Let my people go climbing
Our new Salewa HQ was opened in Bolzano on October 6, 2011. It’s an impressive 48-metre high building, built by local firms with a photovoltaic system that produces more electricity than it requires, with extensive glass surfaces for great views and natural lighting and aluminium plates that reflect the surrounding cliffs.
It’s complete with offices, a high-tech, automated warehouse, an extensive showroom and a shop. The canteen offers great locally-sourced, healthy food, there’s a cool bistro (it does great coffee) in the company grounds, which are also open to the public, and there’s even a crèche for our kids.
However, the best thing about it is… that it has its own climbing wall and bouldering gym – the Cube.
During planning Heiner Oberrauch said, “We want to give something back to mountaineers and build them Italy’s most attractive indoor climbing centre.” He also mentioned that Salewa needed “a gym where its employees are able to sfogarsi – let off steam after work.”
This cutting-edge (low-tech and low environmental impact) climbing wall has 1850 m² of indoor climbing and 190 m² of outdoor climbing plus an outdoor via ferrata – in summer the glass wall on one side opens, so you don’t even feel like you’re at a wall. Given that Bolzano has more than 300 days of sunshine per year, most of the climbing takes place with the door open. Amazing – a wall with natural light, fresh air and virtually no chalk dust! In total, it’s got 175 routes with some pretty respectable overhangs and long training lines (up to 18.5 metres).
For a quick lunchtime boulder, there’s 200 m² of indoor bouldering, plus 220 m² of outdoor bouldering – with currently 20 problems, although there are plans to expand that to 100! And, in case I forget to mention it, there’s great coffee at the bistro just opposite.
The Cube is dedicated to Erich Abram, one of the greatest alpinists of the last century. A progressive and visionary climber, in 1974 he built Europe’s first climbing hall, here in Bolzano, to give climbers somewhere to train in winter.
The wall is open not only to us staff, but also to visitors too. In fact, it’s even got its own bus service, which runs every 30 minutes from Bolzano’s central station. So Salewa is a perfect place to enjoy climbing, train,
