Ivan Kristoff
Ivan Kristoff is a world renowned rope access expert in vertical and aerial operations. He was born in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia. His father was a member of the Bulgarian diplomnatc service and had strong influence on Ivan's ambitions to discover the world and delegate his vision for international colaboration in his field of work.
At the age of 15, after reading an artice about mountaineering, Kristoff makes his own improvised climbing tools and starts alone rock clibmbing and rappelling from the top of cliffs. Hiding his adventures from his parents, the young explorer “wonna be” finds a caving club, where for the horror of his new pears, he proudly shows them his “safety equipment”. He immediately is recognized as a character and advised to follow his club mates in his endeavors in the world of climbing. Instead of going for the rocks, he joins the Speleo (caving) Club “Sredec” and goes every weekend in various caves. During one of these underground explorations in the western part of Bulgaria, his friend Jordan Georgiev, discovers new extensions of the Cave “Goliamata Balabanova”. The club starts mapping the new areas and extends the cave by more than 4500 meters. One day his group has a new challenge by the need to go through a very narrow crack in the rocks. The movement in the narrow gap and confined space is very risky for the caver in case he gets stuck. So Ivan took advantage of his small body and was the first who passed the dangerous passage and discovered the “BIG Hall’ in the cave. As he describes it “It was something so huge, that my shining Carbide Light could not help to see the end and height of the “bell” shaped Hall in the cave. This is the pivot point of his life where he is interested mainly to do something that no one has done before.
Later on he started solo climbing just for fun and joined and alpine club with one goal in mind - to escape from the communist regime. His love for climbing tall and vertical routes developed his passion to aim higher in his dreams and climb or work on the tallest skyscrapers in the world. At that time he had only one building in mind – the Tallest building in the world CN Tower at the height of 553m. All he thinks and talks is about the Tower in Toronto, Canada.
In 1987-1989, Ivan Kristoff joins the mandatory Bulgarian Army. Upon his discharge, he joined a national expedition and climbed Mt. Elbrus (5,621m.) in the Caucasus, Georgia. After the fall of the communism in his country, he establishes himself in Canada and in 1990 start his own business for vertical access on the exterior sides of high-rise buildings in Toronto. In 1993, he develops his business with a new company Eiger Rope Access Work Inc. His professional reputation is built over the years by completing some of the most challenging rope access projects in high-rise environment. One of them is the first exterior repair at 1725' during winter extreme conditions and winds above 60km/h. Up there, in 2003, he solved the problems at the unreachable areas of tallest Antenna Mast in the world.
Ivan is the founder of the first volunteer urban high angle rescue team – the Canadian Highrise Emergency Aerial Response Team (HEART)[1], a non-profit anization whose aim is to "minimiz the lost o life and to increse the safety othe public." Hecreated his organization bcause he felt that with over 12,000 highrisesin Ontari and ubstandard training procedures fr the rope workers, such as window washers,ccidents were bound tohappen for which traditionl emgecy response teams would not be equiped. In Bulgaria, Europe, he found the first volunteer Special Operations Services (SOS) Team [2].
At the end of the last century, Ivan set a new category of world records from a private helicopter[3]for “The Guinness Book of World Records”. At the beginning of the New Millennium, Ivan set a new world records for the longest ascending on a rope, suspended by a military helicopter [4]. Just a year later he conducted the very first technical demonstration and aerial rope rescue from the vertical wall of a tall building. He achieved this successful mission with a police tactical aviation [5].
His love for exploring new trends in the vertical and aerial environment of his professional field, drove him to organized and complete the very first aerial video surveillance from a helicopter in real time [6].
As a recognition for Ivan’ s contribution to the Emergency Services community in Canada, the Organizing Committee of the Metropolitan Toronto Police invited him to be part of the 1st Annual Law Enforcement and Emergency Services Appreciation Day [7]. The event took place at the CNE (Canadian National Exhibition). For the 2th Annual Law Enforcemnt and Emergency Services Appreciation Day [8], SpiderCopter demonstrated his donation of emergency vehicles to the Search and Rescue motorized unit of HEART. At the last and 3th Annual Law Enforcement and Emergency Services Appreciation Day [9], Ivan Kristoff was given the honor to be leading the parade of the event along with his pears from the Royal Canadian Mounting Police (RCMP) and members of the leading Canadian law enforcement.
In Canada the self made Spider-man has shown a talent for raising funds for charitable cause such as the Hospital for Sic Kids in Toronto, Centenary Health Centr Foundation, Mount Sinai Hospital, the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation, the Community Association for the Riding Disabled, the Rouge Valley Hospital Health System Foundation, and the Canadian Liver Foundation. During the 8th, 10th and 11th Annual Lastman Classic Golf Tournament at the Lionhead Golf and County Club in Mississauga, Ontario, Ivan together with Mel Lastman, the Mayor of Toronto City raised $445,ooo.
In 2001, after the events of 9/11, Ivan was chosen by the Toronto’s community as one of its Unsung Heroes [10]. The same year he was given the honor to open officially the CFL Playoff game between the Toronto Argonauts and Montreal Alouettes [11]. He rappel down form the roof of the Rogers Centre, previously known as the SkyDome. At the approximately the same place, a few years before that, died a stuntman, while trying to test a Tyrolean traverse system.
With his fellows motorcycle riders he contributed to the Ride for Sight events and raised money in support of the Foundation Fighting Blindness.
In the last few years Ivan has decided to contribute his time to charitable causes in support of volunteer rescue units and initiatives. In the last few years Ivan has decided to contribute his time to charitable causes in support of volunteer rescue units and initiatives. Currently, he is working on the idea to create an International Vertical Access Network called I.V.A.N., which main goal is to share new trends to the high altitude vertical and aerial world.
Photographer’s Biography
Ivan Kristoff’s interests have aimed at blending new heights in photography with new dimensions in his vertical operations.
Ivan’s passion for helicopters, paragliders and motorcycles illustrates his never abiding focus on pursuing the element of danger. His photographs illustrate his motus vivendi and vividly exhibit how Ivan‘s love of mountain climbing and paragliding have resulted in breathtaking aerial visuals.
The secret of his success is the ability to never accept conventional thinking and traditional routes in achieving his goals.
As a member of the Nikon Professional Services (NPS), Ivan is among the international group of Special Nikon Photographers.
Media References
Steve Payne, "Spiderman ...on a wall near you" The Toronto Sun newspaper, 22June, 1995[12]