Ivan Kristoff
Encyclopedia
Ivan Kristoff is an aviator, rescue worker, and rope access expert in vertical and aerial operations. He has developed various solutions to improve the safety of vertical and aerial rope manoeuvres. His work in vertical and remote access in extreme conditions and heights has contributed to the development and improvement of safety standards.
and rappelling. He later joined caving
clubs, including the Speleo Club. During caving activities in the western part of Bulgaria, he discovered new extensions of the Cave "Goliamata Balabanova". The club mapped the new areas and extended the explored area of the cave by more than 4,500 metres.
He started solo climbing
and joined an alpine club with the goal of escaping the communist regime.
In 1987–1989, Kristoff was conscripted into the Bulgarian Army. Upon his discharge, he joined a national expedition and climbed Mt. Elbrus (5621 metres (18,441.6 ft)) in the Caucasus
, Georgia
.
, where he attempted to join the Toronto Police Service
, but was rejected due to his poor English skills. In 1990 he started a business for vertical access on the exteriors of high-rise buildings in Toronto. He has completed some challenging rope access projects in the high-rise environment. One was an exterior repair in 2003 of the CN Tower
antenna mast at 526 metres (1,725.7 ft), during extreme winter conditions with winds above 60 km/h.
Kristoff founded the first volunteer urban high angle rescue team – the Canadian Highrise Emergency Aerial Response Team (HEART), a non-profit organization
whose aim is to "minimize the loss of life and to increase the safety of the public." HEART was created to address the needs of over 12,000 high-rises in Ontario, to improve training procedures for rope workers, and to prevent accidents for which traditional emergency response teams would not be equipped.
In Bulgaria Kristoff founded the first volunteer Special Operations Services (SOS) Team.
He organized and completed the first aerial video surveillance (from a helicopter) with the technologby of 3G
and 4G
in real time. The event was documented with an expert from VIVACOM (a GSM operator in Bulgaria), a TV crew from BBT TV, and Krasimir Svrakov, Chief of Photography of The Standart
. The project was developed by Ivan Kristoff and experts in mobile computing
and IT communications. Over a one-year period, these experts, along with a representative from Hewlett-Packard
Bulgaria, worked together with Kristoff to find the most advanced equipment and wireless video broadcast technology (including IP camera
s). These information systems can be used in remote areas during crisis situations.
In recognition for Kristoff’s contribution to the emergency services community in Canada, the organizing committee of the Toronto Police invited him to be part of the first annual Law Enforcement and Emergency Services Appreciation Day. The event took place at the Canadian National Exhibition
. For the second Appreciation Day, At the third Appreciation Day, Kristoff was given the honor of leading the parade, along with members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
and other Canadian law enforcement agencies.
In 2001 Kristoff was chosen by the Torontos community as one of its Unsung Heroes. The same year, he was given the honor of opening the CFL Playoff game between the Toronto Argonauts
and Montreal Alouettes
. He rappelled down from the roof of the Rogers Centre
, previously known as the SkyDome.
Kristoff contributes his time to charitable causes in support of volunteer rescue units and initiatives. Currently, he is working on creating an International Vertical Access Network called I.V.A.N., the main goal of which is to share new trends to the high altitude vertical and aerial industry.
, Kristoff’s pursued his interest in photography and participated in a photography exhibition in Plovdiv
, Bulgaria.
His projects have appeared in Toronto Computes, Computer Player, Quebec Micro, The Athlete, Bulgarian Army Newspaper, National Post
, The Toronto Sun, The Globe and Mail
, Town Crier
, Mississauga News, Mississauga Business Times, and others.
Fortune 500 companies including IBM
, Sony Ericsson
, and Canon have used Kristoff's work in their advertisements.
His photographs document innovative aerial and technical operations.
Kristoff is a member of the Nikon
Professional Services, an international group of special Nikon photographers.
Early life
At the age of 15 Kristoff made his own improvised climbing tools and started rock climbingRock climbing
Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
and rappelling. He later joined caving
Caving
Caving—also occasionally known as spelunking in the United States and potholing in the United Kingdom—is the recreational pastime of exploring wild cave systems...
clubs, including the Speleo Club. During caving activities in the western part of Bulgaria, he discovered new extensions of the Cave "Goliamata Balabanova". The club mapped the new areas and extended the explored area of the cave by more than 4,500 metres.
He started solo climbing
Solo climbing
Solo climbing or soloing is a style of climbing in which the climber climbs alone, without somebody belaying him. There are three ways to climb solo:* Roped solo climbing:**lead climbing with a self-locking device which is used to arrest a fall...
and joined an alpine club with the goal of escaping the communist regime.
In 1987–1989, Kristoff was conscripted into the Bulgarian Army. Upon his discharge, he joined a national expedition and climbed Mt. Elbrus (5621 metres (18,441.6 ft)) in the Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
, Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
.
Career
After the fall of communism in his homeland, Kristoff moved to CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, where he attempted to join the Toronto Police Service
Toronto Police Service
The Toronto Police Service , formerly the Metropolitan Toronto Police, is the police service for the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the largest municipal police service in Canada and second largest police force in Canada after the Royal Canadian Mounted Police...
, but was rejected due to his poor English skills. In 1990 he started a business for vertical access on the exteriors of high-rise buildings in Toronto. He has completed some challenging rope access projects in the high-rise environment. One was an exterior repair in 2003 of the CN Tower
CN Tower
The CN Tower is a communications and observation tower in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Standing tall, it was completed in 1976, becoming the world's tallest free-standing structure and world's tallest tower at the time. It held both records for 34 years until the completion of the Burj...
antenna mast at 526 metres (1,725.7 ft), during extreme winter conditions with winds above 60 km/h.
Kristoff founded the first volunteer urban high angle rescue team – the Canadian Highrise Emergency Aerial Response Team (HEART), a non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
whose aim is to "minimize the loss of life and to increase the safety of the public." HEART was created to address the needs of over 12,000 high-rises in Ontario, to improve training procedures for rope workers, and to prevent accidents for which traditional emergency response teams would not be equipped.
In Bulgaria Kristoff founded the first volunteer Special Operations Services (SOS) Team.
He organized and completed the first aerial video surveillance (from a helicopter) with the technologby of 3G
3G
3G or 3rd generation mobile telecommunications is a generation of standards for mobile phones and mobile telecommunication services fulfilling the International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 specifications by the International Telecommunication Union...
and 4G
4G
In telecommunications, 4G is the fourth generation of cellular wireless standards. It is a successor to the 3G and 2G families of standards. In 2009, the ITU-R organization specified the IMT-Advanced requirements for 4G standards, setting peak speed requirements for 4G service at 100 Mbit/s...
in real time. The event was documented with an expert from VIVACOM (a GSM operator in Bulgaria), a TV crew from BBT TV, and Krasimir Svrakov, Chief of Photography of The Standart
Standart (newspaper)
Standart is a Bulgarian newspaper founded in 1992. Chairman of the board of editors is Todor Batkov. The online edition has an English language section.-External links:**...
. The project was developed by Ivan Kristoff and experts in mobile computing
Mobile computing
Mobile computing is a form of human–computer interaction by which a computer is expected to be transported during normal usage. Mobile computing has three aspects: mobile communication, mobile hardware, and mobile software...
and IT communications. Over a one-year period, these experts, along with a representative from Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...
Bulgaria, worked together with Kristoff to find the most advanced equipment and wireless video broadcast technology (including IP camera
IP camera
An Internet protocol camera, or IP camera, is a type of digital video camera commonly employed for surveillance, and which unlike analog closed circuit television cameras can send and receive data via a computer network and the Internet...
s). These information systems can be used in remote areas during crisis situations.
In recognition for Kristoff’s contribution to the emergency services community in Canada, the organizing committee of the Toronto Police invited him to be part of the first annual Law Enforcement and Emergency Services Appreciation Day. The event took place at the Canadian National Exhibition
Canadian National Exhibition
Canadian National Exhibition , also known as The Ex, is an annual event that takes place at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada during the 18 days leading up to and including Labour Day Monday. With an attendance of approximately 1.3 million visitors each season, it is Canada’s largest...
. For the second Appreciation Day, At the third Appreciation Day, Kristoff was given the honor of leading the parade, along with members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
and other Canadian law enforcement agencies.
In 2001 Kristoff was chosen by the Torontos community as one of its Unsung Heroes. The same year, he was given the honor of opening the CFL Playoff game between the Toronto Argonauts
Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League. The Toronto, Ontario based team was founded in 1873 and is one of the oldest existing professional sports teams in North America, after the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta...
and Montreal Alouettes
Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions...
. He rappelled down from the roof of the Rogers Centre
Rogers Centre
Rogers Centre is a multi-purpose stadium, in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated next to the CN Tower, near the shores of Lake Ontario. Opened in 1989, it is home to the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball and the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League...
, previously known as the SkyDome.
Kristoff contributes his time to charitable causes in support of volunteer rescue units and initiatives. Currently, he is working on creating an International Vertical Access Network called I.V.A.N., the main goal of which is to share new trends to the high altitude vertical and aerial industry.
Photography
During his study at the University of TorontoUniversity of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
, Kristoff’s pursued his interest in photography and participated in a photography exhibition in Plovdiv
Plovdiv
Plovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia with a population of 338,153 inhabitants according to Census 2011. Plovdiv's history spans some 6,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 4000 BC; it is one of the oldest cities in Europe...
, Bulgaria.
His projects have appeared in Toronto Computes, Computer Player, Quebec Micro, The Athlete, Bulgarian Army Newspaper, National Post
National Post
The National Post is a Canadian English-language national newspaper based in Don Mills, a district of Toronto. The paper is owned by Postmedia Network Inc. and is published Mondays through Saturdays...
, The Toronto Sun, The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
, Town Crier
Town crier
A town crier, or bellman, is an officer of the court who makes public pronouncements as required by the court . The crier can also be used to make public announcements in the streets...
, Mississauga News, Mississauga Business Times, and others.
Fortune 500 companies including IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
, Sony Ericsson
Sony Ericsson
Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB is a joint venture established on October 1, 2001 by the Japanese consumer electronics company Sony Corporation and the Swedish telecommunications company Ericsson to manufacture mobile phones....
, and Canon have used Kristoff's work in their advertisements.
His photographs document innovative aerial and technical operations.
Kristoff is a member of the Nikon
Nikon
, also known as just Nikon, is a multinational corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, specializing in optics and imaging. Its products include cameras, binoculars, microscopes, measurement instruments, and the steppers used in the photolithography steps of semiconductor fabrication, of which...
Professional Services, an international group of special Nikon photographers.
Aerial events and demonstrations using a helicopter
- 1st Annual Law Enforcement and Emergency Services Appreciation Day
- Place: Ontario Place, Toronto
- Date: August 21–22, 1997
- Helicopter: Eurocopter AS355Eurocopter AS355The Eurocopter AS355 Ecureuil 2 is a twin-engine light helicopter originally manufactured by Aérospatiale...
F1 TwinStar. Rappelling from a centre positioned hoist system
- 8th Annual Lastman Charity Golf Tournament
- Place: Lionhead Golf & Country Club, Mississauga
- Date: September 2–3, 2000
- Helicopter: Eurocopter AS355Eurocopter AS355The Eurocopter AS355 Ecureuil 2 is a twin-engine light helicopter originally manufactured by Aérospatiale...
F1 TwinStar. Rappelling from a centre positioned hoist system
- Specialized tactical training with the Bulgarian Police Aviation Unit
- Place: Bulgarian Red Cross building, Sofia, Bulgaria
- Date: February 2, 2000
- Helicopter: MI-17MI-17MI-17 can refer to:* Mil Mi-17, Soviet helicopter*M-17...
. Rappelling from the center hatch opening
- Two new categories for the Guinness Book of World Records
- Place: Madara, Bulgaria
- Date: May 7, 2002
- Helicopter: MI 17, Bulgarian Air Force. Rappelling from a lateral positioned rope system
- 10th Annual Lastman Charity Golf Tournament
- Place: Lionhead Golf & Country Club, Mississauga
- Date: September 7–8, 2002
- Helicopter: Eurocopter TwinStar. Rappelling from a lateral positioned anchoring system
- 11th Annual Lastman Charity Golf Tournament
- Place: Lionhead Golf & Country Club, Mississauga
- Date: September 6–7, 2003
- Helicopter: Eurocopter AS355 F1 TwinStar. Rappelling from a lateral positioned rope system
- Showcasing innovative video and photo monitoring from the air
- Place: Sofia, Bulgaria
- Date: May 30, 2008
- Helicopter: Eurocopter DauphinEurocopter DauphinThe Eurocopter SA 365/AS365 Dauphin 2 is a medium-weight multipurpose twin-engine helicopter manufactured by Eurocopter .-Design and development:...
- Demonstration of an aerial water and rope rescue from the side of a cliff
- Place: Arbanasi, Bulgaria
- Date: May 30, 2008
- Helicopter: Enstrom 408B
- Aerial demonstration with hot air balloons organized by Ivan Kristoff
- Aerial acrobatics from a balloon
TV
- Bulgarian National TV, Иван Кристоф показа уменията си във Велико Търново и Горна Оряховица
- BTV TV, Българският Човек-паяк е решил да постави рекорд
Media
- Cover Pages of Canadian and Bulgarian Magazines and Newspapers
- The Sofia Echo Newspaper, Ivan makes a humble hero
- Standart Newspaper,Иван Кристоф е луд по маркови часовници и джунджурии
- Steve Payne, "Spiderman ...on a wall near you" The Toronto Sun newspaper, 22June, 1995
- News Agency,Ivan Kristoff – Spiderman Launched Patriot Initiative
- Standart Newspaper,Ivan Kristoff Attempts Guinness Record
- Standart Newspaper,Spider-Man Takes down Wounded from Roof
- Obektiv.info, Иван Кристоф представя своя поглед към света
- Иван Кристоф за инициативата "Canadian Superbike Championship" 2005
- Иван Кристоф: “Има моменти, когато си герой и когато се чувстваш като герой!”
- Government Agency for Bulgarians Abroad, ШОУ НА ИВАН КРИСТОФ В НЕБЕТО НАД ТОРОНТО
- Government Agency for Bulgarians Abroad, ВЕЧЕ НИЩО НЕ МЕ МОТИВИРА В КАНАДА, ДИНАМИКАТА Е В БЪЛГАРИЯ