What The Climbing Hangar does

The Climbing Hangar is a privately-held, UK-based indoor bouldering gym chain operating under legal entity Grip UK (company number 07248432). Founded in 2010 and headquartered at 39 Fleet Street, Liverpool, it runs 11 owned-and-operated bouldering walls across England, Scotland, and Wales - including Bristol, Edinburgh, Exeter, Liverpool (North and South), London, Plymouth, Reading, Sheffield, Southampton, and Swansea - with headcount in the 51-100 range. The core offering is rope-free indoor bouldering on color-coded routes of varying difficulty, accessed via monthly unlimited membership (no joining fee, no contract, no cancellation charges), pay-as-you-go day passes and multi-visit punchcards, and digital gift cards capped at £200.

The product surface is broader than core bouldering and includes coach-led sessions, beginner and progression classes, kids' programs (Rock Club, Hangar Squad competitive pathway, birthday parties, school and youth group bookings), outdoor climbing trips, instructor training, corporate team-building, and stag/hen events. Ancillary revenue is generated via on-site cafes (with alcohol in some venues), a retail shop selling climbing shoes, apparel, chalk, and Hangar merchandise, and shoe rental (included free with entry). The technology backbone is intentionally commodity: Rock Gym Pro for membership and bookings, Stripe for payments, SendGrid for email marketing, and the ABC incident reporting system for safety. There is no proprietary AI/ML capability. The company scaled with £3.9M growth capital from NVM Private Equity in December 2019.

The customer base is diversified across individual recreational climbers (beginner through advanced), families with children, schools and youth groups, corporate clients, stag/hen parties, and underserved segments (refugees via the Refugees Rock program, women climbers via Hangar Women Rock). Community is a central operating pillar: The Hangar runs recurring social climbing nights, UV nights, singles events, the Winter Bouldering League, the Bouldering Open Summer Series, and The Hangar Games, and operates an active content engine (Knowledge Hub, Instagram, YouTube) featuring professional climbers such as Shauna Coxsey and Leah Crane. Founder Ged MacDomhnaill leads the business as CEO.

Name

The Climbing Hangar

Legal name

Grip UK

Website

https://theclimbinghangar.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Climbing Hangar (legal entity Grip UK) operates 11 indoor bouldering gyms across England, Scotland, and Wales, serving individual climbers, families, schools, corporate groups, and community programs via monthly memberships, pay-as-you-go passes, coaching, retail, and cafe sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Indoor bouldering gym services

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Climbing & Mountaineering Gyms/Guides (Indoor, Outdoor, Via Ferrata) (THAAAKAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Adventure & Aerial Parks (Ropes Courses, Zipline Parks, Climbing Parks) (THAJAEAI), Via Ferrata & Adventure Climbing Parks (THAAACAE), Climbing & Via Ferrata Guiding / Instruction (THAAALAH), Camping, Hiking & Climbing Specialty Retail (CRAMABAM)

Keywords

• Indoor bouldering
• Climbing gym memberships
• Climbing instruction services
• Youth climbing programs
• Fitness facility operations

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Monthly Membership Subscriptions: Recurring monthly membership subscriptions offering unlimited climbing with no joining fee, no contracts, and no cancellation charges. Includes free shoe hire, coaching options, unlimited guest passes, after-school club, members-only sessions, and discounts on events.
2. Pay-As-You-Go Climbing: Single session entry fees for climbers who prefer not to commit to membership. Includes shoe hire.
3. Student Membership Passes: Pre-paid fixed-term memberships (3, 6, 9, or 12 months) at discounted rates for students with valid ID.
4. Gift Cards: Gift vouchers valid for one year from purchase, redeemable for climbing sessions, cafe purchases, and retail items. Available in amounts up to £200.
5. Coach-Led Sessions and Classes: Paid coaching sessions for beginners and advanced climbers, instructor training, and specialized programs.
6. Retail (Shop): Sale of climbing equipment including shoes, apparel, chalk, bouldering pads, and Hangar merchandise.
7. Cafe Sales: On-site cafe serving food and beverages to climbers and visitors.
8. Corporate and Group Events: Corporate climbing events, stag and hen parties, birthday parties, and group bookings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Climbing Hangar operates a chain of indoor bouldering gyms across the UK, selling pay-as-you-go climbing access, multi-visit punchcards, and unlimited monthly memberships valid across all 11 locations. The core offering is supported by paid coaching, kids climbing programs, birthday parties, schools and youth group sessions, corporate and group events, instructor training, outdoor climbing, and on-site retail and cafe revenue.

Product overview

The Climbing Hangar operates a network of indoor bouldering gyms across the UK. The core product is indoor bouldering on climbing walls, supported by a monthly unlimited membership subscription (Hangar Membership) and pay-as-you-go options (Punchcards, Gift Cards). The offering is complemented by coach-led sessions, kids programs (Rock Club, Hangar Squad, Birthday Parties, Schools & Youth Groups), corporate and group events (Corporate Climbing, Stag and Hen), instructor training, and outdoor climbing. Educational resources are provided through the Knowledge Hub. Additional revenue streams include on-site cafe, retail shop selling climbing equipment and apparel, and shoe rental (included free with entry). The company also runs community programs including Refugees Rock (free climbing for refugees) and Hangar Women Rock (women's social climbing), plus competitive events like The Hangar Games.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Indoor Bouldering The primary service: indoor bouldering on climbing walls at multiple UK locations, with no ropes required and color-coded routes of varying difficulty for beginners through advanced climbers. Includes free shoe hire with entry.
• Hangar Membership Monthly unlimited climbing subscription with no joining fees, no contracts, and no cancellation charges. Includes free shoe hire, coaching options, unlimited guest passes, after-school club, members-only sessions, and discounts on events. Valid across all 11 UK venues.
• Punchcards Multi-visit passes for pay-as-you-go climbing, redeemable across visits and valid for up to twelve months from purchase.
• Gift Cards Vouchers available online and at reception in amounts up to £200, redeemable for climbing sessions, cafe purchases, and retail items. Valid for 12 months from purchase, at the venue of issuance (with Liverpool vouchers interoperable across both Liverpool venues).
• Coach-Led Sessions Paid coaching sessions including group sessions, socials, and floorwalking guidance to help climbers improve technique and progress, available to beginners and advanced climbers.
• Student Membership Passes Pre-paid fixed-term memberships (3, 6, 9, or 12 months) at discounted rates for students with valid ID, paid in full upfront, giving unlimited climbing during the term.
• Rock Club (Kids Classes) Coach-led climbing sessions for children where kids learn climbing basics in a fun, supervised environment.
• Hangar Squad Talent identification and competitive development programme preparing the best young climbers to represent The Climbing Hangar at national competitions.
• Kids Birthday Parties Party packages for children featuring climbing activities and celebrations held at the climbing gym venues.
• Schools & Youth Groups Organised climbing activities and coaching sessions for school groups and youth organisations, priced per group with concessions.
• Corporate Climbing Events Team-building and corporate climbing sessions for businesses and organisations, booked through the website or by contacting individual gym locations, with group rates from 5+ climbers and a 50% booking deposit.
• Stag and Hen Activities Pre-wedding climbing activities for stag and hen parties, run as group bookings at Hangar venues.
• Outdoor Climbing Guided outdoor climbing experiences and training programmes for climbers transitioning from indoor to outdoor bouldering.
• Instructor Training Professional development and qualification programmes for individuals seeking to become climbing instructors.
• The Hangar Games (Winter Bouldering League & Bouldering Open Summer Series) Competition events and leagues such as the Winter Bouldering League and Bouldering Open Summer Series, hosted across multiple Hangar locations for member and visitor climbers.
• Hangar Women Rock Coach-led social climbing sessions for women, focused on female climbing styles, technique, and creative problem-solving.
• Retail Shop On-site shop at each venue selling climbing equipment, Hangar apparel, chalk, climbing shoes, and other climbing essentials.
• Cafe On-site cafe at each venue serving food, coffee and beverages (with alcohol served in some venues), accessible to climbers and visitors during opening hours.

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Action AsylumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2021Action Asylum is a volunteering and wellbeing project housed at Asylum Link Merseyside. They collaborate with The Climbing Hangar to run Refugees Rock, a free climbing club for refugees and asylum seekers. Emma Leaper from Action Asylum works as a Social Worker bringing asylum seekers to monthly climbing sessions.
• British Red CrosscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2021British Red Cross is a charity helping refugees in the UK. They collaborate with The Climbing Hangar and Action Asylum on the Refugees Rock program, providing support coordinators who attend monthly climbing sessions.
• Rockover (Manchester)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRockover in Manchester has partnered with The Climbing Hangar to expand the Refugees Rock community across a network of walls in the UK.
• The Climbing Hut (Ellesmere Port)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Climbing Hut in Ellesmere Port has partnered with The Climbing Hangar to expand the Refugees Rock community across a network of walls in the UK.
• Action AsylumcoreOthersAsylum Link Merseyside is a charity offering friendship and support to people seeking sanctuary. Action Asylum brings together people seeking asylum with their local communities to volunteer and improve mental wellbeing, including environmental conservation work.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Climbing Centre Group (The Climbing Centre / Awesome Walls): Largest UK indoor climbing centre operator running multiple sites (e.g., Awesome Walls, The Climbing Centre) with memberships, coaching, kids programmes and retail — directly comparable multi-site bouldering/roped gym chain competing for the same UK customer base as The Climbing Hangar.
• Rockover (Manchester): Manchester-based bouldering and climbing gym referenced as a partner in The Climbing Hangar's Refugees Rock network; operates an indoor climbing facility with similar coaching, memberships and community programmes in the same product category.
• The Climbing Hut (Ellesmere Port): Indoor bouldering and climbing centre in Ellesmere Port partnered with The Climbing Hangar on Refugees Rock; competes in the same North-West England catchment with comparable membership and session-based offerings.
• The Castle Climbing Centre: Long-established independent indoor climbing centre in London offering bouldering, roped climbing, coaching and kids programmes — competing directly with The Climbing Hangar's London venue for the same metropolitan consumer.

Regional players

• Beacon Climbing Centre: Indoor bouldering and roped climbing centre in North Wales serving a similar customer profile to The Climbing Hangar's Wales/England catchments, with comparable memberships, coaching and youth programmes.
• Big Rock Climbing Centre: Independent indoor climbing centre in Milton Keynes/Northamptonshire offering bouldering, top-roping, coaching and kids sessions — overlapping with The Climbing Hangar's community-led positioning and UK regional reach.

Broad incumbents

• Movement (Climbing Gym Chain): US-headquartered multi-site climbing gym chain with bouldering, fitness, yoga and coworking under one roof; broader portfolio than The Climbing Hangar but a useful international benchmark for scaling a climbing gym brand and integrating adjacent revenue (retail, food & beverage, fitness).
• Bouldering Project: Multi-site US bouldering gym operator offering climbing, fitness classes, yoga and community programming; comparable in community-led, design-forward positioning though geographically outside The Climbing Hangar's UK footprint.
• Vertical Endeavors / Vertical World: Multi-site indoor climbing gym operators in the US combining bouldering, roped climbing, instruction and youth programmes; comparable multi-site operating model and membership economics to The Climbing Hangar's UK chain.

Others

• Rock Gym Pro: Climbing-gym management software platform already integrated by The Climbing Hangar for memberships, bookings and waivers; adjacent ecosystem player rather than a competitor, but a useful operational peer for understanding the technology stack underpinning gym chains.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC5HdyOheuzaZEuVhRSFPnWw
• Instagraminstagram.com/theclimbinghangaruk
• Xx.com/thehangarlondon
• Facebookfacebook.com/theclimbinghangarlondon

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Climbing Hangar