You can boulder on sandstone in various places in the Ruhrtal. Nangijala is like a small version of the bigger bouldering area nearby: Avalonia. The area is located to the south of the city of Essen.
Nangijala is the Ruhrtal version of lakeside-bouldering! The place is hidden behind trees, but really close (1 minute walking) to the Baldeneysee. As there are only pedestrians and cyclists passing by, the place is really peaceful.
You can climb here all year round. The place is relatively shady in summer (the left roof stays in the shade until noon, the right roof is in the shade for almost the whole day) but for the best conditions you should visit in winter/spring. The rock is quite fast drying. After lots of rain the place is a bit humid.
Daniel Pohl has devoted countless hours to developing the area. With his own hands he cleared the rocks, laid out terraces and decorated the area.
For more history, you can watch the award-winning clip 'Felsenbauer' on Youtube: https://youtu.be/OmuextbHBA4?si=hAcb4-GJn9vTnb8u.
𝙁𝙞𝙡𝙢 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣:
Daniel Pohl has created fantastic bouldering areas throughout the Ruhr Valley where there was nothing before! The rocks were already there, of course, but the terrain underneath was absolutely horrific. Daniel is a stonemason AND a qualified geologist, which means he can build wonderful natural stone walls to secure the terraces. The whole thing is a mixture of landscape art and what BMXers and mountain bikers have been doing in secret for a while now. As a boulderer, you can assume that wherever the Ruhr River once flowed, something good for bouldering has also emerged! That's the good news.
The bad news is that the Ruhr Valley is also located in Germany, and thus is embroiled in a colorful conflict of interest between hunters, self-proclaimed conservationists, and, as in the case of Kamouraska, simply private property. While the development of bouldering rocks in the Ruhr Valley continues, discretion is recommended!
