The Climbing Gym

why we spent four weeks away from the garage, afraid of cold temperatures. By the end of our session things had climaxed to a dyno challenge. The dynos grew with each send, bigger and bigger, until a six-foot leap on the 45- degree wall shut us down, one at a time. We tried, each climber throwing themselves, with swollen arms, upward and outward away from one jug towards another. On my last attempt I focused on pushing with my legs, holding on until the last moment of release, I reached the finish hold, my fingers wrapped over the plastic-lip of the blue bucket, but my body swing was too great and I barn-doored off the hold and landed on my face. We rooted for each other, we became best friends. We turned the heater off, stacked the mattresses and returned every week until spring.

Enjoying all types of climbing is the finest way to take pleasure in the passion, whether at a crag, in a gym, at a boulder field or on a mountain. My days in Tienda are unforgettable. It was tor n down the following summer; I still climb with the fr iends I made there. To celebrate the climbing gym, will be featur ing a Canadian climbing gym in each issue in 2014. In this issue the owner of The Hive in Vancouver, Andrew Coffey, wr ites about the birth of his gym.