Varese, March 7, 2026 – Following the opening of the new bouldering gym at Bolzano’s WaltherPark in October 2025, the Oberalp Group is opening its first climbing gym outside of Bolzano. The Salewa Cube Varese, located in the new sports center in the San Fermo district, offers climbing enthusiasts more than 1,000 m² of space with over 130 climbing routes of varying difficulty levels.

Indoor climbing continues to grow rapidly. Not least since climbing was introduced as an Olympic discipline in Tokyo, more and more sports enthusiasts are discovering a passion for this sport. The fact that climbing can now be practiced indoors year-round has significantly lowered the entry barrier: climbing shoes and equipment are available for rent at all gyms, making it easy and affordable for anyone interested to try out the sport. Responding to this development, Oberalp has opened a new Salewa Cube climbing gym in Varese. On March 7, the new Salewa Cube Varese ceremonially opened its doors as part of the inauguration of the San Fermo sports facility.

132 Routes on 1,000 m² of Climbing Space

The state-of-the-art climbing gym, covering over 1,000 m² of space for sporting activities, offers the opportunity to climb 132 vertical routes. The routes range from difficulty level 3a, the easiest for beginners, up to level 8a for experienced and professional climbers. Outdoor walls are available for speed climbing, while indoor areas cater to boulderers. In this way, the Salewa Cube Varese provides a full range of training opportunities for all skill levels, age groups, and climbing disciplines.

Salewa Cube as a Franchise Climbing Gym

For the first time, Oberalp will operate a climbing gym as a franchise model with the local partner “Varese Climbing.” Oberalp has already successfully implemented this concept in retail for several years. It combines the company’s expertise in brand management and sales with the local partner’s knowledge of the market, customers, and regional specifics.

“We are particularly proud that, in addition to the existing Salewa Cubes in Bolzano South and the Waltherpark shopping center, we can now open our first franchised climbing gym with Salewa Cube Varese. This project was made possible through funding from the PNRR and a private-public project financing arrangement with the Municipality of Varese and our partner Varese Climbing, with Oberalp acting as the technical partner and jointly developing the project,” emphasizes Stefan Zublasing, Project Manager of the Oberalp Group.

Oberalp plans further expansion of the Salewa Cube franchise concept in Italy. At the end of the year, a new Salewa Cube climbing gym will open in Como, and in 2027, ten additional openings are planned in the major cities across Italy.