Climbing One of the largest climbing halls in the world opens in Helsinki – this is what it looks like there

Helsinki A brand new Olympic-level climbing center will be opened in the Ristikko shopping center in Konala on Wednesday.

This is the fourth training center built by Kiipeilyvisio Oy in Finland – and at the same time the most ambitious one. With a budget of € 2.5 million, it is a huge private investment in the future of the species.

The two-storey climbing arena has a total of 10,000 meters of climbing, more than Mount Everest has.

There are more than a hundred cable cars in the hall alone with different routes. The highest walls are 16 meters. In addition, there are boulder and speed walls in the hall.

The color brilliance inside the climbing arena is stunning. Various extracts have been purchased for the hall for more than 200,000 euros, and each place on the wall has been carefully considered.

Kiipeilyvisio Oy managing director Henrik Suihkonen will be showcasing the climbing center while facilities are being finalized for Wednesday’s opening day. There is a long day to go, but everything should be completed on time.

A climbing arena was built in the old indoor playground HopLop. Suihkonen says that he visited a possible construction site 12 years ago.

“This is a unique space. This is better suited for climbing hall use than I could have planned myself. There is so much cubic space here, ”he praises.

Measured in cubes, Konala Climbing Arena is one of the largest climbing halls in the world. There will be about 500 enthusiasts at the same time.

Suihkosen according to the climbing center, a lot of international influence has been sought. This is reflected in how the needs of racing and top athletes have been taken into account. At the design stage, the walls were carefully compared to the profiles and angles of the World Cup walls.

“The climbing walls are quite structures. There is such a profession as a climbing wall architect, just the right architect who only designs climbing walls, ”says Suihkonen.

The architect was hired in Konala from abroad.

“He went through the profile and corner of every single wall. It was a project for a couple of months. ”

The design of the hall focused on space and large access areas. The space was not crowded with walls, although there are already many of them.

There must be floor space, because the species sometimes has to wait its turn. Suihkonen wanted to ensure that spending time together in the Climbing Arena was as pleasant as possible.

“This is a European model that has a cafe and room to move around,” he says.

Climbing vision three other training centers are located in Salmisaari, Kalasatama and Tammisto in Vantaa.

In Konala, the Climbing Arena employs four full-time route developers, who update each climbing route 4-8 times a year. Suihkonen describes the hall as a living and developing environment.

Route makers, staff and other employees drilling on the eve of the opening are almost all climbers themselves. The species community has become a profession that has never existed before.

“This is a bit like playing in a band. People are growing and evolving and there are more professionals. This is completely insane, ”Suihkonen describes the growth story.

One There is a route factor for the employees of the climbing arena Anthony Gullsten, who is also the dominant Nordic champion in the sport.

Gullsten works in Konala 3-4 days a week, and occasionally visits other Climbing Vision locations.

According to the top climber, it is good that there are more route factors, because the development of self-made tracks is fast.

“When you build routes for yourself, you automatically make them where you are good and what are pleasant. In that sense, it’s better to climb routes taken by others, ”says Gullsten.

Fortunately, the Konala Climbing Arena has plenty to choose from for many tastes. Gullsten compares the training center to the very best in Europe, and he if anyone has seen a wide variety of climbing walls.

“Innsbruck, Austria, has one of the finest halls in the world and this is pretty close to it,” says Gullsten, looking at new heights from the ground.