Tour De Bloc is back. This year’s multi-stage bouldering competition will host four events from British Columbia to Nova Scotia. Founded in 2003, ancestor Luigi Montilla organized and hosted more than a decade of these historic competitions. For the first time since the start of the pandemic, the competition is back.

For new climbers, Tour De Bloc (TDB) will seem unfamiliar. Although the series ended with all Canadian competitions, it was the first block series not affiliated with the National Sports Federation in Canada. Existing outside of the ongoing national ranking system in which athletes climb for national championships, TDB operates more like a party with partner gyms hosting exciting events that anyone can participate in.

The schedule for this year’s series is as follows:

June 4: Boulder House; Langford, BC

June 11: bolder; Calgary, Alta.

June 25: Up The Block; Mississauga, ON

July 16: block of the seven bays; Halifax, NS

Contest winners will receive a Golden Ticket to Jackalope’s North American Cup Series event taking place August 19-21 this year. This ticket includes airfare, VIP pick-up, hotel, expenses and registration for this multi-day multi-sport event in late summer.

More information to come, but put on your climbing shoes and practice. It’s going to be an exciting summer of bouldering competition.