MEET the OWNERS
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Founder and Owner
Tiaan Bouwer
Tiaan's dream has always been to own his own climbing gym. Late 2017 he made his dream a reality by opening up Rock Valley Climbing.
Having dedicated most of his life to professional sports, Tiaan began sharing his passion, skills, and expertise with young climbers at the RVC Club as the Head Coach in early 2018. Since then, the coaching club has seen a steady increase in participants each year. Tiaan enjoys engaging with all the climbers at the gym and takes pride in coaching six Protea athletes, two of which has been selected to represent SA at the Youth Worlds in China later this year. Apart from coaching, Tiaan juggles various roles, including being a husband to Carmen, a father to three girls, and the head setter at RVC.
In July 2023, Tiaan participated and successfully completed the International Advanced Route Setters Course conducted by the Western Cape Climbing Province. The course was led by international route setters Nat Atari, Jan, and Marco Jubes.
In addition to his coaching and route-setting duties, Tiaan also designs and manufactures Rock Valley's own fiber climbing holds. These holds were showcased at the recent 2023 IFSC Africa Continental Qualifier event held at Loftus, Pretoria, where Tiaan was one of the six route setters.
The next time you see him, don't hesitate to greet him and join in for a climbing session!
Co-Owner
Carmen Bouwer
Carmen is wife to Tiaan, mother to their three girls and assistant coach at Rock Valley Climbing.
Carmen’s extensive background in dance and fitness, coupled with her passion for coaching young climbers at the Rock Valley Climbing Club, exemplifies her unwavering dedication to the sport. She takes great joy in witnessing the growth and transformation of young climbers into strong, self-assured individuals.
Having served as Secretary on the Provincial Board for two years, Carmen was subsequently appointed as Assistant Manager for the 2022 Youth World Team, where she led the team to Dallas, Texas. In 2023, she continued this role, successfully managing the Youth World Team during their trip to Seoul, South Korea.
In 2024, Carmen was promoted to Head Manager for the Youth World climbing team, accompanying them to Guiyang, China, for the 2024 IFSC Youth World Championship. With her Master's Coach designation from SACSA, she aspires to establish a coaching standard for sport climbing throughout South Africa.
Now serving as President of Gauteng Climbing, Carmen is eager to share the knowledge, skills, and expertise she has acquired over the past eight years with the broader climbing community.
