September Gym Round Up
September had a strong theme of refurbishment and renewal, gyms across the continent were frantically completing works ready for the traditionally busier winter season.
We had a great time at the ABC (Association of British Climbing Walls) Conference in Sheffield, UK. Thank you to everyone we had the pleasure of speaking to and learning from. With November on the horizon, we are now looking forward to the Vertical Pro trade show in Friedrichshafen - if you see us there please do say hi sand tell us about your business.
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!
Austria
Potential Death Narrowly Averted
A 32 year old climber at the world renowned Kletterzentrum Innsbruck sustained injury after falling to the floor from 10m. After climbing to the top of a route, he noticed that his knot had somehow come undone. He wrapped the rope around his arm several times and his partner began to lower him; however at 10m the climber lost grip and fell to the floor. The climber received first aid and was taken to hospital, he had sustained injuries to his spine and limbs. We wish the climber a quick recovery, and that the KI staff that witnessed the scene on site are suitably counselled.
KI to Expand to Völs
On a more positive note for Kletterzentrum Innsbruck; the Alpine Club, the local Cyta Shopping Centre and sports facility investor Bellutti Group will be contributing an estimated eight million euros to a sibling climbing gym in Völs. At roughly half the size of KI, the 2800sqm full-service facility will act as the crown jewel of a new sports campus which includes padel and a trampoline park. With reported daily entries of over 1,000; regulars have complained of overcrowding at the world class gym, this new addition will be a welcome relief.
Belgium
The Wall is Complete
EP Climbing has completed The Wall in Verviers; the colourful gym features 621sqm of wall surface, adjustable KilterBoard, Titan Competition boulder, Kids zone, and training area. They have recently teased another site, making use of a former basilica for a full service gym with some incredibly tall roped walls!
Denmark
Bouldering, Scandi Style
The original Beta Boulders site in Vanløse is making use of its large outdoor space to install decking, a sauna and cold plunge. As the cold Nordic winter sets in it will be an invigorating addition for members!
Bison Found in Copenhagen
An awaited second Bison Boulders site has opened in central Copenhagen, The Blocz-built gym opened to the public on the 27th and offers a compact, premium space, including one of the first adjustable LUMO Climbing Boards in Europe.
France
Second Karma Stirs Controversy
French climbing federation, FFME, is nearing completion of their second site, Karma La Villette, in Paris. The Pyramide-built gym aims to bring all three disciplines of sport climbing under one roof, a first for the French capital. There has been strong opposition to the gym’s opening by UDSE members (association of French climbing walls) regarding how the gym has been partly funded with a €3.35million loan, 50% of which has been guaranteed by the city. Karma has a target of 200 check-ins per day to break even, in an ever more crowded city this target might be a tough one to sustain.
Grand Unboxing
Nestled in Marseille, Boite A Grimpe has completed a rebuild of their bouldering wall. The new walls opened to customers on September 16th and offer a modern aesthetic and flowy angles, a welcome upgrade to the original facility.
When Life Gives You Oranges
Alpine bouldering gym Au Perchoir is constructing their second site in the nearby city of Grenoble. The historic building offers ample space and natural light for customers, it will also offer food and drinks through their existing partnership with EcoTable.
A Modern Fusion
Lille will soon welcome at combined Padel, Bouldering, Restaurant gym - Escapad. The EP Climbing-built facility will offer one of Europe’s first sites to merge the two hottest sports around, alongside Lille’s first adjustable KilterBoard. To assist in making their mark in the market, they have recruited French star climber Max Bertone as a sponsored athlete.
Into the Arena
Large bouldering gym Climb Arena opened to the public on the 20th September, the 2000sqm Parisian gym features the EP Climbing Titan wall, a recovery suite with Cryo bed, hydrotherapy and massage guns, kids zone, yoga room, fixed 40deg KilterBoard, and cafe space.
BS.26
Bloc Session’s 26th site opened on the 26th September in Rouen. The 800sqm site offers the signature mix of premium climbing, comfortable cafe, and a training space.
Reunion’s Largest Gym Opens
Situated in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, La Reunion is an island paradise, recently enhanced with the opening of Vertikaz, the island’s largest. The gym features plenty of flowy wall angles, and a unique, monochrome spraywall courtesy of Supr Climbing Holds.
Germany
Block Barock Burgled
The bouldering gym in Fulda, central Germany, was burgled in early September. The gym reported that DJ equipment worth €3300 was taken during the incident. Climbing gyms are seemingly becoming an attractive target for criminals, with more gyms becoming cashless it appears that anything not tied down can be looted.
Stuntwerk Grows
Bouldering chain Stuntwerk has expanded twice in a month; the acquisition of Captain Hook in Trotsberg and completion of Stuntwerk Essen, bringing the total number of sites to eight. This is an impressive rate of growth, we reported on their sixth site in February of this year. The 3000sqm Trotsberg site includes a trampoline park, functional fitness space, kids zone and a bistro. The CityWall-built site opened to the public a year ago. Essen is a 2000sqm facility encompassing bouldering, parkour, ninja courses, fitness and cafe spaces.
Come Out on Top
Heavily delayed Top Boulder in Malmsheim opened for customers on September 20th. The gym had unfortunately had to deal with a heating system failure which flooded a large portion of the facility, as a result part of the top-out boulder had to be dismantled, and the competition wall matting removed for drying whilst the floor was repaired and sealed.
Seltmans Swamped
Unfortunately another gym suffered a water problem this month, Kletterhalle Seltmans in southern Germany endured a thunderstorm and lost, the team were forced to replace 100sqm of flooring before reopening. In a substantial upgrade, the gym has installed underfloor heating in the main roped area.
Italy
Trieste Cellar Transformed
Dolomyte Boulder in the north western city of Trieste opened its cellar doors to the public on the 27th September. 500sqm of bouldering is perfectly nestled into grand cellar arches in the city’s central area, joining a handful of other gyms in the city and enhancing the overall offering to local climbers.
Salewa Cube2
A few months ago, we shared that OberAlp Group, the parent company behind the Salewa Cube, announced a string of ten new climbing gyms across Italy by 2030. The first of these gyms has now been announced and is opening on 18th October, Salewa Cube Bolzano - a 1100sqm bouldering gym within a commercial complex featuring a KilterBoard, training-, kids- and cafe spaces. A third Cube site has been teased for opening before the end of the year in Varese, to the north of Milan - watch this space!
Luxembourg
FLERA Steps Up
The national federation for climbing and mountaineering - FLERA (Fédération Luxembourgeoise d'Escalade, de Randonnée Sportive et d'Alpinisme) announced their hiring of a new manager, Anaïs Bourin, with her experience in responsible strategy, project management, training, and company support, she is a welcome addition to the federation to continue pushing the envelope of professionalisation in the climbing space.
Netherlands
Bumpy Road for Kei
Kei Boulderhal has begun construction of their third site, this time in Apeldoorn. The gym has suffered multiple setbacks before now, including a sale of the property during negotiations, and a false start in 2019. The 1200sqm gym occupies one third of the Drieslag Hall and will welcome customers in ‘early 2026’.
Norway
Fancy in Fredrikstad
Fredrikstad Bouldering Centre opened to the public on the 27th Sept with free entries and a BBQ party. The showroom-style, Walltopia-built gym features the country’s first TensionBoard2 and hosted an impromptu national championship on the board during the opening festivities.
Upgrades for Oslo
The large, full-service gym Oslo Klatresenter has expanded their bouldering space with a few hundred sqm of new wall space. Notably, their use of simple hammer-in tnuts is a little controversial in modern climbing gyms with routesetters knowing how easily they can come loose.
Owner Shuffle
Ownership of Norwegian wall builder Tjelmeland Friction has transferred to Tjelmeland Holding AS, unfortunately no reason was given. The business is known for the construction of some of the country’s largest gym projects.
Portugal
Heightened Vertigo
Lisbon-based gym Vertigo has teased the construction of its second site in the city. Nestled in the north of the city, near the Oceanarium, Vertigo Oriente began clearance works in mid-September and we expect the gym to offer high quality bouldering with a generous selection of premium holds.
Poland
Level 450
Katowice-based full service gym have announced their bouldering only site a short drive from the city centre, The large former sports hall offers a grand venue for a well designed gym.
Spain
A Beast Appears
Newly announced bouldering gym, Bayyana, have announced their site in Cordoba. Whilst there is little information available, Bayyana will be the second gym for the town of 325,000 people, offering ample opportunity for a successful opening.
Quality Time
The former Indian Rock gym in Santander, now Quality Climbing, has reopened after a full refurbishment - having closed at the end of June.
UK
An Upgraded Upgrade
The industry leading climbing gym at Warwick University has received a partial makeover. Having opened in 2019 after transitioning from the original bendcrete/plywood facility, the EP Climbing-built full-service gym had a fibreglass faux rock wall nestled between ply walls. This wall has now been removed and upgraded with a protruding plywood block of 10 new lines.
Enhanced Elmbridge
The XCel Leisure centre in west London has announced a total renovation of its compact climbing facility. The Kong-built climbing wall will replace the existing false rock featured walls with tall plywood, making better use of the available space.
Broomhill Works
Legendary bouldering gym Climbing Works have opened a gym in partnership with the Broomhill Methodist Centre. Although the gym is managed by The Works crew and set by the same team, memberships are not cross compatible. In a welcome development for the modern routesetting style, the gym is devoid of t-nuts.
Sauna TLC
The original sauna at Mile End has been rebuilt after extensive use since opening in July 2023. The sauna has seen new walls, floor and ceiling installed, alongside new changing booths. With gyms looking to diversify their revenue streams, the expansion of ‘wellness’ facilities are proving popular across the continent.
Acquisition Brings Change
Recently acquired climbing gym Beacon, now part of LCC, has fully refurbished their bouldering area. The lower tier bookends the existing boards with slab and vert angles, the roped wall-facing section offers steep overhangs, and the upper tier offers further vertical terrain.
Nottingham Upgrades
Long-established bouldering gym Depot Nottingham has completed works on a renewed competition wall. It offers a great range of angles and subtle angle changes to allow for flowy routesetting in an extensive diversity of styles.
High Tide in Helston
Tide Climbing opened their second site on 23rd September in Helston, just over 50km from its existing site in Padstow - both in Cornwall, south west England. The compact gym offers two KilterBoards, music venue space, workspace, cafe, and full height windows - offering views over the scenic town. We will have a podcast live soon featuring Sophie Rearden, Director at Tide, and Tim Miller of the ICWC.
Social Reborn
Social Climbing Solihull has reopened after an extensive renovation; the budding chain acquired Flash Climbing and closed it soon after to give it some heavy TLC. Built by Climbing Collective, and an opening set headed up by Social Head Setter Orrin Coley, the gym offers a premium experience for customers old and new.
Castle Upgrades
Historic London climbing gym The Castle continues its spate of upgrades with a tear down and rebuild of the warm up boulders, known as Envy and Lust. Usteto Climbing and Tectonica combined to construct a single, larger traverse boulder. This bloc offers a flowy range of angles, offering an engaging ~35-move warm up routine for customers.
