Our membership has grown once again, and we couldn’t be happier to welcome the Central Okanagan Climbing Association (COCA) to our ranks.
COCA was first conceptualized in the fall of 2016. COCA’s founder, Cailan Libby, wanted to create a corporate body that would represent the local climbing population, and that would preserve and ensure access to the climbing areas in the Central Okanagan. And, drawing inspiration from TABVAR (The Association of Bow Valley Rock Climbers), he also wanted to create a system that would support both the development of new routes and the maintenance of existing ones.
Thanks to a great group of volunteers and huge support from the climbing community, local businesses, and the public, COCA was officially incorporated just a few months later, in January 2017. Since then, they’ve been busy supporting new route development and route maintenance—Kelowna has a lot of older routes that require new hardware to be installed, including changing old galvanized bolts to stainless steel to ensure years of safe climbing. They also have plans to host some fun events this year to get people out and engaged in the climbing community.
In the future, COCA hopes the Central Okanagan will become a destination for climbers of all abilities. The region has many areas that offer excellent climbing, and they want to ensure these areas are preserved for future generations, and that a strong support network for route developers is created. And, they want to establish a strong working relationship with Regional Parks to ensure proper parking, trails, and facilities are available at their climbing areas.
Want to know more about the Central Okanagan Climbing Association? Check them out on Facebook.
