The story behind Columbia Valley Climbing Centre — and the two people determined to bring it to life.
Who We Are
Jon and Rudie Large are the founders of Columbia Valley Climbing Centre — lifelong climbers, partners on and off the wall, and proud residents of Invermere, BC. Between them they've climbed on four continents, worked inside climbing gyms, and experienced firsthand the way this sport can reshape a person's world. CVCC is their way of sharing that with the Valley they now call home.
Co-Founder & Managing Director
Jon grew up in Nova Scotia and discovered climbing the moment he moved west to Alberta for a seasonal job and saw the Rocky Mountains for the first time. Friends took him out on the rock, and that was it — he was hooked instantly and completely.
"To me it's more than a sport. It's a lifestyle I embraced completely — one that led me to travel the world, meet incredible people, and eventually find my way to the Columbia Valley."
Climbing gyms became a constant thread through Jon's journey. Whenever he moved to a new town, the gym was his first stop — a way to connect with the local community and find partners. In more than one case he got a job there just to climb for free. That gym-floor experience — setting routes, welcoming beginners, watching people discover the sport — is the foundation CVCC is being built on.
Jon has climbed in Thailand, Nepal, across the American Southwest, the Canadian Rockies, and beyond. He knows what a well-run climbing gym can do for a community because he has lived it.
"All of one's worries are quickly forgotten when you tie into the sharp end of the rope."
Co-Founder
Rudie's relationship with climbing began in Montreal, where she was recovering from a serious motorcycle accident and needed a way to rebuild strength and heal her body. She found it on the wall — and it changed everything.
"Rock climbing has taken me all over the world and completely transformed my life. Through it I've built meaningful friendships, stayed active, continually pushed my limits — and it even led me to meet my husband."
What started as rehabilitation became a defining passion. Rudie has climbed in Spain, across the United States, and throughout Canada — drawn always to the movement, the challenge, and the community that forms around the rope.
The Columbia Valley drew Rudie and Jon in because of its extraordinary natural setting — a place to raise a family, surrounded by the kind of terrain that makes a climber's heart race. That it still lacks an indoor facility to nurture the climbing community is exactly the gap she wants to fill.
On the Wall Together
Jon and Rudie have climbed together across deserts, alpine faces, and everything in between — from the sandstone towers of Indian Creek to the limestone crags of the Canadian Rockies. They moved to the Columbia Valley for its mountains, its pace of life, and the chance to raise their family somewhere wild. CVCC is the next chapter.
Climbed Together & Apart
Get Involved
Whether you want to support the project, learn more about investment opportunities, or just be first in the door when we open — we'd love to hear from you.