How It All Started
Look, I'll be straight with you - this whole thing started because I was tired of seeing athletes plateau. Back in 2018, after spending years training at sea level and watching climbers, runners, and everyday folks hit these invisible walls, something clicked.
I'd been coaching performance athletes for about a decade when I took a trip to the Rockies. Watched how the altitude changed everything - breathing, recovery, mental toughness. Came back to Vancouver thinking "why aren't we using this?"
So I took everything I'd learned from Olympic lifting programs, HIIT protocols, and sports conditioning, then threw in high-altitude simulation tech. People thought I was nuts at first. "Why would you make training harder?" they'd ask. But that's kinda the point, right?
Started small - just me, some basic equipment, and a hypoxic chamber in a warehouse space off Granville. Word spread fast though. Climbers preparing for Everest, hockey players wanting better VO2 max, regular folks just wanting to push themselves harder than they thought possible.
Now we've got a full facility with everything from functional movement assessment to recovery therapy. But the core idea hasn't changed - if you're willing to put in the work at altitude, coming back down to reality feels like you've unlocked cheat codes.
Marcus Chen
Founder & Head Performance Coach
Our Journey
The Beginning
Opened doors with just 800 square feet and a dream. Had one altitude training system and about fifteen members who trusted the vision. Spent more time explaining what hypoxic training was than actually training.
First Major Win
Three of our members summited K2 in the same season. That put us on the map big time. Started getting calls from professional sports teams wanting to know what we were doing differently.
Expansion & Adaptation
Yeah, pandemic hit. But we adapted fast - moved to 2847 Granville Street with triple the space. Added personalized nutrition coaching and recovery therapy because we realized altitude training without proper recovery was leaving gains on the table.
Team Growth
Brought on Sarah and Devon - two coaches who actually get it. Sarah's background in Olympic weightlifting added a whole new dimension, and Devon's sports conditioning experience with the Canucks farm team was exactly what we needed.
Recognition
Vancouver Magazine named us "Most Innovative Training Facility." Cool and all, but what mattered more was hitting 300 active members who were actually seeing results - not just signing up and ghosting after January.
Full-Service Facility
Added functional movement assessment and mobility therapy. Realized we couldn't just break people down with altitude training - had to build them back up properly. Alex joined as our movement specialist and honestly transformed how we approach training.
Partnership Programs
Started working with UBC's sports science department. Got to train some Olympic hopefuls heading to Paris. Brought on Jamie for nutrition coaching - turns out you can't out-train a bad diet, even at altitude.
Today
We're not the biggest gym in Vancouver, but we're definitely the most specialized. Got a tight community of people who genuinely want to push their limits. Still learning, still adapting, still obsessed with helping people discover what they're actually capable of.
