This week Selfridges revealed a 40ft custom-built column outside its legendary Oxford Street store, open to the public to climb for the next six weeks (until August 26).
The unveiling on Thursday (July 18) came just ahead of temperatures climbing in the capital this weekend. Who knows, perhaps things will be a little cooler up there.
Designed by Los Angeles-based PLAYLAB studio with visual references to the iconic 1909 Beaux Arts Selfridges façade, first to give it a go at the unveiling were the Gorp Girls community, a group championing women in the outdoors.
The climbing column is part of the Selfridges Sportopia season this summer, which will see a host of sports-themed events and collaborations with the likes of Lacoste, Champion and Nike taking place across the London and Birmingham stores.
From Barry’s Bootcamps, cold-water plunges and spinning like mad at Psycle, Londoners are always thinking outside the box when it comes to their fitness, and the climbing craze is no different. Having made its debut at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, the sport will once more feature in this year’s Paris Olympics.
There’s enough room for six people to take to the column at once, so maybe it’s time to shake up the old Saturday-morning-hangover-breakfast routine and head down for a climb with your mates instead.
A session on the column is £12.50 and gets you 30 minutes of designated climbing time. You can book it here.
Did you see? Bloomsbury is getting a massive £400 million facelift.
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