Climbing Mount » Climbing Wall

Putting The Finishing Touches To A Climbing Wall

admin — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 01:24:19 +0000

So, you have finished construction of your climbing wall. Once the woodwork is complete, it is very important to go on to the final phase of your climbing wall, i.e. painting and final finishing. Your wall should look like a mountain face and should be safe to practice on.
You can sand the surface, which you want to be painted. Remove any sharp edges in your ply joints and also around your drill holes by sanding them with a sanding machine or manually. Then apply a coat of primer to the wood. You can also apply latex primer if you want the wood to have a genuine sand or rock like finish. Primer helps the paint to stick well with the wood and hence prevents chipping and bubbling. If your wood is wet, then you will have to dry it first before you can start applying anything on it.
Mildew can also be removed from wood by applying bleach mixed with water at a 1:4 ratio. You can use any exterior paint for your climbing wall and since most of them have a fungicidal agent added to the paint, it should prevent further mildew attacks from taking place. To protect any non-painted surface or the floor, cover them with old newspapers or cloth or apply tape on it.
If you are planning to provide a sand like finish to your climbing wall then you can add sand to your paint in the ratio of 1:10. Since sand settles down very fast in your paint pan or container, you will have to constantly keep on stirring your paint mixture before every application. You can also change the sand to paint ratio to achieve a different finish. Also, you can use golf tees to plug in your T nut holes so that the primer and paint does not go into the threading of your T nut.
If it does, you will have a hard time fitting your holds. The final touch is bolting on your holds and jugs to your wall. You can use different footholds at the bottom of your wall, but as you progress higher, you will require very few and none at the top. As per your climbing skills and the construction of your wall you will require some jugs at the bottom and some at the top of your wall. You can buy an entire ready made set of plastic or wooden holds which just need to be bolted on to your wall. Buy one according to the size of your wall and the number of holds required.
You will also require a good mattress, which breaks your fall without breaking your bones in case you slip and fall. The mattress should be around 10 to 12 inches thick and should not only cover the entire base of the wall but should also extend away so as to cushion your fall if you slip while swinging from one hold to another. Your final finished wall should look like a genuine rock wall for you to get into the real mood of rock climbing.
So, once your climbing wall is ready, go in for a test climb. Then call your friends and neighbors over for a rock climbing competition and have fun. Arrange rock climbing related theme parties. Happy climbing.

What Are Climbing Holds

admin — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 13:36:43 +0000

By the end of the twenty-first century, rock climbing had reached high popularity levels as a sport. The sport that combines the intense activities of mountaineering and trekking had become a recreational activity accepted by the local populi. Besides, the sport is not limited to adults alone, even children can pursue it both as a hobby and career. In the United States alone, there are over 100,000 recreational athletes, and more and more people have started to develop an interest in it.
And why shouldn’t they? The sport is an all-round activity that requires an athlete to develop coordination between all five senses. The sport compels its athlete to be constantly vigilant and maintain a disciplined mental composure during the ascent and descent. Simultaneously, the sport however enjoyable it may seem, is not recommended for people with height disorders, especially vertigo. Even if an individual does learn the basics quickly, climbing a towering rock can be hazardous. The sport requires continuous surveillance under experts and coaches.
The first climb should be performed with proper safety equipment and guidance. The sport requires its students to master every involved aspect and to make it mandatory to use complex safety tools and headgears. Each of the equipment involved in the sport should meet with the required standards, as faulty equipment can result in injuries and wounds that could scar you permanently.
Many enthusiasts prefer pursuing rock climbing in the countryside, but not all people have the time and money to do so. For such individuals visiting a climbing gym or setting up a portable climbing wall should serve their purpose. Artificial climbing walls are created on a wooden or iron framework, and the holds are created separately. The holds are made of resinous or plastic material, with a stone or sand paper finish. The climbing holds mimic the feel and condition of a natural rock and each of the holds can be customized to create a difficult level.
For smaller walls the holds used are few and should be well placed, to duplicate routes of original rocks. For climbing such a wall, a climber would need strong hands and chalk. Chalk is a solvent absorbent and easily absorbs sweat and other liquids, offering a dry grip to climb. In case of taller walls, a single climbing hold could be a junction of many routes.
While purchasing the climbing holds, make sure you clarify whether the necessary screws, t-nuts and bolts are present. If they are not equipped, you may have to shell out extra money for the needed hardware, thus adding up to your expenses. Also, make sure the holds have been created considering the design of the wall. For instance, if you plan to outfit your 45degree steep overhand, you would have to make sure the holds accommodate the particular degree.
Climbing holds are usually sold as part of multi-piece kits, with every kit having a varied number of colors and sizes. Holds are available according to your necessities. They offer a comfortable grip and are ergonomically designed. You can also buy climbing holds that have a UV protection coating, which enables them to deal with the outside elements that could harm it.

Portable Rock Climbing Walls

admin — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 01:17:23 +0000

Rock Climbing is an urbanized form of mountain climbing. Even though the sport began as a recreational activity, it is considered today as the layman’s favorite recreation and offers its very own thrills. The roots of this sport lie in Europe, and it has over 100,000 athletes involved in it. These days, Rock climbing is considered as popular as baseball and basketball in the United States.
Rock climbing is the only sport that demands strength and endurance. It also requires co-ordination of all five senses and mental composure to evade injuries and increase speed. For many, the sport may seem easy, but rock climbing needs continuous guidance to move from the basics to the expert level.
Rock-climbing is habit forming; it is so addictive that sometimes you wouldn’t want a rock climbing session to end. In that case, enthusiasts seeking sessions on an hourly or monthly basis would run into financial trouble. This is where a comprehensive investment such as a portable rock-climbing wall would do well.
So, what is a portable rock-climbing wall?
A portable climbing wall is built with materials such as wood and iron. It offers its own set of belays and hooks arranged to represent actual climbing routes and their toughness. A portable climbing wall is of different types:
A Portable wall that has Stone-coated panels
This kind of portable will go easy on your pocket. The design is simple and includes well-defined angular faces. The panels have a sand coating and resin for added friction. This wall is considered the best for competition purposes as it can be constructed over large areas at minimum cost.
A freeform wall with a Stone-coat
This portable wall is for the more experienced climbers and includes coordinated angular faces. The frictional coating is a bit more superior and has a ‘higher bolt on hold’ per square meter ratio.
Portable wall with featured panels
Such a portable wall has the feel of a natural rock. Each panel of the wall is specifically designed with an even distribution of cracks, flakes and pockets. The interior system is 2-dimensional, taking up a smaller amount of floor space. The best aspect of such a wall is that the climber can himself decide on the placement of bolts and holds. This offers the user several different options of route on a single bolt line.
A Portable wall with a Digital Freeform
The most expensive among the four, this portable wall uses the design of a natural rock. This wall has many features and in certain areas includes hand sculpting in a three dimensional curvature. This wall is created on order and can be molded into any three dimensional shape. The shapes could include deep chimneys to big rounded aretes. The crack lines could be deeper with a bulging overlaps. The other smaller features included in this wall are pockets, slopers, jugs, and undercuts.
If you are looking for discount on a portable climbing wall, the best place to visit is a fair or festival where these walls are offered for testing purposes. If you are looking for a more-challenging make. you can browse the internet.

Rock Climbing Walls- A Good Training Aid

admin — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 02:04:14 +0000

While outdoor rock climbing is an excellent sport, it is also fraught with risks. You could lose a foothold or you could get caught up in a blizzard or a snowstorm and get frostbitten. Rock climbing also requires proper time and planning. The time spent on planning and reaching your mountain could be more than the time you actually spend on rock climbing. Enter indoor wall rock climbing.
This type of rock climbing where you can climb a wall fitted with footholds and even finger holds can be installed inside your house or even in your backyard. This arrangement offers you almost the same joys of rock climbing without the associated risks. Since you can indulge in rock climbing on a regular basis, you could plan your schedule so that you can train regularly on it. In the long run rock climbing can help you increase your strength in your arms, legs and even fingers and regular training can also build up your stamina.
Once you have built a rock-climbing wall or if you have installed one professionally, then you and your family can slowly start practicing climbing it. You can start with the easy sections first, and if you have a wall with an overhang, then that section should be attempted last, since it places a lot of stress on your hands and fingers. The holds on the wall should also be interchangeable and movable. This will enable you to keep changing their positions to keep your climb interesting and you could also increase your level of difficulty in future by fixing fewer holds.
By adhering to a routine, you can take in all the advantages which rock climbing walls can offer. If it is kept indoors, you can even practice when it is raining or snowing. For city dwellers, a rock-climbing wall is a very practical investment in keeping fit, as it is not possible for them to go outside the city regularly to do rock climbing. You can attach a harness with an auto-belay to help you train alone if your rock-climbing wall has an overhang or if the difficulty level is high. For a simple wall, this might not be required, but a thick soft mat should be spread at the foot of the wall to prevent any injuries in case you slip and fall.
In case it is not possible to install a climbing wall in or out of your house, then you could join a gym, which has one. This makes for an interesting change in workout, when you go to the gym and they would also have trained instructors to correct you in case you make any mistakes. You can increase your stamina by climbing as per different difficulty levels and also different time levels. So slowly and steadily, as you increase your difficulty level and shorten the time required to do it, you will notice your fitness levels rising. For young children too, wall climbing is a very important training aid as it teaches them to think, plan and then execute their moves.
So, any way you look at it you will still have to look up to wall climbing since the benefits associated with it will stay with you in the long run and therefore rock-climbing walls is truly a very important training aid in the quest for a long and fit life.

All You Need To Know About A Rock Climbing Wall

admin — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 01:36:13 +0000

A rock climbing wall is a manufactured wall that can be found in gyms and amusement/theme parks. This wall provides a safe alternative to beginners interested in climbing. Instead of starting to learn the tricks and intricacies of rock climbing on a natural mountain, that can be extremely dangerous, the learner can hone his skills under the guidance of experienced trainers and gradually progress towards climbing natural cliffs and rock faces. Even non-serious climbers can have fun climbing these walls during their leisure time.
Rock climbing is an excellent sport that not only offers fun, but also provides a full body workout. It is a superb way to get into a great shape. However, it may not be everyone’s cup of tea. Apart from the physical stress and strain involved, special equipment used for rock climbing needs to be hired for testing and improving your skills on a climbing wall. The gym or park lets you hire this equipment on payment of charges on a ‘by the hour’ basis. Some times other charges like entry or membership fees etc also need to be paid. This makes it an expensive hobby to indulge in. Even if you buy your own equipment, it will cost you a tidy sum, as climbing equipment is fairly expensive. If you are a serious climber, you might save a bit in the long run.
Rock climbing walls are specially built structures that have adequate hand and footholds that allow a climber to scale the wall. Without exposure to such holds that simulate those offered by natural rocks and crevices, it would be impossible for any climber to learn advancing up a mountain face. Different rock climbing walls are manufactured to offer varying degrees of difficulties in climbing. A small wall in a theme park may not be all that grand and a gym would be a much better option.
You can start by training to overcome easy obstacles in climbing during the initial stages of learning and as you gain experience, you can gradually learn to tackle progressively higher and varied difficulties. A gym has the facilities to let you learn the basics at your own pace and progress towards learning new styles and techniques of rock climbing, using the climbing wall.
Rock climbing walls are artificially constructed using brick or wood. More modern constructions use manufactured steel and aluminum. Other types of climbing walls are of premade fiberglass panels, granite slabs and concrete sprayed on wire mesh. One of the most popular materials used to manufacture climbing walls are thick multiplex boards with drilled holes. Every hole houses a special arrangement allowing modular hand holds to be fixed on the wall.
The whole face of the climbing surface of the multiplex board is covered with textured products. Concrete, paint and polyurethane loaded with sand are also used. Apart from the textured surface, the wall can have many surface structures that can be in the form of overhangs, underhangs, indentations, cracks, and protrusion. Grips to resemble outdoor rock face are also formed on the walls. Some oversized grips may have smaller grips bolted on to them.

The Advantages Of A Portable Rock Climbing Wall

admin — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 13:35:55 +0000

In this real world and in real time, it is just not possible to sidetrack rock climbing, every time you have the urge. Rock climbing is not only fun, but also a good way to keep fit. But, the time taken in packing all your stuff and reaching your favorite mountain could take sometime. The preparation time could far exceed the actual time you spend climbing. The simple answer now to satisfy your climbing urges is to get a portable rock climbing wall.
There are various types of portable rock climbing walls available in today’s market. You can search for them in various magazines or even on the Internet. You can get outdoor walls, which can be fixed in your backyard or you could get indoor walls, which come in different heights starting from 12 feet upwards. If you are permanently fixing the outdoor wall, then you might require a concrete base to attach it. But in a fully portable walls, even that may not be required. The portable walls can be installed in minutes and if you have some experience in climbing, then you can start climbing immediately.
You can also get these portable walls on rent. If you do not want permanent portable walls, you could still hire them on weekends or during a child’s party or any other fun function. The advantage in renting one is that many a times, along with the rentals, they also provide a staff who teaches you or your guests, the basics of rock climbing. The advantage of any rock climbing at home is that you do not have to worry about the weather such as blizzards or lightning storms, when you are up on the wall. You also save the time and fuel spent on traveling.
The portable rock climbing wall can also keep you fit, if you use it on a regular basis. You and your family can set different levels of difficulty, which can slowly be increased as you gain confidence and experience. You will definitely become more popular in your neighborhood, once you get one in your backyard. Your neighbors and their children can also be invited over to enjoy the fun of climbing. Another advantage is that, in case of any injury while climbing, medical help can be given immediately, unlike on a real mountain climbing where you could be stuck for days waiting for help and that could even become life threatening. If you are an expert in rock climbing, you could even make this hobby into a part-time or full-time career by teaching the neighborhood children and families for a fee. You could even rent out your portable wall to your neighbors for their parties or when they require.
Now, with the advent of newer safety equipments, like the ‘auto-belay’ you will not even require another person to hold the safety rope in case you fall. This ‘auto-belay’ will take care of the slack, in case you lose your grip on the wall. This means that you do not have to wait for anyone and can pursue rock climbing on your own.
So, the portable rock climbing wall offers many advantages such as an increased level of fun and fitness, increased safety, increased popularity and you also get to spend more time with your friends and family. So, get one today and just start climbing and have fun.

Rock Climbing Wall Kits

admin — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:36:38 +0000

Going back in time, to when you were a child, you must be remembering all the lovely times spent in the jungle gym. In those days your jungle gym most likely had a slide, swings, and possibly a glider as well. That might have been all that you could have looked forward to in those days. All those things have changed at present. Jungle gyms consist of a wide variety of things right from swings to the forts, right up to climbing walls.
In addition, you could even purchase a rock climbing wall kit along with your children’s playing set, or purchase one to attach later on, when the kids become a little bit older. Your children would be so happy to have climbing as part of their recreational activities. Besides, it would help then a lot during their growing years.
As soon as you add a rock climbing wall kit to your child’s playing area, these full-of-life and energetic kids would have a lot of fun. The climbing wall offers your children an additional challenge as compared to merely climbing up and down the ladders. You might be surprised to see that every child in the vicinity would want to stop by and play, as soon as you include a kit to your children’s jungle gym.
You could even select your rock climbing wall kit in either stained pine, or redwood, or any other kind of material of your preference. The kit is available with complete information. As a result you would be able to begin to build your own jungle gym as well as climbing wall, the moment you are all set.
A rock climbing wall kit with playing sets like Eclipse, Discovery or Frontier happens to be the perfect add on to your existing jungle gym. The wall kit is inclusive of ten rock wall holds, along with the mounting hardware. It is accessible in two different colors. It includes the wall as well as the supporting hardware, an additional bag of five rocks and the hardware. Furthermore, it includes a comprehensive 3D illustrated instruction manual to assist you in erecting the rock-climbing wall for your kids within no time at all.
What you could do is simply ask your family members and friends at the rock climbing gym about the best available climbing wall kit. If they do not know, then the best thing to do is conduct research online prior to taking an initiative and buying anything.
If you do get down to buying a rock climbing wall kit, you could even build up an indoor rock-climbing wall to enjoy climbing throughout the year, regardless of what the weather is like. An indoor kit is a fantastic way to build your power and stamina as well as the confidence that you require to be a successful rock climber. As you know that practice makes a man perfect, the kit is designed to help you to perfect your climbing skills.

Your Guide to High Performance Climbing Walls

admin — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:36:35 +0000

High Performance Climbing Walls are perfect options for Universities, Indoor climbing facilities, Health clubs, YMCA’s, Recreation centers, or any facility that needs a custom rock climbing wall with a climbing features, durability, and high quality look.
High Performance walls are usually built on a steel framed superstructure. This gives the builder the liberty of implementing indefinite ideas like cracks, free standing pinnacles, archways, huecos, aretes, and much more. After erecting the steel frame, builders can sculpt the high performance surfaces to create a flawless clear and unique look along with micro-relief. High performance climbing walls come in more than 25 base colors and have higher level of aesthetic choice for every kind of climbing facility.
Various indoor rock-climbing facilities are on the look out for return participants and a loyal client base that are aware of the fact that durability and route setting are paramount, when it comes to building a high performance wall.
Texture
The textures have been developed to ensure durability as well as flexibility to absorb high impacts caused by falling climbers. High Performance texture systems are known to support two or more T-nuts per square foot. This helps in allowing a proactive route-setting program, to unfailingly challenge participants with novel and motivating climbing. This provides climbers with varied route- setting options and more holds on the walls.
High-performance climbing walls should be able to provide a texture with a considerable amount of micro-relief (pockets for footwork, surface variations, and edges), which also add up to the complete feel and look of the wall.
Design
If you are interested in getting a high performance-climbing wall installed in your home or health club, you can hire wall-climbing installers/builders. Considering the infinite possibilities of design, when it comes to building the High performance climbing walls, constructors would be enthusiastic to create varied facilities, right from a showpiece walls in smaller spaces to world-class facilities in large spaces. You can also opt for a bouldering terrain along with the high performance system. These areas could either be completely standing or wall mounting.
Building Specifications
Following are some of the specifications mentioned by the wall installing company before embarking on the wall-building projects:
. Drawings, design, modeling and construction would be carried out by the Company
. Free maintenance, durable welded steel framing system according to the Climbing Wall Industry Group (CWIG) standards
. T-nuts would be installed at a ratio of 2:1 square foot
. Highly sculpted cracks, aretes, archways and built in features
. You would get to choose from more than 25 different base colors
. Cast fossils and micro-relief built into surface
. Lead anchors and 3.5″ steel belay bars would be built according to CWIG standards
Pricing for building the High Performance Wall
Every wall-building project is unique. The installers always need to know, what you would like to include in your wall and the subsequent budget. Depending on your budget, the installers can give you a rough estimate about the overall costs for the wall building. Make sure you are in constant contact with the installer before, during and after the building of the wall. This helps you in maintaining the wall and acquiring added information about climbing.