Launching Fall 2026

The Certified Performance Climbing Coach (CPCC) is the formal standard for professional climbing coaching: structured, evidence-based, and built for serious coaches who want to conduct themselves at an industry standard.

CPCC establishes the core standard for professional climbing coaching.

Delivered through a structured online learning portal, the certification combines in-depth education with applied assignments, case studies, and video submission review to ensure coaches can apply what they learn in real-world coaching environments.

Format: Self-paced with practical evaluation.
Recommended timeline: 8 weeks.
Certification validity: 3 years.

Why CPCC Exists

Climbing has advanced faster than coaching standards.

Grades have jumped. The industry has seen a proliferation of training tools, creating a plethora of options. Research is evolving rapidly. But most coaching education still lacks structure, accountability, and climbing-specific depth.

CPCC was built to solve that.

This certification defines what it means to be a performance climbing coach — not just someone who writes workouts, but someone who understands movement, physiology, psychology, communication, safety, and long-term development.

It is the only certification built entirely around the demands of performance coaching.

What It Covers

The CPCC is built from years of refining the systems, tools, and framework that professional coaches use every day.

Coaches who complete CPCC will be equipped to:

  • Assess and profile athletes with accuracy and consistency
  • Design intelligent, periodized programming for long-term development
  • Structure and deliver high-impact training sessions
  • Apply psychological skills, communication strategies, and effective cueing
  • Stay current in a field that evolves rapidly
  • Manage the business side of coaching: onboarding, workflows, client systems
  • Operate with the tools and standards expected of a professional coach

The first performance coaching certification built by climbers, for climbers. Not borrowed from another sport.

What It Looks Like

The CPCC blends structured learning, practical experience, and real-world case studies, with each component assessed and held to rigorous, ongoing professional standards.

Upon completion, coaches earn the Certified Performance Climbing Coach designation and the right to use the CPCC credential – valid for three years.

Recertification and continued education ensures certified coaches stay current and sharp; evolving alongside the sport.

This Is A Professional Credential. It Belongs On A Resume.

CPCC is for coaches who are building a career in climbing. It is for professionals who want to be recognized for their knowledge, their standards, and their commitment to the craft.

It is for the coach pursuing their first full-time position. The coach is negotiating a raise. The coach who wants their expertise to be visible and verifiable.

And it’s for the gyms and programs that want to hire professional coaches. Because CPCC means the coach has been trained, evaluated, and held to a defined professional standard.

Fall 2026 is where that professionalism becomes official.