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Boatyard Boulders Nottingham - Roast our plans

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An invitation to roast our ridiculous plans to build a paid entry Bouldering park. 

All structures comply to playground regulations so we are creating an entirely new type of Bouldering centre. There will be the best realistic rock you've ever seen and regular route-setting. 

There will be free climbing for anyone in crisis and the UK's top graffiti artists will have free wall space to create 

Come to the site have a tour and let me show you why this place is going to be a model for expanding bouldering in the UK .

Boatyard Boulders 

Thanks Ben 

Find out more...

 S Ramsay 16 Oct 2022
In reply to BoatyardBoulders:

My 2C

1) Are realistic boulders the best choice if you want regular route setting? Features on your boulders can't be changed and this can then limit the options for routesetting, especially at harder grades

2) Will it be floodlit? If no then it greatly limits your peak hours

Realistic rock without floodlighting - great for schools, families at the weekend. No need to spend money on regular routesetting

Flat panels a la Dumbo + floodlighting + regular routesetting = potential to attract local enthusiasts

Will people be tempted to climb outdoors in the cold? I'm not sure. Oxford Brookes does have an outdoor but covered section and that is always pretty popular although when the holds feel damp I'd rather climb on the indoors bit

 Climber_Bill 16 Oct 2022
In reply to BoatyardBoulders:

As per S Ramsay, I think it will be popular with kids, schools, birthday parties, youth groups etc.

I doubt that regular keen climbers will find it very useful apart from the odd session on a very warm evening in the summer for a bit of a change.

 Gazmataz 18 Oct 2022
In reply to BoatyardBoulders:

If you're in Nottingham and it's nice enough to climb outdoors you're pretty close to some great rock in the Peak District which is free to access and is in the beautiful peak. I'd only want to pay to climb on artificial rock if the weather isn't good enough to go to some real rock which would mean I wouldn't climb here as the rock would be wet or it'd be too cold or dark to be outdoors.  I also agree with other posters. If it's realistic rock it's not going to be reset enough to want to go there regularly. You're much better off with artificial panels that can be properly reset. 

In reply to Gazmataz:

Some great points here.

I agree it's a massive experiment.. but what is key here is the location, we have this 30'000 sq ft site accessible to everyone in the city. We intend to open from 6.30am to 10pm in the summer. It's a short walk and cycle route into Notttinghsm city centre. 

Key points 

  • The rock features will be reshaped every year and have anchor points for climbing holds.
  • We have the only riverside cafe potential on the river Trent in Nottingham.
  • We will  have seperate areas for kids.
  • The rock sculptor we're working with is the best in the world and can recreate any rock type. 
  • It's always better to get on real rock, but if you live in Nottingham can you get there before work? 
  • Our permanent safety surfacing means we can build to 3.4M, this falls within playground regulations as opposed to a higher insurance bracket for bouldering walls.
  • We have the best slipway for water access on the river Trent and will provide canoing, kayaking and Paddle boarding. 
  • We'll offer accredited qualifications in all sports we offer and provide free access to anyone in crisis. 
  • There will be opportunities to have a 'spotter' role and climb for free in return for helping others.

Send your ideas and help us get it right, because the site is incredible and led all our plans. Better still come talk to us in person! We want to get this right.

Thanks Ben 

In reply to Gazmataz:

We've just had a donation of nearly 10k worth of these exact panels from a world famous climber. I can't drop his name as I don't want to sour the already generous offer.  There will be a mix of realistic rock and more traditional resin panels. 

In reply to Climber_Bill:

Give us some ideas, we want people to get involved. When we did our research, the wave wall at the foundry kept coming up, so we will do something inspired by this. I remember before the Climbing works opened in Sheffield virtually everyone in the industry said it would be a flop.. they dared to go for it and the rest is history. We now have an indoor bouldering centre in every major city. 

 Elevator 19 Oct 2022
In reply to Elevator:

Yes that's been mentioned on FB too, I'll go take a look. Had some other great suggestions to have the 3 favoured rock types, sandstone, granite and limestone. In addition try and take inspiration from specific climbing areas like Fontainebleau.

I don't think the idea would work in many places, but it's a great location. The site has a long history providing adventure sports in the city and there is  existing planning in place. It's also got some essential stuff already built, like a large shower block/changing room facility. We almost have to build the climbing structures in concrete as it's right on the river and needs to be completely water proof in case of flooding. 

The plan is to open long hours in spring - summer, from as early as 6.30am, so people can climb before work in the city centre (15 mins walk away). The Riverside coffee truck will be the only spot on the river Trent to provide Waterside drinks. All that working together with the Graffiti art, paddle boarding and kayaking will be popular. 

We want it to be welcoming to beginners but have specific dedicated areas for the more advanced climbers. 

P.s don't forget to donate ☺️

 Pedro50 20 Oct 2022
In reply to BoatyardBoulders:

Thirty years ago there were two monstrously overhanging traverses on either side of the actual arch, we spent many happy hours there, probably contributed heavily to wrecking my elbows.

Good luck with your project.

In reply to Pedro50:

Thanks. I think timing has been awful ! We don't want people's money if they are struggling. We started planning it over a year ago and scheduled the crowdfunder for optimum time to build over winter. 

The message is save your money and we'll find a way. 

Thanks Ben 

 Tricky Dicky 26 Oct 2022
In reply to BoatyardBoulders:

Might be orth getting in touch with the folk at Cuningar Loop Boulders, https://www.climbscotland.net/where-to-go/get-outdoors/cuningar-loop-boulde...

In reply to BoatyardBoulders:

I visited there and love what they did.. But from what everyone is saying without fixing points for holds and volumes these structures get boring very quickly.

News update ! The build is going to happen next year, so we will be looking for climbing consultants to help make sure we don't mess it up. If we have ultra realistic rock with a full grid of climbing hold fixing points it will be first for the UK. 

Thanks for the support.

The UK climbing forum's members have been our biggest donators to the project. 

Ben


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