ClimbNear Digest

Hook Centre d'escalade in Sainte-Julie resets twice a week: once on Tuesday and again on Thursday. The gym puts the total at 24 new boulders every week.

That pace means there is nearly always something you have not tried yet. If you only get there on weekends, the Thursday set will be the freshest one waiting for you.

Café Bloc has reset its slab wall from top to bottom. There are about ten new problems, and the point of all of them is balance and learning to trust your toes on small holds.

If footwork is the part of your climbing you want to fix, this is the set for it. You will find it at 1209 Boulevard Saint-Laurent in Montreal.

It is not the only new set there. Café Bloc finished resetting its main wall on September 15, and on September 29 it announced the last reset of the year for its terrace wall, where the hammocks are still out and the beer is discounted on Friday nights.

A guest setter took over the Loft at Pinnacle Indoor Climbing and put up seven brand-new boulder problems, with no grades on any of them. The challenge was to climb them, decide the grades yourself, pick your favourite and the hardest, and suggest a name.

You did not need to be an expert; the gym's point was to trust your own experience. Entries closed on September 27, and Pinnacle said it would announce the winners afterwards.

The Baby is back. Aspire Milton's new red V4/V5 looks calm, the gym says, but it has been throwing climbers off left and right since it went up in the new reset.

The gym wants to see your best attempts: tag Aspire Milton in a story or a post on your favourite boulder from the reset.

The Baby was not the only new climb at Aspire Milton in September. A batch of flowing boulders went up on September 23 and a large set followed on September 30, with an invitation to email the gym if you are curious about route setting or forerunning.

Guelph Grotto is hosting a night of adaptive climbing on Friday, November 6, together with Rise Above. Every experience level is welcome, and rental gear is free.

The night is pay what you can, with a suggested $20 per climber. Caregivers who are not climbing come in at no charge.

Gecko Bloc in Québec marked its official opening with a party on Thursday, October 1. The gym stayed open all day, and from 6 pm entry needed a special ticket for the celebration.

The plan: beer, food, climbing stations, a DJ and prizes. Partners supplied the drinks, the food and the gifts for the draw, with @passionescalade joining the sponsors. Tickets were sold through the gym's website.

Aspire Whitby turned six on Saturday, October 3, with an evening of climbing, ninja, community and 80s music. Alongside the anniversary boulder scramble, the gym added two ninja challenges this year, and climbers were invited to dig out an 80s outfit.

There was a raffle too: four gear bundles, each worth over $200, at $5 for one entry, $10 for five or $15 for ten.

To make room, the gym closed to the public at 3 pm that day, with regular rec classes running as scheduled, and reopened at 9 am on Sunday, October 4.

Toprock Climbing's Boulder League 2026 is a friendly, team-based bouldering competition that runs for four weeks, from October 7 to November 3. It is free with a membership or a day pass.

Teams are three climbers, and teams that are not "bro only" get a 5% score bonus. Toprock places you in the Rec, Intermediate or Advanced category, and the winners go on the champions plaque.

Sign up at the front desk. No team yet? Tell the staff and they will help you find teammates.

Canmore Climbing Gym's scramble returns, and the gym says it is for everyone, from first-time competitors to podium chasers. There will be 40 brand-new problems, set the day of the event.

Climb as many as you can between 7 and 10 pm, track your top climbs and see where you land. Entry is $40, and because it is Halloween there is a bonus podium for the best costume. The post does not give a date, so check with the gym.

Le Crux's Bloctober'fest in Laval had more than 300 participants signed up by September 30, and the gym was openly wondering whether it would set a record. A few places remained in the first and last waves.

The comp took over the gym on the Saturday: Le Crux Laval closed to everyone else, suggesting climbers finish their projects beforehand or, better, enter. Sponsors' gifts were to be thrown into the crowd during the final, so it was worth going even to watch.

Friday Night Onsight returned to Reach Indoor Climbing on October 2. It is a mock comp in a friendly room: try new climbs, climb with the community and maybe win a raffle prize. If you have never competed, staff go over the rules before you start.

The comp started at 6:00 pm, for $10 for members or $15 plus a day pass for non-members. On October 3 the gym also held a separate youth mock comp for all youth categories, to get some practice in before the season starts.

Ethos is bringing back its Elevate Overhang Clinic for a second round, after the first proved popular. Women and gender-diverse climbers of every level are welcome.

Mark Monday, October 5, from 7 to 9 pm. Entry is free with a day pass or membership.

Allez Up Pointe-Saint-Charles is hosting a La Sportiva and Petzl demo on October 7 from 6 to 9 pm. There are women's and men's models to try, from the Skwama to the Solution Comp, plus the Grigri and Neox belay devices.

During the demo an athlete leads a free clinic on footwork, in two slots: 6:30 to 7:30 pm and 7:45 to 8:45 pm. It covers choosing climbing shoes, warm-ups, coaching in different settings and mobility tips. The post marks the clinic with an asterisk, so check the conditions.

The clinic is aimed at climbers on the green to red tape, and you sign up through the link in the gym's bio. Meet at the La Sportiva table.

BoulderHouse Victoria opened its 10th anniversary celebration with Intro to Board Climbing, led by ambassador Becca Frangos on Friday, October 2, from 7 to 9 pm.

The clinic was for intermediate climbers ready for a next step: basic movement on the boards, and how to use the Kilter and Aurora boards as training tools. It cost $40 for members and $50 for non-members, and included entry to the party.

Alt. Rock in Barrie is running an Intro to Commercial Route Setting Clinic, a one-day course for anyone who wants to break into setting. It is led by owner Mike Moore, who lists 30+ years climbing, 15+ years setting and CWA Professional Route Setter Level 2 for bouldering and routes.

The course covers workplace and ladder safety and PPE, standards for attaching and placing holds, designing climbs that are safe, functional and good-looking, forerunning with what he calls athletic empathy, and teamwork and feedback. No date is given here, so check with the gym before you plan around it.