Massive harnessless rock climbing gym to open in Langford
A popular rock climbing gym in Victoria that specializes in bouldering, a type of rock climbing done on short walls with no harness, is opening a new location in Langford.
The BoulderHouse rock climbing gym is opening a location at 1109 Langford Pkwy in City Center Park on Thursday, June 17.
The climbing gym measures 6,000-square-feet and includes a dedicated kid's section. Since there are no harnesses or ropes involved, a large padded mat is placed along the floor of the gym, which catches you if you fall. The facility is a first of its kind for Langford.
"We are so proud to have this incredible facility open in Langford," said Langford Mayor Stew Young in a release Monday. "It will provide Langford residents with more recreation options without having to leave their community."
"I am excited to hear that BoulderHouse will be engaging with local schools to encourage use of the facility for non-traditional physical education programming," Young added. "It will also be a new option for summer camps and for children's birthday parties which is another important feature for Langford as a young, growing community."
BoulderHouse first opened in Victoria in 2016 and has welcomed newcomers as well as high-performance athletes over the past five years.
Several gym regulars are part of Canada's national bouldering or lead climbing teams, and have participated in international events.
Gym member Rebecca Frangos has participated in multiple world cups and was a competitor in the Pan American Olympic qualifiers for rock climbing in Los Angeles. While she wasn't selected to go to Tokyo this year, she hopes to climb for Team Canada in the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Rock climbing is one of the newest sports to be added to the Summer Olympic games. The first ever sport climbing category of the Olympics is set to debut in the 2021 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo this July.
"We are excited for the opportunity to bring climbing to the West Shore," said BoulderHouse co-owner Rob Somogyi in a statement Monday.
"There has been a long history of outdoor climbing in the area and with the addition of an indoor facility, the community as a whole will benefit from having an accessible space to learn how to climb in their neighborhood," he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
All Alberta wildfires to date in 2024 believed to be human-caused: province
There are 63 wildfires burning in Alberta's forest protection area as of Wednesday morning and seven mutual aid fires, including one in the Municipal District of Peace.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Suspects waving weapons, smashing glass in Toronto jewelry store robbery caught on video
Arrests have been made after five men were captured on video rampaging through a jewelry store in Toronto, waving weapons and smashing glass display cases.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
New evidence challenges the Pentagon's account of a horrific attack as the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan: CNN exclusive
New video evidence uncovered by CNN significantly undermines two Pentagon investigations into an ISIS-K suicide attack outside Kabul airport, during the American withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.