February Gym Round Up
Welcome to the February Gym Round Up!
A turbulent month of growth and contraction across the industry; from Bloc Session nipping at the heels of Movement Climbing for title of Worlds Largest Climbing Gym Chain, to a lucrative management contract available in Barcelona, to news of closures which is always hard to read.
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Austria
Labour Progress
Boulder Labour, coming this year to the south of Salzburg, has teased the finalisation of their designs. The natural/grey/pink walls look to maximise the available wall space within the footprint of the building.
Belgium
Alpine Chalet-Style
A compact bouldering gym has sprung up inside its own alpine chalet within the Gare Maritime, Brussels. BLDR Maritime offers bouldering across 2 levels, and a longer tunnel/roof section. The gym welcomed customers to a January 2nd opening.
Rhino Spotted in Leuven
Hot off the back of opening Klimzaal Arsenaal, the growing chain has announced their third site will be located in the Leuven city centre. The teaser trailer which reveals the location shows a warehouse in desperate need of renovation and a bit of love, and although there is no fixed opening date yet, customers can look forward to climbing at the new gym this year.
France
A Hive of Activity
Originally teased on 5th February, LeQuatreB is coming to the town of Janze - south of Rennes. Situated in a former logistics hub, a €14million multisports centre will come to life. With the instagram headline implying a mix of Padel, Football, Bouldering and a restaurant/bar it is an ambitious project which we look forward to seeing through to completion!
AutoBelays Galore!
Vertical World Paris opened to customers on 11th February. The colourful, Walltopia-built autobelay gym offers a kids zone with themed panels, light up digital board-style routes, and classic climbing across a full range of grades.
BS #30!
French mega chain Bloc Session has announced their 30th gym will be located in Chalon-sur-Saône, in the central-eastern part of the country, planned opening is for April - a quick turnaround. From recent openings, we can guess that the site will feature approximately 400sqm of climbing wall, alongside training and cafe spaces. The Bloc Session website also hints at #31, we look forward to learning more!
Assemble the Herd
Having witnessed the launch of the TITAN World League at Goat Rocks back in January, we are excited to see the gym fully finished and ready to open to the general public! The EP Climbing-built Goat Rocks will open on 8th March, customers can enjoy a great range of blocs, an adjustable Piton KilterBoard, cafe/bar, kids zone, and a training area.
Germany
Ravensburg Delays
The DAV has announced that, due to a €1million funding gap, the final decision on the new climbing gym in Ravensburg will be made at another Extraordinary General Meeting this coming April. Hopefully the overall total of €10,5million is hit and this large full service gym comes to fruition for local and regional climbers.
Long Awaited Opening
Studio Bloc Wiesbaden welcomed customers on the 6th February after bureaucratic speedbumps delayed the opening. The third gym for the world renowned gym brand offers the same high quality blocs, cafe and vibe that customers know and love. Setting is headed up by former Scottish National Headsetter Lucy Ross.
Italy
Salewa Lands in Varese
Following the successful opening of the second Cube site in Bolzano, Salewa has moved westward to the scenic mountain and lakeside town of Varese. The third site will be opening on 7th March and offers 1200sqm of wall surface inside a 1300sqm footprint, including 15m full height speed and lead walls on the external wall, an ample roped, bouldering and training space inside. We have been told that the next Cube will be coming before the end of 2026 to the beautiful lakeside town Como, and more openings still to come in 2027!
Netherlands
Delft Opening
Dutch chain Beest Boulders have announced the opening date for their 8th site, in Delft. Existing members can enjoy the gym a week early with a soft launch from the 16th March, with a grand opening to the wider public on the 23rd March. To make the launch even more exciting, Beest is holding the finals of their Open Series competition at the new gym on the 21st. The 2500sqm gym features a huge array of wall angles and islands, adjustable Kilter- and 40deg MoonBoards, and a full kitchen/bar space.
AutoBelay Incident
A serious injury occurred at Klimhal Stadsmuur on 13th February when an experienced female climber fell to the ground whilst using an autobelay. Initial investigations found that the AB unit itself was not faulty, the gym reopened on the 15th.
Glorious Three Kei
Kei Boulderhal welcomed their third site with Kei Apeldoorm, having opened on 28th February. The bouldering gym features islands, extensive overhanging main wall,a full-length mezzanine level with adjustable KilterBoard, and a comfortable cafe space.
Latvia
Make it Double!
Compact, Riga-based bouldering gym Vagonu Wall has completed an upgrade which saw the wall space grow from 120sqm to 300sqm, plus an ongoing build out to include a campus board and training area. To highlight the expansion the team have hosted a week long competition across multiple categories.
Slovenia
Ranch Renovation
Domen Skofic’s gym Climbing Ranch has added more wall space to suit the growing number of customers visiting the already impressive facility. Going up alongside the impressive lead wall are shorter, vertical panels to better accommodate newer and casual climbers. Although a downside is that the ‘skin’ of the ranch is being blocked, reducing the amount of natural daylight coming in, the gym is still bright and welcoming compared to more classic warehouse style sites!
Spain
New Management Sought
Barcelona’s City Council has tendered a new 10 year, €15.7million management contract for the Centre Municipal d’Escalada La Foixarda which is currently managed by Climbat. The successful bidder will be required to invest at least €1million euros in the renovation of the facility: €500,000 for structural work, €400,000 for the renovation of the climbing walls, and another €100,000 euros for routesetting - primarily for beginners - to offer a wider range of skill levels. No municipal funding is expected to be needed for the centre's operations, as a feasibility study deemed it economically viable.
The contract also stipulates a fixed annual fee of €15,000 to the City Council, in addition to a variable fee that companies can propose in their bids. If the management generates a profit, the tender specifications state that 75% will be redistributed to the City Council and 25% to the winning bidder. Only companies that can demonstrate having managed similar climbing facilities for three of the last five years, and those that can demonstrate a turnover exceeding €700,000 in the last three years, will be eligible to participate in the bidding process.
Argian Takes Off
Nestled in the Basque Country, Argian Climbing has begun foundation works for their large full service gym. Working alongside Estudio Fabric for the designs, the facility promises to be an impressive, bright and welcoming space. Split into three distinct sections - entrance/bar, roped climbing and bouldering spaces - the layout will also offer a large sunbaked terrace ideal for coffee or even a yoga session. More information to follow as it becomes available.
No Gym Left Behind
Spanish chain Sputnik has posted about the investments it has made back into existing gyms to ensure that all sites remain at the forefront as new ones come online this year and in future. Over €1million has been spent on improved working conditions and gym spaces across the network.
Mallorcan Ambition Grows
On 28th February, the Consell de Mallorca has inaugurated the island’s first dedicated venue for competition lead and speed climbing, allowing Balearic athletes the ability to regularly train at the highest level without expensive travel to the mainland. EPClimbing carried out the design and build work.
Sweden
Sisjon Signs Off
On 12th February, Klattercentret Sisjon announced that they will be permanently closing on 30th April. Citing tough trading conditions, the business will consolidate resources and staff into the more viable Partille site, enabling climbers of Gothenburg continued access to roped climbing and bouldering.
UK
PCL Makes History
The Pro Climbing League welcomed 2500 spectators to the inaugural event at Magazine London on 28th February. The show put on by PCL and RedBull was incredible and a huge congratulations to Oriane Bertone and Max Milne for taking first places. ECN founder, Callum, was behind the scenes for the rehearsals and main event and will be providing a writeup on his perspective soon!
A Common Cause
A community gym project, Climbing Commons, has been quietly making impressive progress. The Stroud-based gym has taken over a former mill and will offer a wide range of angles, kids zone and even a Decoy Holds Spraywall.
Going the Distance
A couple based in Whitehaven, Cumbria, have announced that they are to build a new bouldering gym in their town. Their motivation stems from having calculated that they are driving 8000 miles per year just to reach decent indoor climbing facilities. We reached out owners to Iain and Kat for more information, they receive the keys later this month and are aiming to open in April. We look forward to following their progress!
Fundraising for Upgrades
Cleobury Community Hub in Shropshire has announced it is seeking £800,000 to upgrade its climbing facilities to better serve the local area. Gym manager, Mark Greaves, has said that the centre received planning permission in June last year for an accessible, fully roped climbing wall, along with an extension to the bouldering wall, a dance studio and an extension to the cafe.
Uncertain Future
Hamilton-based Hang On Climbing Centre announced that it will be permanently closing on 14th March after 2 years of discussion with the local council. Although the team plan to reopen a V2.0 gym, there is currently no fixed plan on this.
Snacks Only
Southern bouldering gym Volume 1 has shared that they will be remodelling their shop and cafe setup, consolidating it into the main reception area. What this means for customers is that they will no longer be serving hot food options alongside existing barista drinks and snacks.
As we mentioned in our Market Report, gyms on industrial estates with no other cafe within a reasonable distance should be leaning in to, and marketing, their unique offering to attract local workers for lunches and good coffee, which can then lead to cross selling into your gym’s main product.
