It’s crazy to think that when we opened The Climbing Hangar Liverpool South in 2021, we were between lockdowns and uncertain whether the public would even want to come along and climb any more. But now, our gym is bigger and more popular than ever. The Hangar isn’t a gym, it’s a hub for the local community, and you’re guaranteed a warm welcome whether you’re a lifelong climber or a nervous first-timer. We’re on a mission to make the sport of climbing accessible to as many people as possible, and that starts with making people feel at home. Elite pro climbers train at Hangar gyms, but they’re right there on the same mat as everybody else. That’s what makes this sport so unique and beautiful.

Our aim is to build communities more than climbing walls, so we hold regular climbing events, classes, and customer socials. At Hangar Liverpool South the café alone is a huge draw for the people working on our estate, many of whom come along not to climb, but to grab a fresh coffee or something to eat. We bake sourdough loaves and pizzas right on site, and work with a variety of local and sustainable suppliers.

We love rock climbing and the physical and psychological benefits that come with it, we want as many people as possible to experience it. We have a colour-coded grading system so that newcomers can find hundreds of epic climbs within their comfort zone, before moving up through the grades and onto bigger challenges. We deliberately mix our climbs across the same walls, so that people at all levels can climb together and enjoy the social aspect of this pastime. We specialise in bouldering which is the purest, and more dynamic form of climbing there is, with walls only 4 metres high and no ropes. Each week our team resets the climbs on sections of the wall so there’s always something new to try.

We have built a big, passionate community in South Liverpool and we recently invested in an extension of our site in October, taking on another 1,507 sq foot from Urban Splash. This has allowed us to expand our climbing space, and also add a fully equipped strength training gym. Visitors can climb on the wall, train in the gym, or simply hang out with friends in our cafe. We’re already seeing people who ordinarily may never have considered rock climbing, crossing over to the sport as a result of our versatile space, and that’s really what it’s all about, getting people to experience the joy of climbing. We open our ninth gym in 2024, so more people than ever can join The Climbing Hangar family.

To visit The Climbing Hangar check out their website: theclimbinghangar.com.