Canadian Paraclimbing National Championships 2026
Last weekend I had a wonderful time coaching at Climbing Escalade Canada’s second ever Paraclimbing National Championships! I made the trek up to Québec with the goal of supporting three athletes at the event and enjoying my time with the paraclimbing community. As paraclimbing in Canada continues to grow, I think it’s important for myself and others in the Untied States to be allies in that endeavor.
After attending the inaugural Canadian Paraclimbing National Championships last year, it was fun to see the improvements that were made from everyone involved with the competition. This year there were about a dozen new paraclimbers representing Canada and routes that had engaging, intricate technical movements. The passionate event staff, belayers, and other volunteers brought an electric and welcoming energy to the venue.
I send my congratulations especially to Nat who placed 1st in WRP3, David who placed 2nd in MRP1, and Carlie who placed 3rd in the WAL-1/RP1 merged category! These three have all made excellent progress this season, eloquently climbing up their qualifiers and finals routes. It has been a pleasure to be part of their hype team and with US Nationals just around the corner I look forward to seeing what is in store for them.
Big thanks to Canyon Escalade, the routesetters, CEC event staff, belayers, and other volunteers that made this event possible. I’ll be looking toward the continued growth of the Canadian paraclimbing community in the months to come!
Photos by ŌKAMI (you can follow on Instagram @okami_escalade)
Malcom (left) and Carlie (right) clapping and cheering for an athlete who topped their finals route.
A photo of the athletes, coaches, aides, belayers, routesetters, and event staff that attended the 2026 Canadian Paraclimbing National Championships
One highlight of the trip was attending the Fest-Hiver winter festival that was happening across the street from my hotel on Saturday - I got to see some really neat ice sculptures, enjoy maple syrup on a stick (one too many times), and dance the cold away with a live DJ set (complete with pyrotechnics and paid hype dancers bundled in snowsuits).
An ice scultpure of a dog next to a fire hydrant in the foreground, with the DJ set and dancing in the background.
Malcom bundled in his winter coat and gloves, smiling and holding two sticks of maple syrup.
Ice sculptures featuring a boot with a cowboy hat, a very fancy leaf, and two “despicable me” minions stacked one on top of the other. There is another indistinguishable ice sculpture on the far right.
…Fest-Hiver had wrapped up by Sunday, which was important because I couldn’t let the maple syrup stop me from cheering on Bad Bunny during the superbowl halftime show #togetherweareamerica