Sheffield’s climbers are spoiled for choice of where to train and climb indoors, with a new climbing centre, Awesome Walls Sheffield, now open for business.

Located in Newhall, a short distance from the city centre and also just a few minutes from the M1, the new wall aims to cater for climbers from complete beginners through to keen experts.

It is offering vertical, slab and overhanging climbing routes, several bouldering areas and an enormous 23 metre competition wall which overhangs by 12 metres.

Awarded the status of “National Performance Centre” by the British Mountaineering Council (BMC), Awesome Walls will be “officially” opened – by the Lord Mayor of Sheffield – on Saturday 12th October (with a party and BBQ). However, parts of the centre have already opened so climbers and aspiring climbers can visit now.

This weekend the wall hosted the BMC British Lead and Speed Climbing Championships in which “Britain’s best climbers battled it out on the brand new super steep wall in Sheffield, all vying for the title of British Lead Climbing Champion.” We’ll post a news report from the Championships tomorrow.

Awesome Walls joins Sheffield’s roster of existing climbing walls which include the Foundry, The Climbing Works and The Edge. Climbers in Sheffield have access to by far the widest range of indoor facilities of any UK city (as well as the Peak District, with thousands of climbs from easy to very hard indeed, on the local gritstone and limestone cliffs).

Dave Douglas, MD of the centre, provided a quick tour of the new wall in this film from a couple of weeks ago as its build neared completion:

Dave Douglas Talks Awesome Walls from Dave Douglas on Vimeo.

What next?

• Awesome Walls Sheffield recently sponsored our “Steel Fingers, Steel Wheels” series of programmes about climbing and cycling in and around Sheffield. The series – which you can listen to from the following links – featured interviews with climbers Lucy Creamer (this show also included an interview with Dave Douglas), Andy Kirkpatrick and Mina Leslie-Wujastyk, as well as with representatives from many other organisations involved in climbing.
• Awesome Walls Sheffield opening party