When you meet people new to Squamish in the climbing community, you immediately assume they moved here because they had picked up on how incredible it is here.
Maybe they looked at the New York Times’ list of top 52 places in the world including Squamish and dropped everything to come and be part of this great wave. This is a pretty First World motivation, considering our rental rate, our housing market and our access to jobs.
Sometimes, the push to move comes from outside someone’s own situation, a move made from a composite of frustration and hope.
It’s interesting writing this on the wake of terrorist attacks in Paris. My thoughts go out to the people of France. Today is about the motivations to come to Squamish, permanently, from other countries and how the lure of accessible rock is a ridiculously First World reason to move. We should take the time to meet and befriend fellow Squamish citizens; our increasingly diverse community can only benefit us all with a stronger social fabric and a greater world view.
Christian Core, his wife Stella and their twin daughters Anja and Lara are a perfect example. Hailing from Savona, Italy, the young family made the move this summer and just closed the deal on a house of their own. A climber from the age of 12, Core was a member of Italy’s police force in their athletic division, an officer whose sole job was to train and stay fit for climbing. He’s been in the Italian Bouldering Cup and was Italian champion six times, was the European champion, twice won World Cup bouldering events and has been World Cup bouldering champion. He’s also won the Extreme Games in California and has countless cutting-edge ascents in Italy and beyond.
Most notably, Core was the first to climb the boulder problem Gioia in Varazze and propose the groundbreaking grade of V16. It’s safe to say he is one of Italy’s strongest and most famous rock climbers. Stella, his wife, was an owner of a large climbing store in Finale, one of Italy’s largest and oldest climbing destinations. She, too, is a force on the boulders. Stella has been climbing since the age of five, has been Italian national champion and twice finished third in the bouldering world cup. And she was one of the first females in the world to climb V12.
When Christian left the force, she sold her share in the store and they moved to Squamish, leaving behind friends and family, which is incredible when you consider the Italian culture of strong familial ties. The process took three years from when Christian first came to and explored Squamish, not only as a climbing area but as a future home with opportunities for his young girls. For the Cores, the move’s main push came from the growing dissatisfaction over the possibilities and opportunities his two daughters would encounter growing up in Italy. Both Stella’s and Christian’s parents encouraged the move.
Why Squamish? After years of traveling the globe for rock climbing, they were searching for a place that might combine a culture of possibilities and opportunities for their girls, while giving them a beautiful place to continue their love of rock climbing. After visiting Squamish and talking with several friends who live here, it became obvious that the growing and youthful climbing culture here was healthy, positive and community-oriented. At their home bouldering area near Varraze, the family had been instrumental in unearthing, cleaning, climbing, trail building and popularizing the area, now an Italian destination of its own. In Squamish, they saw a beautiful landscape, a motivated climbing community with yet-undiscovered rock and a way to give back through bouldering development.
What does the future hold for the Cores? Thankful that blowing snow, predatory wildlife and hockey are not requirements of Canadian life, Christian remains philosophical. He wants to make an impact in our community not only by developing new climbs but also by raising the level of climbers in B.C. He admitted he was fanatical in his love of “making people stronger” and bolstering their enjoyment of climbing. He’s well suited, then, in his new position at The Hive Bouldering Gym in North Vancouver. There, he coaches people one on one, trains their youth competitive team and teaches advanced technique courses, generally passing on his infectious enthusiasm to others. Stella is excited to re-emerge onto the bouldering scene as the girls get older. The girls sounded excited about, well, generally everything. If you see them, make sure to say hello and welcome them home. Bentornato a casa!
