Cranbrook’s Gord McArthur is preparing to head to Sochi, Russia, to compete in the 2014 Olympic Winter Games’ demonstration sport: ice climbing.

McArthur, considered one of the best ice climbers on the planet, earned his place in Sochi following a top 15 finish at an event in Kirov, Russia in 2013.

In Sochi, his sport is considered a ‘cultural demonstration event’ with an International Olympic Committee (IOC) eye on possibly allowing the sport to become a medal event in 2018 in Korea.

The 33-year-old graphic arts designer, originally from Fergus, Ont., told sports mag ‘Petzl’ that the inclusion of ice climbing as a demonstration sport is “huge. It’s an opportunity to introduce a new sport to a lot of viewers that are unaware of how rad ice climbing really is. The Olympics need to keep introducing sports that people want to watch. ‘Extreme’ isn’t really the focal point, but at least ‘edgy,’ as in ‘Lets get people on the edge of their seats.’ Ice climbing is going to do that.”

The inclusion of ice climbing as a demonstration event is a big moment for the sport, McArthur said.

“Despite it not being a medal sport, it’s still a huge opportunity to grow the sport in the eyes of the world and push for it to become an actual Olympic event. This opportunity is essentially a once-in-a-lifetime chance. I’m really excited,” he told Gear Junkie in November 2013.

McArthur says climbing is more than a sport to him.

“Climbing has become so much more then just a sport in my life. It’s granted me the ability to look in the mirror and admit defeat. But it’s also given me ‘real guts to admit that and then try to figure out what happened and try again.’ Climbing has taught me self-analysis, that without that-nothing will change. Change is uncomfortable; admitting a malfunction to yourself may mess with your perception of how good you are at something, and the mind is incredible at protecting the ego,” he states on his website.

McArthur first gained local attention in 2011 when he raised money for the Charlotte Amsing, a young girl suffering from cancer. For 24 hours he climbed to raise $20,000 for the late girl’s family and Ronald MacDonald House.

Following the 2013 Santa Claus Parade (Nov. 29) the City of Cranbrook presented McArthur with $500 from council contingency funds to help him cover costs of traveling to Russia.

Also providing support for McArthur is Jody Burk and East Kootenay Community Credit Union – now in their third year sponsoring the climber.

E-KNOW has tried to find a schedule that notes when ice climbing will be taking place and possibly telecast but has not been successful. Apparently it will take place when it can be fit in.

McArthur departs for Russia Feb. 10 – so keep an eye on the Olympic schedule after that date.

And good luck to Gord, as well as to the region’s four competing Olympians, Invermere’s Ben Thomsen and Manny Osborne-Paradis, Cranbrook’s Rob Fagan and Kimberley’s Josh Dueck.

Ian Cobb/e-KNOW

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