As Revelstokians eye the snow that鈥檚 making its way further down the mountain, many will have already swapped their summer gear for winter.

But climbers may want to hold off on putting their climbing shoes and chalk away because a new rock-climbing gym is set to open in the new year.

For those who are part of 鈥� and those who have followed 鈥� the climbing community in Revelstoke, the rumours are true. A new rock-climbing gym will be opening in Revelstoke early next year.

Quartzite Climbing Gym LTD. have been teasing the community for a few weeks now as it puts the final touches on the gym.

Leah Poirier and Patrick O鈥橬eill are the masterminds behind the bouldering gym, and their message to the climbers is simple.

鈥淚t鈥檚 for real,鈥� said Poirier with a laugh.

Climbers have been eagerly awaiting the opening of a climbing gym in Revelstoke for more than a decade, according to O鈥橬eill.

Several attempts have been made over the years to try to get one started, but nothing ever came to fruition.

Poirier and O鈥橬eill 鈥� both climbers in their own right 鈥� started planning Quartzite several years ago. They created the business plan and were eager to get started but ran into an issue: location.

鈥淚t鈥檚 tough to find a spot that that checks all the boxes,鈥� said O鈥橬eill.

The location of the gym needed to be an open warehouse space, have lots of parking, and fit within the proper zoning for commercial use all while the city undergoes a comprehensive zoning bylaw review.

Ultimately, there was no perfect spot that ticked all the boxes, so they had to get creative.

The two settled in a space in the Big Eddy behind Ed鈥檚 Gas Club. They took over a portion of a warehouse, expanded it, and have done the renovations themselves with the help of family and friends.

Part of the climbing structure was pre-engineered by OnSite Climbing from Quebec.

O鈥橬eill and Poirier said most of the route-setting and operations will be done in-house.

Having worked on the project for a few years, O鈥橬eill said it was easy to get discouraged sometimes as locations would crop up, but not work out.

鈥淲e both sometimes are in awe like, oh my goodness, we got this far,鈥� said Poirier.

Finally able to see the end in sight, Poirier 鈥� who is a board member with the Climbers Access Society 鈥� pointed to the community as a source of motivation for her and O鈥橬eill and a big part of what kept them going.

The climbing community has already shown its support of the gym before it has even opened. As Poirier and O鈥橬eill have shared teasers on social media, they鈥檝e already racked up more than 500 followers on Instagram.

鈥淭o see how many people were excited it was pretty overwhelming,鈥� said O鈥橬eill. 鈥淚t was a good feeling for sure.鈥�

The space is 2,500 square-feet, which will create roughly 1,100 square-feet of climbing, according to O鈥橬eill.

The two offer a final message to climbers ahead of their new year opening.

鈥淲e鈥檙e 100 per cent dedicated to seeing this through. We鈥檙e super excited to get to grow the community, and keep your eyes peeled for progress updates, because we鈥檒l keep pumping them out,鈥� said O鈥橬eill.

To follow along with the progress of the gym, follow Quartzite Climbing Gym LTD on Instagram for the latest updates.

READ MORE: