For years, Canadian climbing gym professionals who wanted to connect with their peers, invest in staff development or pursue professional certifications often turned to one option: travel to the United States. For many would-be-attendees, it wasn’t practical.
The CWA’s Canadian Industry Conference & Certification Summit is a direct response to that problem. Now in its second year, the event comes to Montreal this October with a broader program than its inaugural edition, as well as a clear message to Canadian gym owners and staff: this one is for you.
Built for the Canadian Climbing Community
Jackie Turner knows what it means to run a climbing gym far from the nearest peer. Turner owns and operates East Peak Climbing in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and has worked in the climbing industry for 15 years. She joined the CWA board last year specifically to help the organization better serve its Canadian members, and she sees this year’s event as a big step in that direction.
“Canada is an important, distinct and growing market in the indoor climbing industry,” Turner said, “and the CWA thinks it deserves dedicated attention.”
That attention shows up in the Canadian Summit’s programming. This year’s event will emphasize roundtables, practical education, and direct conversation between gym owners and professionals. These kinds of exchanges tend to be exactly what operators say they appreciate most about the U.S. Summit, and the Montreal conference takes that component directly to the Canadian cohort.
Kenneth Cronin, who spent nearly a decade on the CWA board before stepping down earlier this year, has watched the organization grow from a trade-show-style gathering into something with more depth. Cronin describes the Canadian Summit as a “continuation of that evolution.” The CWA identifies a group that needs to be served, and then the organization builds something to serve them.
“When everybody’s in a room together, you feel less like competitors,” Cronin said. “You’re more like people pulling in the same direction, trying to make a climbing gym that has great climbing.”
That sense of shared purpose is hard to replicate remotely. For operators in cities where no nearby gym can offer an outside perspective, or in provinces where talking shop with a competitor feels complicated, the CWA Summit creates something rare: a room full of people who already understand the problem you’re about to describe.
Professional Development You Can Bring Home
Beyond the community and networking aspects, one of the Summit’s most practical draws is its certification offerings. CWA certifications—including Climbing Wall Instructor, Work at Height and Professional Routesetting credentials—are recognized across both Canada and the United States. Having those offerings available in Canada makes a meaningful difference for gyms that have wanted to invest in staff but found the logistics of U.S. travel prohibitive.
“It didn’t financially make sense for me to bring so many team members to the U.S. to get their certifications,” Turner said. This year, she’s driving to Montreal with four colleagues, several of whom will leave with credentials in hand.
“You don’t have to send every top rope instructor to the CWA,” Cronin explains. “You send somebody who becomes a provider, who does that training at your own facility.” The certification comes home with the person, but so does the capacity to keep growing from within.
That aspect of the CWA’s certification model—how it’s designed to compound inside a facility—makes it particularly valuable. The goal isn’t to send every instructor to a CWA course, but to develop in-house providers who can then train their own teams for years to come.
For climbing professionals in nearby U.S. markets, particularly in the Northeast, the Canadian Summit also represents a practical opportunity. CWA credentials carry the same weight on both sides of the border, and Montreal is a reasonable trip for anyone who’s been waiting for the right moment to pursue one.
A Conference Finding Its Shape
Turner is clear that this event isn’t trying to replicate the scale of the U.S. Summit. “The goal isn’t a bigger event, it’s a better one,” Turner says, comparing the upcoming conference in Montreal to the one held there in 2025. Last year’s gathering was more narrowly focused on coaching; this year’s program has been expanded to include content for routesetters, operators, and staff across roles, making it useful for a wider slice of the industry.
“This is by no means a finished product,” Turner continues. “The goal for this year is to understand what Canadian members need and build better ways of delivering it.”
For Cronin, the case for attending comes down to something simpler than programming or credentials. Sending a team to an event like this is a statement about how you value their growth, and about the kind of gym you’re trying to build.
“It’s a good way of showing confidence,” he said. “Showing trust in your employees, that they’re worth the flight, the hotel and the fees.”
Registration for the 2026 CWA Canadian Industry Conference & Certification Summit is open now. Learn more and register.
This article is a sponsored story and does not necessarily represent the views of the Climbing Business Journal editorial team.
