Estepona’s rock climbing wall, the largest outdoor climbing wall in Spain, will be operational on Monday

This new municipal facility, located in the Fair and Sports Park, will offer courses and workshops for different levels and ages.

The activities will be developed by the professionals of the Estepona Mountain Group (GRUME), which has had a climbing school since 2005 in the climbing wall of the Carmen Pavilion.

The City Council reports that next Monday will enter into operation the new climbing wall of the city, the largest outdoor equipment of its kind in Spain. This facility will become a national reference both for its offer for the practice of climbing and for its dimensions.

The activities will be developed by the Club Grupo de Montaña de Estepona (GRUME), a well-known entity in the municipality, which has been training in the municipal climbing wall of the El Carmen sports pavilion since 2005. This entity, which is registered with the Andalusian Federation of Mountain Sports, Climbing and Hiking, has a climbing school that will now be expanded with more workshops and courses in the new facilities.

The club will develop its activities in the climbing wall from Monday to Friday, from 16.00 to 22.00 hours and on Saturdays from 10.00 to 14.00 hours. This schedule is initially adjusted to the sporting demand and may be modified in the future as needed. GRUME has applied for the Estepona school to become part of the Network of Schools of the Andalusian Federation of Mountain, Climbing and Hiking.

The school will offer the following courses and workshops adapted to the following levels:

– Initiation: for those who have never climbed before or have little experience. The teachings will focus on learning the basic techniques and safety in the climbing wall.

-Intermediate: For climbers with some experience who wish to improve their skills and face more difficult challenges.

-Advanced: For experienced climbers looking to perfect their technique and explore new limits in climbing.

In terms of age, two training activities have also been programmed.

– Youth School (ages 8 to 17). Programs designed specifically for young climbers with classes adapted to their age and skill level.

– Adult School (ages 18 and older). Classes aimed at adults of all ages and skill levels, with a focus on learning and fun.

To ensure that users have a good knowledge of the safety techniques necessary for the climbing activity in the difficult area of the climbing wall, a skills test will be conducted before they are allowed access to the climbing wall. This test will evaluate their knowledge of the proper use of climbing equipment, belay techniques, emergency procedures and behavioral standards.

Those users who successfully pass the test will receive an identification card that will accredit them as having knowledge of safety standards and proper climbing techniques in the climbing area of the climbing wall. This card will allow them to perform the activity in that area without having to repeat the test on each visit.

In addition to the knowledge test, training and guidance will be offered to users who require it. This will include briefings on safe climbing techniques, proper use of equipment and responsible behavior.

During operating hours, there will be qualified personnel supervising the activity to ensure that safety standards are met and to provide assistance in case of need.

The climbing wall will also be available for schools wishing to use it as part of their curricular or extracurricular activities. Interested centers can make reservations in advance to access the climbing wall at times that are outside regular operating hours. This initiative seeks to promote the sport of climbing among students, as well as provide a unique educational experience that fosters teamwork, confidence and physical development.

Any of the climbing wall areas will be available for rental for the purpose of specific sporting activities outside of the hours covered by the application for authorization of use. Interested groups may reserve specific areas of the climbing wall for their training, classes or sporting events related to climbing. This service is subject to availability and may require prior coordination with the GRUME club administration.

On the other hand, it should be noted that users must use the corresponding Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in accordance with current official regulations. Likewise, they must use equipment in perfect condition and approved according to European Union regulations, as well as appropriate clothing for the activity.

Likewise, those interested in using these facilities must have the specific federation license (regional, national, European or international) or the appropriate accident insurance for the sport in question.

The climbing wall, which has a video surveillance system, may only be accessed during public hours by responsible personnel and in compliance with the rules of the same. Minors may only access the climbing wall under the supervision of a specialized professional and with express authorization.

The GRUME Club informs that the tests to check the level and obtain the identification card will cost 3 euros, while the courses and workshops, which will begin in April, will have a monthly fee of 30 euros. For more information and reservations contact escuela@grume.es.

Information about the Estepona climbing wall

The Estepona climbing wall becomes a unique space for the practice of ‘outdoor’ climbing, that is to say, outdoors, and dedicated exclusively to climbing, so it will not have to share space with other sports disciplines. This new facility will have the measures and functionalities that will allow, in addition to the practice of amateur sports, the celebration of national and even international competitions of elite athletes. The construction has been carried out in compliance with the regulatory standards that make this compatibility of uses possible.

Specifically, the climbing wall has been designed for the following practices: difficulty mode, speed mode and block mode. It has a complete surface of 662 square meters, divided for the practice of the different modalities foreseen in this discipline: speed area (115 square meters), difficulty area (363 square meters) and block area (184 square meters).

The structure has two elevations for the development of the sporting activity of different heights on which the loads defined by the specialists in the field have been foreseen, in compliance with the applicable and specific regulations for this sporting activity. For the climbing wall, a high-precision 3D modeling and a self-stable structure of 130 tons of steel with a luminous coating have been used.

The climbing wall was financed by the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan-Funded by the European Union-Next Generation EU. The project is included in the framework of the extraordinary program of tourism sustainability in destinations 2021-2023 in its axis 4 of competitiveness of the Strategic Plan for Sustainable Tourism of Estepona 2022-2024. The Andalusian company Sepisur XXI S.L. has been in charge of executing the works. For the sports equipment, the construction company has chosen the services of the multinational EP Climbing, a Spanish manufacturer with experience in the construction of climbing walls for Olympic Games. The climbing wall model, similar to the one built by this firm for the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago de Chile and other events in Asia, stands out for its uniqueness and versatility, as it has a large fixed outer structure. For all these reasons, they point out that it is a unique piece of equipment at the national level.

Climbing is currently a booming sport that is perfectly regulated and allows competitions at all levels, in addition to being part of the international Olympic program since 2020. In this context, it is a priority municipal objective to continue complementing the existing sports equipment with the construction of this municipal climbing wall for federated sports practice of all disciplines, as well as championships. The aim is that both amateurs and elite athletes can practice this sport through municipal schools and clubs, or train and compete at any level.

Estepona has increased in the last 12 years the sports facilities with important facilities such as the Fair and Sports Park, where you can practice more than twenty disciplines for free throughout the year, the Athletics Stadium, which has become a benchmark in Andalusia, or the various tracks that have been created both in the neighborhoods and in residential areas of the suburbs.