Usually, our Bold features focus on outdoor adventure and getting out into the fresh air. But this week, we decided to do a little something different and paid a visit to ARC Climbing & Yoga in the South End, Greater Sudbury’s only climbing gym.
ARC has been serving Sudburians for about 10 years, but in just the last 18 months or so, there have been a couple of new faces behind the counter. The husband and wife team of Prince Borutski and Sarah Carpenter decided to take the plunge and become business owners in the fall of 2022.
“The owners were looking to sell and Prince was looking for a career change, and we always wanted to own a business,” Carpenter told Sudbury.com.
Opened in 2014, ARC features more than 7,000 sq.ft. of custom-designed climbing walls up to 35 feet high. Climbing amenities include a bouldering area and lead wall, and there’s even a mezzanine for beginner climbers to get their feet wet.
In addition to our state of the art climbing terrain, ARC is home to a 900 sq.ft. yoga and fitness space with a cedar ceiling, that features a semi-soft Zebra floor and a Fogmaster vapourizer that “disinfects all surfaces with natural and powerful botanicals, keeping our studio nice and fresh.”
Since taking over the business, Carpenter said a new mural has been added and the parking area has been extended to accommodate more vehicles.
The former garage is bright and airy with massive walls dotted with multi-coloured handholds stretching all the way to the ceiling. When Sudbury.com visited, a steady stream of climbers — young, older, individuals and families — kept walking through the doors.
Carpenter said business has been good, with memberships growing steadily. She said now that climbing is an Olympic sport, there has been a bit of an uptake in interest.
There isn’t a steep learning curve either, she said. Beginners can come in and “just start climbing,” Carpenter said.
Typically, beginners will come in for a 30- to 45-minute climbing workout, but more experienced climbers will be scaling walls for two hours or more.
“It’s good training for outdoor climbing,” Carpenter said.
An outdoor climber herself, she came to Sudbury from Oakville to study at Laurentian University, and stayed, Carpenter said. She started climbing as a teenager and has been a regular climber for 14 years or so.
Once someone has learned the ropes and gotten some indoor experience, there are plenty of outdoor climbing opportunities in the city, Carpenter said. Her favourite spots, partially because they’re convenient, are Bethel Lake and a cliff face behind Timberwolf Golf Club, she said.
Intrigued? Then pay ARC a visit, Carpenter said.
“You don’t have to have experience, you don’t need to take a course, all you have to do is show up.”
Mark Gentili is the editor of Sudbury.com. Bold is made possible by our Community Leaders Program.
