CWA Blog Archive-Member Spotlight Ground Up Climbing Centre

Member Spotlight Ground Up Climbing Centre

Pdf Summary

This member spotlight profiles Ground Up Climbing Centre in Squamish, British Columbia, a mountain community about an hour north of Vancouver perched below huge peaks, with a population around 21,000 and a reputation as an adventure haven. The founding story is one of defied skepticism: when Lauren Watson moved to Squamish and winter hit, she decided the place needed a climbing gym, but when she inquired around, people told her it would never work, that there's no way it would survive up there. They were wrong. Not only did Ground Up survive, but Watson's plans expanded, and the gym is now a thriving piece of the town's adventure culture. In the interview with CWA Marketing Coordinator Jake Byk, Watson discusses the gym's clean, frequently updated website featuring recent photos with people in masks. She explains a silver lining of COVID: the gym received a website grant, and over six months worked with local web designers and builders to set up a new, comprehensive website designed to hit their different markets and client base while providing a streamlined way to get needed information. This illustrates resourcefulness, turning a pandemic-era opportunity into a lasting digital asset serving multiple audiences. The throughline is that Ground Up succeeded by proving skeptics wrong, that a climbing gym could thrive even in a small mountain town where locals doubted its viability, and by resourcefully seizing opportunities like the COVID website grant to strengthen the business. Watson's story demonstrates that founder conviction, reading a genuine community need despite discouragement, and adaptability can build a thriving gym in an unexpected place. For operators, especially those in smaller or non-traditional markets, the spotlight offers encouragement: local skepticism about viability isn't destiny, and a gym rooted in its community's adventure culture, run resourcefully, can not only survive but expand and become an integral part of the town it serves.

Asset Caption

A member spotlight on Ground Up Climbing Centre in Squamish, B.C., which founder Lauren Watson built despite locals insisting a gym would never survive in the small mountain town. It thrived and expanded, and she resourcefully used a COVID-era website grant to build a comprehensive site, proving founder conviction can defy local skepticism.