Climbing

Whether you are an experienced climber, or completely new to the sport, our climbing wall at Ravelin Sports Centre has everything a climber could need. As well as being open to University of Portsmouth students and staff, we are also open to the local community. Our qualified climbing instructors will always be present during your sessions to ensure the safety of all climbers.

Our impressive climbing wall goes from the basement to the roof of the building and offers a total of 242 square metres of high quality climbing. The wall has been carefully designed to include a range of angles and features including slab, vertical and overhanging climbing. Challenge yourself at all levels.

How to access our climbing wall

The Climb option is included in our Ultimate membership and is also an option within our Core Plus membership.

With Climb as part of Core Plus or Ultimate, simply book into sessions on the app. You can also pay as you go outside of memberships.

Before you climb

You will need to read and agree to our waiver before climbing. To do this please complete the form at the bottom of our climbing webpage. You will then receive a confirmation email in the next couple of days to confirm we’ve updated your account. If you don’t get a response before your session, don’t worry - you can read and agree to the waiver at reception before your session starts.

Who can access our climbing wall

The minimum age for a climber using our climbing wall is 7 and anyone under the age of 18 will need to be supervised by an adult who is deemed competent at climbing, unless they have been registered and assessed by our climbing instructors to engage in unsupervised climbing. You can find out more information in our rules and regulations. 

If this is your first time climbing at Ravelin, you will need to agree to our waiver and attend an induction session. Maximise your time climbing by agreeing to the waiver at the bottom of this page, prior to your arrival. If you have an account with us already, you can book your induction immediately!

Booking your sessions

When it comes to booking your sessions, you will have the option to choose between an induction or a competent session.

• Induction - Inductions are for any new customer who have not used the wall before. These sessions include a full induction in the safe use of our climbing facilities. The Inductions are 30 minutes long, once the Induction is complete, you can then stay for the remaining hour. Staff will update the system once you have completed your induction to enable you to book onto Competent sessions.
• Competent sessions - These are for customers who have either used the wall prior to the closure or if they are a new customer, they must have attended an Induction before booking onto Competent sessions. These sessions have a capacity of 12 and are 1.5 hours long, allowing you time to warm up, climb and warm down.
• Climbing Taster 7-11 or 12-15 years old - taster sessions supervised by our climbing team, just for children within the age ranges. A parent or guardian must remain in the building, and complete the waiver on behalf of the child.

All sessions will be supervised by one of our climbing instructors, who will be there to offer advice and guidance.

*Any member that has selected climbing as an activity within their membership package.