Vertical Pro Halls & Walls Trade Fair 2024
On arrival to Zurich, our NICAS team of Nick, Skinner and me decided it would be rude not to sample the local climbing that Switzerland had to offer, and Bouba bouldering gym was first on the list. From the moment we walked through the door, we were blown away by the warm atmosphere, creative route setting, and supportive team.
Talking to the Bouba crew about their youth programme, progressive adult courses, and dedication to diverse route setting was truly inspiring and fit with our ethos wholeheartedly. They’ve created a space where climbers of all abilities can thrive and feel at home.
Huge thanks to Dimitri, Leyla and the rest of the Bouba team for showing us what makes their gym so special! If you ever get the chance to visit, please do, it’s well worth it!
On to the Vertical Pro Halls & Walls Trade Fair 2024.
From the pre-released programme, we could see that the fair had a strong focus on sustainability and the emergence of AI in the climbing industry.
Unfortunately, we didn’t manage to see all the lectures, workshops or panel discussions, but here is what we did see…
The opening panel of the event was The Future Gym – the challenges of creating more sustainable climbing gyms, where three different panellists discussed how they were doing their own parts to reduce their carbon footprint and create a more sustainable product or service.
It was fascinating to hear Tiphaine Lazard from EP Climbing explain how they are using their Carbon Calculator to monitor and reduce their environmental impact. This process reviews manufacturing of the primary and secondary framework, panels, holds, macros and matting as well as ongoing maintenance. With this calculator, they are now able to work with wall owners and partners to find innovative ways to focus on the areas that matter.
Next up was Clemens Saalbach from ebalta, who are a leading manufacturer of polyurethane and epoxy casting resins for mould and tool making. Clemens explained how over the last five years, they have reviewed and improved their hold moulding processes and reduced their CO2 emissions by nearly 50%!
Finally, Achim Haug from Kletterhalle Bad Aibling shared their groundbreaking energy concept, highlighting its role in advancing their social sustainability mission. He also detailed how the gym fosters social sustainability with their barrier-free design and community work with individuals with disabilities.
There was lots to take away from this very important panel, with a reassuring message that small changes can make a big impact.
Later in the day, Sarah-Yasmin Hennessen from @marketana.de delved into the exciting possibilities of Artificial Intelligence, highlighting how it can revolutionise the planning and execution of marketing strategies. The following day Sarah-Yasmin did a workshop helping show the processes of how to deal with and fully utilise ChatGPT. This was extremely insightful and hugely beneficial to show ways AI can be used to not only speed up marketing processes but also help create new concepts and ideas.
As well as the lectures and workshops, it was great reconnecting with so many friendly faces, making new connections and seeing some fresh and innovative products.
So, how do you finish off a trade fair of this scale?
With a mega climbing comp hosted at Greifbar Friedrichshafen, featuring some of the strongest climbers Germany and Switzerland have to offer. It was a great evening filled with nail-biting sends, and gave the attendees, vendors and panellists one last chance to network and reflect on the past few days.
Thanks to the organisers, setters and hold manufacturers for bringing the vibe and the blocs, and to the competitors for bringing the action!
Our final day in Europe saw us starting the morning at DAV Kletterzentrum Friedrichshafen. It was great to be given the opportunity to have a tour of this truly unique gym.
The facility has an incredible local community feel with parents and kids fully utilising the space to climb, play and just spend time as a family.
You can see there is a strong youth programme ingrained throughout the gym with careful consideration given to not only grass route walls, but also advanced lead climbing areas, developing an understanding for outdoor climbing.
Thanks for the tour!
The final stop on the last leg of our Europe Tour was to Der Steinbock Konstanz to chat to Kaelyn Mahony of @boulder.and.wiser about their incredible youth programme.
Since being in Germany and Switzerland, we have had the privilege of talking to coaches and business owners about their approach to youth climbing.
It has been humbling to hear the open approach that German and Swiss walls have to youth climbing and how their current programmes have created such talented and passionate coaches and young climbers.
We truly thank Kaelyn for her time, and expert coaching, for talking to us and sharing her passion for performance coaching. We look forward to working with you in the future!
This concludes our recap of Vertical Pro and our mini–European Tour. We hope you enjoyed reflecting on the journey with us, and we look forward to sharing our upcoming adventures.
Ben Clabburn (Lime Street Insurance Broker ltd), Caroline Hetherington (ABC), Laura Sweet (Lime Street Insurance Broker Ltd), Nick Parkin (NICAS), Skinner (NICAS), Dan Crossdale (Depot Climbing & ABC), Sandra Adler (Walltopia), Tom Vaessen-Walker (me) NICAS
If you want to hear more about our work, please follow NICAS on LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | X
