Exclusive: Final Payment Made On Kinnaird Bluffs Purchase

The Mountain Culture Group has just learned that the final payment on the Kinnaird Bluffs rock climbing area purchase has been completed.

In the Summer 2016 issue of Kootenay Mountain Culture magazine we printed an article describing the plight of the Association of West Kootenay Rock Climbers (TAWKROC) and how its directors were raising funds to purchase the private land upon which Kinnaird Bluffs in Castlegar, British Columbia, are located. (See the full article below.)

The organization collected just over $30,000 in donations and secured an additional $20,000 loan through an angel investor in Nelson, British Columbia, to make the purchase and get its name on the title for the 17-acre plot of land located beside the Emerald Green Subdivision.

Over the course of the last two years, TAWKROC held various fundraising events and Vince Hempsall, the president of the association, just announced the last cheque has been cut and given to the angel investor (who wished to remain anonymous. “Now that the final payment has been made, we can begin talks with the City of Castlegar and start the process to donate the property as a park,” Hempsall says. He also hinted at another land purchase the association is considering in the local area and said there will be more news about that in the coming weeks.

Kinnaird is one of the most historically significant chunks of rock in British Columbia. The white and ruby-coloured granite cliff band has been a playground for mountaineers and rock climbers for half a century. It now harbours over 70 rock climbing routes from 5.5 trad to 5.12 sport.

“We can’t express enough just how grateful we are to the rock climbing community,” said TAWKROC director Craig Stowell. “This wouldn’t have happened without private citizens stepping forward to help ensure rock climbers, hikers and other outdoor aficionados continue to have access to this historic site.”

To learn more about the history of Kinnaird Bluffs and The Association of West Kootenay Rock Climbers, visit tawkroc.org.