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Removed User31 Jan 2021
After 3 lockdowns, It is looking increasingly likely that things ever returning to "normal" will be some way off (like years) and liable to screeching u-turns. Which leads me to wonder if anyone has looked at having more top-rope/lead climbing actually out of doors where the risk is obviously lower? Can't find much info on it. Except one article which said holds got slippy due to rain. Of which we seem to be getting quite a lot lately.
I think there's some walls in Austria (Innsbruck maybe?) that have big overhanging lead walls, with roofs but no walls. Can't imagine it would be ideal for the sideways rain of British winter though!
Westway used to have an outdoor section (maybe still does - not been in years). Lots of outdoor centres too, and used to be all we had before climbing centres proliferated. The weather in Britain tends to be against us though...
There’s a bouldering wall in the Wokingham area (Oakwood Climbing Centre, a nice set up). I’ve only been the once but it has both indoor and outdoor bouldering. Indoors was relatively busy but nobody was climbing outside - that I could see anyway. That day was a nice day to be outside.
I’m not so sure market is there to make is financially viable, especially on a dark winters evening.
I think there must be a lot of potential by placing bolts and bolt on holds on existing structures like bridges etc.. I've seen photos of good examples abroad and there are even bolted routes on old viaducts on the western side of the Peak District (New Mills).
Copenhagen has 'Copenhill' which is the city incenerator with a dry ski slope down one side and multipitch plastic climbing up the other (80m in 4 pitches):
After the indoor walls there shut early Dec we were using it semi-regularly, quite fun but often frickkin freezing. Holding onto plastic seemed harder than climbing rock in the equivalent temperatures but I guess I was also trying harder routes than I would rock climbing in winter, all in all not a replacement for the wall but an enjoyable diversion
TCA are building a new place with an outdoor lead wall.
TBH, if it's grim, people will want to climb indoors. If it's nice, people will want to climb on rock. I don't think outdoor artificial walls really serve a purpose.
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