It took six days, 18 university students and several dozens of hours worth of volunteer work to make Skaha Bluffs Provincial Park a better place than it was before.
Rock climbers rejoice: a local community service project three years in the making is now complete, which means a number of popular spots at the South Okanagan destination have been retrofitted and cleaned.
It all started in 2021 when Fred Amyot and Russ Turner, a pair of longtime Okanagan mountain guides, teamed up with 18 students from the Thompson Rivers University Adventure Guide Diploma program.
Since then — over six days spread across 2021, 2022 and 2023 — students from the region have worked on replacing aging spots, upgrading routes and even creating several new sports climbs at Skaha Bluffs. The university’s adventure studies department donated $2,500 to help complete the project.
“Suddenly, a lot of routes that haven’t been climbed for a number of years because they were too old are now protected and safe and people are really enjoying it,” Turner said.
Turner says 85 per cent of people who climb at Skaha Bluffs come from either Vancouver or Calgary.
The students’ volunteer work will have a direct impact on the experience of those visitors, he added.
“In a way, this is promoting tourism in the area,” Turner said. “It’s going to draw more people here to climb routes they haven’t seen before.”
While Turner represents the local group Skaha Rock Adventures, Amyot works within the university’s adventure program.
The pair hopes that such volunteer projects at “The Bluffs” don’t stop now, especially when efforts are led by students.
“This will be an ongoing thing and with the blessing of BC Parks, we’ll work with what they want to see from us,” Turner said. “This has been a win-win for everyone.”
The more than 40-year veteran of rock climbing also says the work has ensured Skaha Bluffs continues to live up to its name as one of North America’s premier sports-tourism spots.
The students’ names and the work they completed at each Skaha Bluffs site can be found below:
Day 1 and 2, ‘Go Anywhere Wall’ (Oct. 29 to 30, 2021)
Students: Evelyn Underhill, Dan Paplawski, Deanna Zator, Robin Arens, Thomas Brassard, Christopher Murray-Schlitt
Day 3 and 4, ‘Fern Gully/Another Buttress’ (April 5 to 6, 2022)
Students: Zoe Kallio, Stephanie LePage, Ben Rever, Thomas Blenkhorn, Chris Gaymer-Brokordt, Miranda Mueller, Rachel Foucher
Day 5 and 6, ‘Another Buttress/Red Tail/Diamond Back’ (Oct. 12 to 13, 2023)
Students: Ariane Garneau-Desroches, Brock Heshka, Taylor Ramljak, Ethan Burnham, Keyden McDonagh, Kai McGrady
READ MORE: Tourists flock to the South Okanagan for Skaha Bluffs Climbing Festival