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Opening a climbing gym is just the beginning. The real challenge is creating a space that can evolve, attract new climbers, and build a community that continues to grow over time.
For the past 20 years, Climbat has been doing just that.
Since opening its first center in 2006, the brand has grown into a network of six climbing centers across Spain: La Foixarda in Barcelona, X-Madrid in Alcorcón (Madrid), Zaragoza, Avilés, Barakaldo, and Thader in Murcia. But Climbat's story goes far beyond the number of gyms it has opened.
Education, competition, adapting facilities to changing needs, and above all, community building have shaped Climbat's journey over the past two decades.
What can we learn from 20 years of operating climbing gyms?
Climbat at a glance: 20 years of experience · 6 centers in Spain · 100+ official competitions · 10 editions of the Climbat Youth League · The world's first climbing gym network to achieve ISO 9001 certification.
A climbing gym can have great walls and equipment, but it's the experiences built around them that keep climbers coming back.
From the beginning, Climbat has focused on education, accessibility, and community. Long before climbing became an Olympic sport, the brand was already developing climbing schools, family activities, and structured coaching programs to help climbers progress safely and confidently.
Its teaching methodology, based on award-winning research led by INEFC, laid the foundation for the courses and climbing schools that continue to introduce new generations to the sport today.
The Climbat Youth League is another example. Celebrating its tenth edition this year, the league was created to make climbing competitions more accessible to young climbers. Beyond providing opportunities to compete, it helps build motivation, encourages families to stay involved, and strengthens the community around each center.
For a community to keep growing, the experience needs to evolve too.
Competition has been one of the ways Climbat has maintained that momentum. Over the years, the organization has delivered more than 100 official competitions, from Spanish Championships to World Cups and World Championships.
Today, events such as Climbat Kombat continue to create new experiences and opportunities for climbers, professional athletes, and the wider public to come together.
But evolving a climbing gym isn't just about organizing new events. It's about understanding how climbers' needs change, adapting spaces, refreshing activities, and ensuring facilities remain ready to meet new expectations.
In 2016, Entre-Prises, now EP Climbing and part of the ABEO Group, acquired Climbat. The partnership brought together two perspectives on the same space: those who design and build climbing gyms, and those who bring them to life every day.
For EP, this relationship provides something particularly valuable: firsthand insight into what happens to a climbing gym years after opening.
How do spaces evolve? What do operators need? What keeps a facility attractive to its community? How can an existing gym adapt without starting from scratch?
Climbat's day-to-day operational experience helps answer these questions. Combined with EP's expertise in design, construction, equipment, inspection, maintenance, and renovation, it allows us to support climbing facilities long after opening day.
Because building a successful climbing gym isn't just about getting everything right for the grand opening. It's about creating a foundation that can evolve for years to come.
Today, Climbat continues to strengthen its network while staying true to the values that have shaped its first two decades.
Becoming the world's first climbing gym network to achieve ISO 9001 certification reflects this evolution and its commitment to quality, continuous improvement, and the climber experience.
After 20 years, perhaps one of Climbat's most important lessons is this: a climbing gym is never truly finished.
Communities evolve. The way people climb changes. Spaces need to adapt.
And that's where the next chapter begins.
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