What:
UNB Rock & Ice was founded in 1976 by NB climbing legend, Tom Butz. Early members pioneered and maintained many of the outdoor routes and locations still used today.
After briefly having a climbing wall at the UNB South Gym in the 80s, a full sized rock climbing gym was opened in the Lady Beaverbrook gym in February 1996. This gym was funded by the parents of Ian Scott MacDonald, a civil engineer & one of the club’s early members who tragically passed away after a climbing accident in Alberta in 1986. This was the first indoor climbing gym in the province, and the only one until FitRocks Moncton opened in 2016. Because of this, the club acted as the hub for indoor and outdoor climbing hub in the province for decades.
AscentNB was founded in 2013 and Rock & Ice gave them control of all outdoor climbing management for greater stability in management. In 2017, Rock & Ice received word that The Lady Beaverbrook gym would be torn down, and their gym would be no more. A team of passionate climbers created the Fredericton Boulder Co-op (aka FBC), a climber led gym that would fill Rock & Ice’s void. While the LBG and Rock & Ice still stand, FBC has become Atlantic Canada’s biggest climbing gym. Rock & Ice still maintains great relations with FBC and AscentNB.
After a long lull in the wake of Covid, and with considerable history behind us, UNB Rock & Ice has firmly re-established itself and stands proud. Our goal is to provide a friendly and easy-going environment for students and the Fredericton community to climb, make friends, and have fun.
Where:
Located in the Lady Beaverbrook Gymnasium at UNB Fredericton. Walk in the main doors, take a right and walk down the hall, go down the stairs, through the doors, take right, go in the door with the climbing wall inside, get set up by the on duty monitor, then climb your face off.
UNB’s LB Gym
2 Peter Kelly Dr
Fredericton, NB E3B 5A3
The Executive
UNB Rock & Ice is run by volunteers, and lead by a 5-person executive team that is re-elected each year in April. We are built by climbers, for climbers.
The 2024-2025 Team
President : Sam Hawkes
VP External : Shawn Fairweather
VP Internal : Stefano De Castro
Treasurer : Nik MacDonald
Secretary : Luke Smith
The president leads the club and other execs, and is the lead representative. The VP external manages the Banff film fest. The VP internal is focused on recruiting and monitoring volunteers. The treasurer manages the finances & budget, and does most purchasing and reimbursement. The secretary takes minutes, keeps track of documents, and manages the social media accounts