Three Major Comps in Eastern Canada This Weekend

This weekend in Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia, comp climbers will be hitting the walls in three major competitions.

The Tour de Bloc will be taking place at Altitude in Montreal this weekend. Tour de Bloc recently stopped in Montreal for a memorable event at Allez Up’s new Pop Up Bloc wall. There will be a number of top climbers competing at Altitude this weekend, including the always strong Seb Lazure.

“Tour de Bloc was where I started competing back in 2003/2004,” said Lazure. “They’re always fun events and now since there’s the other circuit to gain points for the national team, it takes some pressure away from having to excel at the Tour de Bloc. It makes for an even more ‘friendlier’ event than it was already. I see it as a fun way to train.” To register for Tour de Bloc at Altitude, visit here.

In Ontario, the Ontario Federation of Climbing will be having an event at the Hub. There was recently a provincial competition at Coyote Rock. Steven Brown, director of The Hub, said, “We are past 180 registered climbers at this point and fired up to break some competition records.”

The entire team has been putting in extra hours for all of the comps coming up. “Its a labour of love,” said Brown. They have a dedicated team of top route setters, including Matt Chapman, the head setter, Shaun Hunter and Adam Tataryn. “As Canada’s largest bouldering gym, the feel here of our setters, staff and climbers is electric,” said Brown.

This might be Ontario’s largest youth competition in some time, if not ever. “Ontario’s best youth climbers will drop what they are doing to be here and showcase their skills,” said Brown. “They are coming in from far and wide and ready for an intense challenge. The caliber of these entrants makes this event stand out.”

The Hub would like for all climbers to have their waivers filled out before arriving. “A reminder that anyone who enters the facility, climbing or not, needs to have a valid waiver on file,” said Brown. “These two tips should make processing smoother.” For info on registration, visit here.

In Nova Scotia, another Tour de Bloc event will be taking place at Seven Bays Bouldering in Halifax. “We are the new kids on the block, but thanks to our unique building, amazing location, and most importantly, a supportive Halifax community, Seven Bays is taking off,” said Hana Ogasawara, the general manager at the new gym.

“Locals interest and curiosity is getting the better of them and we continue to get many new climbers every week. Many who have ‘never tried anything like this’ before.

“And now, with our awesome staff and uniquely friendly and welcoming atmosphere, we’ve got our hooks in them and they keep coming back. Mostly for climbing, but also for the beer, let’s be honest.”

Seven Bays recently held their first competition, which went over very well with everyone having a great time. “For our upcoming Tour de Bloc,” said Ogasawara, “we are hoping for a turnout of around 100 people, but competitions are still somewhat new to this community of climbers so perhaps we are being being a touch optimistic.”

There are plenty of strong route setters, including the head setter, Paul Denzler, Brendan Konowal, Shawn Smith and Ben Smith. Joining them from Allez Up is Julien Villeneuve. To register for Tour de Bloc at Seven Bays, visit here.

At The Edge in B.C., there will be a provincial competition called The Fall Classic this weekend. For more info and to register, visit here.

– We will have regular updates from all comps on Twitter here and on Instagram here.