TAWKROC (the Association of West Kootenay Rock Climbers) is a non-profit registered society with a mandate to encourage and promote the stewardship and preservation of public access for rock climbing sites in the West Kootenay Region of British Columbia.

Purposes

    1. To hold title/ownership of property for the purpose of preserving rock climbing and other recreational values.
    2. To engage with local and provincial government in the creation of a park at Kinnaird Bluffs.
    3. To develop a Best Practices Guide for Kinnaird with other stakeholders in order:
      • a) To maintain the unique environmental qualities of the property within its urban setting while fostering good relationships with the surrounding residential neighbours.
      • b) To encourage positive outdoor ethics for the area by crafting accessible standards for sustainable, ecologically-sensitive, multi-sport usage.
      • c) To celebrate the historical significance of the area, which has been used by rock climbers, hikers and outdoor lovers for the past 65 years.
    4. To encourage and promote environmentally sensitive standards and stewardship of new and existing cliff and mountain areas including:
      • a) Developing best practices guidelines.
      • b) Funding trail and route maintenance.
    5. To encourage and promote environmentally sensitive and sustainable use of unique cliffside and mountain areas to families and youth.

TAWKROC is a chapter of CASBC (the Climbers Access Society of BC) which facilitates access, conserves and maintains the cliffs and mountains of British Columbia.

To see all of TAWKROC’s bylaws, please download the PDF: TAWKROC Bylaws

2020 TAWKROC Board of Directors

Ian McDonald, President
Ian has been a passionate climber for almost 20 years. His love for the sport has taken him around the world, but the West Kootenay climbing and community keep him coming home. A British Columbia local, he’s lived in Nelson for 12 years.

Craig Stowell, Secretary
Craig was hooked on climbing the first time he tried it nearly 25 years ago. He feels lucky for the places climbing has taken him and the lifelong friendships that have formed through years of shared adventures. A 15-year West Kootenay resident, Craig began volunteering with TAWKROC eight years ago. He is most proud of TAWKROC’s success—with the support of the climbing community—in permanently protecting Kinnaird Bluffs. He looks forward to helping continue this trend with the Save the Waterline Campaign. Craig is married, a father of two children, and works as a professional engineer during the day.

Delia Roberts, Treasurer
Delia is in her second term as a TAWKROC director. Her background is in sports science and when starting out climbing, was known to ask her climbing partners for blood samples at the summit. It must have been worthwhile because her altitude-training program has been used by many of Canada’s top Olympians (though it does make it hard for her to find partners sometimes). These days she helps guides, ski resort employees, and forestry workers to stay in shape and avoid injuries—in between skiing and climbing as much as she can. She is thrilled to be able to help support TAWKROC.

Yann Troutet, Board Member
A relative newcomer to the Kootenays, Yann started scrubbing on arrival. Being sensitive to the importance of the local climbing culture, he soon got involved with TAWKROC. Building on past experiences authoring guidebooks and advocating for nature conservation, Yann firmly believes in climbing as a force for greener citizenship. By day, he teaches GIS at Selkirk College. Climbing-wise, Yann’s favorite thing is to benefit the local community by breaking new ground and pushing the grades, primarily on the lower end of the scale.

Brandon Weller, Webmaster
Brandon moved to Nelson in 2014, where he rediscovered his love for climbing. Inspired by the amazing West Kootenay climbing community, he felt compelled to join the TAWKROC board in 2020, to apply his Web Developer skills. You might find him at the crags or boulders, when he’s not stuck behind a computer screen.

Greg Amos, Board Member / Communications
Greg started outdoor climbing in Tumbler Ridge in 2010, and has enjoyed many sport and trad climbing adventures around the Kootenays and beyond. He’s a born-and-raised British Columbian, learned to trad climb in the Rockies, and in recent years has enjoyed trips to Red Rocks, Nevada and Leavenworth, Washington. A Nelsonite since 2016, he’s keen to help TAWKROC foster access to Kootenay climbing. Outside of climbing, he’s passionate about GIS, climate change and quality journalism.