[SA Chris]

https://www.theclimbinghangar.com/locations/edinburgh

Looks like it's going to be between Leith and Portobello, about 4 miles from Alien Rock.

So that's Ratho, Alien Rock, Alien Bloc, Eden Rock and now this. Can the city sustain them all?

I'm never at any of them on an evening, how busy do they get, locals?

[T_B]

The Hangar will be packed. They’ve got a formula that works, certainly in terms of filling their gym with people.

No idea about the other walls but if any of them currently rely on the student market, they will be worried.

[Wil]

They're all pretty busy in the evening my experience. If someone could open one in Stirling though...

[gme]

https://www.theclimbinghangar.com/locations/edinburgh

Looks like it's going to be between Leith and Portobello, about 4 miles from Alien Rock.

So that's Ratho, Alien Rock, Alien Bloc, Eden Rock and now this. Can the city sustain them all?

I'm never at any of them on an evening, how busy do they get, locals?

Bigger population than Newcastle and it has 5 already and one more coming. All within 2 miles of each other.

Sheffield less population still and again 5 in a 2 1/2 mile radius.

[rodma]

It may affect Eden and alien bloc at first, but long-term I don't foresee any issues, given what happened when Eden opened a few years ago (seemed too quiet for a while, now loads of new climbers)

Very aggressive introductory pricing from the hanger, the likes of which I've never seen before (in the climbing world that is). Less than half the annual cost of any of the other Edinburgh walls (for normal punters, I haven't looked at student rates).

I currently train at Eden and it is absolutely rammed midweek evenings. Some brief respite from that will be nice.

I'm not knocking the hanger in any way incidentally, I'll be heading there too. It's only a 6 minute drive from my hoose after all

[SA Chris]

They're all pretty busy in the evening my experience. If someone could open one in Stirling though...

Aberdeen/shire and all.

[SA Chris]

I currently train at Eden and it is absolutely rammed midweek evenings.

Good(ish?) to hear; I have only ever been there on weekends and it's been pretty quiet.

Hopefully they all thrive.

[Fultonius]

There are 9 or 10 at my last count in Amsterdam. Population is higher (800k vs 570k), but then there are many more walls in the surrounding towns and cities.

TCA walls in Glasgow are unbearably busy most nights of the week.

[Bradders]

There are 6 in Leeds within 10 miles of each other (furthest apart are Depot Pudsey and Last Sun Dance). If anything, were underserved with that.

[PlainCroi$$ant]

Alien Bloc is always packed - plus they’ve been able to get away with charging almost London prices and barely investing in the wall (old polished holds, average in-house setting, not especially clean). Most people I know that climb there can’t wait for the Hangar to open.

I think Alien’s prime location means they’ll still be fine, although Rodma is right about the pricing from the Hangar, which might lure even more people there - crazy cheap to start with!

[Fultonius]

I can't rememeber where I heard it, but it seemed to be from a decent source ad far as I rememeber, but I had heard thst was the Hangar's strategy - monthly passes at barely break-even price to lure everyone in and then make profit on day payers and cafe etc. Their day rates are quite high. (£15).

Alien may struggle unless it's managed to pay off most of its up front costs already.

[Dingdong]

I can't rememeber where I heard it, but it seemed to be from a decent source ad far as I rememeber, but I had heard thst was the Hangar's strategy - monthly passes at barely break-even price to lure everyone in and then make profit on day payers and cafe etc. Their day rates are quite high. (£15).

Alien may struggle unless it's managed to pay off most of its up front costs already.

I went to the Sheffield one the other day as I hadn’t been in a year or so and was quite shocked at having to pay £14 for a day pass 

[SA Chris]

Hopefully the other walls will up their game in the face of competition.

I've hear rumour that TCA had designs on a centre in Aberdeen, but were put off by business rates that are set high because the oil and gas  market can tolerate them, so they opened the second in Glasgow. Hopefully that might change, I heard the guy at Block 10 in Dundee was looking at one just out of city (Portlethen would be nice, there are empty premises there that would fit Ratho's footprint!) where rates are cheaper, but they are now expanding, so don't know if that's true or not.

[SA Chris]

I went to the Sheffield one the other day as I hadn’t been in a year or so and was quite shocked at having to pay £14 for a day pass 

When Ratho first opened about 10 years ago we stopped in on passing a they wanted something like a tenner to register and 15 to climb. I think they were in a financial hole and trying to get what they could in. They went under not long after and were bought by Edinburgh Council.

[abarro81]

Yeah, Hangar pricing is annoying - the wall isn't good enough to want it as your only wall (at least as someone who wants to train for sport climbing), but the day pass is too expensive to want to go there for sporadic sessions for novelty. It's definitely the least "by climbers, for climbers" of the walls IMO.

[Dingdong]

Yeah, Hangar pricing is annoying - the wall isn't good enough to want it as your only wall (at least as someone who wants to train for sport climbing), but the day pass is too expensive to want to go there for sporadic sessions for novelty. It's definitely the least "by climbers, for climbers" of the walls IMO.

Exactly what happened to me, it’s a shame because getting some variation is pretty useful but that day pass price was too rich for me. I’ll stick to the spray at school I think 

[T_B]

Put it this way, even if I had free entry to the Hangar I’d pay to go to the Depot/Works. The board is fine up to F7A but pretty limited. There’s a Kilter board if you want that style and you have to queue for most of the sections of wall. They’ve now got a decent circuit board having got rid of the splat. Would work as a quick hit daytime venue, but they must be kicking themselves that they didn’t get a bigger unit.

[gme]

I went to the Sheffield one the other day as I hadn’t been in a year or so and was quite shocked at having to pay £14 for a day pass 

When Ratho first opened about 10 years ago we stopped in on passing a they wanted something like a tenner to register and 15 to climb. I think they were in a financial hole and trying to get what they could in. They went under not long after and were bought by Edinburgh Council.

Showing your age there, it must be 20 years ago.

[gme]

Put it this way, even if I had free entry to the Hangar I’d pay to go to the Depot/Works. The board is fine up to F7A but pretty limited. There’s a Kilter board if you want that style and you have to queue for most of the sections of wall. They’ve now got a decent circuit board having got rid of the splat. Would work as a quick hit daytime venue, but they must be kicking themselves that they didn’t get a bigger unit.

I heard they were close to getting the unit next door as well initially but didn't commit, i guess they wish they had now. I think i would probably have been the same with al the other walls around and lease rates being pretty high for those kinds of units. Must be a good chunk of your business costs.

[Dingdong]

Put it this way, even if I had free entry to the Hangar I’d pay to go to the Depot/Works. The board is fine up to F7A but pretty limited. There’s a Kilter board if you want that style and you have to queue for most of the sections of wall. They’ve now got a decent circuit board having got rid of the splat. Would work as a quick hit daytime venue, but they must be kicking themselves that they didn’t get a bigger unit.

They should have kept the splatter in my opinion. A pretty good USP considering no other wall has one other than unit E (I think it’s still up?)

Anyways, not sure they struggling for customers. The times I’ve been it’s always been heaving, especially evenings. They definitely should have got a bigger unit…

[SA Chris]

Showing your age there, it must be 20 years ago.

You are right. It was in the PC (Pre Children) era, so well over 15 years. Time flies..

[Duncan Disorderly]

Put it this way, even if I had free entry to the Hangar I’d pay to go to the Depot/Works. The board is fine up to F7A but pretty limited. There’s a Kilter board if you want that style and you have to queue for most of the sections of wall. They’ve now got a decent circuit board having got rid of the splat. Would work as a quick hit daytime venue, but they must be kicking themselves that they didn’t get a bigger unit.

 

I got a membership to Sheff Hangar early in the winter as it was so cheap and it was warmer than all the other walls (I'm old and cold)... Had to cancel it because of crowds... I think it's verging on dangerous and they should probably have a number limit tbh (and I can't quite believe I'm saying that!).......

[sxrxg]

I know that it seems expensive but isn't £14 for a single visit about the going rate? I know Lancaster, Boardroom are similar prices. And The Depot, Climbing Hut are £12/£12.50.

Being based near Liverpool the Climbing Hanger membership is a great deal, £32.99 a month for access to two walls both with a different character. Also different boards at both and good setting (can't comment on the cafe or anything as I don't use these...) Also for outdoor climbers the option to cancel membership at a month's notice with no minimum term is great. Means I just take out membership from September until April then just climb outside after work and use my home training facilities.

[Fiend]

Boardroom - £15 - should be discounted heavily because you still have to put up with stupid moronic root-vegetable-based non-grades.
Manc Depot - £13.50
RockOvers - £13 - or £11 with a £10 yearly membership
Awesome Stockport / Blochaus / Summit Up / Onyx - still cheap ~£10
Hangar - irrelevant as boycotted due their their stupid moronic forcing people to sweat in excess clothing in an athletic training environment rule.

[Duma]

Hangar - irrelevant as boycotted due their their stupid moronic forcing people to sweat in excess clothing in an athletic training environment rule.

OT - TCA does this too now, idiots.