Sportspace Review

Brilliant place, my son and his friend loved XC extreme camp.

Went in at 11am Saturday morning:
"Hey we are two experienced climbers visiting the area, and just want to climb today please."
"Sorry we have no staff to rope check you.
"We are both ex climbing instructors"
"Yeah sorry all the staff are busy"
"Okay, we'll just leave then"

Taster climbing session, booked from 1pm til 2pm didn't start climbing til 1:32, complete waste of money, when I complained it was just " oh well sorry" poor would never return. Don't waste your money

Climbing wall here is awesome. Sets can be varied, sometimes very interesting. Routes are long and the artificial rock wall (which takes pro if you fancy practising trad) is awesome!

Nice center they have a timed route which is fun and different b

Ace pool bowl but the whole park needs a sweep as it's super slippy

Brilliant staff , clean and reasonable price , my son loves it here

Interesting problems, nice patrons and staff there, not too busy due to Covid booking system, but...

I (an experienced boulder climber) took a new climber and was told they couldn't climb as they would need a 45 minute induction to boulder and no one was available to give them one.

I then said I was experienced and was going to supervise but they said this was not possible unless I could show them how to check a belay knot.

I explained we were just bouldering but they sad they couldn't help.

I understand if that is policy, however it's a completely arbitrary rule as we wouldn't be using belays anyway!

Very strange considering this is not the case at any other wall I've been to.

I also was not offered a refund. Disappointing.

Edit in response to reply:

Two excellent bowls, and a good sized mini.. I try to get there every week!

Turned up today to do some bouldering. Rude staff member on the desk. Did everything in her power to prevent us from climbing. Very disappointing.

Thank you guys. Very friendly staff and good prices

Good climbing in XC, pretty quiet when I've been there which is good. They have a good range of tall top rope and leading walls, and a small bouldering section also which is pretty good. Can get a bit noisy as there is kids doing activities above but its not too bad.

Great climbing and skating for kids upwards. Host great parties. Right by restaurants and supermarket

Took kids to a junior taster session today. Very nice and well equipped facility & the instructor was superb, great with kids & very enthusiastic, the kids loved it. Unfortunately customer service in other areas was not as good. After being (not so) warmly welcomed by a young lady on reception, none of the 4 staff seemed to want to break away from a casual chat to serve anyone waiting at the refreshment counter. That was quite irritating after a while.
Shame, it could easily be a 5* experience.

Ramps themselves are great!Placement of them is a bit weird but it's no problem really,20ft mini ramp,enjoy!

Great for the kids or adults interested in scooter, skateboard etc. Noticed rock climbing too. Nice for a lunch snack too.

Went here to do some caving and rock climbing. Was a great day out lovely place with very friendly an helpful staff. The instructors i had for the caving an climbing were really good an i am now considering doing there course to climb on my own. would recommend this place greatly.

The routes are set hard, holds not cleaned often enough and it's very cold during winter but it is big bold and good fun/value.

I go to there skatepark most days and have never had a problem. The staff are very kind and welcoming and the skatepark is always in great condition!

My little boy loved the wall climbing. Cafe area not too great but ok for a coffee while you wait.

My seven year old took a climbing session at the centre and he loved it. The instructor was calm and understanding and the climbing wall is amazing.

Good facilities, friendly staff. I really enjoy climbing here! I might try skating some time.

Perfect place to have some fun- either Climbing or skate area are rad !

My son had a climbing and caving party - it was really good! The staff were accommodating, helped with ensuring waivers were completed and were completely professional. The children loved both activities - the instructors were all great. Cafe and reception staff were great too.

We stumbled on XC by chance and my son was adamant he wanted his party there. I'm so glad we did!

Staff have alot infusazam to teach.

shame I took my 7 year old and constant swearing in the cafe area and the staff didn't say anything.

Even though they looked me and shrugged

Great place, had a really good day. Very good value for money and helpful staff.

Came here with my cousin who is ten years younger than me for the caving. Staff were very good.

I found out that I was claustrophobic (have done a lot of "proper" caving before. The guide was exceptional, worked to calm me down and help me. When i was able to get out offered to take me back in as well (i declined!).

Will not fault the staff or the caving at all and will be happy to return with my family again (just not go caving!)

Incredible facilities at XC, but there are too many things in the skatepark that need improvement.

An indoor skatepark should be open whether it's raining or dry, but over 5 times now when I call up the skate park it has been closed due to condensation on the ramps making it even more slippy than it already is. An indoor park shouldn't have to deal with weather conditions, that's the whole reason people go to indoor skateparks! This is the only indoor park I experience these problems with.

Another issue is the wasted half of the skatepark, being a skateboarder I like to dip into the whole park, whether it's the mini, street section, big ramps or the bowls. But the concrete used to create these bowls are so dangerous.

Companies like maverick industries use spray concrete and it is pure perfection in terms of grip and smoothness, but whatever concrete is used here may as well be made of ice, the first time dropping in I could feel the board sliding under my feet, it would only take the smallest lean for the board to slip out and for myself to fall straight into the ramp. The design of the bowl is incredible and could be one of the most creative bowls I have skated, but being the material it is, you may as well transform it to another scooter build because that would get more use...

I wish I could say good things about this place as it has more potential than anywhere within a 50 mile radius but sadly there are just so many issues that need to be looked at and sorted. The one thing I will say is perfect is the mini ramp, I would not go to this place anymore if it wasn't for that mini.

If you're looking for a busy death trap on a scooter then maybe this is the place for you!

Only indoor skatepark I've been to that closes because it gets wet.

Recently completed the intro course, taken by Tom who is great, which has now enabled me to climb unsupervised. Great centre and really friendly staff.

Quite a large climbing wall and bouldering area. Reasonably priced. Discount after 8:30pm.

Great venue, if going on a cold day, bring warm clothes!

Great climbing wall. But is very cold in the winter.

Thanks XC for all the guidelines you have put in place to be able to open and finish the courses that had started and been booked as it was nice to get some climbing done again.
Great instructors and staff as always.
Thanks guys and see you when you can start the next courses.
Good to have you back.

Don't compare it to other, bigger climbing gyms and you wont be disappointing by the size. They do pretty good for the area they have. The customer service is ridiculous though. Kids sitting on the counter, chatting to the staff, who refuse to deal with you until they've finished their conversations. A lot of the time, everything feels like a huge effort for them. The only other thing I think needs improvement is the music. Other venues I've visited, play music that fit the demographic of the members/visitors but I've never been to a climbing gym that just plays club music (from 2009) so low, you can barely hear it. None of this has stopped me becoming a member but If they improved the level of customer service and at least turned the music up, that would be a good start.

Only to comment on the skatepark part of the XC - my best experience of a UK skatepark to date. A brilliantly designed indoor venue that's oddly lacking in skateboarders and plagued with scooters, which we all have to live with, like it or not. It would be great to see a bigger skate following in a place like Hemel XC - however it's a 23 mile trek out of London which may be too far (public transport = plenty of time and money unless you have a car, then the sessions will set you back at least a tenner a time). Still well worth the journey if you can get a three hour session in as there's loads to explore: an all-out street section (wooden) with blocks, rails and walls... a super wide mini ramp that's low and comfortable to practice on (also wooden). If you're up for it there's also a nice deep concrete bowl with a shallow end/snake run in, which spines into an authentic California backyard-style pool. Both are premium quality and smoothly surfaced, with decent coping and very fast action. The whole place feels big and buzzing with ideas - and when there's skaters around the spirit is transformed (sorry scooters, I'm a longtime skater and there's few of us ;)

Really nice place, resi box is a nice and new addition

Excellent climbing wall, spacious skate park, winding caves and thrilling high ropes plus friendly staff and a safe atmosphere make for an enjoyable time every visit.

A great place to climb and skate, and always friendly staff.

Nice Climbing centre. The walls are nice and varied, and the lobby is pleasant, and the staff are welcoming. The lobby is confusing if you are new, but you can get the hang of it easily enough. It has changing and shower facilities and a cafe. I would recommend this place to all skill levels.

Facilities not fit for purpose needs drastic investment particular with protecting against the weather. Cannot climb all year round as a result

Great place to go. Good climbing and bouldering. Skatepark looks good but never used it myself. Friendly staff.

Good facilities, nice staff, reasonable climbing wall. Most climbs are a bit reachy and lack intermediate holds to make them the same grade for shorter climbers and older kids. No doubt this is due to a lack of holds. Bouldering is pretty good and there has been some investment in the last year that has made it a okay place to climb. If they could get the more routes non-height dependent it would be a excellent wall.

My son loved his session, would see think about making this a regular thing for him.

Great place as long as it's not wet and cold outside as the building is not properly enclosed and gets wet damp inside making it slippery and dangerous. Sometimes they close it for this reason.

Took my 6&9 year old today for climbing taster session with John. He was amazing with my kids. They really enjoyed the time spent with him. They enjoyed it so much. And having a session at 1pm, it was nice and quiet! Great for home schoolers!
All the staff are really nice and friendly.
I've walked past the xc place for a couple years thinking I'll never go in there! But I was surprised that they're so welcoming and friendly. And a little cafe too!

Great spot. It's like a really sweet outdoor spot that's dry and clean. It's a bit slippy on your wheels but great ride had by all

Had an amazing time! John the instructor was brilliant, really helpful and made it a lot easier to fall. Would happily come back!!

We took the kids on the climbimg wall,great fun and staff were brilliant

Helpful staff and a good skatepark with well varied equipment

High rope course is excellent. Great fun swinging, hanging and crowling throuh it

Well built skatepark...but very slippery, overall a good park

Visited the boulder wall here.

Induction was easy for an experienced climber. Grades are harder than I'm used to, but the range is pretty good. Not enough slab for my taste, but plenty of interesting overhangs and cave angles.

UPDATE: Went back with a friend but there was no instructor available to do the induction. The induction I received was about 30 seconds and any semi-experienced climber wouldn't benefit from it. It's a shame, -1 star.

I took my 5 year old for a taster climbing session and he thoroughly enjoyed it. The teachers were very sweet and patient and seemed to be enjoying themselves. The XC centre was very busy but we got seen quickly and I really liked the casual atmosphere.

Bit expensive but totally worth it.
Had loads of fun climbing and the customer service is extremely good. Staff are naturally friendly and kind.

A fun place, very lively & a good mix of people. I did the high ropes course, but was only allowed one go on the course. It was a short course & not very challenging. I would return to do rock climbing, but can t recommend the high ropes.

Had a great time! Not too expensive or too busy. Lots of walls to climb! Was exhausted before I got round a fraction of them.

Absolutely fantastic experience, the guide on the day made sure we had a good time. Really enjoyed it. Will be back soon!

I just booked for the skate park, its very cheap and last time i went it was fabulous. I am looking forward to it, i hope some of you do to!

Excellent wall, 14m, biggest in the area. Auto Belay systems are good - 8 there, so don't have to belay friends and we can all climb at the same time if we wanted. Plus additional routes to belay. Also a good bouldering area, not as good as the Big Rock in MK or The Castle in Finsbury Park but still plenty of routes to practice.
Staff are friendly too. Easy parking round the side of the building, I've had some friends park at Tesco, not realising they could park adjacent to the XC, you just need to drive round the block of restaurants and follow the one way system.

Took the children on a introductory climbing session. Thought it was a decent visit. Large class size, but still lots ts of variety. Would go back.

BMX paradise, great people and great staff. Cave exploring is great fun.

The layout of the skatepark is fine, fairly mediocre, miniramp at the back is quite fun, as well as the bowls, however the park is very poorly maintained, the lights are too dim, sometimes unsafely so, the ramps easily give splinters, even on the main riding surface. Other than that it's fairly priced but I wouldn't strongly reccomend visiting

My girlfriend and I decide to pop into the Kultivation skate store for a look around.

This is a nice little store, packed with a wide range of equipment for all your skateboarding needs.

The service from the staff was second to none when helping choose the bits I needed for my new set up super friendly.

Extremely happy with my purchase.

Thank you Dec

Incredibly extensive variety of climbing from Level 4 for complete beginners to Level 8 for advanced. 9 autobelays, 20+ top rope walls and many opportunities for Lead climbing. There is also a large bouldering section to try out. Only drawback is the price. There are cheaper walls in St Alban's, Hatfield and Watford however none can compare to the XC.

Great place, cool skate shop hidden out the back. Good environment awsome staff

Prime flow skatepark with a park and street section with two bowls, one with pool coping and one with metal coping