Walls for All: Junction Climbing Centre

Meet John Kudelka, one of the co-owners of Junction Climbing Centre and one of the Old East Village BIA’s Neighbourhood Partners! Located at 1030 Elias Street, this is a full service climbing gym, featuring top rope climbs, auto belays, lead climbs, bouldering, and a fitness centre! With a background in climbing and outdoor recreation, Kudelka saw that London was lacking in a proper climbing gym “Growing up in London, there's a strong perception that if it's in London, the version of it in a bigger city must be better,” he says. “We really wanted to bring London a  business that once people climbed in it, if they went somewhere else, they went, ‘Oh, actually, the gym in London is just as good.’” Junction opened in 2014, with a second location in the Hyde Park area, known as J2 Bouldering, opening in 2022.

The main vision with Junction is to provide a safe, community oriented space for people to learn how to climb. They hold events like queer nights, women only nights, or demo nights for climbing equipment. One of their most popular events is their Adaptive Climbing night with Rise Above, which makes climbing inclusive to everyone, regardless of age, ability, and whatever disability they may have. “There’s a perception that climbing is for people who want to be extreme, and it’s really not, climbing is a very thoughtful sport,” Kudelka says. “We have members who are extreme risk takers. We have members in their 50s and 60s, in their 70s. We have kids who climb here.” He adds that while climbing isn’t for everyone, Junction strives to have climbs for every level of skill, so that anyone can try to climb.

As one of the BIA’s neighbourhood partners, Junction shows that small businesses don’t just exist on our main streets; they’re throughout Old East Village, bringing colour and character to the neighbourhood. One of the highlights of OEV, according to Kudelka, is that intertwining of commercial, residential, and industrial space. “So often if I go look for something, I can find it in Old East Village,” he says. “I also think it’s important to have someone who’s going to speak for the issues unique to our neighbourhood, which the BIA can do. It's nice to have a forum or that business community that is formally connected here.”

Looking to the future, Junction wants to continue improving its facilities for climbers and build a stronger community. A highlight of that is competitive climbing events brought to London through the Ontario Climbing Federation, meaning more people coming to local OEV businesses. He adds that he’s been pleasantly surprised at the role Junciton has played in people’s lives. “We've had people meet here, start dating, get married, have babies, we've had people who come here start climbing, you know, start their careers, and have gone on to work across the country. It’s hopefully bringing good energy to the neighbourhood.”

Junction Climbing Centre is open Monday - Friday from 12:00pm to 10:30pm, Saturday from 10:00am to 7:00pm, and Sunday from 10:00am to 6:00pm.

📍 1030 Elias Street, Unit 2

☎️ (519) 438-1717

🌐 https://www.junctionclimbing.com/