November Gym Round Up
Welcome to the November Gym Round Up!
November was a slow burner for the continent, with the majority of developments streaming through in the second half of the month, projects were completed, new builds announced and unexpected (mostly temporary) closures rounded out the variety.
As always, if you have announcements to share with the industry, be sure to tag/email/DM us.
We want to hear from gym owners to form Part 2 of our Soft Grades, Hard Realities article. After you’ve had a read of the round up, top up your drink and give that a read. We’d love to get your thoughts on the subject.
Vertical Pro was significantly more of a success for Euro Climbing News than 2024, we’re thankful for everyone who approached us to say they appreciate our work and want more content from us, cheers everyone to a strong 2026. We’ll hopefully meet more of you in January at the Salon de l’Escalade in Paris!
Austria
Stein-un-Blocked
German bouldering chain Steinblock, headed up by Guntram Mattle, has made progress with their landmark Innsbruck site. The Federal Monuments Office has granted its approval for the gym to go ahead, clearing the final hurdle before construction to begin.
Belgium
Just in time for Winter!
BeBloc, situated in the central city of Namur, has completed an approximately 14m, steep section of outdoor bouldering wall just as the the temperature drops across the continent!
Former Theatre Reborn as a Boulder Gym
Nestled on the edge of the central square in Tienen, central Belgium, a former theatre is being carefully transformed into a bouldering venue. Owners Lander Inghelram, Simon van Melkebeek and Rob Van der Velpen tell us about the space: “We have an amazing building with a lot of character! It used to be an old theatre which is still very present: the training area and KilterBoard are on the old stage, and you can still see the wooden structures on which the lights were controlled. We also have a garden of around 100m2. There is room to expand. There is a balcony in our space where people used to sit and watch the theatre. Right now the space is sealed, but in time we could open it up and install extra bouldering walls.”
The 600sqm gym will feature 400sqm of wall space, a cafe/bar, and have an additional 3 staff members to welcome customers and keep the site running smoothly.
Bulgaria
Plovdiv Finish Line
The chain Momentum Climbing, known for its large sites in Sofia and the US, has announced the opening date for the country’s second site, in Plovdiv. The Walltopia-built, full service gym will welcome customers from the 13th December with a free open day and opportunity to win prizes on the day.
Czechia
Multiplying Macaques
After 15 years on the outskirts of Jablonec in the north of country, Makak Arena will open their second site, two storey bouldering gym, in the area. The new site will open on January 23rd
Finland
The BOD Warm Up?
Boulder Porvoo has revealed their gym design and location, which may of great interest to climbers wanting to attempt a particularly hard boulder. Gym founder Mari talks us through the gym: "A couple of years ago, Porvoo’s only climbing gym closed, leaving the city without a place to climb. Boulder Porvoo is here to fill that gap and bring climbing back where it belongs. Our goal is to make climbing accessible — with a low threshold, good vibes, and quality boulders. We offer a space where it’s easy to try, progress, and enjoy, whether for fun or focused training. Besides our walls, you’ll find an adjustable training wall, a campus board, and a small strength training area. The gym opens at the end of 2025, and future expansion is already on the drawing board. We’re here to help more people find the spark that caught us.
PS: We’re the closest gym to Burden of Dreams, the world’s hardest boulder — get in touch if you want to warm up before projecting"
France
El Cap 2
Nantes-based full service gym El Cap has announced its second site in the city is in development. Whilst no information is available, the building height might imply that this will be a large boulder-only gym. We look forward to learning more as information appears!
Putting a Roof on it
A new, ground-up site is being built for bouldering chain The Roof. This new site is situated in Martinvast, just outside of Cherbourg in the north of the country, and marks the 10th gym for the chain. Alongside the bouldering, the gym will feature a kids play area, yoga/pilates space, bar/restaurant and sauna. Originally slated to open in the summer, the gym has faced unspecified delays, we await an opening date.
Alpine Opening
After a shaky summer of permitting issues, Bloc de l’Ours will open to the public on December 13th. The two storey gym is situated 2 valleys over from the central alpine city of Grenoble, and features a TensionBoard2, kids zone, ample bouldering space across a range of angles, and outdoor balcony for a great view. Holds and setting were taken care of by Gautier Supper’s Climbing Gym Consulting and Superprise.
Parisian Gyms Keep Coming!
In a break from the wave of bouldering gyms opening recently, the Montparnasse area will shortly welcome Vertical World - a mix roped/autobelay and CrazyClimb gym. The Walltopia build features LED hold placements throughout, and aims to open before the year is out.
Padel with a Hint of Climbing
Escapad Lille welcomed customers on November 29th to the inauguration of the new combined padel and bouldering gym. Situated in the large EuraLille commercial centre, the site features restaurant/bar, a extensive array of clay padel courts, an accessible range of natural tone, white highlighted bouldering walls, and the EP Climbing TITAN Competition Wall.
Historic Dunkerque
Vertical’Art’s Dunkerque site will open on December 7th with a free open day and party vibe. Located within the DK Park leisure complex the CityWall-built, 1000sqm site features a large array of angles to suit all abilities and styles, a ‘Little Daredevils’ kids zone, and large cafe/bar space to relax.
Fire Forces a Closure
On the morning of 27th November Vertical’Art Lille suffered a fire and has been forced to close until further notice while a damage inspection and repairs take place. The team noted that no injuries occurred and emergency services responded quickly.
Germany
Gym Broken into for a Beer!
Kletterhalle Rosenheim in southern Germany was broken in to at the end of the month. Thankfully for the gym, and to the amusement of the manager, all that was stolen were two bottles of beer.
Old Walls get New Life
In Allgaeu the former Sportalm Scheidegg gym has been acquired and upgraded by Fun Area Allgaeu. The multi activity site opened on the 8th November and features 1000sqm of boulder and roped walls, a 1200sqm laser tag arena and mini golf. The opening set was led by Christian Bindhammer.
Studio Bloc Masters Takes a Break
The legendary pre-season competition, where the world’s best use the event to gauge the success of their rigorous winter training program, has announced a pause this year. The reason is understandable - Studio Bloc has recently opened their third site, Mannheim, and requires a full team effort to get the gym fully stood up and performing at its best. They have assured that Bloc Masters will return in 2027, for the 2026 pre-season competitors will have to settle for the final CWIF event in Sheffield!
DAV Goes Big
The Ravensburg section of the DAV have announced a large new club venue and climbing gym. With construction starting next year, the site will feature below ground parking, 1150sqm of climbing surface spread across 17m tall roped walls, 600sqm of external roped wall space, and an additional 900sqm indoor bouldering hall - combined for a huge 2850sqm of climbing wall! The DAV will also have office and conference facilities, rounded out with a cafe and large sun terrace to relax.
Board Climbers Rejoice
A boards only gym will be opening in Munich on December 6th. Consdering the concept, the gym is not short on space; there are full ShinyWall and Quantum XL boards, and 200sqm of training space. We look forward to seeing if this style of gym can thrive in a gym-dense city by drawing on customers that are regularly running out of climbs to work on at their home gyms.
Hungary
Gimme Five!
A new entrant to the Hungarian climbing gym scene, Hi5 Boulder, has rapidly come together to imminently welcome customers. The CityWall-built gym is located in Székesfehérvár, central Hungary; the building is 600sqm and features 350sqm of wall space, training area, kids zone, and cafe/bar. A training board of some flavour is anticipated for ‘phase 2’. The gym has been founded by a group of local climbers, and will employ 5-8 staff members.
Italy
Bouldering Gym for Priero
The small mountain village Priero, population 441, has the ambition to open a bouldering gym. The village recently began works on the undisclosed site, which we assume is part of a larger sports complex given the small local audience.
Bouldering Refresh
Boulder Centre Corvara, nestled in the mountainous north east of Italy, has undergone a refurbishment courtesy of Steilheit GMBH with routesetting undertaken by High5 Climbing Service. The compact gym packs a good range of angles into a quirky spiral layout.
Ireland
Wall Closure
Long time venue The Wall in Dublin closed its doors permanently on December 1st for the site to be rebuilt into a hotel. Their modern sister venue, Bloc Climbing will however benefit from the holds and materials gained from the closure.
Netherlands
New Beest
Dutch bouldering chain Beest have announced a new site, their eighth, in Delft - between The Hague and Rotterdam. The large and bright site is currently shy on detail, but a rendered teaser offers a glimpse of a multiple island layout, training boards and extensive climbing surface space along the sides of the space. Customers can also expect the usual, quality Beest customer service and welcoming cafe space.
Going Big in Apeldoorn
Growing boulder chain Kei have announced their third site, in the north of Apeldoorn. The former industrial unit has quickly been stripped out and modernised, allowing for the abundant natural light to illuminate the space. A mezzanine level has begun going in, implying plenty of height for two levels of climbing, or space for training and boards.
Norway
Small Town, Large Gym!
Tucked away in the mountainous south west of the country, the small town of Sauda (population 4500) was treated with the opening of the Klyv Climbing Centre on the 1st November. The wall and design were by Walltopia, there are 2 floors with 1000sqm bouldering, and a main room with 15 metre rope walls, tbey are now saving up funds to install 10 meter roped walls on the second floor and a KilterBoard. They are also proud to be wheelchair accessible throughout, and have partnered with a local gear shop to cover their limited retail needs. Interestingly, the gym is fully volunteer run and is open 4 days/week 7:00-23:00. In their words “The people behind the project are just some local guys who really love climbing, but didn’t have a place for it, so we built one.”
Under New Ownership
The site of the former Høyt Under Taket Kokstad climbing gym has been acquired by a group of 6 under the name Studio Vertikal. The team have already made good progress with the upgrades, building an enclosed reception and cafe space for customers to enjoy the action in peace. The gym will retain it’s full service offering of bouldering, ropes and autobelays, offering customers a range of choices and possibilities no matter their experience level.
Spain
Sputnik #7
Leading Spanish chain Sputnik have broken ground on their 7th gym, in Asturias in the north of the country, and comes on top of the complex Guindalera site currently under construction. The Walltopia-built, large 2400sqm gym will feature 140 roped lines up to 20m, 50 autobelays, 180 boulders, IFSC Speed Wall, training space, and the classic high quality Sputnik canteen. According to their social media posts, the gym is expected to open toward the end of July 2026.
Funding Secured
The dream target for aspirant gym owners the world over. The team at Argian Climbing announced in November that they had hit their fundraising target to commence the build. Originally teased back in April 2021, the gym showed off a stunning render, possibly from DreamWall, of a full-service site featuring a lot of glass, tall roped walls, a large terrace. We look forward to seeing what rises from the stalled construction site!
Sweden
Gothenburg gets the Beta Treatment
Copenhagen-based Beta Boulders are continuing their march north with the announcement of a gym in the city of Gothenburg. Featuring 150 boulders, sauna (a now must-have according to owner, Francesco!), large cafe/bar, and ample parking with easy city access.
UK
A Resplendent Castle
London based architecture firm Hanworth Tompkins have shared that they are collaborating the the historic Castle Climbing Centre to “shape a long-term vision for the future of its spaces, building on the facility’s already strong commitment to sustainable operations.”
“The emerging concept seeks to unlock the potential of the site by bringing visitors deeper into the grounds through the creation of a new yard space, designed to host a range of activities. Reimagined spaces will form a dynamic new entrance linking the Forge and Boiler House, enhancing access to the climbing facilities, gardens, and outdoor boulders. Climbing and wellbeing remain at the heart of the proposals, as The Castle team continue their role as proud custodians of the remarkable Grade II Listed Scottish Baronial-style pumping station in north London.”
Railway Arches - Never a Dull Moment
Birmingham Bouldering Centre have announced a temporary three week closure due to railway arches above the gym undergoing a safety inspection and possible maintenance. The largely victorian-era arches are prevalent across the country and make an attractive option for hosting a climbing gym, but are often riddled with issues if they are not well maintained.
A Fresh Eden
The Climbing Wall Company share that they had completed an impressive bouldering competition wall for Newcastle gym Eden Rock.
A Confident Rebound
With the closure of their Wimbledon site firmly beyond the rear-view mirror, The Boardroom in Queensferry have made some changes to the site: They have torn out the party/function room and installed a large training space and updated the cafe seating on the upstairs mezzanine. In the new year they hope to install a second mezzanine above the new training space to accommodate a KilterBoard, and also redesign their reception area to smooth the flow of customer traffic.
