User:Siloclimber/sandbox

Allez Up Climbing

Allez Up Climbing is a Montreal, Quebec-based indoor rock climbing and bouldering gym. Allez Up was founded in 1996 by Hugh Batchelor. It's first location was 1339 Shearer Street, Montreal, in the old Northern Electric building, known today as the Nordelec. The 5000 square foot building was known for the industrial chimney in the middle of the gym, for its beautiful brick walls and its five 25 ft. square windows that shone natural light into the gym. The basement of the gym was highly unique from a very particular perspective - underground canals and tunnels started at the site and continued underground Montreal for several hundred meters to the Peel Basin, and to other former industrial facilities. It is believed that the tunnels were used during winter months to transport manufactured wire and cable by underground barge to ships waiting in the Port of Montreal. The tunnels were destroyed when a real estate development company converted the site to condominiums. From a climbing perspective, the gym was known for its industrial feel, high quality route setting and for its tightly knit climbing community.

In 2003, Allez Up was acquired by the Richer de la Plante family. Jean-Marc de la Plante had worked at Allez Up for several years on a part-time basis. When Hugh Batchelor put the gym up for sale, Jean-Marc approached his parents to acquire it, which they did. Following Jean-Marc's vision, the entire family went to work at Allez Up on a full or part-time basis, adding new climbing walls, new services and building on the existing culture. Jean-Marc became president of the gym a few years later. Under his tutelage, the business grew rapidly. However, in 2008, the owners of the Nordelec announced they were converting the building into condos and notified Allez Up that their lease would not be renewed. Allez Up immediately began looking for new space. In 2009, the family acquired the abandoned Redpath Sugar Silos just three hundred meters east of the Nordelec location, and built a new, state of the art climbing facility on the property.

In September 2012, Allez Up opened the doors of the new, 15,500 square foot facility. A new building connects four of the original silos. Allez Up is an average sized climbing gym, but with some very unique characteristics. With wall heights between 13 meters (42 ft.) and 16 metres (55 ft.). It is believed that Allez Up ranks among the highest gyms in North America for overall wall height (other gyms have small sections with walls that are higher, on very narrow sections.) The Allez Up silos are not yet used for indoor climbing, although one of them doubles as the main entrance with bouldering on the second floor. During summer months, one of the four silos is used for outdoor climbing, with routes up to 35 meters (115 ft.) high.