Ghent: (Brussels Morning) – Rhino Boulder Gym is a new bouldering facility opening in Ghent Belgium in late October 2024. It will be the largest bouldering hall in the country at 1,250 square meters run by the Bruyland brothers who previously owned Paintball Gent.
The bouldering hall will be in an old building in Ghent called Galveston on Wiedauwkaai street. This building used to be a textile factory since 1910. It got its name from a city in Texas, USA called Galveston where they used to ship cotton to Europe. But around the 1950s the textile industry went down and the factory closed in 1999. Even after the textile factory closed the building was used for different things. They opened a cool rooftop restaurant with a great view. There’s also a boxing club for sports fans a paintball area for fun and an indoor playground for families and kids. And now they’re adding a bouldering hall to the mix keeping up with the building’s tradition of being versatile and useful for the community.
What is the significance of the new bouldering hall opening in Ghent, Belgium?
The new bouldering hall will be the biggest in Belgium with a huge climbing wall area of 1,250 square meters. It’s run by the Bruyland brothers who also started Paintball Ghent. People in Ghent really want more bouldering places because the ones there are always busy. Bouldering became even more popular since it became an Olympic sport in the 2021 Tokyo Games.Hannes van Duysen from Belgium will be in the Paris Games which will make bouldering even more popular. The new bouldering hall is being built to meet the needs of the growing climbing community and offer a top-notch place for both fun climbing and competitions.
Bouldering has changed from just practice for outdoor climbing to its own sport with challenges and competitions.The Bruyland brothers who started Paintball Gent love bouldering. Their passion for the sport and great location made them switch from paintball to starting a bouldering place. They noticed how popular bouldering is in Ghent and wanted to help by making a top-notch bouldering hall for the local climbing community.
What are the key details about the new bouldering hall opening in Ghent, Belgium?
The new bouldering hall costs about 1.2 million euros with Flanders pitching in 23%, around 269,000 euros. Flanders’ support shows how much they value the project and the sport’s popularity. The climbing place will open in late October and will be called ‘Walden.’ The name probably gives a nature and adventure vibe fitting the outdoor roots of bouldering. ‘Walden’ aims to be a top spot for climbers with 1,250 square meters of climbing walls making it the biggest bouldering hall in the country. Bram and Pieter Bruyland who really like bouldering are in charge of this new thing. They changed from Paintball Ghent to make ‘Walden’ because they love the sport and want a cool place for climbers in Ghent. With bouldering becoming more popular especially after being in the Olympics and Hannes van Duysen’s achievements ‘Walden’ will be the main spot for climbers in the region.
