Welcome to Mount Palace

Mount Palace is dedicated to creating an accessible and inclusive environment where everyone is welcome. We strive to ensure that everyone is valued equally and treated with fairness and respect.

We absolutely welcome your suggestions or ideas for improvement so please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at hello@mountpalace.org

About Us

Mount Palace was established in 2018 by a small group of local climbers dedicated to preserving the legacy of climbing in Crystal Palace and securing its future amidst redevelopment plans. As a Community Interest Company, we’re devoted to providing affordable, high-quality climbing experiences to the local community. Our mission extends to reaching underrepresented groups in the area, ensuring that climbing is accessible to everyone. All profits are reinvested back into the facility to further this goal.

Despite being London’s smallest commercial climbing centre, we have spent the past seven years modernising our facilities and operations to meet the standards expected of contemporary climbing centres. We make the most of our space and offer climbing routes that cater to all abilities—from beginners taking their first steps on the wall to elite athletes training at an Olympic level.

About Climbing

Climbing at an indoor centre is ultimately about climbing a ‘route’ to get you from one place to another, whether it's moving from the ground upwards or traversing sideways. Not all routes are the same and the level of difficulty of a route is determined by various factors, including the steepness of the wall, the size and shape of the holds (the things you grab), the spacing between them, and the techniques and physical strengths that may be required to complete the route

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At Mount Palace, we offer two types of climbing: Bouldering and Top Roping.

Bouldering is a style of climbing that doesn't require ropes or a harness. Climbers tackle shorter walls, with matting placed beneath the climbing area to help cushion any falls. Our bouldering walls reach up to 4 meters in height. However, please note that the matting does not guarantee safety or remove risk, so if you have concerns about the risks associated with Bouldering, Top Roping may be a more suitable option

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We have both ‘regular’ modern Bouldering walls commonly found in UK centres however we also have a small area of feature wall that mimics the sandstone from the local crags (outdoor climbing) in the nearby Southern Sandstone areas so its a perfect place to practice your footwork if you need to prep for some climbing in the real world. 

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Top Roping is the most popular form of roped climbing. It typically involves two people: the climber, who is tied to a rope, and the belayer, who controls the rope from the ground to ensure the climber's safety as they ascend the route. 

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Regardless of the climbing style you choose, all routes at Mount Palace are graded to indicate their difficulty, helping climbers select challenges that align with their skill levels. While various grading systems are used worldwide, we utilize the traditional ‘Font’ grading system for Bouldering and the ‘French’ grading system for Top Roping, as they best meet our needs.

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Each route is marked with a coloured tag at its start to indicate its difficulty. For example, Green represents the easiest grade, while Black signifies the hardest. Signs throughout the centre provide guidance on tag colours and their corresponding grade difficulties.

Given our proximity to outdoor climbing, our grades tend to be slightly harder than those at many other centres in London. If you’re used to climbing elsewhere, we recommend starting a grade lower here to assess your comfort level. Most routes on our bouldering walls peak at a difficulty of around f7A. Meanwhile, the routes on our Stokt training board are significantly harder, offering an intense challenge for advanced climbers.

Wheelchair Access

Unfortunately, due to the age of the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre and the fact that the building outside of the climbing centre is not under our management, wheelchair access to our facilities falls short of ideal. While the upcoming renovation and modernisation of the sports centre will address these challenges, we encourage anyone with specific accessibility needs to contact us ahead of their visit by emailing hello@mountpalace.org. Our team will do everything we can to make your experience as comfortable and enjoyable as possible

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Mount Palace is located on the bottom floor of the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre and is accessible via a lift from the ground floor. Unfortunately however, for reasons mentioned above, the lift is frequently (and frustratingly) out of service.

When the lift is out of order, access to Mount Palace is still possible via a nearby external fire door, located at the bottom of a long step-free ramp on the side of the sports centre. This door provides direct access to the climbing centre but can only be opened from the inside. Therefore, if you need to use this entrance, please email hello@mountpalace.org in advance so we can provide directions and ensure someone is available to let you in.

Once in the centre, Roped climbing and Bouldering is possible for wheelchairs with a max width of 900mm. The roped climbing bay is only accessible via a trip over the bouldering mats which are 30cm high. We’re happy for wheelchairs to be on the bouldering mats however they must stay out of fall zones at all times. 

Wheelchair accessible toilets and shower rooms are also found on the same floor as the Climbing centre.

Costs

You can find detailed information about our pricing, including any available concessions, in the Prices section of our website. We strive to keep our prices competitive while offering excellent value, whether you're climbing solo, with friends, or participating in instructor-led sessions.

Facilities

Food - The National Sports Centre has a very good, but slightly pricey, wheelchair accessible cafe open between 9-4pm midweek and 9-5pm on weekends. 

Changing - Gender-neutral, wheelchair-accessible changing rooms are available on the same floor as the climbing centre. These facilities can be accessed via either the lift or stairs from the ground floor.

Toilets - Gender-neutral, wheelchair-accessible toilets are available on the same floor as the climbing centre. These facilities can be accessed via either the lift or stairs from the ground floor.

Showers - Gender-neutral, wheelchair-accessible showers are available on the same floor as the climbing centre. These facilities can be accessed via either the lift or stairs from the ground floor.

Storage - We provide spaces for customers to store bags and coats within the centre however these areas are not locked and the reception area where they are located is occasionally unmanned.

For secure storage there are lockable lockers in various locations on the same floor as the climbing centre. These can be secured using your own padlock. 

We strongly recommend using these lockers if you are bringing any valuable items to the centre. Please note that all items left in the bag and coat storage area are left at your own risk, and Mount Palace cannot accept responsibility for any items that go missing.

Music

 

We play music in all areas of our centre and are more than happy to lower the sound level if this improves your interaction with us and fellow climbers.

Climbing Here

 

Regardless of whether you are climbing or supervising a climber, customers are not permitted to walk on the matted surfaces until they have to completed an Acknowledgment Of Risk and Responsibilities form and answered a few quick safety questions from our staff.
We’re a very small centre with limited staffing capacity so it really helps us and you save time if you complete this form ahead of your visit. For more detailed information on registration, please visit the Registration section of our centre here

Induction Video

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Our induction video is fully subtitled for any deaf or hard-of-hearing climbers and has a voiceover for blind and partially sighted climbers.

This can be watched at the centre or in advance via our website. All participants will be required to watch the video before participating.

Safeguarding

A copy of our safeguarding policy can be requested by emailing hello@mountpalace.org

Staff

A Duty Manager is always on shift and can be requested at any time whilst in the centre. To contact centre management, email hello@mountpalace.org

A trained first aider is always on hand, and we ask that you let us know of any injury sustained while using the centre.

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Matt Hayes
Director

Mount Palace CIC
Company Number: 12304412