This is an open letter to you from part of your community who would like to bring something to your attention.

Some of us have tried to reach out - once or several times - with little result. Others of us have had it on our minds for some time now.

We truly care about the gym and its community. We’ve made new friends, laughed, cried and partied together and we have - hopefully - become better climbers at Petite Ile. Most of us spend a lot of time (and energy) at Petite Ile. Many of us have also noticed that the community seems to be shrinking. We’ve heard of people stopping their membership and climbing elsewhere for various reasons. Some of us are thinking of climbing in other gyms too. We would like to share with you why we think people are leaving:

• Routesetting. The dominant routesetting style has trended towards dyno, coordination comp-style focused blocs to the detriment of more traditional setting. This has been a source of frustration. Many of these moves are also body-size dependent, making it significantly more challenging for shorter climbers, who sometimes cannot even reach starting holds. Many of us climb outdoors and greatly enjoy indoor boulders that have a similar style to outdoor climbing. We are thus more favourable towards boulders on which we can train and prepare for climbing outside.
• Infrastructure. To that end a better laid out spray wall, or ideally: a systemboard would be an easy way to offer more “board style” climbing to focus on tension, finger strength and certain outdoor climbing styles.
  Two good second hand system board opportunities have been brought to your attention for Petite Ile. The first one went to Hall9, the second one was not given any follow-up.
• Training equipment. The warm-up / training area has been neglected for the past few years with some equipment in need of replacement. Some extra strength training equipment would also be a nice addition. You do have this available at Hall9 in Vilvoorde, including an organised weight rack.
• Facilities. Equipment is degraded or has been removed over time: the lockers have disappeared, the door of the men's changing room cannot be closed and the hand dryer is not always working. In addition, the food choice has been reduced. All of these points have created a less welcoming atmosphere.
• Community. We love the community at Petite Ile, but we, the community, feel that a lot of energy has gone into Hall9 since it opened, and that Petite Ile and its climbers have become neglected as a result. We would like to have a conversation with you to offer ideas, help, energy and support to stop the community from thinning out; and hopefully help it grow again.

This open letter is an attempt to reach out, talk, listen and try to help. It will be published online for people to sign as a gesture of agreement.

With love,
A bunch of your (long-time) climbers