Aldergrove鈥檚 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鈥檛 just making the journey for the thrill; he鈥檚 doing it for the bees.
鈥淏ees are amazing and such a good lens of how we interact with the environment,鈥� Choboter explained. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e cute and fluffy and so important to the eco-system.鈥�
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.
鈥淚鈥檓 looking at it all as a challenge,鈥� he assured. 鈥淭here鈥檚 never going to be a perfect time to do something crazy.鈥�
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.
鈥淚 feel like I won the lottery with all the friends I鈥檝e made in Whistler and activities there are to do,鈥� 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 鈥� a notion that materialized in the past few months.
鈥淭here are two types of fun, type one fun and type two fun,鈥� Choboter explained. 鈥淭ype 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.鈥�
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.
鈥淚t鈥檚 overwhelming, but I鈥檓 aiming for 100 to 120 kilometers every day, which will take roughly two-and-a-half months to get to St. John鈥檚, Newfoundland,鈥� he explained.
Living in a van for the entire trip with his team, Choboter assured they will be COVID safe along the journey.
There鈥檚 no concrete route as of yet either.
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鈥淲e鈥檙e flexible and if people want us to come to their community, we will,鈥� Choboter said. 鈥淲e want to highlight small towns across Canada like Aldergrove on this journey as well.鈥�
Upon returning, Choboter and his friends plan to use the cross-country trip as a launching point for an environmental non-profit group.
鈥淭he goal of going into schools this fall and promoting green living and conservationism to help the planet,鈥� 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鈥檚 not concerned, and that it鈥檚 all part of the experience.
In the meantime, he鈥檒l be practising and preparing for when the depature date arrives.
People can visit and follow the journey at for updates.
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