Peter Slivka, owner of the Vertical Reality climbing gym, is awaiting an NCC decision about rock climbing in Gatineau Park.
A Centretowm climbing-gym owner is anxiously awaiting the fate of 20 years’ worth of work.
Since the early '90s, at his own expense, Peter Slivka has organized climbing along Gatineau Park’s Eardley Escarpment, maintaining trails and bolting routes into the cliffs. An upcoming NCC decision could ban the sport.
Despite the fact that a ban might draw more people into his Victoria Island gym, Vertical Reality, Slivka says that it will represent a horrible loss.
“I want to offer to people the opportunity to do a sport and train for a sport. For me personally, even though I spend a lot of time inside, training here, it’s still training for outside.”
The cliffs of Gatineau are the only climbing area within an hour of Ottawa. Slivka says having outdoor recreation close at hand is part of the Ottawa lifestyle.
“There are always still people here, working for different companies and the government, and they want to be active. Not everyone plays golf.”
Climbing existed in the park before Slivka, but he has directed his resources towards replacing unreliable pitons with safer anchors drilled into the cliffs.
“I put a lot of work in there, a lot of days, and it’s part of me."
The problem is that climbing in Gatineau takes place in the park’s most delicate ecosystem, and the NCC has been taking steps to conserve more of the park.
The federal agency’s upcoming conservation plan may ban all activities along the escarpment.
When, in 2005, the NCC threatened to ban climbing along the escarpment, members of the Alpine Club and gym owners banded together into the Access Coalition to negotiate with the agency.
Their negotiations resulted in a temporary agreement, whereby the NCC restricted climbing in several more ecologically delicate spots, but allowed climbers to otherwise continue.
That agreement has now expired and an overdue NCC impact study and upcoming recreational services plan will likely determine the fate of the sport.
NCC representative Jean Wolff says it’s premature to comment officially on the impact study. “The t’s have not yet been crossed and the i’s have not been dotted.” said.