. centre there. What that has in it is to be determined. Maybe that becomes the more permanent home, I’m not sure.”

The Association has also identified the new facility in the Smith area as a possible location.

Weber says in the meantime, people are climbing in garages, basements, or backyards.

“Most (of the) people that were here, if you go in the basement, they have homemade walls, so this is what we have done in the meantime. Everybody that has kids here has a climbing wall in their basement because we have nowhere to climb and to let our kids climb.”

“We also climb outside a lot. We’re in Jasper all the time in the summer rope climbing, lead climbing there. Also, we travel to Tumbler Ridge.”

Weber says their next step is financing, including getting grants and crowd and community fund-raising. There would also be naming opportunities once a space is identified.

She adds they are hoping to work out an arrangement with the college where some of the things that were used at the climbing wall there could come to the new facility. In return, it could be used to offer climbing instruction to Phys. ed. and kinesiology students, something that the college had offered previously.