World Renown Speed Climber to Coach on West Coast

Central Saanich, BC – Kimanda Jarzebiak, Chair of The Boulders Climbing Gym in Central Saanich is pleased to announce that world renowned speed climber Libor Hroza from the Czech Republic will be coming to train and be a guest coach at the Boulders Climbing Gym from November 2013 to May 2014.

Hroza is the second of a number of coaches that will make their way to the Boulders this season under a climber exchange with other countries. USA climber and coach Chelsea Rude was the first to attend, in October and November of this year.

“This is a fairly big deal for the evolution of speed climbing in North America,” noted Jarzebiak. “As far as I know, this is the first time anyone of this caliber has come to the continent to train for a long period of time. I think Libor’s contribution to the future of speed climbing in Canada will be immeasurable. We’re very lucky to have him here!”

At just 26 years of age, Hroza is one of the top speed climbers in the world, currently ranked second behind Stanislav Kokorin of Russia. He has been a frequent visitor to the podium at a number of IFSC World Cup events, including a recent first place finish at the 2013 Speed World Cup event in Arco, Italy, where he posted a winning time in the final of 5.99 seconds, just 0.11 seconds off the world record mark.

He had silver medal performances at 2013 Speed World Cup events in Chonqing, China, Perm, Russia and Mokpo, Korea and a third place finish at the 2013 Speed World Cup event in Ekaterinburg, Russia. He also won the 2013 European Speed Climbing Championships in Chamonix, France.

Hroza is looking forward to coming to the Boulders, noting, “I am very excited to be coming to Canada and to The Boulders to train on a certified world-record wall and to have the opportunity to pass my climbing knowledge on to young climbers. Perhaps I will also be able to improve my English at the same time!”

In addition to training on the Boulder’s IFSC World Record Certified 15-meter speed wall (the only one in North America) and coaching Boulder’s climbers to perfect their speed climbing technique, Hroza will be assisting Boulders coaches Andrew Wilson and Kimanda Jarzebiak with the incorporation of speed climbing into their Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) plan.

About The Boulders Climbing Gym
The Boulders Climbing Gym is a not-for-profit society, with the mandate of making climbing accessible for everyone, regardless of ability or ability to pay.  With over 13,000 square feet (1,208 square metres) of climbing space, The Boulders Climbing Gym is a community facility and a unique social enterprise, providing adaptive recreation and rehabilitation programs, youth recreational and competitive programs, as well as facilitating a climbing academy at Stelly’s Secondary School.  All instructors are certified by the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides. See www.climbtheboulders.com for more details.