Up and away as highest climbing wall opens

A leading British junior climber scaled the UK's highest man-made outdoor climbing wall yesterday days before it is officially opened in West Yorkshire.

Higher than the Tower of London and the Angel of the North, the ROKTFACE wall at ROKT climbing centre in Brighouse, allows people to climb routes up to 36 metres high.

The wall, roughly equivalent to a 12 storey building or seven double-decker buses stacked on top of each other, has been grafted on to the face of a sky-scraping disused flour silo.

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It sits alongside the Calder and Hebble canal and specialist crews have spent the last three months drilling around 2,750 holes, resulting in around 21 different routes aimed at climbers ranging from amateurs to experts. The wall opens to the public on Sunday.

The routes have been set by Team GB junior climber, Luke Murphy, 19, from Hebden Bridge.

He said: “It’s been a really surreal experience – coming to work and hanging off the side of a giant tower setting routes. There’s not many people get to say they work above the rooftops.

“It’s brilliant because it will draw attention to climbing and help raise its profile to so many more people. The Olympics are just around the corner and climbing will make its debut, so launching ROKTFACE now rather than waiting until after means we can be ahead of the curve.”

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Euan Noble, ROKT’s commercial director, said: “ROKTFACE is unique and there’s nothing quite like it anywhere in the world, given its setting, its location and, of course, its height. Put simply, it’s breath-taking.

“It’s been a long time coming, but thanks to the team at ROKT, Calderdale Council and other people who’ve believed in this project, we’re turning dreams into reality.”

Prices are from £15, depending on the climber’s ability.