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Freeklime Lincoln was birthed out of a casual conversation between myself (Chris) and Sandra, Walltopia's UK sales representative. We were talking about how it was increasingly difficult to identify attractive locations and the general state of the indoor climbing industry when she made a remark about a potential gap existing for a dedicated bouldering centre in Lincoln.
After doing some market research & discussions with our property agents we decided to commence the search phase of suitable premises in Lincoln. I made my first visit to the area in February 2025. After viewing a few buildings we began to lose hope we'd find something to our liking, but the last property we viewed was perfect; walking distance from the city centre and a stones throw from university accommodation!
We negotiated a lease, sorted planning consent and moved in at the end of August 2025! Easy enough so far...
The next 3 months consisted of a lot of planning & project management of our key suppliers to line up for a Q1 launch in 2026. The main build phase of the project came during November & December 2025. There was also the added complication of my wife expecting our first child in December so there was a lot to balance! All good fun though!
Luckily by this point I was able to hand over the project management duties to Jack who did a smashing job in coordinating all of our suppliers in the run up to opening. I came back from paternity leave at the start of 2026, with the entrance area and wall finished; we were so close and the wall looked amazing!!
Unfortunately for us we were then met with a huge snow storm in Europe which delayed our last delivery. At last the truck arrived (a week late!) meaning Walltopia could finish the matting and we could start route setting at haste! We had 160 climbs to set, 5 days to do it and just Jack & I as experienced route setters to put them up!
With some long days and the amazing support of the team we finished the set and opened Lincoln on January 22nd! The feedback from you all has been fantastic so thanks so much! It feels so good to deliver the same great Freeklime vibes in Lincoln. I'm immensely proud of the facility, the team and the community we're ccreating at the centre!
