Our Staff
Clint Searle, Gym Manager
Clint has officially been in the climbing industry since 1997, when he became certified as an Outdoor Top-Rope Instructor and Level III High Angle Rig Rappel Rescuer. Before indoor climbing he had been an avid outdoor climber many years prior, climbing anything from trees, buildings and the odd lamp post, as well as the cliffs and rocks of Ontario, BC, Kentucky, West Virginia, New Hampshire and the UK.
Along with the years of experience in recreational and competitive climbing and bouldering, Clint has also been on the administrative end working as a climbing gym manager in Toronto. He is also a licensed helicopter pilot!
Dustin R Curtis, Purveyor of Destiny
(Head Instructor/Head Routesetter)
A climber for ten years, and a member of the Canadian National Climbing Team, Dustin has been working in gyms since he was 15 years old. Starting out at Of Rock and Chalk in Newmarket, he was introduced to route setting by Aaron Eden. After three years of instructing and routesetting, Dustin packed up and moved to Ottawa where he continued to develop his skills under the very talented Jody Miall. After 5 years of climbing, setting and instructing at Coyote Rock Gym, he moved back to Newmarket and using the knowledge he had gained, filled the duties of Head Routesetter and Manager at Of Rock and Chalk for just over a year before moving to Barrie and trying his hand at General Manager.
Over the years, Dustin has competed at multiple Tour de Bloc comps as well as a handful of World Cup events and one World Championship. He recently received his USA Climbing Level 2 Routesetting certificate and is continuing to challenge himself in his setting. He will purvey destiny to anyone seeking it at True North Climbing.
John Gross, Owner
After 25 years in the computer animation software business, and 5 years of recreational indoor climbing, John took the leap into the climbing gym business. He spent months researching and networking with people in the climbing community and attended the Climbing Wall Association Summit conference in Boulder Colorado in April, before committing to the project.
John has “competed” in 6 Tour de Bloc events, consistently helping the other climbers look good. He was raised in North York and lives near the gym with his two teenage children and two cats. He is trying to decide what to do with the bouldering cave in his basement…
All of the True North Climbing Inc. full time staff have current Standard First Aid with CPR training from St John Ambulance. All instructors who are not yet certified as Climbing Gym Instructors by the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides will be pursuing certification courses soon!
