KAYA Climber Stories
Meet the Climber: Marc Bourguignon
Not only is Marc Bourguignon a fervent Squamish bouldering developer, strong climber, and all-around nice dude, but he is also a KAYA Founder and our CTO! Get to know Marc, his motivations, and his climbing philosophies in this Q&A:
KAYA:
Thanks for taking the time to talk today, Marc. Your climbing story is one of our favorites here at KAYA so we’re really excited to get to introduce you and your story to the KAYA community. Would you mind starting by introducing yourself?
Marc:
Thanks for having me! My name is Marc Bourguignon, I live in Squamish, British Columbia, and I’m the Chief Technology Officer at KAYA.
It’s been an awesome journey from working at various startups and mega-corps as a software developer to falling deeply in love with climbing and having my skills and passions culminate in where I am now. I feel very psyched to be part of KAYA and to be building something awesome for the climbing community.
KAYA:
How did you get into climbing?
Marc:
I got into climbing in college and went all in while working at Microsoft a decade ago. I became so hyper-psyched on climbing and lost interest in the corporate world. Admittedly unhealthy, I would watch climbing videos all day in the office and got really good at closing the browser as my boss walked past. I ended up quitting, moving into my van, and building my freelance business so I could center my life around climbing.
KAYA:
Was that around the time that you started setting at Seattle Bouldering Project?
Marc:
Yeah, after a couple of years in the van, the opportunity arose and I became an apprentice setter. It’s one of the most fun jobs I’ve ever had. I mean, KAYA is amazing, but setting was a blast. Especially at SBP where you have so many volumes, all the holds you can imagine, and a great crew. You can be as creative as you want, always working with new terrain and getting inspired.
KAYA:
And what’s your lifestyle like now?
Marc:
I met my partner Ashley in the Squamish parking lot. She introduced me to Hueco Tanks where she’s a guide. Hueco is her favorite climbing destination and Squamish is mine, so we’ve worked hard to enable us to go back and forth every year. She’s an ER nurse and my work is remote, so we’re incredibly fortunate and privileged to have the opportunity of making our climbing dreams a reality.
KAYA:
What makes Squamish your favorite?
Marc:
On my first trip to Squamish, we ran into a local who gave us a classics tour. I was blown away as to how amazing of a climber he was. We’d be getting totally owned and I remember watching this guy floating all of the climbs.
I was like, “Wow, obviously I have so much to learn and this place seems like a great place to teach me.”
That’s where my infatuation and captivation with Squamish began.
KAYA:
What makes Squamish’s distinct style?
Marc:
The rock has huge crystals which lend to really specific grip and body positions. It’s very subtle and tough to understand until you’re actually feeling the holds beneath your fingers. We started making jokes about crystal whispering because you have to get really close and fondle the exact positions. It’s not the most intuitive thing. Especially for those who are used to the climbing gym’s grip-it and rip-it style.
Browse Marc’s list on KAYA: How to Crystal WhisperThat said, the density is insane in Squamish, it feels like adult summer camp. If it’s your first time you’re like, where do I even start? There is something for everyone and loads of different styles of problems.
It’s a bit sandbagged and your ego gets totally spanked, but I think it’s a really good thing. The local I’d met on my first trip said, “Don’t pay attention to grades here.” I really liked that because it helps to disconnect from the whole grade thing and enjoy all the different types of climbing.
KAYA:
Speaking of this local guide, was there anyone who was particularly influential to you in making the Squamish community feel like home?
Marc:
The scene is a bit under the radar. A lot of the most prolific or influential climbers are locals you don’t really hear about. Their names line the guidebooks but you have no idea what these people look like. They do it not for recognition but because they truly love rock climbing.
KAYA:
How would you describe your Hueco chapters and how do they compare?
Marc:
A lot of the same people who are the under-the-radar local folk here also go to Hueco as well. Hueco Tanks is another insanely dense destination and the quality of hard rock climbing is so high. Ash has spent over a decade climbing there and has her crew and routine super dialed. I get to be the lucky partner who tags along and enjoys the sick rock climbs. Like Squamish, it’s a beautiful place with indigenous roots that climbers are so privileged to experience.
KAYA:
Are there any problems in Squamish or Hueco, that really stand out to you as having shaped you as a climber?
Marc:
In Squamish, my first ever project was this V6 called Minor Threat. When I’d finally climbed it, I loved the challenge so much and the feeling of having mastered it that I would make it a point to climb it every time I walked by it. On my 26th birthday in 2016, my friends challenged me, “If you love it so much why don’t you climb it 26 times for your birthday…and for every fall, you have to chug a beer.” So like the silly 26 your old I was I rolled up to Minor Threat with an 18-rack of Sneaky Weasel and prepared to get obliterated. I remember on my fourth lap my foot slipped, I fell, and I was like, “Oh, I’m totally screwed.” But the beer actually calmed my nerves and I was able to climb it another 22 times. At the end of the day, I drank a six-pack and it was a hilarious day. I love those ridiculous challenges. There’s so much seriousness in climbing, these sorts of days are a fun reminder that climbing doesn’t always have to be so serious.
KAYA:
You seem to repeat problems more than most climbers. Why is that?
Marc:
I’m always seeking the feeling of truly understanding a problem.
Fighting for a send is fun, but how cool is it to execute and flow? It’s a conflicting feeling when it feels like a fluke. Every climb has the potential to teach you so long as you feel challenged.
KAYA:
That philosophy is apparent in the way that you climb. Speaking of the search for challenges to understand… You’ve been developing new Squamish boulders lately. Can you share how you got into that?
Marc:
I owe a lot of it to my buddy, Matt Waring. He’s helped me value the adventure and the experience more than anything else. He’s always scouring for cliffs and is becoming a pretty prolific developer, but what sits underneath cliffs are generally boulders. Matt really gifted me a number of my first FAs and I owe him so much for that. It opened the door for me to wander and have my own adventures.
It’s like hunting for mushrooms or gems. Maybe I’ll find something maybe not. When you do, it’s a really cool feeling like, “Oh, my god! Wow, this looks so amazing. I wonder if it goes?” Then you begin the whole process of cleaning it, building a landing, trying the moves, and turning it into something. It’s a very creative thing with a lot of wonder and unknowns. When it clicks and happens, it’s such a special experience from start to end.
Of course, I also love giving back to the community that I know and love. It’s so awesome when you see folks getting inspired and having their own personal experience on something that you contributed.
KAYA:
If people wanted to find the boulders that you’re putting up, how will they find them?
Marc:
Some of them are on KAYA and some of them are still kept in my own personal log until the zone is ready for public traffic. There’ll be some really rad ones I think people will be stoked on.
KAYA:
Do you ever feel conflicted about sharing new development publicly?
Marc:
Developing is an interesting thing because it’s such an awesome experience to have individually or with a couple of friends, but if you blow it up prematurely you don’t get to pick all the plums. It takes a lot of work to find and develop climbs. I have those conflicts. I don’t know if I’ll ever share them on Instagram, I’m pretty over the ways it makes me feel and the toxicity of the platform, but that’s what I love about KAYA.
These are rock climbs, these are things that I can share with the community, and I can leave it at that. I can simply drop a pin and people can find it and have a good time.
Check out one of Marc’s proudest FAs, Ivory Tower (V9) on KAYAKAYA:
It’s summer in Squamish which means it’s in-season, people are starting to come into town, and the forest is getting busy… What are you excited to hop on? Any projects you’re chasing?
Marc:
When you live in Squamish, summer actually becomes less about climbing and more about the hang and having big circuit days or multi-pitch days. The bouldering is a little bit tougher because the conditions are a little worse. Although, even if it’s hot, if the humidity is quite low, you can still try quite hard and climb your project. I’ve got a number of things that I’ve cleaned in recent years that I want to revisit.
KAYA:
What would you say to a person who’s coming to Squamish for the first time?
Marc:
I would say start at the Grand Wall. It’s the densest and most magical part of Squamish under the canopy of forest, moss, huge massive trees, and the inspiring white granite surroundings. It’s a coastal rainforest thriving with life with wonderful opportunities to connect with nature and other climbers.
KAYA:
Anything else that you’d want people to know?
Marc:
As I’ve grown as a climber and watched climbing grow itself I’ve noticed a lot of really interesting things happening culturally. Climbing media has become a double-edged sword. You have the ego which helps inspire but can also be quite toxic. Valuing climbing for your individual experience and the connections made with other people is, in my opinion, the healthiest way to live a long climbing life. My hope is that KAYA can complement that. A lot of other platforms have people comparing themselves to others or are all about the dopamine hits. I just want people to be able to find climbs that inspire them, have awesome days out, see what their buds are up to, fuel the psych by celebrating with others, and continue the positive cycle.
KAYA:
Thanks, Marc. We love hearing your vision for KAYA. It really speaks to the soul of what we do.
