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Certification Summit and Industry Conference | Canada WAH, PRS, CWI

Monday, July 14, 2025
to Friday, July 18, 2025

Calgary Climbing Centres - Multiple Locations


75 Shawville Link Southeast Calgary, AB T2Y 3Z6 Canada
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Category: Certification Events
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Join Industry professionals and experts in Calgary, AB for CWA Certification offerings and a 2 day industry conference focused on the needs of Canadian coaches. Click through event details below to learn about course requirements, logistics, and key dates.

See the Full Schedule Here

Steps to Earn Certification 

  • Complete all online lessons and assignments
  • Attend virtual meetings with your Provider
  • Pass online knowledge checks
  • Pass in-person assessments with your Provider

All CWA Certification Programs are a blend of online content, virtual calls, and in-person training and assessments. You must complete online work, and attend all scheduled meetings to earn your certification. Review All Key Dates Before Enrolling.

Location

Conference: Calgary Climbing Centre SoCal

Certification Courses: Calgary Climbing Centres - Multiple Locations

Please Sign The Gym's Waiver

REFUND POLICY
  • Refund request 30 days in advance of the start date, 95% of total course cost is given.
  • Refund request 14 days in advance of the start date, 75% of the total course cost is given.
  • Refund requests within 14 days of the start date are reviewed and at the discretion of the organization.
Refund requests are directed to certification@cwapro.org

Event Schedule

Monday – Certifications Begin

8:00am - 12:00pm - PRS 2 Boulder Direct Entry
8:00am - 4:30pm - CWI Provider
8:00am - 4:30pm - WAH Level 3
12:30pm - 4:30pm - PRS 2 Ropes DE

Tuesday – Roundtables, Sessions, Party (See More)

9:00am - Industry Roundtable
10:10am - Insurance, presented by CLimbInsure
11:20am - Routesetting Roundtable
12:20pm - Lunch and product demos
2:00pm - Team Culture Roundtable
3:10pm - Retail Roundtable
4:20pm - The new CWA Industry Practices
5:00pm - After Party

Wednesday –Certifications and Coaching Sessions (See More) 

8:00am - 4:30pm - WAH Level 1
8:00am - 4:30pm - PRS 1 Course
9:00am - Mental Training, presented by Climbing Psychology
11:00am - Safesport Best Practices, presented by Alison Forsyth
12:00pm - Lunch
1:00pm - Strength Training, presented by Steve Bechtel
3:10pm - Youth Strength Training, presented by Steve Bechtel
4:20pm - Disordered Eating in Climbing: Signs, Symptoms, and Pathways for Intervention, presented by Dr. Mallory Frayn
6:00pm -  Flashed/Binary Grill & Chill at Flashed's new HQ

Thursday – Certifications & NCCP Training

8:00am - 4:30pm - WAH Level 2
8:00am - 4:30pm - PRS 2 Boulders

Conference Schedule

Tuesday – Roundtables, Sessions, Party

Come ready with your questions and thoughts on the latest industry trends. Our panel of industry experts will discuss hot topics in the climbing industry with your input.
Learn more about the latest developments in Canadian Insurance. Climb Insure is a national insurance program for Canadian* indoor climbing gyms and is run by Nacora Insurance Brokers Ltd o/a Nacora International Insurance Brokers.
Join our industry experts to learn about the latest trends in routesetting including workplace safety, certifications and training, and how to manage an effective routesetting program.
12:20pm - Lunch and product demos
The best businesses know how to collaborate and center on common goals. Our panel of industry professionals will be discussing ways to prevent your team from working in silos to improve communication and effectiveness in your gym.
Learn and share the current best practices, opportunities, and challenges facing climbing gym retail today. 
Learn about the new IP release. The CWA worked hard to revise the IPs in order to provide better guidance to assist climbing wall operators in developing policies, procedures, and practices for the management of their facilities.

Come prepared to share your thoughts as you get to “sit at the table” with some of our industry’s leaders.
5:00pm - After Party

Wednesday –Certifications and Coaching Sessions

This class focuses on resilience, stress management, and emotional regulation as essential psychological skills for climbing coaches - both in their own practice and in their role as leaders. The strategies taught are directly applicable to both coach and athlete, fostering a coaching culture rooted in composure, clarity, and psychological resilience.
Safe Sport is an evolving movement in the Sport landscape. The work in this space is not one size fits all and this session will outline the considerations for Safe Sport within the climbing environment based on inherent risks and the uniqueness of our sport. The goal is for all attendees to attain knowledge and awareness for the risk of maltreatment in their environment as well as top line tools to prevent harm and create a safe, inclusive environment for all participants. 
12:10pm - Lunch
In this session, we’ll discuss why strength training is so important for climbers, and then go into details on when and how much to do. We’ll discuss minimum training requirements for improvement, and also how to know when enough is enough. We will discuss the principles of general strength training, specific strength training, and how coaches can implement effective strength work for their athletes, no matter what facilities are available.
What exercises can help youth competitors become better climbers and when should they do them? This hands-on session covers what young athletes can safely do for strength training, and how to fit it in with a full-time climbing program. We’ll cover warming up, flexibility, and basic strength exercises, in addition to special topics such as helping kids recover between sessions and how to talk to parents about strength training.

Disordered eating and body image concerns have received increased attention in the climbing world over the past several years. From the release of the documentary, "Light" in 2021 and elite climbers speaking up about disordered eating concerns, to the 2024 IFSC guidelines to limit Relative Energy Deficiency in sport, it is a topic that is front of mind for many in the sport.


Despite this attention, less focus to date has been on how to effectively address these concerns. The current presentation aims to provide climbing coaches with the scaffolding to identify and address disordered eating and body image issues with their athletes. We will discuss signs and symptoms of various eating disorders and disordered eating presentations, while providing practical recommendations on what can be done to help athletes who may be struggling. Time will be allocated for discussion, so please come prepared with questions and examples, and we that we can problem solve scenarios that feel most relevant to issues you may have already navigated, or that could arise in future.

6:00pm - After Party

We’re throwing a party! Come hangout at Flashed's new HQ. Enjoy some delicious food, refreshing drinks and a large variety of games! 

  • Location: Flashed & Binary - 7011 Farrell Rd SE, Calgary, AB T2H 0T3
  • Date & Time: July 16th @ 6:00PM
  • What is provided: Burgers, Hotdogs, drinks, and games 

Flashed/Binary Grill & Chill RSVP

Thank you to our Sponsors!


Binary Climbing Holds

Climb Insure

Edelrid

Flashed Sports

Magic Lab

Trango
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Click below for key dates

Coaching and Industry Conference

    • Tuesday July 15th - Industry roundtables and parties
    • Wednesday July 16th - Coaching sessions

Climbing Wall Instructor (CWI)

    • CWI Provider

Work at Height (WAH)

    • Level 1
    • Level 1&2 combined
    • WAH Level 3 Provider

Professional Routesetting (PRS)

    • Level 1&2 Boulder combined
    • Level 2 Ropes combined
    • PRS Direct Entry

Continuing Education and Renewals

    • CWI Provider Renewal

For More Information:

Climbing Wall Association Logo 8200 South Quebec Street Box 413
Centennial, Colorado 80112
United States 720.838.8284