Cowichan Climbing Academy
6177 Somenos Road V9L 4E7 Duncan, BC, Canada

Happy New Year! We have new holds and 19 new problems on the bouldering wall for you. Now we have suppressed all the grades for the next two weeks. This means you need to try everything and not be intimidated by the grade. After two weeks we will post what the grades were set at and maybe ... just maybe ... you will surprise yourself! (equally it could be completely soul sucking but we hope not).

So little article about the moonboard AND if you look you will see our own Moonboard in one of the Videos. https://gripped.com/indoor-climbing/is-a-moonboard-for-you/

Cowichan Climber Brennan Doyle takes down V14 -The Reckoning. https://gripped.com//team-canadas-brennan-doyle-sends-v14/

So our first night back is under our belt. Remember next Tuesday for Qua and Cow students only right now. Five dollars and bring a mask!.

Starting on September 29th, Cowichan Climbing Academy will be open for student only drop-In from 4:00-6:30 each Tuesday. This is NOT a drop in for the general public yet, it is only for Quamichan School and Cowichan Secondary students. The following will be in place for all participants: - Access will be limited to 40 students only. - Drop in fees are $5. (We will not be charging Climbing Academy fees this year as a result of Covid-19 so drop in fees will be $5 regardless... of whether you have climbing this term or not. Academy fees will be re-instituted at a later time.) - Climbers are not permitted to share chalk and must have their own chalk and chalk bag. A chalk bag with chalk can be purchased at the gym for $20. - A well fitted mask covering the mouth and nose MUST be worn at all times. - Climbers must wash their hands upon entry and hand sanitize throughout their visit. - Participants must practice physical distancing of 2m and follow all safety protocols in place at the gym. - Students must arrange for pickup at the front of the school at the end of their session. Parents are not permitted to enter the gym. - All participants must sign in with their full name, school name and a working contact number at each visit in order to facilitate contact tracing if necessary. Cowichan Climbing Academy Staff

More movies to watch to keep the itch from being scratched. Remember stay home, stay apart and stay safe. This will be over and the sooner we follow all the rules the sooner we can be back on the walls. thanks https://www.banffcentre.ca/film-fest-at-home

More movies to watch to keep the itch from being scratched. Remember stay home, stay apart and stay safe. This will be over and the sooner we follow all the rules the sooner we can be back on the walls. thanks https://www.banffcentre.ca/film-fest-at-home

Some more Homework for climbers! Now I have not watched all of these so can't give you any warnings about cursing and the like - so watch at your own risk and assume there will be cursing. The first one is Rampage which I already included in an earlier post but there are a lot of others here to fill your itchy climbing fingers (at least by now your itchy athletes foot had probably cleared since you are no longer wearing your stinky climbing shoes). https://blocshop.com/les-meilleurs-films-de-bloc-gratuits/

Homework for climbers https://gripped.com//stoked-at-home-rampage-with-chris-sh/

Homework for climbers https://gripped.com//stoked-at-home-rampage-with-chris-sh/

Tokyo Olympics Adds 4th Discipline to Combined Format for 2021 - Rock and Ice https://rockandice.com//tokyo-olympics-adds-4th-disciplin/

Across the globe, climbing gyms are shutting their doors in a united effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. Now, more than ever, is the best time to show your s...upport for your favorite gym. Tag them in the comments below and tell us why you love them! #IFSCCommunityUnity #climbinggyms #IFSCFriday #IFSCGlobal #climbingfan #sportclimbing #ClimbTogether #HomeClimbing #StayHome #StayHealthy #FanFriday

So stuck at home ... going a bit stir crazy? Well if you can't do your sends - watch somebody doing theirs. https://www.climbing.com//the-best-climbing-movies-on-ama/

So stuck at home ... going a bit stir crazy? Well if you can't do your sends - watch somebody doing theirs. https://www.climbing.com//the-best-climbing-movies-on-ama/

PLEASE READ https://gripped.com//why-you-shouldnt-go-to-the-climbing-/

Oh do we see some speed athletes - yes we do! Congrats to Kieran Klettke and Jack Whitney on their speed runs last weekend - personal bests for both.

Alannah Yip takes gold for Canada here in LA and more importantly wins the Olympic spot for Tokyo. Canada will now have two athletes to cheer for - Sean McColl and Alannah Yip (both from British Columbia don’t cha know). In the rest of the women’s field Rebecca Frangos took 5th Allison Vest 11th. On the men’s side Brennan Doyle just missed the Olympic final ending up 9th and Jason Holowach 11th. Great showing overall by team Canada

So Brennan came up just short tonight In qualifying for the Olympic final on Sunday. Top 8 moved on - Brennan was 9th. A pretty solid performance for the 16 year old we must say.

Alannah Yip takes gold for Canada here in LA and more importantly wins the Olympic spot for Tokyo. Canada will now have two athletes to cheer for - Sean McColl and Alannah Yip (both from British Columbia don’t cha know). In the rest of the women’s field Rebecca Frangos took 5th Allison Vest 11th. On the men’s side Brennan Doyle just missed the Olympic final ending up 9th and Jason Holowach 11th. Great showing overall by team Canada

Brennan is through the preliminary round and will now compete in the show. While he did not climb his best is any of the disciplines he is well placed to make a move on Friday. Live stream will only be for finals so he will need to be top eight. Stay tuned ... it is about to get very interesting!!!

Local climber Brennan Doyle - Off to Olympic Qualifier in LA (This is the original story by Kevin Rothbauer from Cowichan Valley Citizen) http://www.vancouverislandfreedaily.com//vancouver-island-

Brennan is through the preliminary round and will now compete in the show. While he did not climb his best is any of the disciplines he is well placed to make a move on Friday. Live stream will only be for finals so he will need to be top eight. Stay tuned ... it is about to get very interesting!!!

Cowichan Climber Brennan Doyle off to Olympic Qualifiers

So it looks like Tuesday will be a Hard 4:00 opening also (Friday will also be one). With exams and end of term we won’t get there until 4:00. So don’t be early or you will be waiting in the rain and don’t bang on the door as there will be nobody home until 4.

Friday January 24th we will be open BUT not until 4:00. So if you come earlier you will have to wait. So . . . logically . . . don't come early . . . makes sense huh? See you then.

So youth Boulder Nationals were this last weekend and three Cowichan Climbing Academy kids qualified. Kieran Klettke ended up 30th in Junior boy, Dominic Fagan ended up 26th in Youth A boys and Jack Whitney ended up 23rd in youth B boys. Lots of learning was done by our crew this weekend in terms of watching some of the best climbers do their thing.

If anyone wants to watch Canadian Youth Boulder Nationals this weekend. Here are the links:) Cheer on Cowichan climbers Jack Whitney, Ethan Fagan and Kieran Klettke.

SO . . . we are going to open tonight but we want everyone to be safe. It looks like snow will be starting at about 6:00 so we may have to call it then just to ensure everyone gets home ok. Drive and stay safe use your common sense about coming or not - we will be here Friday also : ) (as long as we can get here!)

Friday we will be closed. We will all be over in North Vancouver with our athletes competing in the youth boulder nationals

Results Youth Female: 1. Teagan Willmott 2. Jubilee 3. Sky Margerish... Youth Male: 1. Sullivan Day 2. Zac Ramsteed 3.Aidan Klettke Adult Beginner Female: 1.Amelia Hadfield 2.Anna Draper 3.Christine Fagan Adult Beginner Male: 1.Ben Rossouw 2.Mitch Knippelberg 3.Matt Day Adult Advanced Female: 1. Claire Wagstaff 2.Maeve Carlin 3.Hayley Jones Adult Advanced Males: 1. Dominic Fagan 2.Thomas Kolodinski 3.Jacob Norman Prizes can be picked up at the gym Tuesday or Friday nights. Thanks to everyone who came out! We had a blast!

Friday the gym will be closed

Hey climbers we are increasingly having people arrive with no money - asking us to spot them until next time or simply sneaking in. This is really not fair to us or the rest of the community. We are not a for profit facility and all monies collected go right back into the facility to build more walls and stuff for you. We are just volunteers and can’t be expected to remember who owes what nor are we the police trying to catch who is sneaking in. Be a good human and pay for your use. Thanks - it is not like we are charging for profit climbing gym prices.

TOMORROW NIGHT: 5-9 . CHOC 'N' CHALK! 37 NEW ROUTES, CHOCOLATE AND CHALK AS PRIZES - WONDERFUL PEOPLE ALL CLIMBING - WHAT BETTER WAY TO SPEND FRIDAY NIGHT. 10$ ENTRY FEE GETS YOU IN AND ALL MONIES GO RIGHT BACK INTO THE ACADEMY TO BUILD MORE WALLS!

Climbing is at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Here is a great explanation of the format from International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC).

Great Day at the high school Choc and Chalk comp today. Over 100 climbers on our walls from the South Island and Lower Mainland.

So results are in from the Western regionals in Calgary. Only one of our climbers, Jack Whitney, moved on to finals where he ended up 6th. Dominic Fagan ended up 14th in Youth A male, while Keiran Klettke ended up 13th and Geoff Arrowsmith a 20th in Junior male. A respectable performance by the team as a whole!

Setters arrived! Problems are up! High School comp. January 7th. This is the schedule for the day. Technical meeting will be at 9:15 First flight will run from 9:30 - 12:30... Recreational / Beginner females Advanced / Intermediate males Experienced / Open males Second flight will run from 1:00 - 4:00 Recreational / Beginner males Advanced / Intermediate females Experienced / Open females Awards will occur after the second flight finished approx. 4:15. We will have Pizza and drinks for sale at approx. 12:00 for those who want to partake. Warm Up? - You may warm up on problems that are not your own once the technical meeting has ended and the comp has begun. There is to be no touching of any holds until the comp begins. Setters also put up "extra" problems that will only be available to climb at the January 10th community Choc and Chalk comp just so you have something to look forward to. Any questions - just ask here.

We are in the News

We have four climbers at Western Regionals in Calgary this weekend. After this mornings qualifying round all four will move on to semi finals. Dominic Fagan will be moving on in fifth place in Youth A boys, Jack Whitney will be moving on in fifth place in Youth B boys, and Keiran Klettke and Geoff Arrowsmith will be moving on in 17th and 18th in Junior boys. Only top 6 move on to finals - good luck everyone.

Everything cleaned and sorted. Now we wait for the setters - remember Choc and Chalk community bouldering comp. January 10th 5-9.

Santa’s elves have been busy getting ready for the new year! Oh are those NEW Volumes I see? Why yes they are ... yes they are. @ École Mt. Prevost Elementary

Cowichan Climbing Academy sent seven athletes to Boulder Provincials a few weeks ago in Surrey. All were competing for an invite to represent British Columbia i...n the Western Regionals on December 14 and 15 in Victoria. Of the seven, six received invites and moved on to the regionals in the hopes of making it to the Canadian Nationals which will be held in Ottawa January 11 -12. Well, this weekend, the team was successful in their competition at regionals, and we’re proud to say, they are moving on to Nationals in Ottawa! All of our athletes train out of the Cowichan Climbing Academy that is run through a Cowichan Valley School District program. The program sees our athletes in the gym every day training for both athletic success and school credits towards graduation. The gym is open to the public on Tuesdays and Fridays from 4:00 - 6:30 for a nominal fee of 5.00$ which helps to support the program an grow our athletes. The gym is located at École Mount Prevost, 6177 Somenos Road. Come out and take a look, climb a wall and see what climbing is all about. You can follow the gym on both Instagram and Facebook for more information.

A very busy last Tuesday night! 100+ visitors! We are becoming pretty popular - must be our kind, caring and incredibly dapper instructors?

So that is it for this year! We will be closed Friday as we will be stripping walls and getting ready for our January comps! High school comp on January 7th and the citizen comp on Friday the 10th from 5-9. If you are interested in the citizen comp see the post below for info. We wish everyone a very happy holiday and can't wait to see all of you come out and crush all our new problems in January!

Well here is a bit of news . . . don't cha think? Five Canadians will have a chance to join Sean McColl on Team Canada’s Olympic roster at the IFSC Pan American Continental Combined Championships in the new year. . . Alannah Yip, Allison Vest, Becca Frangos, Jason Holowach and Brennan Doyle have been confirmed by the CEC to compete in Los Angeles from February 24-March 1 for the final available Olympic spot. That is Cowichan Valley's Brennan Doyle, who we may add is just 1...6. . See more

Choc ‘n’ Chalk is back! Join us on January 10th at the Cowichan Climbing Academy for a fun night of new Boulder problems. Entry is just 10$ and prizes are of course Chocolate and Chalk the two climbing essentials we all need. 5:00 -9:00. It is a full scramble format so bring your friends, acquaintances or people you just want to crush with your Climbing prowess.

Over the Christmas break we will be setting for two comps. On January 7th we will be running our annual High School bouldering comp. Then on the Friday January 10th we will be running the second annual Choc "n" Chalk fun comp for the public. The High school comp will be a modified scramble formate and the community will be full scramble. See poster below for details on the Fun comp and talk to your climbing teacher about the high school one.

HOODIES - Sample sizes ARE at the gym. Orders will only be taken until December 6th. If you wish to order you need to put your name on the list at the desk, indicate your size and clearly PRINT your name. Only those who have paid by December 6th will receive a Hoodie. They are 56$ and there are great quality hoodies - parents who want to surprise their children can email [email protected] and arrange something with Mr. Doyle. Thanks

"The morning after I qualified, I somewhat expected to kind of wake up and maybe find the last three or four years were a dream," said McColl.

Hoodies - Sample sizes ARE at the gym tomorrow. Orders will only be taken until December 6th. If you wish to order you need to put your name on the list at the desk, indicate your size and clearly PRINT your name. Only those who have paid by December 6th will receive a Hoodie. They are 56$ and there are great quality hoodies - parents who want to surprise their children can email [email protected] and arrange something with Mr. Doyle. Thanks

https://youtu.be/PoGFZcuQl0w

So results are in for our Cowichan Climbers in the Provincial Bouldering Championships. - Brennan Doyle won the Youth A category and placed 2nd in Open. - Jack Whitney was forced to withdraw as a result of illness and ended up 6th in Youth B. - Dominic Fagan placed 6th in Youth A. - Keiran Klettke placed 7th in Junior. ... - Geoff Arrowsmith placed 11th in Junior. - Nick Globe ended up 17th in Youth A. - Kate Arrowsmith placed 16th in Youth A. - Danica Williams 17th in Youth A. - Tyla Fraser 20th Youth A. Congratulation to everyone.

Several Cowichan Valley climbers made their way to the mainland this weekend to compete in the BC Bouldering Provincial championship. Four of those climbers found their way into finals on Sunday. Brennan Doyle, Dominic Fagan, Jack Whitney and Keiran Klettke will all move on for a shot at the podium tomorrow. Wish them luck!

So these are the hoodies! They are 56$ each. We will have sample sizes at the gym in the next week. These will be personalized with YOUR name not Adam ONDRA'S. We will only be doing pre-orders so if you want one you must pay upfront. We will take money and cheques at the gym starting Tuesday night and you can pay with Credit Card if you see Mr. Doyle. Parents this would make a nice Christmas Gift so you can email Mr. Doyle at [email protected] to arrange a "surprise" purchase if you would like. We will only be selling these for a limited time so we can get them to you before Christmas.

FYI - We now sell chalk balls 3$. Yes cheaper than anywhere because we know a guy, who knows a girl, who knows another guy who has an aunt who knows a chalk dealer in an undisclosed location. It is all very hush, hush. But anyway . . . the chalk arrives late at night and we ask no questions - but we pass along those savings to you. We also sell chalk bags 20$. YES only 20$ and again we know a guy who knows a girl . . . . . . . . arrives late at night . . . . yadda, yadda . . . . border patrol . . . . litigation . . . yadda, yadda, . . . we pass the savings on to you! AND keep your eyes open for some hoodies coming your way very soon.

Cowichan climbers at November sessions climbing comp this weekend Brennan Doyle: 1st open male, Dominic Fagan: 25th open male, Kieran Klettke: 32nd open male, Geoffrey Arrowsmith: 33rd open male, Nicolas Goble: 40th open male. Danica Williams: 18th open female, Kailtlyn Arrowsmith 30th open female, Tyla Fraser: 31st open female. Jack Whitney: 2nd Youth B male.

We will be open tonight - just so you know

Thanks to everyone who came out to support Climbing Day in BCThanks to everyone who came out to support Climbing Day in BC

Climbing Day in BC!!!

The Duncan Boulders book is now for sale 25$ and will only be here for a very short time before we send them back. We have 8 books left.

Climb with us on October 25! There are three parts to Climbing Day in B.C.: Professional Development for educators Climbing for youth and families A province wide climbing challenge!... For more information visit www.sportclimbingbc.ca

Climbing Updates: 1) Have you paid your fees? Chalk bags are in so pay your fees so you can get yours. We will try and get bags out to all of you (who have paid) next week. 2) All Duncan Boulders guide books are now on-sale for 25$ first come first serve. 3) Chalk balls will be sold at the gym for 3$ starting next week.

BC climber Sean McColl is one of the first qualifiers for Sport Climbing at the 2020 Olympics. He recently penned this article for CBC Sport’s series Player’s Own Voice.

Might be late opening tonight - only Mr. Doyle is around and he has to come in from Lake Cowichan so be patient and wait quietlyMight be late opening tonight - only Mr. Doyle is around and he has to come in from Lake Cowichan so be patient and wait quietly

Incase anyone missed it we are officially open Tuesday and Friday 4:00 - 6:30 pm. Please remember to follow us here and on instagram for any updates on openings, closures, belay courses, special events, etc. It is still just 5$ to get in and we supply all the gear. We will NOT be supplying chalk anymore. However, we will soon be selling chalk balls on the cheap - but the free chalk train has left the station and will not return.

All those who pre-ordered the Duncan Boulders guide (you know who you are) you need to come in and pick them up. If they are not picked up at the end of the month we will begin selling your copy - so come on it and get 'em while we still have them in stock.

Canadian climber Sean McColl conquered American Ninja Warrior and now looks to take his talents to new heights at #Tokyo2020

SO the Duncan Bouldering Books have arrived for all those who messaged that you would like a copy (25$). The gym will open this coming Friday 4-6:30, so if you ordered a book we will have them waiting. Please see me (Jaime) to pay and get your copy. YES ... the Gym will open for you to try all the new routes this Friday. Please note that for all our lower bouldering problem (V0-V3) we have added a plus version to each route. So once you conquer the regular route - try the plus version for a more "try hard" option. See everyone Friday.

It was a tough round of bouldering for Brennan Doyle in Arco today and he was unable to move on to the next round. Brennan finishes 39th in Boulder.

So the entire gym has been re-set and is now just waiting for climbers. We are hoping to stick with the Tuesday and Friday 4-6:30 hours this year but we will finalize the hours in the coming week. For those of you in academy you are reminded that you do have the $175 fee to pay and when you do you will receive a new Cowichan Climbing Chalk bag - whoot! whoot! We will also be moving away from providing loose chalk this year as our lungs are slowly filling up with "white" lung! So we will be selling chalk balls to put into your new Chalk Bag at a very reasonable rate. Now bags are on order but you can see the prototype below. Comes with a waist strap, big pocket for your cell phone and brush holder - and when you pay your fees it is all yours.

Brennan Doyle competes in Boulder Qualifications at the Youth World Championships in Arco, Italy tomorrow morning. There is no livestream but we’ll keep you updated .

Unfortunately Brennan had a big slip on his final run in Speed at the World Championships, resulting in a 14th place finish. Slips and stumbles abound in the final rounds as athletes are pushing their limits to avoid being knocked-out of the round. 14th in the world is pretty good! The Korean Brennan raced in finals went on to win the bronze medal. He has a rest day tomorrow and then Boulder Qualifications on Thursday. @wayne.takashiba