Alt Rock

A New Indoor Space in Barrie, Ont.

The growing city of Barrie, Ont., has its first climbing gym and it’s already a hub for new and experienced climbers. The large bouldering area and auto-belays fill a nice space where climbers can train and project. Run by locals Jaclyn Kane and Michael Moore, who both work for the area’s school board, Alt Rock is the first commercial climbing gym to open in the town located on the shores of Lake Simcoe. The climbing couple have two children and felt they needed a space closer to home where they could teach their youngsters about climbing. With climbing in the Olympics in 2020, many towns where a climbing gym wouldn’t have been successful 15 years ago have climbing gyms in high demand. Kane

Alt Rock 445 Dunlop St. W Unit A, Barrie, Ont. altrock.co and Moore are capitalizing on that opportunity and will surely be the reason many young climbers enter the indoor climbing world. The facility has 6,000- square-feet of climbing space, a f itness area, classes and a personal trainer.

Rockwerx Canada designed the climbing walls and space. The company was started in 2010 by Kyle Wilson. Alt Rock uses their wall system called Gym Rock Lite, which is made in Canada. The walls have a durability, velvet feel and warranty that no other does. Other projects Rockwerx Canada has worked on in Ontario include Grand River Rocks, Toronto Climbing Academy, Climbers Rock, Boulder Bear and Aspire.

Moore believes the demographic in Barrie demands a slightly different spin on the climbing gym. The local community has never had a bouldering space so making the problems f un and engaging for beginners is a must. The gym is located in central Barrie and near bike lanes and public transit. There are also many good restaurants nearby.

Being so close to the top Ontario climbing areas in Collingwood and Beaver Valley will give those climbers a place to visit on rest days. Alt Rock is a great addition to the many climbing gyms in southern Ontario.—