July Gym Round Up
July could be called turbulent. The summer hustle to refresh ageing gyms was well underway, and reinforces a trend of ‘keeping up with the neighbours’ seen in multiple European cities. We unfortunately saw another wave of gym closures, tempering the joyous highs of the openings.
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Austria
A Flashy Opening
Vienna bouldering gym Das Flash opened to the public on August 2nd. The Art Rock-built, bright and airy gym features flowy angles for interesting routesetting, and four training boards, including the first Woods Boards in Europe - a collaboration between Daniel Woods and Andy Raether - we are interested to see how customers take to this particular board.
Shaky Prospects
The Alpine Club supporting Kletterhalle Woergl has stated that the gym is in dire financial need and will face closure in 2026 if suitable support is not found.
Belgium
Transfo Nears Completion 💰
Belgian gym chain Transfo Climbing have almost completed their third gym, this one on on rejuvenated industrial site featuring all 3 disciplines. The tall and narrow hall accommodates 60 roped lines up to 16m in height, 2 speed climbing lanes and a standalone outdoor boulder. The gym has been built by a contractor team led by EP Climbing.
Disused Paper Mill gets New Life
A huge former mill is to be transformed into a bouldering gym in Genval, just south of Brussels. Behind this project is the non-profit organization Entre Ciel & Terre which hopes to run the gym as a community co-operative.
Bulgaria
Plovdiv Gains Momentum
American gym chain Momentum have announced their second site in Bulgaria. The full service, 2000sqm gym will be located in Plovdiv and feature speed and lead walls, 50 autobelays, bouldering, training space, and the Momentum Youth Climbing Academy - a kids specific zone focusing on development and fun. The gym aims to open before the end of 2025.
Denmark
Aarhus Consolidation
Danish bouldering chain Boulders has completed its 10th gym in the country, and its fourth in the city of Aarhus. The Walltopia-built, 1850sqm gym opened on July 17th and features an adjustable KilterBoard, cafe and a large range of angles to suit all customers.
France
Climb Up Istres Opens
The huge, 2000sqm full-services climbing gym opened to the public on July 4th. The Istres site is nestled on the southern French coast half way between Montpellier and Marseille and marks the 33rd gym for the chain. The gym was built by Escatech.
BL3
On July 15th, Boulder Line opened its third facility—BL3—in downtown Montpellier, marking the city’s first centrally located climbing gym and continuing the trend, also seen in the UK, of building multiple sites within a single urban area. The 600 m² facility, featuring approximately 350 m² of climbing wall surface, was designed by EP Climbing, installed by Escatech, and fitted with matting by Boulder Line. It includes a café/snack bar, a cross-training cage, a KilterBoard, campus board, a dedicated kids' zone with a slide, and improved ventilation via installed air extractors. The opening set was handled by a team of 6 to 7 freelance and in-house setters. Five new staff have joined the team, bringing Boulder Line’s total headcount across all three sites to 30. The repurposed and sustainably accessible facility reinforces Boulder Line’s growing footprint in the region.
There’s Always Space in Paris!
Just as the likes of London, Berlin and Paris seem saturated, there’s always one more gym to squeeze in! Bouldering gym ClimbArena are opening in Cormeilles-en-Parisis in September with an EP-built 2000sqm facility featuring 150 blocs, training space, cafe/bar and a kids zone.
Bloc Session #27 and #28
Featuring in yet another monthly round up, Bloc Session has announced its 27th and 28th locations. Heading north west to locations in Rouen and Saint-Brévin-les-pins it shows a continued appetite for targeting larger towns with an already established climbing presence. Both gyms are targeting September openings.
Construction Commences
Previously reported Le Bloc de Lours in Villard-de-Lans, a short drive from Grenoble, has been able to begin construction on the site after an initial postponement of issuing their building permit. With the permit now granted, works are in full swing both inside and out!
Dock 39 Closes After 10 Years
Dock 39, a climbing gym in the eastern town of Terville announced on the 6th July that it would close permanently on 19th July. The site had operated profitably up until COVID where, like many gyms, its fortunes took a tumble and profitability remained stubbornly out of reach.
Germany
Retail Embezzlement Sinks Climbing Gym
The Exxpozed Climbing gym in Allgau announced their immediate closure on July 12th. It was reported in May that CEO Andreas Bindhammer had embezzled funds from his Exxpozed online retail site and then filed for insolvency. The climbing gym has presumably been caught up as collateral in this messy situation which has left customers out of pocket for unfulfilled orders and returns.
Elektrifying Berlin
A new entrant to the Berlin bouldering gym scene has made a statement with a unique design aesthetic and bright, open layout. Elektra Boulderhalle opened to the public on 12th July, and quickly announced that they had joined the Berlin Bouldert group of walls (Suedbloc, Ostbloc, Boulderklub Kreuzberg and Bouldergarten) to allow monthly members reciprocal access across the network.
Unexpected Closure Hits Braunlage
Small, local bouldering gym BodeBloc announced its immediate closure on 31st July citing financial reasons. Customers will now have to travel a minimum of 50km to Gottingen to get their indoor climbing fix in the meantime.
Moo-ving Location
DAV Moosburg have completed the structure of their new climbing gym with walls going up imminently. The site aims to open in October.
Hungary
GI Transformation
Our first Hungarian gym update! Bouldering gym GI Boulder has closed for 2 months in order to undergo a full renovation. Whilst no further information is available, the gym is bound to offer a greater range of angles for customers and a better use of the available space. They will open again in September as the traditional busy season kicks off.
Italy
Montale Grips Opportunity
Positive signs of modern gym development continue with the announcement of Grip ClimbinGym in Montale, near Firenze. The full service gym will feature an adjustable KilterBoard, lead and boulder walls. The walls are nearly complete, keep an eye on them for more information!
Malta
Crash Pad Fills the Void
Off the back of Gebla’s closure announcement, a new gym is making waves on the island - Crash Pad Malta hopes to fill the void with a premium facility. The gym will feature circuit-, moon-, spray- and kilterboards, a large arch and plenty of angles to climb on.
Norway
All Hands Effort in Fredrikstad
A former mill in the south eastern town has been transformed into a premium bouldering venue with the help of Walltopia. Fredrikstad Buldresenter is a dual-level gym and features both fixed Tensionboard2 and KilterBoard and spraywall, alongside a wide array of angles for customers to play on.
Poland
Increased Flow in Wroclaw
Bouldering Gym Flow have announced the construction of their second Wroclaw site. This gym will be 50% bigger at 1400sqm and feature a dedicated kids zone. We look forward to bringing further information as it becomes available.
Upgraded Eiger
Eiger Climbing Wall in Wroclaw announced a month-long closure to overhaul the gym, including a wealth of new holds. The refreshed gym will reopen in September ready for the seasonal rise in customers.
Double the Problems!
As mentioned in the May edition, Problem Bouldering have now completed their expansion works. The site had doubled in size and now offers adjustable KilterBoard and Spraywalls, substantially more bouldering surface and a training area. More holds, in addition to those already delivered, are yet to arrive, and the owners have teased “this is just the beginning!”
A Shift is Coming
Squeaking in on the 31st July Szychta Bouldering announced their new gym in Knurow in the south of the country, near Katowice. No other information is currently available, we look forward to following their progress!
Portugal
UPA!
UPA Climbing gym in Coimbra will be closed for the second half of August to undergo a refurbishment, at the time of writing the gym has not released information on the works to be completed but the aim is ‘make the gym even better!
Spain
Rock’n’Bloc’n’Kilter!
Grenada climbing gym Rock’n’Bloc have completed an expansion to their extensive site, which included increased bouldering, autobelays and an adjustable KilterBoard.
Monkey Business
Spanish wall builder Relief Xperiens recently completed 2 projects in Cordoba: a 52sqm prow feature extension for MonkeyRock, and an external 9m tall, 105sqm roped tower at an activity centre.
Keeping up with the Neighbours
Madrid bouldering gym ROC30 completed a small renovation to add a sizeable overhanging prow feature and replace the matting. In an era of stiff competition in large urban centres it is key to keep up with local competition, or face customers departing for other gyms.
Slovakia
A New Chain in the Making
Block Dock, a bouldering gym in the border city of Bratislava have announced their second site in the Petržalka area, south of the Danube river. Unfortunately nothing else is known about the build, however we look forward to sharing more as information becomes available.
Switzerland
Griffig Refresh
Zurich climbing gym Griffig announced an 11 day closure for Walltopia to renovate their steep lead walls and install a KilterBoard XL. This modernisation and training addition will be welcome for the gym’s stronger climbing audience.
UK
Bobat Crew Sell Hang
On July 1st, it was announced that Hounslow-based Hang. - the showroom style bouldering venue founded by Jon Partridge and the Bouldering Bobat crew - had been bought by The Font. With the announcement came an instant Instagram rebranding to The Font Hounslow and pay rises for the crew to bring into line with their Wandsworth counterparts. Unfortunately for the Bobat fans, Centre Manager Joe has departed, and rumours are swirling that Head Setter Jake Mason may be leaving too.
The Font Buys Parthian Wandsworth 💰
As covered in our in-depth article, Wandsworth-based bouldering gym The Font has bought its full-service neighbour Parthian Wandsworth. With encroaching housing development applying pressure around the original site, the gym will be shuttered soon and all resources will be funnelled into the larger Parthian location.
Parthian Manchester Closes After 20 Years
In a second development for Parthian Climbing, their Manchester site abruptly closed on Tuesday 29th July following speculation on the future of the site after an online petition was launched by the staff team to save the site. The fate of the gym was also hinted at in the press release of The Font deal: “This move gives Parthian the opportunity to refocus on our Reading and Southampton centres, consolidate our strengths, and take a moment to regroup”.
Reshaping the Valley 💰
The bouldering gym site of Climb Newcastle underwent a slight revamp of their walls during July to remove a topout section in favour of some steeper climbing and a touch of slab on the opposing side. Whilst the new walls merge seamlessly with the originals, they will need a good coating of rubber to match the colour!
Depot Refurbishment
The Depot Nottingham is undergoing its third refurbishment, as per the website these works include: “Removal & replacement of the competition climbing wall area, removal & replacement of the right-hand side climbing surfaces, removal of the mezzanine climbing area for replacement with training equipment and a TensionBoard2”. The gym will be fully accessible again on 22nd September.
Nottingham Heats Up
Long established full service gym Nottingham Climbing Centre has announced it is opening a standalone bouldering gym. Located in Lenton, to the west of the city centre it aims to offer a large and modern bouldering space for its customers. The Kong Climbing built facility will offer extensive climbing terrain, 2 digital boards and a training area. With The Depot’s refurbishment, and Climbing Hangar making early moves for a site in the city, the local market will be heating up very soon.
No Place too Far
Walltopia have completed a climbing wall down in the Falkland Islands for Falklands Sport. Featuring 211sqm of wall for top rope and lead climbing, this will be a very welcome addition to the active islander population.
A Modern Project
The Project Climbing Centre in Poole, south west England, completed a huge refurbishment on 24th July. The Climbing Collective, headed up by Ben West, took on the challenge of designing and implementing the works alongside gym owner Freddie Naish and head setter Freddy High. Dubbed Phase 1, the objective was to build a completely new, larger competition wall, and a separate shorter-height bouldering section. We look forward to what Phase 2 brings in 2026!
