A newly formed non-profit organization wants to bring an indoor climbing gym and wellness hub to Creston.
Representatives from Kootenay Holds Climbing and Wellness presented the idea to council Tuesday, outlining plans for a facility that would combine a bouldering gym, children’s play area and flexible community programming.
Board members Kristina Schrage and Priya Shrestha said the idea emerged after a group of local climbers travelled to Cranbrook to access an indoor climbing facility.
“Back in January a group of us decided to drive an hour and a half up to Cranbrook, do some climbing, and then drive another hour and a half back to Creston,” said Shrestha.
“And that whole time, the same thought kept coming up: why doesn’t Creston have a climbing gym? And we also thought, what can we do to make this feasible in our town?”
Schrage pointed to several community planning documents and engagement processes that identified a desire for additional recreation and gathering spaces, including the town’s official community plan and Chamber of Commerce consultations.
“The Chamber of Commerce did a survey asking about the non-profit landscape here in Creston with non-profits when it is needed,” Schrage said.
“One of their findings was that they wanted more event and exhibition space and more facilities that meet the community’s growing social, cultural, recreational, and economic needs. And the climbing gym was mentioned multiple times wrapped up in that.”
She also highlighted recent engagement activities completed by the Columbia Basin Trust around the grain elevators and another survey completed in January around the bunker site at 817 Vancouver St.
“A climbing gym came up a few times,” said Schrage. “The bunker survey also had common requests for family-oriented spaces, community meeting and events spaces, and endorphin’s and wellness facilities. While that survey didn’t necessarily say climbing gym, we’re wondering how much of that need we can meet with this as well.”
The group has also conducted its own survey, receiving 231 responses. Of those surveyed, 161 said they would use a climbing facility weekly or more often.
Kootenay Holds was incorporated in January and has grown to 191 members.
The proposed facility would include a bouldering wall, where climbers would ascend shorter walls without ropes, with protective padding on the floor below. Schrage said bouldering is more affordable and accessible than traditional rope climbing and requires less specialized equipment.
Plans also include a dedicated children’s play area and a flexible room that could be used to host fitness classes, youth programs, birthday parties and community events.
Schrage said the organization has already consulted the Lower Kootenay Band, the Creston Valley Youth Network, Kootenay River Secondary School, the Columbia Basin Trust and local tourism representatives while developing the concept.
The group estimates startup costs at about $112,000 and hopes to raise $40,000 locally through grants, sponsorships and fundraising before seeking matching funding through larger grant opportunities.
Schrage said the group is considering a 2,000-square-foot space in the basement of the Creston Place building as a potential location.
“We would love to be able to lease that for a few years. Everything we’d buy we want to be able to move in through a door, install, and move out through a door,” said Schrage.
“So then in a few years, if we decide a bouldering gym is no longer good enough for this community, we can work on building a purpose-built facility for an actual climbing gym multi-use space and make it bigger.”
The goal is to open the facility by Christmas if funding and lease arrangements can be secured.
In addition to exploring partnerships with the town, the society also requested $500 in discretionary grant funding to help cover insurance, fundraising, marketing and administrative costs.
Council voted to receive the delegation for information and refer the group’s discretionary grant request to a later meeting.
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