Squamish's Matt Cress has combined his trade with recreational activity to create useful and unique art.
Cress, an electrician who owns Cress Electric, has taken up rock climbing since moving to Squamish from Ottawa two years ago.
He noticed the amount of quality climbing rope that is decommissioned and was inspired to create climbing-themed light fixtures with them.
He has a couple hanging in the eclectic night spot Trickster's Hideout, downtown, and is selling them privately.
Climbing rope, which is often colourful, can still be very useful and attractive beyond the time it is safe for climbing.
"Some of them look really destroyed and gross, but if you wash them, the majority of them still are pretty nice. It's a really nice fabric," he said.
The ropes are decommissioned if they are damaged, but also if their age exceeds the manufacturer's recommended lifespan, or after a significant fall.
In a rock climbing mecca like Squamish, this means there is a lot of used rope to be found.
When he was working on finding some lighting for Trickster's, he couldn't find anything at local outlets that felt unique enough for the funky venue, he said.
"These guys need something way different than this," he recalled thinking. "So, I basically went home, and I was like, OK, what can I do? What can I find, what can I make?"
The answer was unique fixtures made with climbing ropes.
"I realized you can actually pull the centre out. And, Oh, I could pull a wire through and then rewire the lights and ... I found out you could actually heat up the rope, and you can fuse it together," he said. "I can actually make shades out of them."
Climbing rope is also fire-resistant, so it can be used for lighting.
"It basically melts [rather than burns]," Cress said.
He has always had a creative side, and so crafting these pieces is another way to exercise it.
"I really enjoy doing something like this," he said, adding he can dive in and use his imagination.
He has just gotten started offering them for sale, with about 12 sold to date, he said.
Each piece, such as the ones he made for Trickster's, takes between one to three hours, depending on the style.
The fixtures start at about $110.
He charges half his usual electrician rate to install them for folks, too, if that service is needed.
For more information about his light fixtures, contact him at [email protected].
