A local rock climber’s experience spending time in the mountains and experience in the community has inspired him to fundraise for an outdoor climbing rock at a Cumberland playground.
Growing up in Poland, Piotr Lutynski started climbing when he was 15 years old. The now 65-year-old lives in Cumberland and has worked as a geologist in South America, climbing mountains between 4,000 metres and 6,000 metres tall.
Eventually winding up in Vancouver, the idea for outdoor climbing in Cumberland stems from the community he developed in Poland, and experiences climbing in the Lower Mainland.
“Close to the place where we lived, there was an artificial rock-climbing rock in Reiley Park. It is the biggest climbing rock in Vancouver and is over 20 years old now,” said Lutynski. “I made enormous amounts of friends there because I was there probably every second day.”
That experience propelled him to apply for a project in Vancouver to build multiple boulders. While that project was not selected, he has brought the idea to Cumberland to help grow the climbing community and bring the sport to young people.
“Everybody was supportive, we got the approval of the council and I got 200 signatures of residents and climbers who expressed interest in supporting and having outdoor climbing boulders in their parks,” said Lutynski.
He adds fundraising officially started at the end of October, with support from the Rotary Club of Cumberland. The boulder itself is made from wooden framing, rebar and steel mesh that climbers form and then a granite polymer is poured on top to make it look as natural as possible.
The total cost for the 10-foot, 7,000-pound boulder is around $44,000 including delivery, and Lutynski says local operators have volunteered to install it.
He adds that this system’s main advantage is the climbing availability for the community. It will be free, and it makes it a very social sport as well to grow in the community.
“Creating such a structure in Cumberland would bring families, would bring people of different ages together, and they will all interact, get to know each other, support each other and spend some funds in local businesses,” said Lutynski.
“This would bring people from Comox, Courtenay, maybe even Nanaimo to Cumberland. It is an individual sport but it’s also a social sport.”
Lutynski adds that while the village is mainly seen as a mountain biking destination, there are a lot of people who climb in the area.
Donations for the rock can be made directly to the Rotary Club of Cumberland via e-transfer or mail, or on GoFundMe.
For more information, you can contact Lutynski here.
