In Focus is our gift to the community. A way for us to help show our recognition for the people, businesses and organizations that help make our city great. The team at KelownaNow.com is passionate about this community and the people that make it amazing. We want to show our friends, neighbours, family and colleagues that we notice them and the fabulous things that they do.
What is your name?
My name is Christiaan de Vries and I together with my wife, Nancy, own gneiss climbing.
Where are you from and how long have you lived in Kelowna?
From Calgary via Saskatoon, I have lived in Kelowna for nine years.
Who is your favourite person to spend time with and why?
My wife, Nancy because she has a really sketchy sense of humour and it cracks me up.
If you could go anywhere in the world right at this moment where would you go and why?
I’d have to go to France… I’d go bouldering in Fontainebleau and surfing in Biarritz and hang with the fashion geezers around Paris.
What is your favourite local store in Kelowna and why?
I’ve got a couple, one for sure is Zangbell and Gill. I love the select vintage furniture and all the other rad random stuff in there. The owners are awesome and prices are crazy reasonable. The other is Peter’s Your Independent Grocer, such an awesome place, Peter has gone to great lengths to have the best products at the best prices.
What is your favourite activity?
Dang, that’s tough.. You are not going to pigeonhole me on this one. I love climbing, specifically bouldering (climbing without ropes), I love surfing, I love riding bikes and playing soccer.
If you had to choose: pizza, tacos, or burgers?
Burgers, without a doubt.
What is a hidden gem you enjoy in the Okanagan?
Kelowna has this amazing independent soccer academy called Soccaskool that my son Axl belongs to. Soccaskool has this awesome cult following that has become a second family to us; that family has been so supportive throughout this process of getting gneiss climbing off the ground.
What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you?
Taking three kids under the age of seven on a trip to Spain last spring was a total disaster… it was a full-on Griswold edition trip with multiple most embarrassing moments. One in particular saw my four-year-old daughter fling a meatball (that had too much sauce on it.. can you imagine that?) across a fancy restaurant in Madrid. Unfortunately, that meat ball landed squarely on a ‘high society’ lady’s sheer white top, she was not amused and stirred up a bit of a Spanish fuss.
What is the most inspiring thing that has happened to you?
Seeing people that have now become close friends come out of the woodwork to help us get gneiss climbing up and running. Along the way we saw tons of people with massive hearts help out, in particular Chris Little (Little Building Solutions) and Maclean Stefanek (MKi Woodwork Solutions) were so inspiring to me; these guys came along and carried the project to completion without any expectations of making money or billing hours. They just straight-up wanted to help out and offer their expertise in areas that I was severely lacking. They have inspired me to pay that forward.
Tell us your favourite childhood memory.
I will never forget going to elementary school in the 80’s when safety was not a thing. We would spend our lunch hours and recess’s skateboarding at the abandoned outdoor pool a block away from school. No supervision, no helmets, no drama, it was pure freedom, eventually it got shut down but it was ON for a couple of years.
Where do you volunteer or give back to in the community?
I love working with kids and have been coaching youth soccer for a number of years. I love teaching kids to be active; now I get to expand that to teaching kids how to climb. I am sooo so excited to introduce the sport of climbing to the youth of Kelowna.
If you could change one thing in the world what would it be?
I would erase child abuse, nothing in this world is worse than child abuse.
What is your favourite activity in Kelowna?
My wife and I don’t get out much but we always make time for DEVOUR, it is by far the best event in Kelowna.
Where would you sneak away to in Kelowna to spend some time alone?
When I need to clear my head I get on my bike and hit the emptiest roads Kelowna has to offer. One gem in particular is the grind up to Crystal Mountain. That road is dead empty all summer and has enough trees to keep you in the shade as you suffer through the 40 minutes of pain to the top.
Where would you like to see positive change in Kelowna and why?
I am huge on bicycle awareness and share the roads initiatives. I have seen an increase in traffic over the past few years in Kelowna and with it an increase in people rushing to get from A to B. One fall out of that is collisions with bicycle riders. Being a cyclist and constantly commuting on bikes with my family, I really want to see the concept of share the roads reach a better acceptance level in Kelowna.
If you could be granted one wish for work or in life, what would it be?
I really want to be positive influence in others lives. I have a special opportunity with my youth programming at gneiss climbing to develop great climbers but I don’t want to stop there… I also really want to try and develop great kids that will become great adults.
Tell us something that not everyone may know about you.
I come from a very religious family, my sister left home at 18-years-old to become a Catholic nun.
What is the name of your business/organization?
gneiss climbing (gneiss is pronounced nice and is a common rock type found in the Okanagan).
What does your business do?
We are a climbing gym that is focused on bouldering (climbing without ropes or harnesses).
How do people connect with you through social media? (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest)
@gneiss_climbing – I love instagram I think it’s a great medium, you can search my hashtags #getgneiss and #begneiss. My facebook is gneiss climbing.
Where can people find your business online?
gneissclimbing.com
Why did you get into/start this business?
I have been crazy passionate about climbing my whole life, My father was a climber and a certified Swiss Mountain Guide and I think climbing is in my blood. I have always thought about doing a climbing gym in Kelowna, my wife and I planned to get one going when we first moved into town. Then we had our first kid and we got sidetracked with other life stuff. I ended up spending a bunch of time working in Colombia and hanging with a bunch of Colombian geologists. Getting to know them I quickly realized that they all had other businesses besides a main career. That entrepreneurial spirit rubbed off on me and I decided to take the safety pin out and take a little time off my main career to start a climbing gym that was badly needed in Kelowna.
What is the goal of your business?
My goal is to introduce as many new people to the sport of climbing as possible. Not every person is designed to play tradition sports or has the motivation to go to the gym. If we can make positive change in peoples lives and get people active and healthy by climbing we will have achieved our goals.
What has been your biggest struggle either in work or life?
I struggle everyday to be the best parent and husband I can be. I feel very responsible to bring up good kids who will in turn bring up good kids that will continue contributing to our great city and country.
If you could start all over again would you do things the same or would things be different?
Same.. no regrets EVER.
Why do you think it is important to shop local?
Shopping local is the only way to go. By shopping local you engage with your community on a very tangible level. We all should go out of our way to shop local and help fund our neighbours’ ability to put their kids in swimming lessons instead of padding the pockets of board members of companies who are domiciled in some tax haven like Bermuda or Jersey.
Give someone that you think deserves it a shout out and explain why!
Andy White and all the route setters in the Okanagan, your passion of climbing and increasing the visibility of the sport is contagious.
My nomination for the In Focus spotlight is:
Sperling Vineyards
We encourage you to leave your comments and words of support below, and submit your own nomination by clicking HERE. You are also welcome to submit a form of your own by clicking HERE. Thank you, Kelowna!
