'Bould' Over - Edinburgh Climbing Arena elevates experience with new world-class bouldering facilities

The wait is finally over as the new bouldering facilities at Edinburgh Leisure’s flagship climbing arena at Ratho open on Saturday, 7 December 2024.

The Edinburgh International Climbing Arena received £100,000 towards bouldering redevelopment to improve opportunities to progress at all levels of the sport and was made possible from sportscotland’s Sport Facilities Fund and National Lottery Players, who raise £30 million each week for good causes across the UK.

The new state-of-the-art competition bouldering wall, designed by the Serious Climbing team at Rockcity, in partnership with Dreamwall, means that EICA: Ratho is the only climbing centre in the UK with Olympic/International standard facilities for all three climbing disciplines (lead climbing, speed climbing and bouldering).  

Nic Crawshaw, Director of Climbing at EICA explained: “Designed for experienced climbers, these walls complement our existing facilities, offering even more opportunities to push climbers limits and refine their skills.

“We’ve been really privileged to work with some of the best route setters in the world. Percy Bishton, Head of the IFSC Route Setting Commission and Tokyo Olympic Chief Route Setter has led a team setting the new boulders, along with Max Aryton, another IFSC route setter and GB Climbing head of route setting, watched over by our very own highly experienced route setter Jess McCaskey.

The boulders, made by leading climbing wall manufacturer Dreamwall, in their factory in Sofia, Bulgaria, arrived at the EICA in October, along with their expert construction team. Work has taken place over the last couple of months to install the new walls. 

The holds, macros and volumes are from the exciting brands in the Serious Climbing stable, which featured heavily at the Olympics and the IFSC World Cup series.

In celebration of the new bouldering facilities, EICA: Ratho has a December Bouldering Competition with the chance to win a year of free climbing.  There is a special no-joining-fee offer for Climb Memberships too, available until 31st January 2025. 

And for those just visiting Edinburgh or still deciding on a membership, there is the possibility to grab a 2-week Winter Pass by 18th December and experience everything EICA has to offer - including the new arena boulders. The Winter Pass is perfect for joining the December Bouldering Competition.

As the UK’s largest climbing gym and the only international competition venue, it has hosted the European Championships and World Cup for Lead and Speed in recent years, but the bouldering facilities needed an upgrade to enable it to host all three IFSC (International Federation of Sport Climbing) and Olympic disciplines. 

As Mark English, Managing Director of Rockcity explained: “With these new, modern flat-panelled bouldering walls and another freestanding boulder the Edinburgh community now has the best facilities in the city and surrounding area, using an unrivalled climbing hold selection and world-class route setting. 

“Now the work’s complete you can expect to see Edinburgh Leisure’s flagship climbing experience jump into the future and host some amazing competition and circuit-based bouldering in the coming year.

”Welcoming the investment, Emma Ogilvie-Hall, Head of Operations at Edinburgh Leisure said: “We’re very grateful to the sportscotland funding and National Lottery players that has allowed us to replace our outdated bouldering facilities at the Edinburgh International Climbing Arena (EICA) with facilities that are of Olympic/International Climbing standard, meaning that Scotland can host bouldering competitions and national training camps and allow the EICA to keep our national and international profile as a world-class climbing facility.

“With indoor bouldering now the most widely practised form of climbing it will ensure that the EICA can continue as a world-class venue for all three climbing disciplines – lead, speed, and bouldering – while continuing to provide climbers of all ages and abilities with access to opportunities to participate in and progress through the sport."  

Watch a fly-through of the new arena boulders

Click here for further information and to join

-Ends-

Arena Boulders: Access & Booking Requirements

For those thinking of giving the new boulders a go, they need to be an experienced climber as the setup demands confidence and skill without supervision. 

Member or PAYG

If a person already is already an Edinburgh Leisure Climb or Climb & Fitness member, they can access the facilities straight away.

Returning Pay As You Go climbers, must check in and pay at reception first. Updated casual prices can be found by clicking here.

New to EICA

If you’ve climbed before but haven’t been to EICA Ratho, climbers will need to complete a registration form and pass a quick competency check when they arrive. Click here for registration forms.

New to Bouldering/Climbing

For beginners, Edinburgh Leisure has a  2-hour Entry Stage course, which is a must. Book now to get started on your climbing journey.

About sportscotland Sports Facilities Fund

The EICA:Ratho was among 18 projects across Scotland to share a total of £1,506,263 from sportscotland to develop existing facilities or create a new home for sport and physical activity.The Sports Facilities Fund prioritises projects that widen access to participation or allow people to progress further within their chosen sport locally by removing barriers, particularly in rural areas or areas of deprivation, and for under-represented groups.