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Poll

Would you be intrested in a new bouldering wall being opened in Edinburgh(Gorgie/Chesser Area)

Yes
14 (60.9%)
No
9 (39.1%)

Total Members Voted: 23

New Bouldering Wall Edinburgh (Read 10691 times)

greigc

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New Bouldering Wall Edinburgh
June 04, 2013, 12:07:54 pm
Looking for some market reasearch into opening a new bouldering only wall in the Gorgie/Chesser are of edinburgh. Please take time to vote. The wall will include training area, kids area and competion wall along with general bouldering areas.

Thanks you for the time

Adam Lincoln

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#1 Re: New Bouldering Wall Edinburgh
June 04, 2013, 12:46:14 pm
YES YES YES!  ;)
Have you spoke to Gary about this, as he is looking too, but more Dumfy i think. Worth getting your heads together?

greigc

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#2 Re: New Bouldering Wall Edinburgh
June 04, 2013, 01:03:56 pm
Yes already speaking with Gary.

rosmat

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#3 Re: New Bouldering Wall Edinburgh
June 04, 2013, 01:10:05 pm
I would like to see this and definitely use it if it happens. Fairly low catchment though. I know the TCA guys looked into it and decided it wasn't viable. It would be nice if you can find a way to make it work. :)

SA Chris

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#4 Re: New Bouldering Wall Edinburgh
June 04, 2013, 02:15:57 pm
yeah, south side of Aberdeen would be a better option :)


andy_e

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#5 Re: New Bouldering Wall Edinburgh
June 04, 2013, 02:18:23 pm
yeah, south side of Aberdeen would be a better option :)

 :agree:

rodma

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#6 Re: New Bouldering Wall Edinburgh
June 04, 2013, 04:27:20 pm
Fairly low catchment though.

it's a uni town, not really low catchment

Adam Lincoln

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#7 Re: New Bouldering Wall Edinburgh
June 04, 2013, 05:43:52 pm
Fairly low catchment though.

it's a uni town, not really low catchment

Two uni's at that!

rodma

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#8 Re: Re: New Bouldering Wall Edinburgh
June 05, 2013, 07:20:06 am
Fairly low catchment though.

it's a uni town, not really low catchment

Two uni's at that!

More than that Adam

It may only now be 3 officially, but that includes the other two that were amalgamated into the main 3

:)


tim palmer

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#9 Re: New Bouldering Wall Edinburgh
June 05, 2013, 09:35:31 am
Even negating students there is definately enough people in edinburgh to support a good bouldering wall, I think really what will determine whether a wall survives is whether it can generate a whole new cohort of climbers around it even if they never set foot on real rock, certainly most of the regulars at the depot never climbed before the wall opened and almost exclusively climb at the wall (although I am sure the second part is the case for most walls).   

punkpunk

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#10 Re: New Bouldering Wall Edinburgh
June 05, 2013, 09:49:09 am
Plenty of 'young professionals' and gym users waiting to be converted....if it it's central and the facilities are decent you've got a good chance.

greigc

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#11 Re: New Bouldering Wall Edinburgh
June 05, 2013, 12:05:01 pm
public transport at door, on cycle path and plenty of parking :o

punkpunk

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#12 Re: New Bouldering Wall Edinburgh
June 05, 2013, 12:24:51 pm
I was thinking more swanky bogs with a wee man drying your hands and dispensing climb-on/tip juice etc and crimp oil

Fiend

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#13 Re: New Bouldering Wall Edinburgh
June 05, 2013, 12:51:28 pm
New Bouldering Leading Wall Edinburgh Glasgow - yes.

tim palmer

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#14 Re: New Bouldering Wall Edinburgh
June 05, 2013, 01:16:38 pm
good pub nearby

reuben from alien

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#15 Re: New Bouldering Wall Edinburgh
June 05, 2013, 09:33:33 pm
Do your sums based on facts rather than wishful thinking and online polls . You would have three well established competitors, two of which are  subsidised by large organisations (Ratho, via Edinburgh Council bailouts and Uni wall) and one that runs commercially (Alien Rock) , the latter has not expanded in Edinburgh after building 'alien2' in 2001. 

If you have a Unique Selling Point than go for it, best of luck.  Flashy bogs and proximity to a pub are not USP's.

Please feel free to ignore my post since I am not an unbiased commentator !

Reuben Welch, alien rock

Adam Lincoln

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#16 Re: New Bouldering Wall Edinburgh
June 05, 2013, 10:34:09 pm
Do your sums based on facts rather than wishful thinking and online polls . You would have three well established competitors, two of which are  subsidised by large organisations (Ratho, via Edinburgh Council bailouts and Uni wall) and one that runs commercially (Alien Rock) , the latter has not expanded in Edinburgh after building 'alien2' in 2001. 

If you have a Unique Selling Point than go for it, best of luck.  Flashy bogs and proximity to a pub are not USP's.

Please feel free to ignore my post since I am not an unbiased commentator !

Reuben Welch, alien rock

I think a competitor to A2 would be just what Edinburgh needs. Might give you the kick up the arse you need to make it a decent wall. Its dirty. You get three greens next to each other, the only difference is hold manufacturer. (Not great for non regulars) The holds are mostly dated. And the featured panels make it feel very dated. This is just my opinion though. On the other hand, the setting is very good, and it has created some of the uk's strongest climbers. Gary vincent, Roddy, and Mark.

rodma

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#17 Re: Re: New Bouldering Wall Edinburgh
June 06, 2013, 09:12:49 pm
On the other hand, the setting is very good, and it has created some of the uk's strongest climbers. Gary vincent, Roddy, and Mark.

I'm genuinely stunned at the lack of "who?" Type responses, but maybe that's because this thread isn't sheffield-centric.

I'm also amazed that you think us 3 never-has-beens are strong (i think mark is inhumanly strong btw).

I'm only relatively strong because i aspired to be malc-strong, got an ass-kicking by many strong peers that i (wrongly)believed i was better than and so set about training like fuck. Does that make me a product of Alien? Probably, yes :)


reuben from alien

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#18 Re: New Bouldering Wall Edinburgh
June 07, 2013, 10:34:02 am
You make some valid points. However, if the question is... " Is another wall in Edinburgh going to be financially viable?" then I think my earlier answer will suffice.

a dense loner

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#19 Re: New Bouldering Wall Edinburgh
June 07, 2013, 11:51:32 am
Rodma I'm stunned by that reply. I've heard of Gary and mark but not this Robbie guy. Sheffield centric? Still amused by that term

rodma

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#20 Re: New Bouldering Wall Edinburgh
June 07, 2013, 01:13:30 pm
You make some valid points. However, if the question is... " Is another wall in Edinburgh going to be financially viable?" then I think my earlier answer will suffice.

i know this is a little  :offtopic: still but,

Roobs, don't get me wrong, i like Alien 2 a lot and i don't think it feels tired and is certainly no dirtier than any other wall that hasn't adopted the carpeted matting system.

my only real gripe of recent years has been about the style of setting, which no wall i've visited north of the border has addressed, insofar as it doesn't even vaguely resemble comp style setting in a national or international event (probably because there is no reason for them to care about comps). the quality of the setting has improved vastly at Alien over the last year or so and this has made the biggest difference to me (that and the investment in new holds) and i believe that you are currently sorting out the coloured holds issues to make it easier for visitors and the uninitiated to distinguish between problems.

out of interest Reuben, i know it was a long time ago and a very different financial time, but did you carry out market research, or base the business plan on the user numberes you needed and hoped that you would get them? not meant as a dig in any way, just that you were young and optimistic once  :)

Rodma I'm stunned by that reply. I've heard of Gary and mark but not this Robbie guy. Sheffield centric? Still amused by that term

 i knew i could rely on you  :lol:

reuben from alien

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#21 Re: New Bouldering Wall Edinburgh
June 08, 2013, 10:33:31 pm

out of interest Reuben, i know it was a long time ago and a very different financial time, but did you carry out market research, or base the business plan on the user numberes you needed and hoped that you would get them? not meant as a dig in any way, just that you were young and optimistic once  :)


The numbers for alien1 were based cautiously on members of clubs ,I vaguely remember.- mainly to convince the bank we'd done some research.  We did have quite a strong business plan based on suggested numbers. However it was primarily a decision we were able to make relatively confidently since we were very in-tune with what was happening in the climbing scene in Sheffield, since Steve lived there at the time having previously lived near Edinburgh. We'd also built a small boulder wall and had some engineering experience.

Remember 'alien' was probably the 4th dedicated wall in the UK to open (immediately followed by Ibrox and Falkirk) and we were able to build all of it mostly ourselves, (with some welding assistance initially) which kept costs very low, as did buying the building (£70K seemed like a lot at the time). It still took 10 years to pay off all the bills - and that was pre-Ratho opening.

Its great to be able to turn a hobby into a livelihood , but enthusiasm and youthful energy  has to be balanced with a long term financial view. The vast majority of small businesses fail because people forget that their idea needs to be sustainable for years - two decades so far in our case - long after the initial enthusiasm has worn off - I dont even climb anymore.  I would never want it to appear that I've dismissed someones creative idea - however IMHO the golden era for climbing walls in the UK was ten to twenty years ago . I suspect the number of niches still available to fit them in successfully  grows ever smaller. If we (at alien)  thought there was space in Edinburgh to fit another wall we would have borrowed the money and built one ten years ago. We might be wrong, but its not worth the financial risk for us to find out.   

tim palmer

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#22 Re: New Bouldering Wall Edinburgh
June 08, 2013, 11:30:18 pm
IMHO the golden era for climbing walls in the UK was ten to twenty years ago .


Honestly?  Maybe the golden period for Edinburgh climbing wall ownership was twenty years ago whenthere was no competition but the fact that leeds and Sheffield (cities not dissimilar on size to edinburgh) both have three thriving climbing walls (in leeds the majority have sprung up in the last five years) is in sharp contrast to this assertion.  Also i refer to my previous comments that these walls are populated by new climbers so i dont accept the arguement that these cities have large established climbing communities which can support multiple walls.  Plus if a nice, new spacious wall popped up in edinburgh who is to say it would not be the only bouldering wall in the city pretty quickly

reuben from alien

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#23 Re: New Bouldering Wall Edinburgh
June 09, 2013, 10:52:04 am
well stump up your cash and then we'll know ;)

tim palmer

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#24 Re: New Bouldering Wall Edinburgh
June 09, 2013, 07:46:36 pm
That in no way justifies your previous statement which was demonstrably wrong
« Last Edit: June 09, 2013, 07:52:55 pm by tim palmer »

 

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