Strathcona Wilderness Institute presents Rod Szasz with his stunning slide show presentation titled “Japan: Culture and Climbing,” Feb. 21 at the Stan Hagen Theatre.
Rod Szasz grew up in Nanaimo, moved to London where he obtained a business degree and then moved to Japan. He became fluent in the language and learned the cultural nuances so that he could successfully integrate himself into the business society where he lived and worked for the next 25 years. Szasz has hiked and explored the mountains of Japan and had a chance to experience the wide variety of adventure-related activities it has to offer: from alpine climbs on the big mountains, including Tanigawa-daki, to rock climbing in the summer and ice climbing in the winter. He has toured the mountains on skis and participated in a unique Japanese sport called Sawanobori or “stream climbing.”
He introduced his family at an early age to the scenic beauty Japan has to offer. Within an hour train ride from central Tokyo, he was able to find both adventure and solitude, but surprisingly he was able to find this within the city itself.
The presentation is in the Stan Hagen Theatre at the North Island College facility on Ryan Road in Courtenay on Feb. 21. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. with the show beginning at 7 and followed by a question and answer period.
There is a cover charge of $10 per person, students half price, at the door.
Strathcona Wilderness Society is a non-profit organization and this presentation at the Stan Hagen Theatre at Courtenay’s NIC is a fundraiser for their summer education programs at Paradise Meadows at the entrance to Strathcona Provincial Park.