Interview with Christian Core on 'Moving to Squamish'

A few of months ago, when trying to get photos of Adam Ondra, we unexpectedly found out that Christian Core was moving to Squamish. At this time, I contacted Christian immediately to see if we could do an interview with him. Christian was very generous and agreed to an interview right away.

For those who have never heard of Christian Core, he is a well accomplished climber from Italy and well-known around the world. Best known for completing the world’s first potential v16, Gioia, in his home town of Varazze, Christian has accomplished a lot in his 25 years of climbing. Christian is the only Italian climber to place first in a Bouldering World Cup (1999 and 2002) and stood on the World Cup podium 12 times during his career. He won the World Championship in 2003, placed first in the European Championship in 2002, and won the Din Rock Masters in 2006. He is one of the biggest developers in his local area of the Rifugio Barbara, in Varazze and Triora, and has made a huge impact on that community.

Christian, Stella and the girls. Photo courtesy of Christian Core ©

Christian and his family, including his wife Stella and his twin girls, are moving to Squamish at the end of this month and Christian will be working at The Hive North Shore. We were very excited to interview Christian and welcome his family into the Squamish community. Here is what he had to say.

Hi Christian, thanks for taking the time to talk to us. How are you doing?

Thanks to you too. We’re working a lot and preparing for the big change. There are so many details to think of and it’s not easy, but we are really motivated!

Christian Core on “Blade Runner”, V12, Varazze, Italy. Photo by Stella Marchisio ©

Can you tell us a bit about your plans to move to Squamish and what brought on the change?

Yes, we are planning to move to British Columbia, thinking to live in Squamish and work in Vancouver. The idea is to live close to the rocks in a smaller town where we can easily introduce our children to a new life. The future in Italy right now is very bad and in the last 10 years the country has been getting worse very quickly. For the children, it will be really hard to get a future now. So we try to give them a better life and try to improve many aspects that we consider important.

Christian Core on “Indian Secret Garden”, V13, Albarracin, Spain. Photo by Stella Marchisio ©

You have lived in in Varazze, Italy for a very long time. How does it feel leaving this community and moving away?

With a few friends and my wife, I developed the big bouldering area in Varazze for the past 15 years. It has been a very long job, every woods was abandoned, and the cleaning has been really hard sometimes, but we did it always with motivation. Over the years, we prepared 38 sectors there. We also developed two other areas, two hours away from my home, “Triora” in the river and “Barbara’s refuge” in the mountain. Here, you can get for free the guide I did about Barbara’s refuge, it’s a great place for summer.

Of course, my friends are sad for our decision, but they respect it as well. For sure it is a big choice of moving, Varazze will be a missing part for us, but we’ll come back for holidays sometimes, climbing again with all friends, no problem for this. I’d like to help the climbing community in Squamish, for continuing to develop new places/rocks. There is a “magic” moment every time you find a new place and you begin to develop, a moment of “discovery”, where you still do not know the potential of the area and the lines you will find, so you are excited to clean up all, checking every detail, slowly you prepare all step by step, the rock, the path, the land, and it’s super at the end when you finish it, like a kid you have a new “playground”, and you begin to climb with everyone, all together trying to climb each line. It’s an important aspect of climbing.

To leave everything behind is always really hard (especially for us Italians, “conservatives” and often scared to change). I spent half my life in Italy, passions, works, emotions, friends, family, but even if it is a hard decision to make, in this moment this is the right thing to do we think. I’m very sorry for grandparents (even if they are totally agree for our decision), and my friends. Some parents of the guys of the Italian Youth National Team that I have trained for long time have cried when I told them that we were leaving. If me and my wife were younger, like 20 years old, without kids, for sure everything would be have been easier, 40 years are a lot to leave behind. But in this our decision there is not sadness, absolutely not, there is motivation/excitement, curiosity, and desire to discover a new great place.

Stella Marchisio on Chiavi del Regno (V7), Varazze, Italy. Photo by Christian Core ©

Stella Marchisio on the beautiful line “Rampage”, V11, Varazze, Italy. Photo by Christian Core ©

Can you tell us how many times you have visited Squamish and why you choose this place for your new home?

In many years with my wife Stella, I traveled a lot around the world, visiting many places. In Squamish (or better to say British Columbia), I found a very good energy, quiet and very friendly. It seems like a one big community, and I felt immediately ‘at home”’ It was amazing how much people have been generous with me without knowing me, it’s a very rare thing. I also spoken often with some friends living in Vancouver and Squamish, (some italian, australian, canadian) about many important aspects as: the quality life, work, schools, criminality, health care, and we think Squamish/British Columbia is the right place.

You recently had twins. How has that experience changed your outlook on life and climbing?

We have two baby twins, both females, four years old. If you are a parent, you already know how funny kids are and of course in the life they are changing any out look, but in better, they represent our family’s evolution, and they complete our existence. They are a fundamental part of life, too important. Our kids, Anja & Lara, are one of the biggest reasons why we are moving away from Italy, because as parents we have the duty to try to give them all the opportunities as possible.

About climbing instead, nothing has changed, we are training with them, they climb with us and sharing everything, it’s amazing. I really hope one day they’ll be climbers, not important if they’ll compete or not, but climbers.

Has it changed the way you train and get out for climbing?

I train same, but now during resting between sessions, I spot them while they try to climb an hold’s sequence they saw. They say me ‘Dad, I try this, stand by me’, it’s funny.

The twins having some fun on the wall. Photo courtesy of Christian Core ©

It is rumoured that you have got a position at new The Hive North Shore climbing gym. Can you tell us a bit about your role there and how this came about?

The rumours are corrects, I really would love training the people in The Hive Gym, transmitting the passion and all informations as possible. I did it in Italy in different ways, by courses in the gyms and by Federation, because I think is very important to share all in the climbing community. I trained the Federal Bouldering Youth Team for two and a half years and I am sure we have to share all the useful things we learn during a climbing life with the others, otherwise there is not evolution. The Hive is a great place for training, the guys are really motivated, so it’s a big mix for beginning this beautiful and motivating work.

You have a very smooth and clean rock climbing style. Is this something you have perfected over the years?

I have been climbing since I was 12 years old, at the beginning just on the rock during weekends in Finale Ligure and I have now trained myself for 25 years. Through my meticulous character and researching with attention the details, I have been always looking for the precision of mind and the body in my ability/possibilities by training, climbing and meditation, because everything is connected. So, my style is probably the result of years of this practice.

Christian Core on “The Witch” V13, Triora, Italy. (Photo by Stella Marchisio ©

What is your general approach to training and does it differ from other styles?

In training, you have to face so many ways/aspects, this makes climbing beautiful and interesting because it always evolving. We must to see the mind, how it react under stress, fully understand our goals and how much we are motivated to work hard, to fight to get them. Then, we have to see how to apply all personal workouts for the body and mind, adapting to the workload that it can withstand, considering the time available that we can dedicate.

Training is a method to discover ourselves, the interior “self” through deeper awareness of who we are and the internal struggle. Because only ‘fighting’ we discover who we are, facing our fears, weaknesses, uncertainties, training us with convinction, then we evolve. This concept is the ‘basis’, obviously applicable to everything in life: work, study or sport. In Italy, I always tried to teach to the kids of National Youth Team to use climbing as a way to evolve, by training, discovery, travels, etc.

Christian Core Climbing in Margalef, Spain. Photo by Stella Marchisio ©

Can you summarize your philosophy/approach when it come to training youths and does this differ from how you would train adults?

Usually, an adult knows what he/she wants, because they are older and asks for workouts knowing his or her goals. The young, on the other hand, often train because they see in climbing a creative, interesting activity, able to convey strong emotions, and then they decides to train. The youths have to be ‘accompanied’, slowly, helping them to understand by themselves the path that they decide to follow, sometimes training hard and sometimes just playing.

Slack line in Varazze, Italy. Photo by Stella Marchisio ©

Who have been your influences over the years as you perfected your climbing ‘style’?

In the climbers, I observe the dedication in the practice, (which often brings to a high level), it’s important as we practice and the values that we consider. In climbing there are many climbers I really like and that they have strong values to be transmitted.

Can we talk about Gioia for a minute. What is the story behind this line?

My good friend Marco Bagnasco had discovered it years ago, it’s in a cave behind the first big boulder of the famous sector “Antro dei Druidi”. At first it was all dirty, full of leaves, stones, moss and dead trees around.
Over the years we have done a great job of cleaning and now is a confortable “garden”.When the cave was ready, “Gioia” was clear, following the oblique line’s crimpers from left to the exit on the right. We also found other lines there but “Gioia” was the most beautiful.

How did you find it and what was the feeling when you did?

I was so happy to find a boulder like that, available, nice and close to home, with perfect crimpers on a overhanging face of rock. When I did it I was so happy and grateful, and what perfect name that “Gioia”, (in english “Joy”), for the joy of discovering, work and make a line like that.

Do you often find problems that challenge you like this one?

I often tried hard boulders, but usually not like “Gioia”, except for one. In Varazze there is another project really hard and beautiful too, still waiting to be climbed. It’s in a sector called “Isengard”, you can find it in the last big guide. On an amazing rock it follows all the roof and it goes to the left along a white line of crystals till to the top. It’s a super great line, hard but possible, again discovered by the tireless finder of boulders Marco Bagnasco.

Finally, what are you looking forward to the most about moving to Squamish?

To meet again some friends, to climb again there, to show the place to Stella, to try finally again the amazing line of Dreamcatcher (I already prepared the quickdraws to leave on) and to “discover” the place. We are just looking for only a quiet life, with in the mind the things that are really important including work, kids, friends, and passions.

Thanks for answering all our questions Christian. We are really looking forward to you being a part of the Squamish community.

Thanks to you Tim. I look forward to it as well!

Christian Core is a full-time climber and also collaborates with Scarpa and Marmot.

Interview with Christian Core on ‘Moving to Squamish’

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