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 is an amazing new extreme sports facility based in the heart of Hemel Hempstead. This brand new, world class facility boasts an impressive skate park, a 14m high climbing wall, a bouldering wall, one of the world's largest organic indoor caving systems and a challenging high ropes course. XC opens to the public on Saturday 23rd July 2011.
 XC cost £5.25m to build - £5m from the governments' myplace funding programme and the remaining £250k has been invested by Dacorum Sports Trust. Dacorum Sports Trust beat hundreds of other applicants from across the country to win the funding, and is committed to ensuring that XC will be a social centre for 11 to 19 year olds. It is also anticipated that the extreme activities on offer will attract customers from near and far. Interest in the facility in advance of opening has been unprecedented and its opening is eagerly awaited by skaters and climbers from across the UK. Social network sites on the internet have been buzzing with interest and there has been a growing sense of anticipation over the past 6 months.
XC's facilities include an indoor skate and BMX park, a climbing centre, high ropes and caving. Dacorum Sports Trust will manage the facility and work in partnership with Youth Connexions who are also based in the iconic building and will offer a teen health clinic, music recording studio, internet café, chill out zone and counselling rooms.
 The Skate Park
The XC Skate and BMX park features the only indoor concrete pool and bowl complex in the UK. The depths of these measure 5ft-8ft and 5ft-9ft and will allow skaters and BMXers to push their skating skills to new limits. There are ramps and obstacles that will challenge even the most experienced of skaters. In addition to open sessions for freestylers, XC will run a host of courses and lessons for beginners.
 The Climbing Wall
XC boasts a 60 x 14m climbing wall, definitely not for the faint hearted!XC's 840m2 climbing wall consists of four very distinct areas suitable for beginners through to advanced climbers. A combination of Light wave, Cristalithe and Mozaik climbing systems are used and designed to challenge and eXCite even the most experienced of climbers.
 Bouldering
XC has 206m² area of bouldering complete with intricate challenging hooks and turns designed to challenge all levels of ability.
Caving
 XC indoor organic caving system is one of the largest in the world and creates the illusion of depth and danger! It measures 150m stretching through intricate twists and turns. The realistic cave passageway includes three chambers, and a separate cavern runs through the cave leading to the sheer drop of the high ropes course.
High Ropes
 XC's high ropes obstacle course is situated 12m above the ground and has 8 obstacles to manoeuvre around. It is sited 8 metres above the ground in the air space above the climbing and bouldering wall. It is accessed through a passageway within the caving structure.
The facility is being built by GB Building solutions and Sportspace are working closely with Dacorum Borough Council and the Youth Connexions service
FASCINATING FACTS ABOUT XC
- The total volume of earth moved to build XC = 2500m3
- XC is made up of 320tns of structural steel frames
- The highest point on climbing wall is 17 metres
- There are acoustic walls throughout first floor
- XC is constructed of a steel cladding system including acoustic external walls, mesh cladding and concrete floors
- The music rooms on the first floor consist of a drum room, live room and control room with high quality acoustics and cabling
- There is underfloor heating on both the ground and first floor
The following measures have been incorporated to achieve BREEAM rating of ‘very good':
- There are air source heat pumps for underfloor heating and hot water which extracts heat from the outside air even in sub-zero temperatures
- The carpet tile system requires no adhesive
For more information about XC please contact Rebecca Hemmant on rebecca.hemmant@sportspace.co.uk or
01442 228751
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