We are offering a Learn To Belay course this week!

November 23rd, 7:30pm-10:00pm!

November 30th  7:30pm-10:00pm!

Click here to register for one of them!

Due to the amount of interest we have received for weekend drop-ins again,

WE ARE NOW OPEN ON SUNDAYS 2pm-7pm.

Drop ins, punch card holders, and of course our members are all welcome!

Members get to enjoy extended Members Only* hours:

• Fridays 12pm-5pm
• Saturday 12pm-7pm!

*Must have one-month or one-year membership to qualify.  Buy yours online!

Woohoo, we are open to newbies and drop-ins and members and EVERYONE!  Weekdays 5pm-10pm.

Max 20 in the gym at a time, and you MUST do your waiver online before coming in.

Check out our new hours, prices, and COVID-19 protocols.

Phase B of reopening begins June 22!

Come in with your punch card, or buy a new membership...

Kids and parents have been clamouring to register for OVERhang's famous summer camps.  Well, here it is folks... we have made some changes and are ready to take your registration!

FINALLY!  OVERhang Climbing Gym is excited to reopen under Phase A - MEMBERS ONLY on June 16th!

In Phase B we will add summer camps on June 29.

Read on for details about the changes we've made to our facility and our protocols to reduce the risk of transmission, as well as future phases!

Please bear with us as we figure out how best to do this - we may have to modify our phases or protocols as we learn through the process.  We commit to ensuring that our website will be kept up to date regarding our phases, our user groups, and our protocols.

OVERhang Facility Management for Physical Distancing:

• Reduced occupancy of climbing spaces (max 20 climbing clients - does not include any instructors and course participants upstairs, for which we have separate protocols for those).
• Maximum 6 in boulder cave at a time, encouraging people to be respectful of others looking to boulder, limiting lounging time on the boulder mat.  We will monitor this – may reduce the number further if necessary.
• In roped rooms: no climbing on adjacent routes (must skip an anchor between climbers).  Route setters are taking this into consideration in their route design.
• Flow changes – ie how we move people through the facility to help maintain at least 2m between each person:
  • Who has priority in narrow spots (front hallway, stairs, etc)
  • Counter-clockwise flow through climbing spaces: one way into boulder cave from hallway, out into roped room… same thing for Programming Room.  No changes in Main Roped Room.
  • Stickers on floor to indicate spacing, flow, zones.
  • We now have the ability to check people out when they leave.  Staff will check visitors in and out diligently (see Contact Tracing Plan below).
  • Opening up the space by moving lockers, shoe racks, and garbage can, & discouraging lounging on the benches.
  • Installation of plexiglass across both front office windows
  • No members in office or party room
  • When gym is open to members, we will usually only need one staff member working, who will also do ongoing cleaning of high-touch surfaces at front desk and doorbell, as well as hallways, bathrooms, doors, and bench areas.

Cleaning Plan:

• Daily cleaning of floors, high-touch surfaces, doors, bathrooms, etc.  Staff will receive specific training and guidance.
• Staff also frequently sanitizing high-touch surfaces while gym is open
• Sanitisation period between camp & open hours
• Weekly deep clean by a contractor
• OVERhang’s belay devices and belay carabiners will be sanitized after they are returned by members
• Staff will follow a much more detailed cleaning plan - this summary simply provides an overview to clients.

General Hygiene:

• The Golf and Curling Club has automatic door openers for the lobby doors (push with knee or hip), and hand sanitiser in the lobby.  Members encourage to use all these features before approaching OVERhang’s door.
• OVERhang staff & clients will be required to wash their hands immediately upon entry into our wing facility, and encouraged to wash frequently throughout their session, and on their way out
• Foot openers installed on OVERhang doors so no need to touch with hands
• Discourage touching faces
• No shared chalk (we may actually implement a Liquid Chalk Only policy – if so we will ease the transition by providing it for free initially, and available for purchase later)
• No rental shoes/harness/chalk bags
• Signage throughout the facility about prevention of disease transmission
• Hand sanitizer also available throughout the facility

Member Education:

• Phone calls and emails to members in advance of gym reopening, to ensure expectations are understood
• New waiver identifying risks, and need to comply with policies designed to protect staff and clients
• All users will be informed that anyone at higher risk of experiencing severe illness should not participate
• Signage in lobby and inside our facility
• No one with symptoms, in close contact with anyone symptoms, or that has travelled outside BC in previous 14 days will be allowed in the facility.  This includes staff and clients.  Everyone will be asked to self-assess, but staff can also turn people away if they are exhibiting symptoms.  Staff will be trained in identifying symptoms, and strategies for handling these situations.

Reducing touch points:

• Online transactions (purchase memberships online before coming to the gym)
• Online waivers (renew waivers online before coming to the gym)
• No rentals (harness, shoes, chalk bags)
• No showers (just change rooms)
• No water fountain (fill water bottles from sinks)
• No members allowed in Party Room (staff room only, until Phase B)

PPE:

• Use of non-medical masks that cover the user’s mouth and nose will be strongly encouraged for staff and clients when in common areas like hallways, but not required.  We do not expect people to wear them while climbing – rather everyone should wash their hands immediately before and after climbing, and avoid touching their face.
• OVERhang will have masks available for staff that choose to wear them, when they can’t maintain at least 2m distance from other people.
• OVERhang will also have masks available for members to purchase at a reasonable price, should they choose to wear them.
• Eye protection will be available for staff that choose to wear them, when they can’t maintain at least 2m distance from other people.
• Nitrile gloves are always available to staff too, although we will ensure everyone is educated about the greater benefits of frequent and thorough handwashing and good hygiene.
• A separate PPE document and protocols has been developed for route setters and route strippers.

Contact Tracing Plan:

We absolutely do not want any staff or clients to become infected with COVID-19.  However, risk of disease transmission is always a possibility, even when we do our best to minimise it.  So, if a person is identified to have a confirmed or suspected COVID-19 infection, then we will activate our contact tracing plan:

• We will diligently check in all visitors into our member-management software, and check them out when they leave, too.
• With a few quick taps we can produce a contact tracing report from our software, which allows us to see who was in facility at same time as a given client, and for how long (length of exposure), over a given time frame.
• With that in hand, we would collaborate with health officials in tracking down and informing all visitors and staff that were potentially exposed.
• If requested by health officials, we would close the gym temporarily, and modify our protocols if necessary.
  

Phase B:  Summer Camps during weekdays, Members only on evenings and weekends

• No overnight camps
• Increased minimum age of campers to age 8
• Camps separated in time from open hours
• Camp staff separate from staff that are running open gym hours
• Cleaning after camp day, before open hours
• Reduced number of kids in camp to a maximum of 16
• Kids are there for full week… no one-day registrants
• Kids allowed upstairs but not in training area; members welcome in training area but not on couches in general upper hallway.
• No kids or members in first aid room or classroom – only course participants, instructors, and staff
• Move lockers or cubbies into party room, locker assigned to each camp kid for their backpack, shoes, etc
• Harness and shoes designated for each kid will reside in their locker in the party room for the week (and shoes sprayed at end of camp day)
• Individual camp staff will have designated belay devices, biners, and headlamps for the week, that will reside in their lockers when not in use
• No shared food
• Frequent handwashing will be a core element of every camper's day - when first entering facility, before and after eating, and encouraged frequently at any other time
• Staff will have hand sanitiser available whenever outside the facility for outdoor games, tennis, golf, etc
• Camp staff will develop a list of games and activities that allow for physical distancing, and will make strong efforts to keep everyone 2m apart as much as possible
• No Rollerdome (it's harder to control transmission risks inside another facility), at least initially
• Lots of outdoor time!  This is the best way to reduce transmission risks, after physical distancing.  We can set up badminton, soccer, basketball, outdoor crafts, water games, etc.
• Several times per week, campers and staff will walk to an offsite location for outdoor games
• Pickup and dropoff outside only - no parents, siblings, grandparents etc inside our facility
• Daily verbal screening for symptoms
• Kids and staff must stay home if exhibiting symptoms, even if mild
• If a kid starts to develop symptoms while at camp, we will move them into a different space and contact the parents to come pick them up immediately
• Parents will be informed that anyone at higher risk of experiencing severe illness should not register for camps.

OVERhangs message to the community and FAQS.

The right choice is often the hardest one.

OVERhang’s climbing gym will be closed indefinitely as of Tuesday March 17, as we contribute our effort to flatten the curve in the spread of COVID-19. We ask that everyone do their part in protecting our broader community through their day-to-day choices.

Our employees are our first concern; we are doing everything we can to look after our team.

Gym members are also part of the OVERhang family. We will miss you while we are closed; rest assured that we will freeze your memberships and welcome you back when we reopen. We will try to use this time well by removing and washing every single hold, painting and refreshing our walls, and doing a full reset. This is one of the ways we continue to invest in our community.

Ours is a strong community. Let’s look after each other and act with compassion and integrity. Please check in with a fellow climber as well as a vulnerable member of our society, and we will come out stronger on the other side. Viruses are contagious – but so is kindness. Spread that around.

We will keep you updated as we all move through these challenging times. We will also up our social media game to provide our members with training tips to keep up your climbing form, safety tips to up your outdoor skills come spring, opportunities to connect digitally with other members, and ideas for getting outside and staying sane while maintaining social distancing.

Please contact us anytime. The gym may be closed, but we are still here for you!

In light of the COVID19 virus, we are cancelling first aid training for the near future.  Social distancing is not easy in a first aid course, when people have to learn to conduct assessments and interventions on other classmates, often breathing closely together.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Alana, OVERhang's First Aid Coordinator.

When this changes, we will post updates and notify our clients that have been impacted by recent course cancellations.

Sadly, we are cancelling Spring Break Camps as a precautionary measure in light of the COVID 19 virus.  First Aid Training is also cancelled, due to the close proximity between students during practical elements.

At this point, the climbing gym is still open for drop-ins with regular hours.

We will continute to monitor the situation and may change our approach over time.  Keep referring back here for updates, or call us at 250-563-2547 for the latest!

Keep reading to see what additional measures we are already taking, and what you can do as well.

------ Update March 14, 2020------

Many of our winter courses are scheduled and ready for you to JUMP ON BOARD!

If you work or play outside (who doesn't?!?) you need the right training to make good decisions.  Check out our AST1 Avalanche training, Ice Safety courses, Wilderness First Aid, Snowmobile Safe Rider training, Occupational First Aid, and more training available through OVERhang.

We also offer courses upon request - contact Lauren for a quote or for more info!

COURSE CALENDAR

The gym will be closed on June 30 and July 1.

The gym will be closed for members climb at 6am on July 1,3 &5

We look forward to seeeing you on July 2nd at 3pm

So many courses available!  Swiftwater, Wilderness First Aid, Outdoor Rock Climbing, Anchoring/Rapelling, Navigation, Occupational First Aid and Transportation Endorsement, S100/S185, ATV operator... you name it!

Check out the course calendar.

We offer beginner avalanche training for Snowmobilers!  It's a two-day course (a theory day and a mountain day), and costs $330 plus GST.

• Feb 2+3 in Prince George
• Feb 9+10 in Wells
• March 23+24  location TBD

 Call OVERhang to register 250-563-2547, or ask for Lauren if you need more info.

THE GYM WILL BE CLOSED LABOUR DAY MONDAY.

We have some GREAT news tho!!

We will have new gym hours starting Tuesday Sept 4. We will be opening the gym on weekdays at 10am. 

We have our Fall Youth Programs registration open.

Please call the gym for more information and to register 250-563-2547. 

Classes start Sept 10 and run to Dec 22

We will need a minimum of 3 participants for each class to run. If we cancel we will provide a full refund

OUR SUMMER CAMPS ARE A GREAT WAY FOR KIDS TO LEARN AND HAVE SOOOO MUCH FUN!!!

Registration is open. Check our website for details!

We will be taking down all of our routes and will be putting new ones up. Our setters are hard at work devising new and fun routes!!

The gym will be closed June 15,16,&17 so we can do a complete reset of our routes.

We will have one room being shut down early on the evening of June 14th. 

We will be re-opneing on Monday the 18th.

15% off first-time climbing gym memberships!

The Friday Members only Climb at 11am is no longer being held.

We have beginner drop-in classes geared toward you that are fun, easy, and provide an opportunity to get to know other beginner climbers at our gym, as well as some of our members!

And as for the upper body strength…if you can climb a ladder you can rock climb at a beginner level! 

 They will be running every Wednesday in January. 

OVERhang has news!!

Athletes from all over BC and Alberta are prepping for this Canada 150 event.

It's all part of 11 days of climbing and adventure, the PEAK Canadian Climbing and Mountain Adventure Festival!

MEMBERS ONLY!!!

Members can come in and climb:

• Mondays, Wednesday, & Fridays:  6am - 8am
• Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays:  11am - 2pm

Make sure you have a 

OVERhang engaged to explore potential at Aleza Lake Field Education Centre through unique contract.