South Block Park
Puget-sur-Argens, France
Specs: South Block Park, a mixed-discipline climbing gym founded and owned by Benoît Kerbiguet and Damien Gili, opened on June 14th this year in Puget-sur-Argens, France. Kerbiguet found the sport at age seven and has since remained a dedicated climber, “so opening a gym eventually made total sense,” he said. He had owned a construction business prior to the construction of the gym, eventually selling his company in 2023 as the next step to working in the outdoor sports industry. Gili, however, had already been working in the outdoor sports industry, owning and operating a wake park in Puget-sur-Argens. The two met during a wakeboarding session, “and a few years later the idea of building a climbing gym together came to life,” Kerbiguet recalled. “[Gili] and I had a conversation and realized how much climbing suited us both. We wanted to create a real community space—to share our passion with experienced climbers and introduce the sport to newcomers who might fall in love with it, just like I did when I first discovered it.”
Kerbiguet conducted a market study before opening the gym and was surprised “by the number of climbing gyms, often several in the same city.” According to Kerbiguet, Puget-sur-Argens—a southeastern commune in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region—however did not yet have a commercial climbing gym, so they saw an opportunity to provide one. “To stand out even more, we chose to include rope walls—and with this scale, we’re the only ones within 100 kilometers,” he added. “Plus, [Gili] already had the wake park next door, and a paddle center also opened nearby, so it became obvious this was the perfect location to build a true sports hub.”
Kerbiguet said the pair chose the current South Block Park building because “it allowed for greater wall height without requiring heavy foundations, and it’s also much more eco-friendly,” noting the space was constructed with wooden architecture. “The structure is designed so we can open all four sides up to a height of 3 meters [9.8 feet]—which is a big advantage in our region, where the air is fresh and the temperature is comfortable for about nine months of the year,” he detailed. The gym features 1,150 square meters (12,379 square feet) of climbing wall surface split between bouldering and sport climbing, on walls reaching 12 meters (39.4 feet). Part of the 463 square meters (4,984 square feet) of bouldering surface is located on the Titan Olympic Wall, an IFSC-certified wall built by EP Climbing—the same model of wall that was used in the 2024 Olympic Games. The 465 square meters (5,005 square feet) of roped climbing surface features 100 routes with four auto belays, in addition to over 10 Clip ’n Climb challenges in the 300-square-meter (3,229-square-foot) kids’ area.
Walls: EP Climbing
Flooring: EP Climbing
CRM Software: Owner/Contractor
Website: www.southblockpark.fr
Instagram: @South_Block_Park
In Their Words: “What makes our gym unique is the design—the wooden architecture, the welcoming restaurant and lounge area, the live music and evening events—and, of course, the climbing surfaces themselves. We offer a full experience: bouldering, high walls, a kids’ zone, and a wide selection of high-quality, diverse holds.” – Benoît Kerbiguet, Co-Owner and Co-Founder of South Block Park
