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An anchor in the Squamish climbing community,

Members
waiver

Committed to Learning & Improving

Ground Up runs on continually re-evaluating and challenging our ability to have a growth mindset. Much like the boulder problems and routes you seek out in our facility, we see problems as opportunities for growth.

We are real people

We work to solve real problems and we know we will make mistakes, but we are committed to learning and improving to better our community.

Mission

To be the foundation for a sustainable climbing community committed to knowledge, training and growth.

Objectives

Promote community engagement through indoor climbing. Encourage youth participation through programs and opportunities. Create an inclusive space for climbers of all levels to learn, train and grow. Provide comprehensive climbing education that allows for good habits, problem solving and decision-making throughout the climbers life.

Mindset

Growth Mindset - We are okay with failure. In fact, we value it. Learning from our mistakes and leaning into challenges is what climbing is all about. As a company, we are constantly re-committing to re-examining what we are doing then learning, and improving.

Our Senior Management Team

Meghan: Operations Manager

Meghan is the operations manager for Ground Up, taking care of our facilities and front desk. She got into climbing as a teenager at her local climbing gym. Shortly thereafter, she transitioned to climbing outdoors and fell in love with Squamish granodiorite. When she is not working or climbing, she is off in the woods riding her mountain bike.

Tristan: Head Setter

Born in Millau, a small city in southern France that is said to be the capital of outdoor sports, Tristan ended up in Squamish through the world of routesetting that saw him become Ground Up’s Head Setter. Tristan loves the puzzle-solving and try-hard part of climbing as well as its incentive to travel and meet people from all over the world.

Jud: Head Coach

Jud(ith) was born in Austria and moved to Canada in 2015. Since the gym opened in Dec 2015, Jud has been working in several departments involving Front Desk, Rec Program, Youth Team and Routesetting. Since 2017, she has been the Head Coach for the competitive youth team and Performance Coach for a variety of climbers that are looking to improve their climbing on a physical-technical-tactical-mental level. With 25+ years of climbing and climbing-specific training experience, as well as competing in her earlier years for the Austrian national team, Jud has a wealth of knowledge that she loves passing on as a coach. She holds a master’s degree for performing arts (music & dance education) which has had a major impact on her coaching style, being methodical and analytical in her approach to help clients to meet their climbing goals.

Gina: Memberships Manager

Gina is the powerhouse behind Ground Up’s memberships, helping keep the backend of the business running smoothly behind the scenes. When she isn’t responding to your emails or making gorgeous spreadsheets, Gina can be found with her mountain bike in the forests of Squamish. 

Alison: Director and Co-Owner

Alison Stewart-Patterson grew up in Kamloops making her a rare breed, BC born and raised. Alison started climbing at the age of 6 with influence from her father, a mountain guide, and took the sport to an international stage representing Canada at a variety of World Cups in lead, speed, and bouldering. She has worked in a variety of roles in the climbing community, from belayer to assistant manager to routesetter to programs director to gym owner. Alison made the move out to Squamish in May 2021 and has been working at Ground Up since July 2021 and became a part of the new ownership team in April 2023.

When Alison isn’t at Ground Up, you will probably find her romping the trails on her mountain bike, in the boulders, or binging the Bachelorette. Fun fact: Alison held a Canadian speed climbing record until May 2019 of 10.83 seconds!

Jake: Community Liaison

Jake started his climbing career as a teenager in California. After joining the local competitive team, he traveled around the world competing in both lead and bouldering. The undertaking of university saw Jake move to BC where he fell in love with the forest and the granite spectacle that is Squamish. From programs to desk, to his current role as Community Liaison and coach, Jake has been a part of the Ground Up family since 2018. If you see him climbing in the gym, or out on the boulders, feel free to say hi and talk some beta.

Join Our Team

Ground Up strives to be an equal opportunity employer, committed to recruiting an inclusive workforce that reflects the community we serve. We encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds, including Indigenous applicants, all genders, nationalities and persons with disabilities.

View our current job postings.

 

Casual Belayers:

Belay sessions are a great way for new climbers to try climbing without committing to a full program. Belay sessions are booked on a custom basis, but generally fall into one of the following categories:

  • Kids groups
  • Adult groups
  • Private sessions

The belayer positions are casual and on-call. When belay sessions are booked, we send out a call to all our belayers, and the first to respond will get the work.

If interested, please email your resume and cover letter to Meris, our program director

Our Partners

We have to take a minute to shout out to our key community partners. Ground Up Climbing would not be possible without the support of
these incredible companies. These companies share our passion for the outdoors, our excitement for rock climbing and our love of Squamish

Proud member and partner of

Proud to Support

We are also proud to support Canadian athletes in collaboration with Canadian Sport Institute.

Interested in partnering with us? Please get in touch!

Frequently Asked Questions

Here’s a short list of frequently asked questions related to rock climbing at Ground Up Climbing Centre.

If your questions are not answered by this list, please reach out to us.

604. 567. 8850

Why do I need to sign a waiver?
Yes, Everyone who would like to enter the main space of the facility must sign a waiver and acknowledge the risks and the rules in place to mitigate those risks. Luckily, there are a few ways to do this. You can fill it out online before you get here, print off the legal sized waiver and bring it to us on your first visit or on one of our tablets inhouse.

Youth Policies

All individuals under 19 years of age must have a parent or guardian sign their waivers.

Youth 6 and under:
1 adult:1 child supervision ratio required. Supervisor may not climb and must remain within arm’s reach of child. Youth in this age range are still developing awareness and the ability to understand potential risks.

Youth 7-11:
1 adult:2 children maximum supervision ratio. Require an adult supervisor on the mats, with a clear line of sight to their child(ren). Supervisors are not required to remain within arm’s reach while children are climbing.

All individuals under 19 years of age must have a parent or guardian sign their waivers.

What is belaying?
Belaying is a term taken from sailing and in other words means to “hold fast”. However in rock climbing parlance, it means to manage a rope for a climber using a dynamic friction device. Within our facility, we allow the use of tube belay devices and Gri Gris. In addition, we require the current manufacturer standard for the use of those belay devices. If this is new to you and something you are interested in learning, see our lessons page to learn more.

How old do I have to be to belay on my own?
In order to belay without adult supervision, individuals must be a minimum age of 14 years old. For lead checks and lead climbing the minimum age is 16 years old. There are some exceptions but must have a Ground Up managers approval.

What does a belay check cost?
First belay checks are included with gym pass or membership. All rechecks cost $10.

Does my punch pass expire?
Yes. A punch pass expires 1 year after the date of purchase.

Can I share my punch pass?
Yep! The punch pass is our only pass that you can share with others. In order to share a pass, both climbers must check-in together.

How does the monthly EFT work?
EFT stands for electronic funds transfer. In other words, with this membership you allow us to charge your monthly dues to your credit card or bank account.
When you first sign up, your dues will be pro-rated so that you only pay for the remaining days of that billing period. In addition, there is a one time initiation fee charged at sign up. From then on, we charge monthly dues on the 12th of each month.

This is a flexible member option. You can freeze this membership while traveling, climbing outdoors and so on. Plus it comes with all other gym member perks. You can also stop this membership by submitting a request seven days before a billing date. This means you need to submit your request by the 5th day of the month.

Click here to learn more about our flexible options, member perks and pricing.

Do I need to bring my rope?
Nope! We provide all of the ropes on site and regularly inspect them.

Do I need to bring my belay device?
You are welcome to use your own belay device but only if it is an ATC or a GRIGRI. Otherwise, we rent GRIGRI’s for $3 and loan out ATC’s in exchange for some collateral (such as a piece of ID)