UKC

Anyone have experience of a Clip n’ Climb franchise wall?

There is one opening nearby in October - But the press release suggests it will offer 20 Climbing problems - at £12.50 a session.

Do they use auto-belays - any lead walls?  Or is it all bouldering?

Are they any good - or purely for kids birthday parties?

Kids from what I've seen .

Nothing for the serious climber .

The one I walked past at Tamworth snow dome looked like a play pen for children and the website I looked at was like something from a soft play area.

If you do any climbing, they are a bit whack but my daughter loves it. It was a really good "gateway" to climbing as it's a really fun, exciting set up. She's now keener to boulder at the Depot or do routes outside but still enjoys it (she's 6).

It's all auto-belayed. You have to get the staff to clip you in and you aren't allowed to wear climbing shoes.

It's not bad as a novelty one-off for a kids party or a work outing / stag do / hen do activity or whatever but no substitute for a proper climbing wall if you want somewhere to go regularly and climb seriously.

They are a fun alternative, but at £12 an hour, not the place for your regular climbing. Because you need to be clipped in by staff, it can be a pain when its very busy.

I've been twice with the kids, there are enough problems to give you a bit of a workout and it's different.

sounds great !

They’re brilliant.  High steps - rock overs - huge dynos - long reaches - no hands.  You can just make it up as you go along.  I have been on a quite a few and worked with student climbers on them - no grade chasing just very physical inventive fun.   Kids get in the way though if it’s busy !  And cuts out the whole pecking order malarkey on the more worthy end of climbing indoors.  Bargain. 

Worked at one. Very odd climbing in trainers to start with, but actually quite good fun. Our hardest “element” was Triffid, F6a/+ and quite sustained. As staff, we developed lots of eliminates and our own challenges to try after work. When we got “climbers” in among our normal customers, we’d suggest some of our challenges to them, so try asking staff. 

Eventually got Triffid one-handed (right hand). My colleague also got it one handed, but left hand, neither of us could do it the other way round.

if they have the Speed Wall element, that can be a bit addictive, but we (staff) got told to stop as we got too quick for the autobelay (there’s a high speed one for proper speedclimbing).

Anyway, not as good and more pricey than normal climbing, but if u have to take kids, family, etc to SOMETHING, it’s better than not climbing.  And it’s a great gateway drug!

Been a few times for kids parties. If you tell the staff you climb, they seem happy enough to give you a krab key. Less work for them when it’s busy.