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Climbing gym reopens as the Core

Upgraded gym features kid zone

By Andrew Mitchell

It’s been a long couple of months for Whistler’s climbing community after the closure of the Great Wall Climbing Gym, but on Jan. 8 the facility will reopen in a new location with more than 7,000 square feet of fitness space.

Renamed as Whistler Core Climbing and Fitness Centre, the new underground facility — the entrance is located beside the Telus Conference Centre — will feature an upgraded climbing gym, cardio facilities, weights, a yoga and fitness studio and a Core Kids Play Zone that offers limited supervision to kids while parents use Core’s other facilities or do errands in the village.

“We have brought the real world of rock climbing indoors and created a new climbing surface that is truly rock textured and climbing routes that are just like the real thing with cracks, overhangs, micro edges and tons of bouldering,” said Bob Allison, president of Core.

Core can be accessed for a drop-in fee, or by purchasing passes.

A full range of fitness programs are also available. The fitness studio has classes in yoga, circuit training, stretching, and yoga for kids. The cardio room features Life Fitness equipment, discovery weights and, a first for B.C., the XBike trainer.

One Great Wall program that is returning is the Kids Climb and Dine, which takes places from 6 to 9 p.m. each night and includes climbing lessons, dinner and desert. Younger kids will be able to take advantage of a similar program in the Kids Zone.

Hours of operation are 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.