Inclusivity at Climb Base5

We are very excited to announce the arrival of our pay-it-forward board!

Here at Climb Base5 we believe in creating a space in which all of our community members feel free to follow their passion. We know that climbing is not easily affordable for everyone, so we have been working behind the scenes for the past couple months to develop a pay-it-forward system.

When booking a drop in, if you are short on cash for the month please give our gym a call (the location you’d like to climb at) to see if there are any available vouchers. Available vouchers will also be on display behind the front desk of both locations. If you have a little extra cash, consider making a fellow climber smile and let the desk staff know you would like to put a voucher on the board. You can also purchase vouchers for someone in need online!

Possible voucher options:

• Child Day Pass (ages 4 to 13)
• Youth Day Pass (ages 14 to 18)
• Adult Day Pass (ages 19+)
• Child Punch Pass
• Youth Punch Pass
• Adult Punch Pass

Our team at Climb Base5 wants to create a community with diversity, inclusion and respect at its heart. We actively take a stand against any form of harm, harassment, or discrimination that is based on gender, orientation, race, ethnicity, wealth, body-type, or any other prejudice.

Our ongoing mission is to facilitate a space in which all of our community members feel safe and free to follow their passion. We welcome everyone, whether you are a novice or professional climber, we endeavour to be the base for you to learn, grow and support one-another.

We are committed to being aware of our own privileges in the form of gender, sexuality, language, wealth, housing, body size, mental health, neurodiversity, ability, education, skin colour, relationship constellations and citizenship and how they differ from other people’s privileges and therefore lived experiences. We are also committed to using this awareness to modify our own behaviours.

We take an active stand against racism, homophobia, sexism, transphobia, breaches of consent, body-shaming, ableism, and classism in all its forms whether they are blatant or come in the form of micro-aggressions.

To demonstrate our commitment, the following are examples of measures that our team at Climb Base5 has taken and will take to promote diversity and inclusivity:

• We have initiated regular staff meetings to inform staff about matters regarding diversity and inclusivity and discuss ways how to abolish any form of gate keeping in our facilities. In these meetings, the primary speakers are members of the LGTBQ+ community and racial minorities. Participation in these meetings is voluntary and the sharing of information regarding diversity and inclusivity is entirely by choice. Participants are also paid for this time.
• When it is possible to do so, depending on the state of the restrictions related to the pandemic, we will create a safe space for members of minorities through events and dedicated gym use.
• We are actively seeking to reduce assumptions. As part of this work, we will start offering stickers for our team and community members with their choice of personal pronouns should they wish to share.
• Our team is actively reaching out to communities that are underrepresented in our facilities and is looking for collaborations in order to visibly diversify our community. We know that when you enter a community and nobody looks like you, it’s hard to feel welcome and we want to change that.
• We are implementing a feedback mechanism that allows you as community members, and our team members, to point out circumstances and events that feel exclusionary for minorities. The same mechanism will act as a reporting tool for anyone who experiences harm, and or harassment.
• We are also working on ways to provide you with regularly updated routes and boulder problems that reflect the diversity of the bodies of people who wish to climb. This includes not only the physical routes and problems but also posting weight limits for auto belay machines, available harness sizes, and accessibility in and around the facilities. Every body can climb.
• We know that climbing is not easily affordable for everyone. We are currently working on a mechanism based on solidarity in the form of a “pay-it-forward-board”.
• We recognize that our gym is a gateway to the outdoors. As such, we do not limit this statement only to our facilities but encourage our staff, and our community members to stand up for each other when you are not at the gym, including when you are at the crag or anywhere else.
• Our team would love to include you in this process, so, if you know of useful resources, please point us in their direction. If you see someone in need, connect them with us. If you are affected by any form of exclusion, let us know. We want to hear it, we want to help, and we want to do better.

This is our active commitment to a diverse and inclusive community. We will update it regularly and we will keep you updated about the progress that has been made as well as the gaps that we still have to fill. We ask that you join us on our path to a community that is built for everyone.