August Gym Round Up
The height of summer across the continent saw plenty of refurbishment work continue as existing gyms prove their strong foundations against newcomers. The recent spike in gym closures appears to have eased with only a handful this month, perhaps showing that hopes for a strong indoor winter season will be able to see gyms through for the time being.
We look forward to getting involved at the ABC Conference in Sheffield in September. Our focus will be on RESILIENCE and we will be quizzing gym owners on what steps they are taking to ensure their facilities are up to the challenge of today’s market environment!
Our third Beta Bounty is complete, articles with💰highlight winning entries - Every month we’re giving away 3x £25/€25 BananaFingers/EpicTV Gift Cards at random for news submissions with a source link.
As always, if you have announcements to share with the industry, be sure to tag/email/DM us.
Be sure to check out our podcast The ECN Podcast, if you have a project to share in podcast format please do get in touch!
Czechia
Approaching the Limit
Located in České Budějovice in the south of Czechia, new bouldering gym Limit is nearing structural completion. The impressive, 600sqm gym looks to offer climbers a variety of angles including a substantial amount of steep terrain.
Estonia
A Championship Opening 💰
The new Mustika site for Ronimis Ministeerium in Tallinn celebrated their opening by hosting the Baltic Championships, former Olympian Shauna Coxey was in the commentator seat for the event. Once fully operational, before the end of September, the gym aims to be open 24/7 for members.
France
Mollans sur Ouvèze Gears Up for New Gym
New entrant to the French market, Ventoux Bloc, has completed the build of their new site in the town of Mollans sur Ouvèze, east of Avignon. The CityWall built gym does not have a firm opening date but they are aiming for Autumn this year.
BS #29
In true Bloc Session fashion of late, the French mega-chain announced the imminent arrival of what we surmise to be their 29th site. Situated in Pontarlier, near the Swiss border, the compact EPClimbing-built, 400sqm bouldering gym will be opening to the public in October.
New Federation Gym
In the idyllic town of Châlons-en-Champagne, the local arm of the CAF (French Association of Climbing Clubs) is close to opening Refuge Vertical. Built by Original Concept Construction, the spacious and well-lit gym features 690sqm of climbing surface, a 400sqm mezzanine level, and consumed 40 tonnes of wood and steel.
Arkose Opens in Angers
The first franchised site of the Arkose bouldering chain has opened to an enthusiastic crowd. The 1000sqm, Walltopia-built gym welcomed climbers on August 23rd and features the quality climbing, cafe/bar and bistro spaces that the brand is known for.
…But Closes in Lille 💰
The Lille site of the Arkose chain has closed as of August 29th, the gym organised a closing party to celebrate the long service of the site for their local climbers.
Six Fours Make a Party!
The latest Vertical Art gym welcomed climbers on August 30th to their opening event. The 1500sqm, CityWall built gym features 150 boulders, kids zone, a full restaurant, training area and mezzanine viewing space.
Potential 24/7 Training Gym for Paris
As we mentioned in last month’s round up - there’s always space for a new gym in Paris! The team behind a new all-hours training gym are gauging interesting in opening their site Le Panneau. In their words, the gym is “training-first, 24/7 bouldering concept with LED boards (Tension Board 2, Moon, Kilter) + compact spraywall.” Their market validation is in progress; Parisian locals are invited to “vote with their email” (10s): at https://lepanneauescalade.com
The GOAT
New bouldering gym GoatRocks is coming to the north eastern city of Nancy. The EP Climbing-built, compact gym will include a kids zone, KilterBoard, cafe and training spaces. Their announced opening target is January ‘26.
Germany
New Iron for Dynochrom
Frankfurt-based Dynochrom Bouldering Gym has significantly expanded their training space with new gym equipment. With increased competition in the city, as with all large cities across the continent, it is crucial to continue improving the facilities of a gym to retain customers.
EifelBloc Downsizes
The regional chain EifelBloc has closed its original B9 Koblenz site with 3 days notice; the gym closed its doors on August 15th. No reason could be found, but with the recent opening of their Metternich site barely a kilometre away, it makes sense that they consolidated their presence into the modern gym.
Boulder Revamp
Kletterhalle Wiemar has completed a part of their bouldering area refurbishment with new walls installed. The broad faces of the new walls will encourage more modern style bouldering with large holds and volumes.
Wedding Party
The latest Urban Apes location has opened in Wedding, Berlin. The large, well lit gym opened to enthusiastic Berliners on 24th August. Wedding makes the fourth UA sites in Berlin, and the 19th overall.
Iceland
Klifuur Ends Cliffhanger
The new gym we mentioned a while ago, 600Klifuur, has announced it’s opening date. The gym, which is a reincarnation of a gym recently closed elsewhere, will be opening to the public on 11th October. The high-spec ArtRock and Blocz built gym will be a welcome addition to an island where gyms are largely concentrated in the capital.
Italy
A Pioneer Passes
Scarpa announced the passing of long-serving pioneer member Francesco Parisotto. The renowned shoe brand was established in 1938, the Parisotto family purchased the business in 1956.
A Bigger BigUp
Cuneo-based BigUp Climbing, north west Italy, will shortly open a newly expanded sector of the gym to customers. Opening on September 6th, the 1000sqm addition includes a 6m wide Spraywall, TensionBoard2, Moon-, and KilterBoards, a kids zone, and weights area.
Netherlands
Be Boulder Changes Hands
Amsterdam gym Be Boulder has transitioned ownership to the group behind Boulderhal Energiehaven and Roest. Members will now enjoy access to 9 sites under one subscription across the country. The gym will be fully torn down and rebuilt to efficiently make use of the whole available space. The gym will close for these works on October 1st and reopen under the name Boulderhal Luchthaven in January.
Poland
High Voltage
The Polish city of Torun, on the banks of the Vistula River, will soon welcome the third location of the Volt bouldering chain. Unfortunately nothing is known about the site, we shall keep you updated as and when we learn more!
Romania
Busy Bucharest
Established bouldering gym duo Blokx have begun work on their third site, and second in the capital city. The site in Baneasa appears to be an impressive size and the crew have gotten straight to work with some light demolition work. We look forward to following their progress.
Spain
Frozen Soul
Leganes-based climbing gym Soul Climb has announced a temporary closure for reasons ‘beyond management’s control’. We wish the Soul team the best and that they are able to open soon.
Valhalla Rises
New gym Valhalla based in Ecija, east of Seville has been completed and will shortly be welcoming customers. Built by Relief Xperiens, the compact gym will offer a variety of wall-angles for climbers to enjoy.
Madrid Glow Up
The Climb in the Spanish capital has almost completed work on their new training space and an updated portion of wall. Built in-house, the additions, started in July, will be welcome to customers of the long-established gym.
Fresh Moves
Seville-based MOVE Climbing have increased their boulder wall offering with the addition of an overhanging corner and vert sections. Spanish wall builder Shaper Walls undertook the work.
Natural Evolution
Large Valencian climbing gym Natural Climb have announced the beginning of construction at a second site in the city, Benimaclet. If we understand the post correctly, the original gym will also be moving to a new location. Both projects are being seen through by EPClimbing, having built the stages of the original site.
Training in Paradise
Mallorcan bouldering gym esRocodrom has completed a refurbishment of a long section of wall. The new additions a training board-style steep sections of approx 40deg, 30deg and a flowy combination of overhanging panels. With the (slightly) cooler months approaching, regulars will appreciate some prime training real estate.
Sweden
Established Chain Enters Sweden
Danish bouldering chain Beta Boulders has announced the location of their largest site to date. The gym will be located in the Triangeln area of Malmo, just across the Oresund from Copenhagen. The gym will include over 200 boulders, cafe and co-working space, and sauna.
Tear it All Down
Further up the coast from Malmo, in Halmstad, the local Klatterklub has torn out almost all of their bouldering area ready for a rebuild. This rebuild was discussed at a special annual meeting back in April, the works taking place now are the fruits from that meeting and will make a welcome addition for the local climbing population.
UK
A Second Rainbow
Longstanding Cambridge bouldering gym Rainbow Rocket have opened their second site in the city. The building floorspace is 1400sqm with climbing surface of 750m2 at 2.5m - 4.2m height, including possibly the best variation of the Walltopia Rhino feature to date. The gym also includes 3 training boards: a fixed Kilter HomeBoard ‘Full Ride’, a fixed digital woody, and an adjustable TensionBoard2. Designer: Hristina Ninova, Project Managers: Simon Richardson and Ivaylo Hristov, Walltopia Agent: Sandra Adler.
Revamped Social Solihull
The newly renamed Social Solihull, formerly Flash Climbing, closed on 24th August for a full-centre refurbishment. Customers can look forward to brand new walls, holds and facilities. The refreshed gym will be back open in a couple of weeks.
Bristolians Spoilt for Choice
The Climbing Hangar announced the opening of its large, centrally located Bristol site. The gym will open to the public on 8th September. The 2415sqm, double level facility hosts 3 training boards, over 200 boulder problems, training-, cafe- and retail spaces.
Gloucester Super-Gym Fully Opens
Large full-service gym 270Climbing has fully opened to the public. The final piece of the £7million puzzle was to complete the roped facility, which includes a 17m tall external wall. A shakedown event for the wall was held with the European Military Championships.
Rise and Shine
Rise London gym Rise Climbing began an expansion project to offer more climbing space, a second board, a larger training and warmup spaces.
A Freek in Lincoln
Fledgeling bouldering chain Freeklime announced their third site is coming to the midlands city of Lincoln. Founder Chris let us know the details: “Approximately 170 blocs spresad across a 7.5k square foot (700sqm) facility with a community focus. Moonboard and digital training woody board, the wall is designed by Walltopia and myself, Walltopia built with Impact & Walltopia holds, we will have 7 employees, a small cafe, retail space, and kids wall.”
Cornish Bouldering
Possibly the southernmost bouldering wall in the UK, Boulder Ryn has been completed in the Penryn/Falmouth area. With walls designed and built by Climbing Collective, matting by Core Climbing, and holds supplied and set by Beta Setting it is well set up to welcome new Cornish regulars.
Entire Cafe Stolen 💰
On the morning of 20th August, staff at CityBloc in Leeds found that their gym had been burgled to an extreme degree. “Including stealing our entire café, fridges full of drinks, freezer including all the ice cream, all the snacks, coffee machine, grinders, the lot plus a load of other stuff around from around the centre. They stole our vacuums, who steals vacuums? They took our setting drills and all our tools which has made repairing the damage to reception and doors tricky”.
A large outpouring of local support helped the gym back to their feet and now they are gearing up for the finals of their Summer League on 5th September.
Eldest LCC London Site Refurbishment
VauxWall West in central London is receiving a large refurbishment of its two oldest railway arches. Hopes to align the works with obligatory arch inspections by Arch Co. were dashed by scheduling conflicts resulting in delays to the build. The first arch has now been completed and the redesigned walls and curved structural steel offers a welcome opening of the space for a gym regularly running at capacity. The second arch is currently underway with works and should be completed by the end of the month with equally welcome enhancements, the gym will also introduce upgraded AC units giving a more comfortable climbing experience.
Brushworks Unveiled
Glaswegian bouldering gym Brushworks has revealed their opened date, climbers will be able to enjoy the large, premium gym on 12th September. In the words of Oliver Parkinson, Director of Climbing: “Brushworks is located just outside the town centre, within walking distance of all major transport links in Glasgow. It’s a project that’s been years in the making - founded by five of us who came together through climbing, with a shared goal of building a wall that blends world-class design with a strong sense of community. While some directors come from industry backgrounds - with over a decade of experience within both instructing and route-setting - others have evolved from participants to devoted enthusiasts, adding a rich blend of perspectives to the venture.
We’ve created 800m² of bouldering surface within a 1,500m² unit, including a 4.5m full-height showcase wall with a two-tier layout, and dedicated training facilities like a 12x12, motorised Kilter Board, 45° and 30° woodies, and a comprehensive gym space with a fingerboard/pull-up station and a connected yoga/stretching area.
The walls were built by Walltopia with design input from us to support creative and flexible route setting. Core provided and installed the matting. Upstairs, we’ve built a café and co-working space on a mezzanine overlooking the climbing, which we expect to become a social hub.
We’re also working closely with local suppliers—coffee is roasted locally, cakes are from a nearby bakery and we’ve partnered with Tiso for member perks, events, and some exclusive artwork. We’ve hired six new staff to support the opening, bringing our on-site team to 10 and planning to expand as we grow.”
Strong Spiders
Hereford based Green Spider announced a new training space has been built in the gym including 2 training boards and weights area. A welcome addition to the gym with only one other competitor within a 35km radius.
