The Cave: We’re both avid climbers, with a particular passion for bouldering. I (Peggy) also live in Mississauga. When we had the idea earlier this year, there weren’t any bouldering-only gyms in GTA, nor were there any facilities in Mississauga, despite its large population.

The Cave: The space is about 3600 sq.ft. The climbing area was designed to feel slightly enclosed, with archways and overhangs, just like you would find in a natural cave. Aside from climbing, we also have a studio for Yoga and Muay Thai classes, a mezzanine area for climbers to work out or hang out, and a cell phone charging station in the lobby.

The Cave: Our friends at High Performance Climbing Walls. They designed, engineered, manufactured and installed the climbing facility for us and they are proudly Canadian! There were other companies to do this work, but we specifically wanted to support a fellow Canadian small business.

The Cave: Many climbers complain about not being flexible enough, not having enough stamina, or not being strong enough in a certain way to get them to that next level of climbing. Lots of gyms have free weights and an exercise area for climbers to do their thing, but I think instructor-led classes are much more effective. Muay Thai will help build strength and provide a counter workout to the constant ‘pulling’ motion associated with climbing.

The Cave: We have Yoga classes as well. Yoga will help our climbers improve their flexibility and mental focus. It’s also a great way to warm up or cool down after a climbing session.

The Cave: We envision the majority of our members to be between the ages of 15 and 50, either living, studying or working in Mississauga. As a female-owned company, I would also like to encourage more women to come out and climb!

The Cave: All the logistics – there’s a lot that has to get done in order to translate an idea into a functioning gym. We have spent the last six months working our butts off to make sure everything is on schedule and in line with our vision. I hope our visitors won’t be disappointed when they see the gym for the first time.

The Cave: The enthusiasm from the climbing community! Everyone who has learned about the gym has been very excited and supportive of our new venture.

The Cave: I think a lot of the new gyms are in larger warehouses with multiple offerings (e.g. top-rope, lead, bouldering, camps, classes, competitions). As such, the day pass price at those gyms reflects these multiple offerings and may be more than some folks want to pay, especially if all they want to do is boulder. The Cave will be a smaller space with cheaper fees, focused strictly on bouldering. Even the Yoga and Muay Thai classes, although you could say they’re secondary offerings, are intended to be training for our climbers.

The Cave: We’re aiming for Saturday, Nov 26, 2016. Our grand opening will be Saturday, Dec 3, 2016.

More details about The Cave including operating hours and pricing are available at http://climbingthecave.ca/index.html