The Hangar Climbing Lounge brings the fun new sport of bouldering to the Sunshine Coast. What is bouldering, you ask? It’s a form of rock climbing with no ropes. Sound dangerous? It’s not. Bouldering walls are much lower than traditional indoor rock climbing walls and there’s over a foot of soft foam padding below waiting to catch your fall. Bouldering is the hot new trend in rock climbing and will be featured for the first time in the 2020 Olympics.
The Hangar Climbing Lounge has climbing for all ages and abilities so you are sure to find something to match your skill level. In bouldering, a climber works on a puzzle of moves called a problem, marked by large and small holds going up the wall. Climbers try to solve the puzzle, figuring out the right sequence of moves and balances to succeed and climb to the top. Some problems are easy and can be completed in one try. Others are more challenging and can take weeks to solve, building up the strength and figuring out just the right technique and moves to get to the top.
“We’ve been getting great feedback from the climbing community on the Coast and visiting climbers who have come to see what the new gym has to offer, “ said Lukas Stuebi, owner of The Hangar. “They love the problems we’re setting, and we are so excited to be able to bring bouldering to the Coast!”
The Hangar Climbing Lounge was built by Stuebi and his wife Candice Spenst. “It all started with a few drawings on some sticky notes,” Spenst said.
They wanted a place to bring community together to share and be inspired by bouldering. “We built this gym ourselves 100 per cent from the ground up. We couldn’t have done it without all the help we had from friends who shared our passion for bringing climbing to the Coast. It’s a dream come true.”
Bouldering is naturally collaborative and social as climbers often spend time working together to solve a boulder problem and watch each other climb the same problem, sharing what worked for them. It’s so much fun, you won’t realize it’s a great workout, too!
The Hangar offers something unique in the world of climbing gyms. They are the first bouldering gym in Canada to be open 24 hours a day to members. If you want to climb early or climb late, you can – with the 24/7 membership that give you access to the gym outside of their regular operating hours. The gym has a self-service café with coffee and snacks and a sound system with Spotify, where you can pick your favourite music to jam out to while you climb as late or as early as you want.
“Our 24/7 customers love being able to climb when they want” Stuebi said. “Some people climb early before they go to work and others climb late into the night when the gym is less busy and they can focus on ascending the latest problem.”
The Hangar is located in Sechelt just before Porpoise Bay Provincial Park at 5824 Sechelt Inlet Rd. Come try bouldering for free at the Open House happening Sept. 16 from noon to 6 p.m.
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