Escala 25

Climbing gym on one of the city's most iconic structure.

Investment overview

Impact category

Social economy

Investment type

Loan

Yearly interest

Term

months

Risk level

B-

PITON Adventure is proud to present Escala 25 the first-ever outdoor sport climbing gym located beneath one of the most iconic engineering masterpieces in Lisbon, the Ponte 25 de Abril. The project's team believes they have a unique experience to spearhead this initiative from a professional and sporting standpoint. The team is proficient in sport, leisure, and tourism management - and all die-hard climbing enthusiasts!

PITON is seeking funding to further develop a climbing center truly worthy of becoming part of the 25 de Abril bridge.

Through this campaign the promotor aims to achieve:

2 additional Trublue Autobelay systems,
Fitness, skill, and training area;
Intrepid Centre – Informative space for those interested in learning more about outdoor adventure sports and activities;
Climbing Gear Shop;
Deck and lounge area;
Initial 3-month climbing route-setting budget;

To date, the promotor has obtained the necessary funds to build the climbing wall in partnership with Walltopia, a well-reputed wall construction enterprise. The wall is located in an outdoor space on the north face of the Ponte 25 de Abril’s 7th pilar and will have the following features:

Bouldering cave;
Over 20 bouldering routes;
12-meter-high sport climbing wall;
Lisbon’s very own sport climbing arch and pillar;
Over 20 sport climbing routes;
3 Trublu Autobelay Systems;
Reception and changing/shower rooms.

When designing the gym the whole team imagined what would be their dream wall to train on. As experienced climbers and having climbed in gyms around the world and various outdoor places, but also as climbers that like to bring new people into the climbing community the goal was to build a place where everyone from first-time triers to pros could have fun together.

In Lisbon, it is still quite a challenge to find a roped climbing gym. Besides the arch and the pillar, PITON will introduce five auto belays to allow climbers to be able to climb by themselves without having to have the support of another partner.

The goal is that people can visit Escala 25 to learn how to boulder and to progress to lead climbing and so on. Escala 25 is an inclusive space for everyone, where beginners or people who have never learned how to climb can have a safe environment to start progressing but also a place where experienced climbers can come and train to improve as well.

What is the impact?

Direct

Promotion of healthy physical activities: in their gym and climbing wall, PITON promotes a healthy lifestyle through physical activities and preparation for outdoor nature-based experiences. The space has capacity to receive 250 people per day, and the promoter expects to reach 14000 people in the first year.
Promotion of decent work: by providing inclusive and fair employment with special attention to gender equality through career progression and employment opportunities. A team of 5 people work to provide a sustainable tourism option while decoupling economic growth from environmental degradation.
Promotion of lifestyles in harmony with nature: through the informative centre for outdoor adventure sports and activities with very low levels of environmental burden.

Indirect

Community development: through a partnership with the Local Council of Alcantara the promoter aim on creating engaging activities for the local youth to create an opportunity for training and skills development. The promoter expects to start implementing the community-based development programs 6 months after the opening.
Inclusive city spaces: the climbing wall and gym are located in one of Lisbon’s iconic bridges, raising awareness of the multiple purposes that city spaces can have to integrate its citizens and visitors, promoting an inclusive access to these structures.

Contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals
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About the Promoter

About

PATRICK MILLS, UNIPESSOAL LDA

Piton Adventure is PATRICK MILLS, LDA's brand, is an urban adventure development company focused on revitalizing and reusing disused urban spaces to create healthy outdoor adventure activities.

The company, based in Alcantara, Lisbon, was founded in 2021 by Patrick Mills, Ellis Dixon, Alex Padalka, Luis Zagallo, and Cristian Fuertes.

In November of 2021, Patrick Mills was walking home when he passed two of the many pillars supporting Lisbon’s Ponte 25 de Abril bridge. Patrick, a climber, and entrepreneur in adventure tourism and hospitality, wondered how they could be repurposed for the community, and suddenly envisioned an outdoor climbing wall. Soon after Patrick was joined by Financial Advisor Alex Padalka and Content Manager Ellis Dixon, two Lisbon locals, and climbing enthusiasts and co-founders of the immigrant and expat community website AtlasLisboa.com, The team quickly grew to include Cristian Fuertes who focused on all necessary planning, examination, and approvals to quickly and safely implement the project and Luis Escudeiro who helped Escala25 apply for a Portugal2020 grant that has now been approved.

Promoter website

www.escala25.com

Team
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[{"id":265,"promoter_id":254,"name":"Patrick Esteves Mills","description":"Patrick has extensive experience developing adventure tourism, sustainable tourism, and ecotourism. Patrick has supported NGOs, social programs, and international advisory groups in Southeast Asia, Australia, and Portugal from planning to management. He has been climbing for 6 years and has conquered Mount Korbu in Malaysia. At Escala 25, he focuses on strategic definition, planning and implementation of project management.","link":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-mills-1286004b/","role":"CEO","member_photo":"https://991934249232-prod-octobercms-public-storage.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/public/672/e4e/483/672e4e4833ff4964485193.png","avatar_id":173994},{"id":266,"promoter_id":254,"name":"Alex Padalka","description":"A bookworm who feels most comfortable at altitude. He works as a freelance journalist and editor specializing in finance and technology and the co-founder of AtlasLisboa.com, a digital platform that promotes the city's many urban attractions, he has been working closely with the tourism industry in Portugal for almost 10 years. Alex is a climber with 16 years of experience. His biggest achievement was Candlestick in Thailand, and he has experience leading technical climbs in the USA, Russia, Italy, Spain, Malta, Mexico, Argentina, Morocco, and more. At Escala 25, he leads all aspects of the company's financial operations.","link":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/apadalka/","role":"CFO","member_photo":"https://991934249232-prod-octobercms-public-storage.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/public/672/e4f/821/672e4f821e969743824355.png","avatar_id":173995},{"id":267,"promoter_id":254,"name":"Luis Zagallo","description":"Sync Manager at RedMojo, Luis is responsible for the soundtrack of some of the biggest national advertising campaigns, and with proven experience in the surf industry where he performed functions as CCO and editorial head of the Beachcam portal. He also works as a consultant for the Fábrica dos Sonhos Project, where he focused on raising donations (Fábrica dos Sonhos is a free daycare center for underprivileged children). At Escala 25, he leads all aspects of partners' and consumers' experiences.","link":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/luis-zagallo-64285b16a/","role":"CCO","member_photo":"https://991934249232-prod-octobercms-public-storage.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/public/672/e50/563/672e5056308a0085510402.png","avatar_id":173997},{"id":268,"promoter_id":254,"name":"Ellis Dixon","description":"Ellis has over two decades of experience in marketing management in the fashion and tourism industry. Ellis is the content manager for the Irish Portuguese Business Network and co-founder and editor of the AtlasLisboa.com digital platform. She has been climbing for over 12 years and has climbed in over 20 different countries. Her biggest achievement was Candlestick in Thailand. At Escala 25, she coordinates all marketing services in the company.","link":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellisdixon/","role":"Marketing Director","member_photo":"https://991934249232-prod-octobercms-public-storage.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/public/672/e51/2c9/672e512c995cf171041376.jpg","avatar_id":173998},{"id":269,"promoter_id":254,"name":"Cristian Fuertes","description":"CEO of construction and development firm Kores Portuguesa Lda.","link":"","role":"","member_photo":"https://991934249232-prod-octobercms-public-storage.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/public/672/e52/05d/672e5205dbd02135011838.png","avatar_id":173999}]

Business Model
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