Edinburgh International Climbing Arena
Edinburgh International Climbing Arena (EICA:Ratho, formerly the Ratho Adventure Centre) is an adventure sports facility located in Ratho, on the outskirts of Edinburgh, Scotland. When it opened, it was the largest indoor climbing arena in the world.[1] The centre opened in 2003, but in 2005 the company running it went into receivership, and the centre was temporarily closed. In 2007 the centre reopened under a new owner, Edinburgh Leisure, a not-for-profit company part-funded by City of Edinburgh Council. Since then, visitor numbers to the centre have grown and parts that were not complete, like the office suites, have been completed.
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[edit] Services and facilities
The centre offers the world's largest indoor climbing arena, bouldering facilities, the Scottish National Judo Academy, and an aerial assault course. The centre was originally going to host a scuba diving tank, but this facility was delayed and later scrapped when the centre went into administration. The centre also has a gym that is specifically aimed at climbers with large amounts of strength and cardio equipment. Another gym for teenagers, called NRG Zone, is based mainly on teaching young people how to build up a good workout on their own.[2]
Coaching and training with an instructor is available, as well as courses including indoor movement skills, indoor lead climbing, and a few less standard climbing course such as sea stack and ridge climbing. Instructor training can lead to awards and qualifications upon completion. The centre runs off-site courses in outdoor climbing, skiing, hillwalking and water sports.
The centre also hosts events such as weddings and stag/hen parties. Catering for these events is not provided by the centre, but by an external catering company. Within the centre, the Belay Café serves its own food. The centre provides team building and work day out events for business, and also offers conference and lecture accommodation, with WiFi access. There are four available rooms and one lecture theatre, with capacities ranging from very large (500+ people) to small (12 people). These rooms have also been used for events, including the Radio Forth awards.
[edit] Location
The climbing centre is located just to the west of the village of Ratho, and beside the M9 motorway, around 8 miles (13 km) from central Edinburgh. The centre is located in the former Ratho Quarry, which closed in 1905. The location was chosen because of the shape of the quarry, which allowed a roof to be placed over a section of it. Outside, the rest of the grounds were landscaped, and traditional climbing is available on the rock face of the quarry. Its location close to Edinburgh, around a 20 minute drive, meant a large potential customer base. The proximity of Edinburgh Airport means that climbers from all over Europe can visit the centre for a weekend. The airport is around a 20 minute walk from the facility, and a shuttlebus service operates between the two.
[edit] Events
The venue hosted the UIAA-ICC World Youth Climbing Championships in 2004[3] and 2010.[4]
[edit] Controversy
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The climbing centre over the years has suffered a number a setbacks and problems with the construction and design of the facility. When the company that owned it back in 2005 went under, the roof was in dire need of repair. When it rained water would come through the roof and right down into the main arena. Climbers complained that the wall was constantly wet and wondered why a simpler design was not put forward that would have been more practical. This water also collected under the floor that was made out of locally sourced rock. Around the edge of the arena where the floor met with the bare rock water was visible just an inch under the floor level. Since the takeover by Edinburgh Leisure the roof problem has been mostly fixed and some repairs around the outside of the roof have been carried out.
Complaints about the temperature of the centre have also been raised a number of times. The main arena is not heated because of its size and therefore in winter temperatures can drop to almost 0°C inside. This made it very hard for climbers to get warmed up before performing a stressful activity. Since the takeover the arena is still not heated but there are small heaters placed around the floor where people can warm up between climbs.
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[edit] References
- ^ "Adventure sports climbing high". BBC News. 5 July 2003. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/3047298.stm. Retrieved 2009-02-26.
- ^ "Gym". EICA:Ratho. http://www.eica-ratho.com/content/gym/1132/. Retrieved 2009-02-24.
- ^ "A Review of the World Youth Climbing Championships 9th – 12th September 2004 at Ratho in Edinburgh". Mountaineering Council of Scotland. http://www.mountaineering-scotland.org.uk/sports/worldyouth04.html. Retrieved 2009-02-24.
- ^ "IFSC World YOuth Championships 2010". EICA Ratho. http://www.wyc-2010.com/. Retrieved 16 August 2011.
- "Bad to Worse for Ratho". UK Climbing. June 2004. http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/item.php?id=11072. Retrieved 2009-02-26.
- "Ratho Re-Opens". UK Climbing. May 2007. http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/item.php?id=37433. Retrieved 2009-02-26.
- "Ratho Climbing Centre". EdinburghArchitecture. http://www.edinburgharchitecture.co.uk/ratho_adventure_centre.htm. Retrieved 2009-02-26.
[edit] External links
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