Our History
Climbing Together Since 2001
The Rock Dump Indoor Climbing Gym opened its doors in November 2001. Owners Matt and Ami Cecil designed and built the “big, green building” after several years of planning. With the help of Marcel LaPerriere, a scale model was created, and construction on the climbing walls began.
The gym space started as a 60' x 60' blank canvas, and the team worked tirelessly to bring the model to life. Marcel led the project with several carpenters contributing along the way. After installing 350 sheets of plywood and pounding in over 25,000 T-nuts by hand, the climbing walls were complete.
With primer, paint, gravel, and a lot of hard work, The Rock Dump was ready to welcome its first climbers on November 6, 2001. Opening the doors was just the beginning — the team quickly realized that building the gym was only the start of an ongoing adventure.
Today, we continue to improve and evolve the gym every day. We love trying new ideas and welcome feedback from members and visitors.
The Rock Dump is now owned and operated by Juneau Climbing & Recreation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to promoting climbing, fitness, and mountain safety in Southeast Alaska. Your membership and participation help keep our doors open. Thank you for supporting the community - we look forward to seeing you at the gym!