Getting Started
New to bouldering or climbing?
The Hive is the best place to learn! Here at The Hive we believe that everyone is a climber. We know that every single one of you has climbed something, somewhere, at some stage in your life. Maybe it was to get a cookie from the jar, maybe it was a tree to get a stuck frisbee, maybe it was a ladder to hang a picture. Regardless, if you’ve never been rock climbing before, we can help.
- Understand the Risks: read the waiver (or for those aged 0-18, the Youth Agreement of Risk) via the big green waiver button at the top of this page; once you have read and understood the waiver, sign* for your self or your child.
- Find the gym for you! We have several options for bouldering (no rope or harness, more padded mats and shorter walls) and one for route climbing (taller walls requiring a rope, harness, and a competent belayer**)
- Make sure Youth have adequate supervision (click here for details).
- Check out our Welcome One Week or Introductory courses for great deals to set you up for success in the gym.
- Go climbing! If you’re new, don’t worry about getting gear – we have rentals! Just remember, Heights and Hive Bouldering on Industrial ave. require a booking in order to climb.
*All participants must have a signed, valid Waiver or Youth AoR document on file to participate in any activity at The Hive. **A ‘belayer’ is the person who manages the tension of the climber’s rope (safety line), as part of their fall-arrest system
FIND YOUR COMMUNITY
“ I started bouldering at the Hive about a year ago and my membership has been a highlight of 2020! The staff members and community there are great and so welcoming- everyone is friendly and willing to offer tips or beta if you’re ever stuck on a problem. I love the variety of problems and walls across the different gyms; there’s always a route that meets your needs, whether you’re looking for a challenge or confidence boost.
I want to sincerely thank all the hard-working staff who have managed to keep the gyms open through most of the pandemic. Having this outlet has really helped me (and others, I’m sure!) get through 2020.”
– Jenny (surname omitted by request)
let’s get climbing
IMPORTANT: Youth Ages 0-15 Must have adequate supervisors to climb
Never climbed before?
Bouldering is one of the best and easiest ways to start climbing: no ropes, no harnesses, no partner? no problem. All the fun of climbing, easy to access, and we offer Vancouver’s most supportive community and most comprehensive range of training and development programs. We encourage all new climbers to take our Introduction to Bouldering lesson; a two-hour class that covers all the basics of climbing, how to fall in order to reduce risk of injury as much as possible, essential tips and tricks to get you started and primed for success, and includes two weeks of membership to practice what you’ve learned!
Before you participate in any climbing activities with The Hive, please review and complete our waiver. You can save some time on arrival if you review and complete the waiver online, in advance.
Colour Coded Bouldering Problems & Routes
In roped climbing, the path we follow is commonly labeled a ‘climb or route’. In most of North America, these are graded from 5.5 to 5.15 depending on the difficulty. In bouldering, the pre-set paths you climb are usually called ‘problems’, or ‘blocs’. In either case, these can change direction, traverse across the wall and overlap other routes or problems, so The Hive uses a colour coded system to keep way-finding on the wall easy. We do our best to avoid overlap of colours which are too similar, though sometimes this is unavoidable and it never hurts to ask your neighbour if you’re not sure!
We set each route/problem with the same colour of hand holds and foot holds from the start to the end. Start markers are placed at the beginning of each route/boulder problem that states the difficulty and hold colour, and their placement indicates starting handholds.
The Hex Boulder Grading System
1 Hex — VEasy-V0
2 Hex — V0-V2
3 Hex — V2-V4
4 Hex — V4-V6
5 Hex — V6-V8
6 Hex — V8-V10
7 Hex — V10+
Learn to Climb
WELCOME ONE WEEK (WOW)
This is the deal to get you started if you really want to get a feel for The Hive and Your Climbing Community. 7 Days of unlimited climbing across all Hive locations, rentals included.
Just $55 | Drop in Today!
INTRO TO BOULDERING
Better Boulder Basics
You’ll be on the fast track to happy climbing with this two hour course on key techniques and bouldering gym etiquette.
Included 2 weeks unlimited climbing with rentals.
$75 | max 6 spots/course
Register at a gym near you.
Want to go higher?
Well then you need someone to show you the ropes… literally!
We have a route climbing gym on Industrial Ave in downtown Vancouver, and a small number of auto-belays at our Poco location.
Climbing above the 18-20 foot mark requires additional risk management, as you might imagine! This is were it gets technical, and it’s important to learn how to manage these risks before getting off the ground.
Check out The Hive Heights Intro to Climbing course to put your best foot forward (and upward!).
intro to climbing
The Introduction to Top Rope Climbing course is designed for individuals who want to learn how to top rope belay and top rope climb in a gym setting.
In this 2 hour course, you will learn about basic knots, gear and equipment, belaying (technical rope work) and more!
In addition to two hours of instruction, you will receive 2 weeks* of unlimited climbing at any Hive location, starting the day after your course. Rental gear – shoes, harness, belay device and chalk – are included for those two weeks.
This course is only available at Hive Heights for climbers ages 13+; please contact the front desk or see here for more info on youth recreational programming at Hive Heights
BUILD YOUR SKILLS: WE OFFER EDUCATION FOR ALL LEVELS!
Whether you’re climbing for the first time, or you’ve been climbing for years, The Hive has the right course for you. Check out the course calendar to see what’s coming up at a gym near you.
BOOKING REQUIRED TO CLIMB AT VANCOUVER LOCATIONS
Vancouver and The Heights locations have capacity restrictions and require booking, all other locations allow drop-ins.
SEE UPCOMING COMMUNITY EVENTS
Kaya APP integration
Track your climbs, watch your friend’s beta, check out upcoming problems on the gym map, and join competitions – all in one app.
KAYA connects the people behind each climb. Made by climbers for climbers, we are changing the sport of climbing by connecting the people behind each attempt, on every climb — to build the stoke together.
How we integrate KAYA app into our gyms:
- Includes a Digital Guidebook to each gym (see each location page in main menu).
- Our community gets an amazing platform to connect, share, and improve their climbing/training, as well as an improved Hive Experience. See routes just for your particular style and preference of climbing, beta on climbs from a variety of climbers, and more!
- The free version is excellent and the pro version is next level awesome, especially if you’re into training.
- The Hive gets the routesetting management benefits – this includes lots of valuable feedback for the setting team to make your next climb better.
- KAYA is also a platform to run leagues, comps, and challenges, with real-time scoring and peer to peer accountability. Check out our events here.
Download the KAYA App today:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Yes! The Hive gyms welcome climbers of all experience levels! Make sure you do your waiver in advance to save some time on arrival.
All new climbers must have a valid Waiver or Youth AOR and complete an orientation at the start of their first session, prior to climbing. (Our Intro course includes this orientation.)
No, your parent or legal guardian must complete the waiver on your behalf prior to being allowed to climb or use the facility. Legally, you must be 19 to sign your own waiver in BC.
A person who’s not a parent can become a guardian by a court order or under a will.
See BC Family Law for more information.
- Vancouver: Depending on where you’re coming from, Buses 3, 8, & 19 stop near the end of Industrial Ave. Skytrain is also an excellent option as we’re about a 10 minute walk from Main Street (Science World) Station.
Google Map It: 520 Industrial Ave v6a 2p3
- North Shore: Transit to our North Shore location from anywhere other than Deep Cove requires a change at Phibbs Exchange at bay 6, to the 212 or 215; a lot of folks prefer to just walk from Phibbs. (About a 15 minute walk: go under the bridge and head east along Dollarton Highway; when you see Starbucks and Stongs on your left you’re close. It’s the next set of buildings once you cross Riverside, just beyond the Arc’teryx Head Office)
Google Map It: 140 2270 Dollarton Highway V7H 1A8
- Surrey: Skytrain or bus to Scott Road Station and walk less than 10 minutes to get to Hive Surrey! Take the south exit from the station and walk under the skytrain through the parking lots heading west. You will see signs for FunPark as well as The Hive as there is a shared entrance into the building; we’re through the main doors then to the right.
Note: Make sure you’re not heading across King George! (That way lies much more confusion and unsafe highway crossing to get back to the Hive/FunZone building.)Google Map It: 101B-1125 124th Street v3v 4v2
- POCO: Nearest Skytrain Station is Coquitlam Central. Bus 171 to Fremont.
Google Map It: 145 815 Village Drive, Fremont Village, Port Coquitlam V3B 0G9
The number of people in the gym varies from day to day, but generally speaking evenings and morning through mid day on the weekends. Hive Vancouver is the busiest location, and especially weeknights 5-10pm; due to exceptionally high demand in Vancouver, booking is required at both Hive Bouldering and Hive Heights on Industrial Ave in order to manage capacity.
If you don’t have your own, you can rent them from us!
At the bouldering gyms you just need chalk and shoes.
At Hive Heights you will need a harness, shoes, and a belay device unless you’re climbing on the autobelays. Note: you must pass a belay test in order to perform this important part of risk management for any climbing partner.
No problem! You can easily climb on your own at The Hive bouldering locations. Bouldering is also a very social activity – you will meet people to climb with in no time!
If you’re climbing at Hive Heights, and don’t have a partner, our staff can show you how to use the autobelays.
Not for bouldering! Bouldering is beautifully simple when it comes to gear. There are no ropes in bouldering and no need for a belayer; the walls don’t go nearly as high as in a roped gym. On your first visit we will show you how to manage risk while climbing and falling during our Fall Assessment and Orientation.
To climb at Hive Heights, if you’d like to belay a partner, you’ll need to pass a belay test to demonstrate that you are capable of performing this important task while in our facility. You hold your partner’s life in your hands (quite literally) when belaying, so we take this test seriously – please ensure you are prepared and confident in your technique. Improper technique can lead to serious injury of either belayer or climber, and could potentially result in the death of a climber in extreme cases.
Our team will refuse belayers who cannot properly demonstrate acceptable belay technique. It’s not personal – they want you and your partner to continue to climb for a long time! Please treat our staff with respect.
Please read our guidelines and supervision ratios for guests under 16, and note that anyone under 19 needs their Youth Agreement of Risk (AOR) read and signed by a parent or legal guardian. Supervisors must also read and sign an adult waiver prior their dependants climbing; we recommend doing this prior to arrival at the facility to maximize climb-time.
Absolutely! Bouldering is a great way to focus on technique, or work on building strength. We have a wide variety of terrain for beginners and intermediate climbers including slightly overhanging terrain, vertical walls and easier slab areas.
No problem whatsoever. At the Hive you can always choose how high you go, and when you want to get down. Our beginner areas help keep you learning and exploring!
Absolutely not! Bouldering is for everyone. At the Hive, we offer novices enough easier and more vertical terrain for anyone to get started on. The Hive is friendly, non-competitive, and supportive – that’s how we climb!
Yes, as is all climbing! Bouldering is often considered a specialized form of climbing with a high degree of difficulty. However, this is generally determined by the outdoor rock’s natural features, and at the Hive, we have created a variety of artificial climbing terrain to offer a fun and challenging environment for both seasoned vets and first-timers to stay active.
Note: “In shape” looks different for everyone, and all bodies can be climbing bodies! Different abilities and body shapes may face particular struggles, but the beauty of climbing is: *everyone is struggling* and once you get through the beginner stage (we all start somewhere!) you’ll find your strength and technique will quickly improve and this feels very rewarding! Remember, climbing is you vs the climb, and we’re all in it together.
If you’re a person who might need adaptive climbing supports for your mental or physical self, a roped gym (like Hive Heights) might be a good place to start – check out Canadian Adaptive Climbing for more information.
Definitely not to start, for most folks. Climbing is more about pushing yourself up the wall with your (usually much stronger) leg muscles while using your hands for balance and direction. More difficult climbing often requires a lot of upper body strength, but adopting a “feet first” approach is generally preferred. Once you get started, you will quickly begin to develop much greater upper body strength just by climbing more. Remember to try less overhanging walls at the beginning and work your way up to the bigger overhangs in time.
The Orientation and Fall Assessment are a mandatory step before climbing at any Hive location. We’ll give you a location-specific orientation of the facility including risks on site and how to fall in the gym to best reduce the risk of injury.
Climbing is a sport that comes with inherent danger, and we want to provide our guests with the tools to properly assess risk on their own, empowering them to make informed decisions when it comes to accepting risk. The fall assessment covers the most appropriate way to fall in our facility, to reduce the risk of injury as much as possible — we consider it comparable to a belay test at a roped climbing gym.