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!

Excellent training ground | "Locals only" vibe…read more For background: I've been climbing for over 15 years and have visited many gyms throughout the US and Canada. I feel like I have a pretty solid grasp on climbing gyms and their systems. We've been here a few times and this gym is challenging with their routes. You will definitely have fun and get a good work out. It's not beginner friendly because the grades reflect the outdoor grades. So, a beginner in bouldering will feel discouraged with the orange routes because it'll feel like you're climbing an outdoor grade. Sandbagged. It shows that this place is a community of strong climbers that are serious about training for outside locally and beyond. It's a good facility for its size. They have genderless bathrooms near the front desk. There are 5 private bathrooms with showers and an open room locker area. On the other side to the front desk is a closed off small area for kids. It's a small spray wall with anchors that is used to teach kids how to tie knots and different types of holds. Honestly, I don't think a day pass price is worth the small area for kids, if all they're looking to do is boulder. They have that spray wall and a mini Chief wall with a small slide to go down. The rest of the gym is split between tall walls for roping up and an upstairs bouldering wall. They also have a Kilter board and a small weight lifting area next to it. They make good use of this space. The bouldering upstairs is tough and not beginner friendly, as stated before. Grades accurately reflect outdoor grades. Our beginner friends and family were discouraged and couldn't climb many routes here. If incline routes are your thing, you'll love the bouldering area. The last thing worth noting is the staff. There was a blonde woman working the front desk wearing a beanie who wasn't friendly or welcoming at all. She acted on assumptions thinking we don't know climbing protocols. I'm sure we've been climbing far longer than she has. There's something wrong when customers are more friendly and have better attitudes than those working for a company. Also, the young man giving the orientation/tour of the facility to my brother-in-law was condescending. Out of all the gyms we have visited, this is the least welcoming, most judgmental, and "locals only" prideful type gym.

I live in Whistler, have been climbing since the early '90s, indoors and out. I train at Ground Up…read morewhenever I am in Squamish, and usually go once a week in winters. It is a solid climbing gym, with good route variety, refreshed often, and decent progression. It has a large, gym-length bouldering wall on the second level, mostly focused on overhanging routes, and a decent number of walls for roped climbing, including a freestanding pillar. However it could do with a small number of improvements: 1/ The upstairs bouldering gets busy and crowded fast with kids running around without much adult supervision. There aren't enough benches, and often I would find my chalk bag tossed aside or my stuff sat on. This perhaps has to do with the "urbanisation" of climbing culture, and I question why climbing parents aren't teaching more safety-oriented behaviour. This isn't a playground. While Ground Up cannot fix a culture, it can lead the way, and (much) more needs to be done here to avoid an environment where accident becomes all the more likely due to kids (literally!) running around underneath you or swinging into you. More than once I have been kicked in the shin by a kid *running* past the benches. At the very least, look into how to add more benches and create more space (you'll need to reduce the mats on the south side). As for the kids, get them under control, or you'll be dealing with the lawsuit(s) once someone gets really hurt. 2/ The workout/training area is pretty small, the equipment is tired, and the indoor bike is flat-out broken. The benches are ripped and worn. Much more could be done with this space to make it useable; much more training equipment could be provided in other spots in the gym, like hangboards. 3/ No one knows where to put their street shoes. Put some mats on top of the lockers! 4/ Locals vibe. Yep! Welcome to Squamish. Locals are friendly though. Just say hi. As for this gym being a bit sandbagged... well, I guess it is, but the comment here saying that perhaps reflects an urban approach. This gym is more easily graded than the Core in Whistler, for example, and is about on par with Hive in Vancouver. Some gyms in Montreal are harder graded than Ground Up. Overall I find that Ground Up contains a wide variety of routes with solid progression at lower grades -- something I look for, as I'm often looking to train endurance, and not power, and climb for longer while not spending $$ to be quickly exhausted. On the boulder wall, there is a selection of styles, from modern/gymnastic to crimpy/power, balancey and footwork to arms and fingers. Yes, it is mostly overhanging and there is no top-out. So YMMV here, but imo, it's fairly priced for the space and number of route options.

This was my first climbing experience and went beyond my expectations. Our guid Brett made the…read moreexperience! He was kind, patient, funny and professional. He was also an amazing teacher!

Did AST 1 last winter. Guides were fine. Company disorganized, hard to contact and no followup…read more There are probably better outfits to take this course with.

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!

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.

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.

New gym in town! I've been waiting forever for a new indoor place to climb…read more One entry is $30.5 a bit more expensive than a nearby climbing gym. They have a cafe attached to the gym, This place use V grading system. Some of the walls are textured, some are not. Most of the wall has some sort or incline or overhand. Some of the setting are fun and exciting. Most gym won't have huge traversing problem on wall for lower grade, but this gym has it. A bit nit, there are some problems that's definitely targeted for non-average people. I might go back, vibe was good and fun. There are two showers in the gym.

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

This was indeed some of the best views I have ever seen. This area is a breath of fresh air. It is…read moreso spectacular and the gondola was fun to attend. Please be warn if you have a fear of heights. My friend and I upload with another set of friends and experienced the ride up. During the right, the gondola came to a complete stop for less than a minute. But it was windy and the gondola swung back and forth. It was a bit scary, but quickly the track continued a the gondola continued to ascent to the submit. At the top, there is the suspension bridge. Which is really nice. It gives a nice view of the submit lodge. There are small hikes around the place and the views from those hikes are magnificent. Once you're done with your hikes, you can venture inside the submit lodge. Inside is a good selection of food options.

Sea to Sky Gondola is one of those activities where you feel like it should be more novel than…read moreanything else. You hear the ride up and down is only 10 minutes and you start to wonder if the money spent is worth it. But then as you ascend up the mountain and look all around you in this beautifully clear and clean gondola, the lake below is pristine. The mountains around you barely hide the clouds as they lazily drift by. The trees envelop you with all their greenery. All of this is happening in these mere 10 minutes. However, once you arrive up top and get off the gondola a large selection of different adventures await you. You could warm yourself up at the visitor centre just right of the gondolas where you can get some hot food and look out through its huge glass windows out into the wilderness. You could also walk outside said visitor centre and onto the suspension bridge. It looks daunting at first, but it isn't too long and you get some wonderful photos from it. There are also several different hikes located all throughout the area with varying degrees of difficulty. The one just on the other side of the suspension bridge is an easy loop hike you can do under ten minutes with astounding moments of forest bathing. You can also go and ski or tube when there is snow. When you go with a tour package, usually you only have about an hour and a half of time up here, but if you're on your own this could easily be a 3-4 hour excursion. Those the price might be steep for some to utilize the gondolas, if you decide to make a day trip out of this visit it'll be worth the money to get the views, air, and experience that is Sea to Sky Gondola.