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VIDEO: Aldergrove roller blader plans to journey across Canada to set world record

Zach Choboter will depart in May and spend several months on the road to raise awareness for bees
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Zach Choboter, a former Aldergrove resident, is rollerblading across Canada to raise awareness for bees. (Special to The Star).

Aldergrove’s Zach Choboter is creating buzz as he begins prepping to break a bold Guinness World Record: rollerblading across Canada.

But Choboter, an extreme sports enthusiast at the cusp of 25 years of age, isn’t just making the journey for the thrill; he’s doing it for the bees.

“Bees are amazing and such a good lens of how we interact with the environment,” Choboter explained. “They’re cute and fluffy and so important to the eco-system.”

With a mandate that the world is changing and that people need to adapt and get out of their comfort zone, Choboter said the bees are just the beginning.

“I’m looking at it all as a challenge,” he assured. “There’s never going to be a perfect time to do something crazy.”

Always an athlete, he ran track in Abbotsford and enjoyed the outdoors for the bulk of his life before moving out to Whistler where he has since been introduced to rock climbing and white water kayaking.

“I feel like I won the lottery with all the friends I’ve made in Whistler and activities there are to do,” Choboter said.

With a love for rollerblading, he came up with the idea of breaking the world record and travelling across Canada through the Blading for Bees project – a notion that materialized in the past few months.

“There are two types of fun, type one fun and type two fun,” Choboter explained. “Type one fun is going skiing, riding up the chairlift, and going down the hill for pleasure. Type two fun is making it a whole grueling and challenging experience.”

Opting for some type two fun, Choboter assembled a small logistics team, began investing in specialized blades, and mapping out a route.

On May 20, World Bee Day, he plans to leave Whistler, head south on Vancouver Island, and then go east.

“It’s overwhelming, but I’m aiming for 100 to 120 kilometers every day, which will take roughly two-and-a-half months to get to St. John’s, Newfoundland,” he explained.

Living in a van for the entire trip with his team, Choboter assured they will be COVID safe along the journey.

There’s no concrete route as of yet either.

READ MORE: Latest government funding to benefit bee health in B.C.

“We’re flexible and if people want us to come to their community, we will,” Choboter said. “We want to highlight small towns across Canada like Aldergrove on this journey as well.”

Upon returning, Choboter and his friends plan to use the cross-country trip as a launching point for an environmental non-profit group.

“The goal of going into schools this fall and promoting green living and conservationism to help the planet,” he explained.

With merchandise for sale, active social media pages, and a website where people can donate to the cause, the young roller blader said there are many ways to support and follow his efforts.

As for the steep Rocky Mountains and 100 km prairie winds to kick start the first leg of the journey, Choboter said he’s not concerned, and that it’s all part of the experience.

In the meantime, he’ll be practising and preparing for when the depature date arrives.

People can visit www.bladingforbees.com and follow the journey at www.facebook.com/bladingforbees for updates.


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