What it’s like scaling Klimat at new Ottawa climbing gym
The first thing I learned during a hands-on introduction to Ottawa’s newest bouldering gym was how to fall.
I was facing a section of the vast climbing wall at Klimat 2.0, the recently opened 16,700-square-foot fitness facility
, and staffer David Martin was explaining the ropes, so to speak, to me. It looked a lot higher than 16 feet.
In case you don’t know, ropes and harnesses are not actually used in the increasingly popular type of climbing known as bouldering. At this facility, and the company’s original location in Wakefield, the main safety feature is a generous landing pad of thick mats designed to provide a soft touchdown when you fall.
And you are going to fall, I regret to inform you. It’s a built-in part of the activity and how one usually concludes a session on the wall.
Effortlessly, Martin scrambled up the wall to demonstrate the dismounting technique they advise to avoid injury: Land on your feet, knees bent and let momentum propel you to fall on your back, arms folded across the chest. He made it look a bit like a backwards somersault.
Getting to that point was a smooth process, even though I hadn’t registered in advance or done any prep. I simply presented myself at the front desk, signed a waiver and found that the day rate of $20, plus another $7 for shoe rental, included an introduction for newbies like me. Punch cards and monthly memberships are also available with incentives for students, families, seniors, veterans and first responders.
I selected a pair of sticky-rubber-soled climbing shoes from the rental shelf, had a brief tour and was given a rundown of the etiquette at the wall.
There were two main elements to keep in mind: Make sure you’re not going to infringe on the space of another climber when choosing your route, and make sure no one is below you when you decide to drop to the mat.
When it was my turn, I looked for the purple V1 indicators on the wall of colour-coded “rocks.” In the V-grading system, V1 is the easiest. At Klimat, the levels go up to 10 and the routes change regularly.
I climbed as far up as I dared, which, to be truthful, wasn’t very far. My progress depended on the combination of pulling myself up by the fingers, and pushing with the feet and legs. It went well, at least until I looked down and lost focus, suddenly more worried about falling than staying on the wall. Down I went.
I’m sure the anxiety would evaporate with time. Although it didn’t feel natural for me to defy gravity or stretch my limbs into longer-reaching contortions, I was eager to try it again.
For Jazmine Maisonneuve, on the other hand, what she calls “monkey business” came naturally. The co-owner of both Klimat locations (cleverly dubbed K1 and K2 in recognition of the most difficult mountains to scale) loved to climb trees and swing by the arms as a child and even went on to study circus arts in Montreal in her teen years.
Now 41, married to a fellow climber-turned-business partner and mother to four children, Maisonneuve said the idea for Klimat grew out of her desire to give her children a healthier lifestyle than the one she had in her teen years growing up in the Wakefield area.
“We used to get up to no good because there was nothing else to do,” she said without elaborating, leaving me to imagine bush parties, bonfires and other shenanigans perpetrated by teenagers growing up in rural areas.
Maisonneuve and her husband, Sam Cloutier, initially planned to build a home gym. A third partner got involved, land was purchased and the vision expanded into a purpose-built facility in the village of Wakefield.
It opened in 2019, just eight months before the world was derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic and its restrictions. Coincidentally, bouldering saw a spike in popularity during the lockdowns, thanks in part to
a gripping documentary featuring climber Alex Honnold, and the Olympic debut of competitive climbing in 2020.
Once the Wakefield business was back on track,
a restructuring in the ownership brought in a new partner, Alex Fouquet, followed by an ambitious expansion.
The 2024 project added a vegetarian cafe and pizzeria, yoga studio and an outdoor plaza with a seating area, fire pits and a sun-shaded climbing wall. Beer and wine are available.
I had heard of Klimat through my parent friends in the Gatineau Hills, and started to notice that teenagers from Wakefield appeared fit and full of energy, often the wildest dancers at music festivals. Turned out they were climbers.
The moms and dads tell me that Klimat is a spot at which they didn’t mind dropping off their kids, 14 and up, for the day. They not only climb and work out, but also socialize, eat and use the wifi to study, a distinct bonus in an area notorious for spotty Internet access.
One old-timer quipped that Klimat was probably the best thing to happen to Wakefield since Arcade Fire played the Black Sheep Inn.
What’s more, in the summer months, the parents like to sit on the patio outside, sip wine and watch the younger crowd on the outdoor wall. (The Ottawa location will be licensed, too, but drinking and climbing is never allowed. Once you visit the bar, your climbing session is done.)
On my mid-week morning visit to the Wakefield location, I saw young adults climbing, older adults working out and several tables occupied by people on laptops. One young mom carrying a baby in a car seat joked that she was introducing the next generation to climbing.
The multi-generational community that has grown around Klimat is a source of pride for Maisonneuve.
“It’s pretty cool to see,” she said, describing the range of patrons, from the moms with infants to the Wakefield Grannies, who reserve the loft for their Thursday knitting group.
Another segment of the regular clientele consists of alternative-home dwellers, often a young couple living in a tiny, off-grid home. They visit Klimat to shower, work out and eat a hot breakfast.
No less important are the students who get off the school bus at Klimat for after-school programs. In fact, families tell Maisonneuve the facility has changed their lives.
“We’ve seen people transform their bodies, not just aesthetically, but really fundamentally,” she said. “A lot of parents have definitely mentioned how the gym has had an impact (on) their children and well-being and creating a healthy lifestyle.”
So, the big question on everybody’s mind: Will the same approach have a similar effect in Centretown?
“I don’t want to say it’s a copy-and-paste situation, but, because my husband and I designed and built both spaces, we’re able to bring the same aesthetics and the Wakefield kind of homeyness to Ottawa,” Maisonneuve said.
“That was really the goal: Can we create a gym space that doesn’t feel like a typical gym, which can often be kind of cold and commercial, with fluorescent lights and people sweating on their neighbours. We want to create a space that people want to hang out in, and that really lends itself well to building community.”
At Klimat 2.0, it appears the balance is right in creating a space that combines being active and eating healthy with a relaxed, social environment, complete with comfy couches and hammocks in the lounge area.
I met some University of Ottawa law students who were studying for exams together, then taking breaks to climb. “It’s hard to get in a workout when you’re studying,” said Bianca Zurzolo, 22. “Here we study for a while and climb, then rinse and repeat until we’re too tired to do it anymore.”
Another trio of new members — mom, dad and son — had never climbed before, but noticed it was in their neighbourhood and signed up. To mark their 12-year-old’s birthday, they brought him to Klimat instead of sending him to school.
In other words, it looks like the community-building is off to a great start.
(Lynn Saxberg is on a mission to find the best things to do and experience in Ottawa. Do you have a hidden gem she should try? Let her know at lsaxberg@postmedia.com.)
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