When Kiefer Burrows was travelling through Castlegar from his hometown of Kamloops years ago, going bouldering wasn’t on the top of his list.
That all changed over time after he started spending more time around the city.
“As I began to start bouldering in the area, I quickly fell in love with the scenery, people and the region,” said Burrows.
“After climbing with a bunch of people from Castlegar, I knew I wanted to make the move there and start a climbing gym. That’s when I decided to put my life experience in place.”
Burrows quickly went to work trying to find a location for the 4,500-square-foot facility. He admits it wasn’t the easiest thing, trying to find a suitable place.
“I tried really hard to lease a building for the business, however I determined there wasn’t anywhere large enough,” said Keifer.
“I determined that the best option would be to just build a facility from scratch.”
Burrows has spent about $200,000 purchasing the property at 1013 2nd Street and he’s in the process of securing loans to cover the total $1.5 million needed to get the building up and running.
Construction material is another thing Kiefer has secured for the project.
“The company that is doing our wall is from Quebec and they’ll be making everything in house,” said Kiefer.
“I’m making some of the climbing holds for the gym and I’ll also be ordering some from other companies.”
The bouldering walls will be 16 feet high. There could also potentially be a small space for a couple of top ropes for rock climbing.
One manager, desk staff and coaches will be hired at the facility when it opens to the public.
After-school programs for kids, birthday parties and climbing competitions are some events that could be held at the facility.
Burrows has over 16 years of rock climbing and bouldering experience. He’s also taught people how to climb in gyms for about 12 years.
Burrows hopes to open the gym by the fall of 2021.
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