Central Saanich climbing gym to host world championships

The sport of climbing has done just that — right up to the Olympic Games.

The Boulders Climbing Gym in Central Saanich, a pioneer since the early days of the sport, has been there for every inch of that ascent since the facility’s founding in 1993.

So it’s only fitting Boulders be featured along the road to the Summer Games and will host the 2018 IFSC world junior (Under-20) championships for the second time. Many of those who took part in the 2013 world juniors hosted by Boulders will be the competitors in 2020, when climbing makes its Olympic debut at Tokyo.

“Because of the Olympics, we are already seeing interest growing in our sport, and participation rates are going through the roof,” said Kimanda Jarzebiak, chair of the Boulders Gym board of directors.

Boulders has grown from one team with 15 competitors 10 years ago to 10 teams with more than 200 competitive climbers at the gym, Jarzebiak said.

That includes a Boulders-based international cast you could be seeing in Tokyo — Elan Jonas-McRae of Nanaimo, American prodigy Kai Lightner and Czech world speed-climbing legend Libor Hroza. World champion Sean McColl of North Vancouver also regularly uses the Boulders climbing wall.

That doesn’t include the many hundreds who climb the wall recreationally.

In a statement, Mayor Ryan Windsor said hosting the world juniors again in 2018 “continues the tradition of Central Saanich being the competition climbing capital of Canada.”

There were 400 athletes, ages 14 to 19, from 35 countries at the 2013 world junior championship at Boulders Gym. That grew to 650 athletes, from nearly 50 nations, at the 2016 world junior championships in Guangzhou, China.

“It is an absolute honour to host the world’s youth climbers just before the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. We’re expecting the event to be even bigger than last time [2013],” Jarzebiak said.

The 2018 championships at Boulders will take place from Aug. 14 to 22.

Manon Mackasey from Sooke, 16, competed in the 2016 world juniors in China and is looking forward to having the world’s best youth climbers in her home gym next year.

“It would be so cool to compete in the worlds at home,” the Grade 10 Belmont Secondary student said. “You have to be strong in this sport and you also need mental strength. And there is a great sense of friendly camaraderie in climbing.”

The three disciplines of wall climbing are lead, speed and bouldering.

The popularity explosion of climbing is reflected in that there are now four walls in Greater Victoria, with Boulders being followed by the CARSA wall at UVic and the Crag X and BoulderHouse facilities downtown.