I love hiking and have done a lot of hiking over the past couple of years (I started a hiking group…read moretwo years ago), improving my stamina and fitness level. I have been able to do increasingly harder hikes, although my level is solidly intermediate -- I can't do hikes that are 20km, 10 hours, extreme elevation, really rough terrain, etc. The Stawamus Chief, known as "The Chief", is a popular hike that is on many people's bucket list. I was never particularly interested in The Chief, as the description seemed too difficult and being in Squamish, it was not possible to get there as a non-driver. However, this summer, some friends who I met through my hiking group wanted to try The Chief. We went on a Wednesday, in order to avoid the weekend crowd. Seven of us went, and none of us being morning people, we arrived around 11:30am, which is considered late for hardcore hikers. Fortunately, we were able to find a parking spot, although there were very few available at that time. The Chief consists of three peaks, and we only did the first one, which was more than enough. We went quite slowly, taking breaks as needed, and excluding about an hour at the top, taking in the view and having lunch, it took us about 4.5 hours to complete (2.5 hours to the top, 2 hours back down). While I was obviously able to complete The Chief, I didn't particularly enjoy the hike (although I really liked the company and hanging out with my friends), and I have no desire to do it again -- I've done it once, I don't have anything to prove, and there are so many other hikes to do. The trail for the first peak, while relatively short (under 4km there and back) is quite steep, and there are a lot of stairs. The problem is that I am short, and the steps were quite high, so I was extra slow as it took me longer to step up or down each stair, and by the end of the hike, I was exhausted (as were my friends). I had heard that there were chains and a ladder on the rock face that you needed to scramble up in order to get to the top, and this is why I had no desire to try The Chief. While challenging, the chains and ladder weren't so bad, and easier than I had expected. But the scramble up the rock face after the chains and ladder was horrible. I hated the scramble up the rock face, and I was actually pretty terrified -- I almost fell backwards to my death, as with Tunnel Bluffs. Thankfully my friends helped me. In my opinion, there should have been some chains to hold on to. Anyway, I made it up without dying, but I am never doing that again. At the top we could see the second peak, and to me, it looked like a pure scramble up rock face, the part I hated about our hike. I'm definitely never going to attempt the other peaks. We spend about an hour at the top, having lunch and hanging out. There was a cute chipmunk who ate the trail mix that I "accidentally" dropped, and we saw a Peregrine falcon and a raven flying around for over five minutes -- it looked like the falcon was chasing the raven. Overall a great day with my friends, but I did not enjoy The Chief and have no desire to ever do it again. [Yelp collections: Hiking]

I had never been to Stawamus Chief before but I was super excited for it. I had heard that it was a…read morerather difficult hike (which it is) but it's totally doable! We had someone with us who had never done a hike before and she made it to the top so it's doable. Having said that, we only did peak 1 because it was raining that day and we didn't want to risk anything. Peak 1 have lots of rocks and the elevation gain is pretty big. It took us 4.5 hours in total for the hike but if you are someone who is a hiker, it's possible to do it in 3 hrs. I will say that if you decide to do this hike on a rainy day, be prepared to have proper shoes because it does get slippery! Regardless I would say having proper shoes for this hike is important. The top of the hike is mostly climbing with ropes and on flat elevated rocks so it's good to have shoes with good grip. The view from up there is definitely worth it though!

Came here with a Groupon for a day of Drop-in Bouldering with Shoe Rentals…read more First off, staff was extremely friendly and helpful! There were a few people in front of us so we had to wait but you could tell they were really chill and pleasant to each customer. They were patient with organizing my group with waivers, Groupons and finding our correct shoe size. They were great with explaining the safety and rules of the bloudering area too. Starting off on the V0's (easy) to V8's (difficult) there was a variety of different routes to try. It was nice for beginners that there were several V0 and V0+ routes scattered around the gym area - to keep things interesting and allow us to explore the floor. Each path had it's own personality - some were easy and others made you think before you act. It was an awesome workout not only for our bodies but our problem-solving too! There are washrooms, lockers (bring your own lock), a water fountain, cubbies, and a little lounge area with a mini drink machine ($1.50 for a cup). In the end, our arms were tired and our fingertips were tender, but we left with a feeling of accomplishment and appreciation for all climbers! Learning to climb better will be my next project - Thanks Project Climbing for the first climb!

This is the first gym out of Austin (Austin Bouldering project) I've climbed at, and I can see how…read morespoiled I am, but all things considered this is a great facility still. It's on the small to medium size and is a brand new, clean gym. There's a good variety of angled walls, from overhung cave areas to vertical slab walls with a good variety of difficulty levels from V0-V7+. Holds are clean and problem settings are decent with individual routes being pretty easy to follow thanks to color coded holds and each route is labeled with a taped grade on the beginning hold. It seems new routes are set by color weekly, with all orange routes being reset one week, and yellow problems being reset the next, for example, so it makes it easy to locate new problems for frequent members and easy to know which will be coming down soon if you're trying to finish a problem before it's gone. My main gripe however, is the lack of enough down climb holds. There are plenty of large gaps with no down climb holds nearby at the top of routes and when you're climbing beyond V1-V2 levels with big, good holds, downclimbing after an exhaustive 100% effort can be a chore at best or a bit dangerous at worst with no easy way to get down. Coupled with the fact I wasn't made to read anything or sign a waiver, this seems like a liability for the gym. I also wish the top of the wall surface was consistent. Some areas have a flat top edge while others have a narrow lip that you can more easily grip around, and it's harder to grab the flat edge when expecting the lip. There are approximately 6-7 routes for sport climbing with auto belay machines, which would be fun, but probably not enough variety to keep strictly sport climbers satisfied. I wish there were more volumes on the wall, to add more wall surface variety, and the bathrooms/locker room areas are small, but adequate, and lockers are free to use. People, employees and climbers are friendly and helpful. Overall it's a great gym.

Such a fun place to have a kids birthday party! I'm sure every child had a good sleep that night!!…read moreI like that before staff allows you into the climbing area, they go over how-to, etiquette & safety. Be aware and read the fine print. If you tentatively book your number of guests, make sure you confirm with your guests or you'll be charged for every one including no-shows without proper notice. They verbally said 48hrs. On the website it says 24hrs. Aside from contractual logistics, I give a solid 3 star rating.

So bad I asked for help the workers didn't come I asked and tap them on the shoulder and he just…read moreexplained he didn't show me One of the workers where so mean to my brother he tried to go on the leap of faith but he was too scared and that counted as a turn.

Love this place. It looks small at first but it's not. I spent hours here and it's good exercise…read more Tiring and challenging. They do spicy it up and change the climbs a bit. Only thing is that at the top where there is the overhang they have a white plastic pipe on the edge. It's slippery and if they put a stepper rock on the bottom, it's very hard to get access and there is no grip. But I do see the pro with those white pipe. At least you won't get scraped. They have a few auto belay. Not bad. Had a great time here. First time here free rentals. Definitely coming back

I came here with 4 other friends with a SocialShopper deal and they were very accommodating and…read moregood with reservations. Separate parking lot but street parking available if it gets full as well. As mentioned in other reviews (and I was really hoping they were wrong) the place has a deep smell of feet when you first enter, but luckily the nose senses get overwhelmed and you get used to it after a little bit. Other than that, my first time rock-climbing was amazing! After signing our waiver forms, Christian (our instructor) came out and greeted us. He was friendly, helpful and remembered all our names in a really short time! He took us climbing walls starting with easy to medium to hard. He was very informative in what muscles we should be using, giving us tips (like keeping your arms straight as much as possible decrease fatigue), encouraging us, giving us breaks, etc.. He was very flexible in what difficulty in walls we wanted to climb and gave us tips on which rocks to use if we got stuck. We went through 4.5 walls in our 2 hours and my arms were spent. Good workout for your body and mind, to figure out the best path and determination to get to the top. Overall, super great experience and he was an amazing instructor! I would definitely climb and hang out here again!

A great facility where you can go for yoga and rock climbing in one place! The adult day pass is…read more$21 and this includes both the yoga classes served rock climbing. The place is very spacious with enough room for climbers without feeling over crowded. The yoga room is beautiful and very relaxing with a large floor to ceiling window where you can look out to the trees and mountains as you yoga. There are shower and lockers available. The washrooms/change room are much like recreational center washroom/change rooms without the extra like hair dryer and all but it is much cleaner. Overall a really best place try out!

I went to the Hive North Shore for a Yelp event to try Bouldering and it was tons of fun! The…read moremanager gave us a quick training session and a tour of the facility. Everyone was super friendly and helpful. I would recommend the Hive for a great physical workout, it's also a great way to socialize and make new friends!

My husband and I booked with Mountain Skills Academy & Adventures back in early June for their…read moreSquamish Via Ferrata at the Sea to Sky Gondola. WOW, so amazing! What a great, adventurous activity to soak in the sights and landscape of the surrounding area. After riding the Sea to Sky Gondola to the top (the lift ticket was included in the price of the tour), we met up with our tour guide at a very easy to locate and well-labeled hut. We were greeted warmly and introduced to the small group of others that we'd be climbing with. As newbies to climbing a via ferrata, we appreciated the time our guide took with us to get hooked up with helmets and climbing gear. It was a very hot, very sunny day on our climb but I'm glad I wore leggings as shorts would have been uncomfortable with the belts and loops. Wear decent footwear as there is a lot of climbing to do on this adventure. Our tour started with a short hike downhill to the start of the climbing route. Along the way, we learned a bit of history about the area as well as the local flora. At the start of our climb, we learned the proper way to clip in and traverse the lines, laddered rungs, and bridges. There were plenty of breaks built in and a lot of guidance and directions so we could comfortably work our way up the rocky face of the mountain. The views of Squamish Harbour and the neighboring snowy peaks were awe-inspiring, albeit a bit nerve-wracking to take in at times. For most of the trip you're facing the mountainside so it's easy to forget just how far up you've climbed and the sweeping views behind you. At one point though, we sat on a small bridge facing out and WOWSAH! Took about an hour and a half to make our way through the series of fixed cables. Our guide snapped photos of us through which was much appreciated as I didn't have the right gear on my vacation to keep my phone out for my own photos without fear of dropping it. We received the pictures from the guide right at the end of the trip directly to our cell phones so we left with those in tow. A thrilling tour and first experience on a via ferrata. So grateful for the patience, focus on safety (and fun!), and laid back atmosphere during our time on the rock face. Thank you Mountain Skills Academy and Adventures!

Overcoming fear of heights? This was an amazing challenge for me yet I still had a lot of fun!…read moreVictor, our guide, was so chill from the start. He set the tone immediately by being reassuring, patient, encouraging & funny! We started out on a short hike & then a brief,yet thorough safety instructions. I felt very secure with all the equipment & guidance from Victor. Although it's not mandatory, I'm glad I wore my hiking shoes. Even though the hike was brief, the trail narrows & has roots sticking out. Once I started climbing they seemed to grip the granite rocks a lot better too. As you get the hang of using the clamps & cable, make sure to stop and take in the spectacular view of the mountain peaks & Howe Sound! It got warm out so layers is a good idea! Victor took lots of pictures that made us look more accomplished than we actually were! Overall, an amazing thrill that I highly recommend. Big accomplishment in my progress to overcoming my fear of heights! Also, allow extra time to enjoy the trails & Suspension Bridge after the Gondola ride!!

I have been climbing on/off at the Core for 20~ years. As of 2026, the gym has taken big steps to…read morerefresh itself, making it a fantastic place to train. The boulder cave is frequently updated with new routes and holds, and there are good, securely-affixed mats to land on. They added an autobelay system and an adjustable overhanging wall; there are multiple hangboards, a pegboard and two campus boards. They've fit in as much as possible! And this is all besides the dedicated gym spaces, which include powerlifting, freeweights, a few standard machines + benches, a stretching/pilates room, plus showers, changing stalls, and lots of stretching/band/rolling equipment. 1/ Currently (hopefully changing soon), there is no pass hold for monthly memberships. Right now, at the Core you pay $50 "startup fee" each time to re-start a monthly membership. Others have noted the lack of options for residents/regulars, and apparently this will change in 2026. 2/ As for bouldering, routes are graded tough, and can be a bit sandbagged. I have grown to like this, but some technical variation would be nice in lower grades to teach technique. This is a preference, and so I offer constructive feedback here, as it's about the progression of teaching progression itself in the climbing community. They say the ultrapower style is for an "authentic outdoor experience" but as someone who has been climbing in the S2S all my life, I'd take this with a grain of salt. If you're not already a decent climber, there isn't quite the progression of grades for teaching technique that I find at other gyms. I feel this is where the gym could learn from teaching and training developments in the broader climbing culture. Still--this place will work you hard, which is GOOD. Just take care of your hands, and remember to bring liquid chalk (available at the counter, of note). 3/ The staff are AWESOME, quite understanding, all love climbing, all climb better than me (lol), and if there are queries they cannot handle, the owner--a super well-respected, route-setting OG climber who developed CalChek crag--can be reached via email. Overall I love how the Core has progressed as a climber's training centre in Whistler and look forwards to returning!

On our trip we stopped in and our kids were able to do a one hour guided climb. They had an…read moreabsolute blast. Rhys was very kind with them and they had a really fun time with challenges and games. It was a great and reasonably priced activity to burn energy.

Jane was delightfully helpful when we came in. Only my youngest was really into climbing,…read moreespecially by auto-belay but it was a great day price for kids ($19) that included harness, shoe and chalk rental. Not a lot of auto-belay courses which was kind of a bummer for beginners, but looked like other climbers were having a great time.

i injured myself quite badly, when I fell wrong, and the staff was phenomenal in helping me get…read moreback to the car with my partner, basically making themselves a human crutch so I could get to the hospital. 10/10 will come again once recovered

Coffee was ok, barista was very kind and helpful. Lots of wanderers come to the coffee shop to do…read moretheir work and using the coffee shops WiFi.

Excellent Climbing | Parking is an Issue Sometimes free…read more **Do not park in the residential area. I hear you can get towed away, so park at the designated parking lot.** This is a semi-residential area, but locals and visitors mob up on this spot to hike and climb. Mostly trad/sport, but I am pretty sure I saw a boulder or two. Dogs are allowed. Mountain Lions are spotted on occasion, but we didn't see any. Burgers and Fries wall is super popular because the rock dries the fastest. It was raining when we went, so we didn't get to climb a whole lot. However, these are our favorite climbs when we got the chance: -Easter Island (5.8) -Bilbo Baggins (5.8) Easy trail to follow. Hike will take you about an hour. Total distance is 2.6km and it's a loop (partial).