About

About us

The people behind ELYS

Two owners, one gym – and the idea that bouldering in Basel should be for everyone.

Oliver Zgorelec

Initiator, founder, owner & executive board member

Born in 1979 in Dornach, where he also grew up. Trained as an actor at the Scuola Teatro Dimitri, worked in film, television and theatre, and later as a video maker and climbing coach. Oliver is the father of ELYS: he came up with the idea for the gym, made it happen and turned bouldering in Basel into a sport for everyone. Today he runs it as an executive board member.

Tobias Faust

Owner & executive board member

He has known Oliver since their school days. Tobias was managing director of Neue Medien Basel AG and has run the kult.kino Basel cinemas since 2016 – together with Gini Bermond since 2020. In 2026 he became a co-owner of ELYS. He brings experience in culture, operations and entrepreneurship from the cinema world – and runs the gym together with Oliver.

How ELYS came about

For a long time, Basel had no bouldering gym of its own within the city. The idea and the drive came from Oliver Zgorelec – he is the father of ELYS. In 2018, together with Paul Kramkowski, Jürgen Funck, Till Schmidlin and Moritz Schmidlin, he won the City of Basel's tender for the Volta Nord development area, including a 20-year contract. Together they built the gym. Oliver's goal from the very start: to make bouldering in Basel a sport for everyone, not just for a few.

The result is a meeting place for the St. Johann neighbourhood: bouldering walls, a bistro, training facilities and an area for children. The gym is located in the ELYS culture and business building, the converted former logistics centre on Elsässerstrasse.

Today, ELYS Boulderloft covers more than 2,000 square metres. Oliver and Tobias are the owners and run the gym together as executive board members.

Milestones

2018
The tender Oliver Zgorelec – the father of the idea – together with Paul Kramkowski, Jürgen Funck, Till Schmidlin and Moritz Schmidlin, wins over the city with a gym that brings people together through climbing. Green light for Volta Nord.
2019
Lease signed The plans take shape. In December the lease is signed. The same year, the ELYS building – a former Coop distribution centre – wins the Sun21 award for sufficiency and renewable energy.
2020
Construction and opening The interior fit-out starts in July, with walls by Walltopia. In December the Boulderloft opens – in the middle of the pandemic, without a big celebration, but with the first guests on the mats.
2021
Movement landscape Together with the Felsly association and Kinderbüro Basel, a 500 m² “Rock and Forest” area is created. Children designed it themselves during the autumn holidays in 2020 – funded by the Christoph Merian Foundation.
2022
The New Hall In autumn, a second bouldering area is added. The movement landscape lies between the old and the new hall. Around 1,500 m² grows to more than 2,000.
2026
Two owners Four of the five founders sell their shares. Since then, Oliver Zgorelec and Tobias Faust have been the owners, running ELYS as executive board members.
Today
A place to stay New boulders every week, courses for every age, a busy bistro and a community that shows up rain or shine. The mats are ready.

What we stand for

Move, boulder, meet

We never wanted to be just a sports hall. ELYS is meant to be a place where people train, meet and spend time – from their very first climb to projects at their limit.

Designed with children

The movement landscape was created by children for children. Families, schools and people with disabilities are at the heart of the house, not on the sidelines.

Regional and mindful

Our bistro is vegetarian, largely organic and works with partners from Basel and the region. As a member of IG Kletteranlagen, we follow the current safety standards for indoor climbing.

Curious?

The best thing is to just drop by. We have shoes for you, a short introduction too – and the mats are ready. Opening hours & directions · Movement landscape

Last updated: September 2026