A Red Deer climber tragically died during a competition.
Lucas Chabot, 21, was competing at an Alberta Climbing Association bouldering competition at Bolder Climbing in Calgary on Sunday when he suffered heart failure.
A post on the Alberta Climbing Association’s website said Chabot was discovered unconscious after completing his climbs. On-site first aid and medical volunteers responded immediately and provided CPR until emergency services arrived and transported him to Rockyview General Hospital, where he passed away.
A GoFundMe page has been started to create a climbing wall, to be constructed at Trailhead Climbing & Fitness in Red Deer, in Chabot’s memory.
Trailhead owner Kurtis Paul said everyone in the Red Deer climbing community is pretty “shaken up.”
“He was a great dude, everybody loved him. He was such a big part of our community. He was kind of young, but everyone still looked up to him. He had that kind of presence about him and he was a really humble guy,” said Paul.
It was “devastating” to hear about Chabot’s death, he added.
“It’s definitely hard. It sucks. On Sunday, when we found out, we all came down here (to Trailhead) and had a good session, sharing a bunch of Lucas stories and talking about how much we loved him and will miss him.”
Paul said Chabot loved being part of the climbing community.
“We always talk about how our climbing community is really open and welcoming, everyone is excited for each other. Lucas was kind of the pinnacle of that.
“He was way better at climbing than all of us – by far and away the best here. But he would still get super psyched for everybody if they did well. He never acted like he was the best here, even though it wasn’t close,” he said.
Chabot discovered indoor rock climbing at the Collicutt Centre a few years ago, and “there was no turning back,” the GoFundMe page said.
“Lucas had found his passion and became one of Red Deer’s most passionate and skilled rock climbers,” the fundraiser page said.
Chabot met Paul before the climbing facility opened.
“He worked (at Trailhead), in different capacities, up until his passing. Our family is so grateful that Lucas found his second family at Trailhead.
“You could not find a more supportive, wholesome and fun-loving group of people,” the GoFundMe page said.
For more information, or to donate, visit www.gofundme.com/f/lucas-wall.
sean.mcintosh@reddeeradvocate.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter