UBC Student Recreation Centre

I’ve used the UBC BirdCoop gym at the Student Recreation Centre for over five years, and ever since they dramatically lowered the prices for student memberships, the quality of the gym experience has gone down. The gym is usually full of people and there are always lineups to use the cardio machines.
I believe the BirdCoop lacks funding because a lot of the cardio equipment is outdated and some of the equipment is bent and out of alignment. However, they did replace their ancient treadmills from the 1990’s to more recent LifeFitness treadmills. A lot of their machines aren’t very reliable as I often see «Out of Order» on lots of their machines.
I usually see staff either signing up new members, answering questions at the front desk, or doing personal training with their clients. The manager named Laura is a pleasant person and you can talk to her regarding issues if regular staff can’t answer your questions.
The washrooms near the BirdCoop are out of this world disgusting, but I always end up going to the UBC Aquatic Centre washroom instead.

Various classes for both students and non-​students. The stafff could be more friendly, but at this price I ain’t goint to make a fuzz.

I didn’t realize this when I first moved to Vancouver, but it’s really challenging to find a gym close to where I live that isn’t a) super expensive every month, and b) doesn’t force you to sign a year (or two) contract. I can’t commit for that long, at least not to a gym.
By order of elimination, I ended up purchasing a gym membership at the Birdcoop. Not because it’s a fancy facility. In fact it’s far from that. It’s pretty small compared to what I was expecting, but there’s a decent amount of cardio equipment and weights. I chose it simply because it was $ 25/​term for a UBC student. I bought a two term pass, and the total cost was $ 56. Not too bad for 8 months of gym membership, considering some places charge that per month!
What I do like about the gym here is the variety of sports and classes you can take. You name it, you can sign up for it, and it won’t break the bank!
Why am I docking two stars? One is because the gym is crowded a lot of the time, and other than the lockers there’s no place to lock up your stuff. Even with the lock up cubby system for bags, the front desk clerk told me bags get stolen all the time. The other is because 50% of the time the front desk clerk at the Birdcoop is rude. When I originally tried to get my membership, the guy was really offstandish and it made me consider not even buying a membership (though clearly I reconsidered). The next time I went in, the clerk was super friendly and attentive.
Overall, this is a good place to try some new classes and get a workout in on campus without breaking the bank (or waiting in line at the UBC Aquatic Center). Just don’t expect anything fancy.

Finally the elusive «UBC Athletics and Recreation» fee that we pay every year in our tuition is being reflected in services. The prices for registering for intramurals have gone down (a student team for Day of the Longboat used to be $ 160, now it’s $ 100), and the Birdcoop prices have gone down to $ 25 per semester.
Unfortunately, that also means that the Birdcoop is more crowded. However, I do enjoy the lower intramural prices.
UBC Rec also has summer activities like day hikes, on which I attempted to go on and this is the majority of the reason why my rating is so low.
Me and 2 friends signed up for a Squamish Chief day hike and drove all the way from Burnaby to UBC, where we were to meet the guide and the rest of the group at 7am (we woke up at 5am). There were two guides, 1 who met us at UBC and drove the minibus and the other we were supposed to pick up in N. Van. The guide driving, as we drove over the Lion’s Gate, ran over a construction pylon and just said (when we looked freaked out/​bewildered like «WTF was that?»), «oh. I guess I must have taken out an orange cone! oh well.» Then we picked up the guide, filled up gas (the guide didn’t even get out to check if the mini bus was okay after hitting the cone), and went on our way. About 3 – 5 km on to the highway, the minibus putters out and the guide pulls over on Hwy 1. And then she realizes… «oh, I didn’t realize I was supposed to fill it with diesel!»
Yeah… we all had to hike back on Hwy 1 to the nearest exit to catch a translink bus back to UBC where I parked my car, then drive back to Burnaby. It was a fun morning. The guide that led us back showed little regard for my group since we decided not to continue with them and hike Grouse. She didn’t even cover our bus fare back to UBC (she covered the others’). At least they later refunded my money fully and the bus fare.