Zurich’s largest bouldering lounge

The largest bouldering centre in the Zurich area is located right in the heart of the JED Campus. Lena and Simon Stürm, managers of the Boulderlounge, talk in an interview about a trend sport that is taking Switzerland by storm.

First of all, for all those who don’t know bouldering – what is it?

Lena Stürm: Bouldering is climbing on boulders or walls at jump height, which is why no safety equipment is required. The main difference between bouldering and climbing is the height: you can boulder up to a maximum of 4.5 meters above the mat, whereas climbing gyms are up to 18 meters high. In climbing, ropes and appropriate safety devices are commonplace, whereas in bouldering you are free and well protected from serious injuries due to the lower height and soft ground. When climbing, there are always two of you, bouldering is good for solo climbing.

Are there also technical differences?

Simon Stürm: The main difference is that a climbing route on a rope in the gym usually goes straight up the wall. The routes can also be bouldered crosswise or upside down. Bouldering offers an even wider range of movement options than rope climbing, depending on what exciting moves the route setters come up with. This means that almost every muscle in the body is used at some point during bouldering. There are balancing routes that require a lot of body tension, as well as dynamic movements where eye, foot and hand coordination are important.

Lena and Simon Stürm – You are the managers of the new Schlieren bouldering lounge and have been running a hall in St. Gallen for three years. How did the move to JED come about?

Simon: We both originally came from different fields, I from IT project management, Lena from engineering. During one of our children’s climbing courses, we came up with the idea of having our own bouldering hall and soon afterwards we opened the first bouldering lounge in St. Gallen.

Lena: Because the bouldering lounge in St. Gallen is really popular, at some point we started looking for another suitable location. We chose the Zurich area because bouldering is already a bit more widespread here than in the rest of Switzerland. Bouldering is only just on the rise in this country, although there is already the Gaswerk in the Zurich area as a climbing hall with a bouldering area, as well as the Minimum, which is a pure bouldering hall. We then found an offer at JED that we absolutely had to take a look at. So I simply gave them a call.

The new bouldering lounge is in the hall building – perfect for climbing?

Simon: Yes, we loved the location here at JED. The size and, above all, the height of the hall are perfect for our needs, and the location is fantastic with the existing transport links.

Lena: At JED, we had the opportunity to implement completely new and exciting ideas that provided a new incentive for our visitors. With so much space, we can play with the different elements, provide a competition wall or even incorporate completely new climbing experiences. For example, hanging and free-standing elements that can be completely circled, or an electronically adjustable wall module (called a kilterboard) that can be tilted between 20 and 70 degrees. In total, the hall offers plenty of space to let off steam with over 4,500 holds on around 1,200 m2 of bouldering area.

What else is special about the Boulderlounge?

Lena: It’s important to emphasize that we deliberately call our bouldering hall the “Boulderlounge”. This is because you can not only boulder here, but also chill out – i.e. relax, linger, enjoy time with friends or simply watch your children climb. On the upper floor, we have set up bouldering walls at a lower height for children. There, the little ones can get a taste of the sport and develop their skills.

Simon: Other highlights are certainly the topout with a view of our competition wall, a special training area for boulder-specific strength training, the Kilterboard and the Moonboard, as well as our chill area with bistro and lounge for relaxing, entertaining and being cozy.

Photographer: jonaskuhn.ch

Convince your readers to start bouldering –

Lena: Oh, that makes us go into raptures. Bouldering is the perfect sport for everyone, beginners and advanced, super fit and less athletic people. It’s great for building strength, practising balance, trying out moves you didn’t even know existed and, of course, having lots of fun. Bouldering is a very social sport, even though you can do it on your own. Many people get to know each other while bouldering, give each other tips and show each other tricks on how to master a route. We see a lot of lone fighters who quickly form into a group, which then turns up together in the future, does sport and enjoys the time. Bouldering does not require a lot of equipment, is varied and the risk of injury remains relatively low thanks to the safety restrictions. You could almost say that bouldering is addictive. On more than one occasion, we have had to pluck an enthusiast with sore fingers from the wall and tell them to calm down.

Do you also organize bouldering events?

Simon: Yes, we like doing events because we can let our imagination run wild. From night bouldering to disco bouldering, to playful events such as Chlaus bouldering or photo events, we always offer something new as soon as the corona restrictions allow it again. We would like to organize more events with music in the future, which will appeal to a younger audience with a DJ.

Besides events: Can whole groups also boulder?

Lena: Yes, of course. Apart from events and groups, bouldering is very popular with school classes, because bouldering trains: Motor skills, sensory skills, team spirit. We already have a lot of school classes visiting us in St. Gallen. For teachers, bouldering is very enjoyable because they can supervise it themselves. Bouldering does require a certain amount of basic knowledge – which we offer to teachers in the form of further training, for example – but not countless specially trained instructors to look after the children. As mentioned, the equipment also remains manageable, which also facilitates access for group guests.

Back to the JED: What are your hopes for the location in this business environment?

Simon: As mentioned, the halls and the location are unique and impressive for us. Zurich has proven itself as a location that sets trends and where this type of sport is already much more widespread than elsewhere. In terms of the other tenants in the JED, we probably complement each other very well: our sport fills the area and brings in people from outside, who then settle down in the Barista Bar, have a coffee at Caffetino or go for a meal in Eve’s Kitchen afterwards. Maybe one or two employees of the hiring parties will also enjoy bouldering, who knows? One thing is certain: our bouldering lounge is lively.

Find out more about the bouldering lounge: www.boulderlounge.ch/schlieren

Questions about the bouldering lounge? Lena Stürm will be happy to receive your e-mail at: schlieren@boulderlounge.ch