UKC

Hi

Apologies if this has been done, but a search didn't find a thread on it. Given that gyms can re-open on 31 August in Scotland, does this mean climbing walls can also re-open? Or are they a separate category?

Ta!

My local wall AverticalWorld in Dundee are opening

When the gyms in England opened the climbing walls also opened.  

I imagine that they will be allowed with adequate steps in place.

I visit my gym regularly but have yet to revisit the wall since lockdown so far due to less faff. 

Although I might look into going this week now .

That's promising. I'm hoping the Edinburgh walls will also do so. I just hadn't seen of any saying anything after the announcement about gyms, so wasn't sure if they were seen as the same category.

Ratho is not opening just yet as edinburgh leisure have not mentioned it.. although it seems to be the one place that would be the best to open as its massive and air circulation is not a problem! Eden rock i think are going to be opening soon by the look of it but no date posted yet

there was a statement from TCA Glasgow highlighting that guidance for Scottish climbing walls had not been finalised last week, and expect more details this week. That will be the same for all the walls in scotland.

https://www.theclimbingacademy.com/tca-life/reopening-glasgow-centres/

Edinburgh Leisure say they are opening facilities gradually, starting with four on 14th Sept which do not include Ratho.

Worryingly, there was something in the news a few days ago saying that Edinburgh Leisure and some other similar bodies in Scotland would struggle without additional funding to get things open. I very much hope that Ratho's future is not again in doubt.

As most climbing walls are profit-making businesses (and leisure centres like swimming pools usually not), how come Ratho can't make money?

Because Ratho is not like most climbing walls?

My question was more what's different about it (other than it being built onto the side of a rock face, but I'm not quite sure why that should affect its profitability)?

Ratho is huge compared to most walls, its more of an international standard facility than one sized for local needs.  It is also quite a bit out of town and hard to get to without a car.  There's stuff in the building apart from the wall which may be getting bundled into the same accounts.    Edinburgh Leisure is council owned and the council has social goals for access to leisure beyond turning a profit i.e. just because they aren't turning a profit on Ratho does not mean they couldn't.

Alien Rock and Bloc have just announced that they are reopening on 1st Sept. https://www.facebook.com/alienrock/ .

I climb regularly at Ratho and it's hard to compare to other walls. Once you've climbed there for a while it's easy to see how it could stuggle.

As someone else has mentioned, it's out of town, and Edinbrugh is a nightmare to drive through at rush hour. Many people just opt to climb at the walls nearer the center of Edinburgh as it's more convenient. I live in Stirling and I'd bet I could get there faster than someone coming from the center of Edinburgh at peak times.

The design of the stucture is great for accommodating huge walls and large amounts of people for international events, but this size and design (essentially a large tent over a quarry) comes with many drawbacks. Firstly, it's absolutly freezing in the winter. In some conditions it can be colder inside than outside. It can be so cold that your hands are completely numb. In summer the reverse is a problem, however many indoor walls stuggle with heat. There's also a bit of a dampness issue within Ratho. Basically, conditions matter and you have to account for them before making a trip.

The size of the walls also mean that stripping routes and setting new routes is large expense. This can lead to routes being up probably a bit longer than they should. Although this isn't always the case. Because of this if you're climbing in a certain grade range it's and going weekly then you can easily run out of routes to climb before a reset.

Lastly, Ratho's bouldering facilities are somewhat substandard compared to the lead walls. If this was improved it would be a real bonus, however I can see why they might not be as inclined. Competing with the likes of Eden and Alien would be hard.

All these factors make it a less friendly wall for that after work social climb that many people are after. 

All that said, Ratho is without a doubt one of the best walls anywhere and for all us central belt climbers we're unbelievably lucky to have such a facility on our doorsteps. The length/variety of the walls combined with the quality of the setting is unmatched at any wall I’ve climbed at in the UK.

Cheers.  I'm not familiar with it so it's interesting to know why it's different.

Epic TV profiled Ratho, it gives an idea of the size:

youtube.com/watch?v=1pBo5UkSfhw&

And, once you've climbed there for a while, it is hard to imagine making do with anywhere else.

Yes, the quality, number and the length of the routes and the fact that it is almost never busy enough to be inconvenienced by other people mean that all the quibbles you list are easily forgotten. I actually think the free standing boulders are really good too!