About Us

Grand River Rocks was founded by Josh Tuffin, Christoff Le Roux, Mike Cieplak, and Scott Hamill. Good friends and seasoned climbers long before the idea of opening a climbing gym was ever even imagined, the four owners built much of the gym with their own hands. In August 2011, the doors of Grand River Rocks opened, and Kitchener-Waterloo officially had a gym entirely devoted to rock climbing.

In November 2013, our gym expanded!  We took over the unit next door, and we now have much more to offer!  We have a small workout gym for members (with a treadmill, elliptical, weights, and rowing machine), a viewing deck, fun walls for kids, another boulder, and many more top-rope and lead routes.

In December 2019, we decided to bring climbing to Waterloo with a brand new bouldering-only facility!

Owners Mike Cieplak, Josh Tuffin, Scott Hamill, and Christoff le Roux

Our Kitchener Facility

Our 14,000 square foot facility offers a wide range of services to satisfy the needs of both beginner and experienced climbers.  The curved wood-panelled ceilings and the concrete walls help to maintain the charm of this old industrial building.  The combination of sturdy industrial construction and 38’ ceilings make 50 Borden Ave. the perfect location for a rock climbing gym.

We have two boulders in our gym, one ~13 feet high and the other ~15 feet high.  Our walls are between 26-37 feet.   Our facility is 14,000 square feet, and we have a total of 18,000 square feet of climbing.   The climbing walls are constructed of engineered tube-steel and covered with a rock-textured concrete.