By Alison Taylor
Get ready to bounce off the walls, Whistler.
Two young entrepreneurs and long-time friends, John Dunbar and Benji Johnstone, are putting the finishing touches on the Bounce Acrobatic Academy in Function Junction.
This isn't just any trampoline centre.
Dunbar and Johnstone have revamped the old transit facility into a state-of-the-art jumping haven where you can bounce up and down and off the walls, with a foam snowboard or skateboard, in a harness, holding a wakeboard rope or going upside down into a foam pit.
"It's a perfect parallel for every sport," said Johnstone, sitting on the edge of a room covered almost floor to ceiling with trampolines.
"Within a span of three seconds you're hitting three different walls. It's like three times the work out compared to normal jumping. It's pure core. You're exhausted. After 40 seconds of jumping, you're done... It's not like anything I've ever done."
Ken Achenbach, founder and owner of Camp of Champions, a Whistler snowboard camp, will be taking his campers to Bounce this summer.
Not only is it just plain fun, it's a good way to hone their skills.
"The more time you can get in the air to get air aware, the better," said Achenbach.
"Just the way the thing's set up so you can get used to being in all kinds of positions, is really, really good... and it's just super fun."
He said Bounce is a great addition for Whistler.
"The more stuff you can have for kids in this town, the better."
Dunbar, 30, has lived in Whistler for about ten years, working mainly in the rental condo business. Johnstone, 28, is an artist/photographer who has been travelling around the world. But for the past year and half, Bounce has been their passion as they worked to get it off the ground.
They're just weeks away now from the grand opening and the sky seems to be the limit, in more ways than one.
They have big plans for their business, which they said is for everybody from athletes who are part of sports teams and camps to kids who want to celebrate their birthdays. Even mom and tot groups or anyone else who just wants to jump around is welcome.
Jumping on the tramp isn't just for gymnasts anymore.
"(We're going to) pretty much try and target everybody," said Dunbar.
Bounce will be $15 for an hour drop-in, $12 for each additional hour thereafter and plans to open in July.
