Daniel Kolanko, Centretown News
Vertical Reality owner, Petra Slivka-Flagg, stands in front of the ongoing renovations to the gym.Rock climbers in Centretown have been left hanging after roof repairs to Vertical Reality climbing gym have taken longer than expected.
Vertical Reality, located on the corner of Middle and Booth streets on Victoria Island, is one of the only climbing centres in Ottawa and the only one located in Centretown.
Late in July, the gym was closed for a scheduled roof repair, with no reopening date provided. But in late August, it was announced the repairs would not be completed until October, leaving many Centretown climbers without access to a nearby facility.
Petra Slivka-Flagg, owner of Vertical Reality, says she originally expected the repairs to take less than a month.
“It’s been a frustrating experience for a lot of people,” says Slivka-Flagg. “It’s out of my control at this point.”
The building, which is rented out by the National Capital Commission, underwent similar roof repairs last summer, but Slivka-Flagg says they were unable to complete those in time for winter.
Vertical Reality has promised to make up for any lost days for its pass-holders, but some climbers are frustrated they were not offered financial reimbursement.
“We would go bankrupt if were to offer everyone financial reimbursement,” says Slivka-Flagg.
She added that, despite a few upset customers, the response has otherwise been overwhelmingly positive.
“People are really just looking forward to when we reopen.”
Noah Latchem, a Carleton student and local climbing enthusiast, who has gone to Vertical Reality for three years, says he is happy with the way Vertical Reality has managed the closure.
“It’s a frustrating experience for everyone, but I think they’re doing a fantastic job,” says Latchem. “It’s not their fault that it’s closed, and they’re offering extended passes and doing everything they can.”
Latchem says he has simply stopped climbing since the closure, largely because of proximity issues, and has decided to take up white water kayaking in the interim.
“I could go to other gyms, but I really like Vertical Reality,” he says. “It’s really close and it’s really friendly.”
Those climbers at Vertical Reality who want to continue climbing have had to travel outside of Centretown to Coyote Rock Gym, located on St. Laurent Boulevard in Alta Vista.
Jody Miall, technical director of Coyote, says he has seen an increase in summer membership but doesn’t expect it to be permanent.
“It’s definitely been good in the interim,” says Miall. “We’ve had more people coming in to belay and just taking out month-long passes.”
According to Miall, the gyms cater to two very different climbing experiences. Coyote caters to bouldering, a style of climbing that uses no ropes and shorter walls, whereas Vertical Reality provides higher routes requiring harnesses. He says this, along with customer loyalty to Vertical Reality, means the increase in climbers at Coyote will likely only last until Centretown’s gym re-opens.
“One nice thing about Vertical Reality’s climbers is that they aren’t fickle,” says Miall. “They’re really loyal to VR.”