A brand new climbing wall in the shape of a glacier arrived at The Forum in Norwich today to change the geography of one of the country’s flattest regions.

 

For one month only, residents will have the opportunity to scale the dizzying heights of a 25ft outdoor climbing wall here in the centre of Norwich rather than trek off to hillier regions of the country to put their skills to the test.

 

The glacier brings a slightly different angle to “ice at the Forum” where the outdoor winter sports zone is already in full swing with the EDF Energy Ice Rink doing brisk business. Norfolk folk seem keen to get their skates back on for a third successive year – the number of skaters on the rink is up 30% on the same time as last year.

 

Standing at 7.6m tall, the glacier towers over the ice rink, with lights located in nooks and crannies of the rock adding their own sparkle to the fantastic Christmas lights. The glacier has four different routes to the top providing a variety of challenging climbs every time, testing the ability and agility of even the most experienced of mountain hikers. Climbers get two opportunities to scale the glacier per session. 

 

William Abbott, Managing Director of Take the Everest Challenge said: “People are always keen to try something that little bit different and if ice skating isn’t their cup of tea, having a go at scaling a glacier might be just the thing to try whilst waiting for friends or relatives to finish skating around in circles on the ice rink. Climbing requires just as much co-ordination as ice skating does, but also tests sheer nerve and determination to reach the top using the challengingly placed foot and hand holds.”

 

Mark Hand, Marketing Manager at the Forum Trust said: “We wanted to add even more excitement to the winter wonderland in front of the Forum this year and give people the opportunity to climb as well as glide on ice! We hope that people will take a break from shopping and have a go at our unusual outdoor winter sports activities.”