For those that aren’t skiers – or maybe for skiers who just want to stretch some different muscles – Elevation Place is a fantastic climbing gym in Canmore. It’s brand new and has tons of top roping, bouldering, and even seven auto-belays with climbs rating from 5.8 to 5.11d at the time we were there. 

There are some added charges for taking a belay test and things like that, but it was well worth it for a change of scenery in a bright, warm space. We also found the route grades to be a little tougher than their counterparts in the American gyms we were used to, so be ready for a challenge! 

A cool service you don't often see in the States is belay service. Between certain hours in the day they have a staff member on hand ready to belay anyone who shows up to the gym alone and wants to climb ropes.

Staff was friendly, and there are plenty of lockers and cubbies for day use. Because this gym is part of a larger complex, the bathroom/shower facilities are huge, clean and new.