Tour de Bloc: 2015 Kick-Off This Weekend

Gripped Magazine January 8, 2015

The Canadian bouldering series, Tour de Bloc, will be kicking off this weekend in Alberta’s Canmore and Burlington, Ont. If you’re in the area, stop by and take in some of the action.

[shareprints gallery_id=”10535″ gallery_type=”thumb_slider” gallery_position=”pos_center” gallery_width=”width_100″ image_size=”large” image_padding=”0″ theme=”dark” image_hover=”false” lightbox_type=”slide” titles=”true” captions=”true” descriptions=”true” comments=”true” sharing=”true”]The first half of the above photos are from last year’s Tour de Bloc at Climber’s Rock in Burlington, taken by Aidas Rygelis. The other half are random shots from Elevation Place in Canmore.

Tour de Bloc Website

Gripped caught up with Tour de Bloc tour director Luigi Montilla and asked a few questions about the season.

What are some highlights from the year?

Highlight for this season has to be the continued development of our youth athletes. Some of them are finally realizing their potential and are consistently performing at a much higher level.

What are some differences from last year?

Gyms seems to be popping up left, right and centre. All of the facilities, new and old have done a tremendous job in promoting the sport and getting more people into climbing. There are definitely more people competing this year than there were last season. Gyms and organizers are having to be a little more creative with their scheduling to accommodate more competitors.

How are things going in the 2014/15 season?

The season is going well so far. A bit challenging at the beginning, but continued dialogue with stakeholders have made things a little less stressful.

Has there been a Tour de Bloc at Canmore’s new Elevation Place?

No, the last time the TdB was in Canmore was when the climbing gym the V’sion was still around. So probably the 2011/10 season. Psyched to be back in Canmore and to have Elevation place fill the shoes of the V’sion. It’s going to be very exciting!

The Jan. 10 Weekend

Tour de Blocs will be going on at Canmore’s Elevation Place and Burlington’s Climber’s Rock. If you want to register, see here.