I plan to create a bouldering wall that provides an excellent warm-up and that can be used for training and strengthening. These bouldering routes will be made on a vertical cement wall that is completely flat. My objective is to make these routes interesting as well as challenging, which is going to be difficult. I believe that placing small holds near the bottom will help teach beginners to trust and use their feet more effectively, and larger holds for the hands to ensure security. What do you think? Do you have any suggestions? What are some aspects that you like to see on bouldering walls? What set-up or hold placements should I use to maximize the training benefits?

I am also thinking about adding a few more climbing routes to this wall. I would like to build an extended overhang that starts after about six feet of vertical wall and then continues upward at a slight angle to an ultimate height of thirty feet. It will be mounted on a cement wall and will be an extension of pre-existing climbs. How should I go about placing the holds? What preferences do you have when you go to a climbing gym? Are overhanging or vertical climbs better for training and strengthening?

I would greatly appreciate any feedback that you could offer. You can reach me at home or e-mail me at petee@aitests.com. Thank you very much for your time.

-- Laura Emond (petee@aitests.com), January 26, 1998

Answers

If you want to implement climbing holds on fixed structures (such as the vertical cement wall you are mentionning), I suggest that you talk to the people who design climbing gyms. Just find the nearest gym to your home (if you haven't done so already). I don't know much myself but I can tell that with the growing popularity of climbing gyms there is a lot of experience around now.

One thing that I can recommend, though is to start with large (doorsize) boards. It is very easy to install holds on them, since you just need to drill a small hole through wood. This helps in changing the configurations. You can also easily modify the inclination, which is important, since the main benefit of training on a reduced area is strenghtening, and this is best done on overhangs. Try however to be creative by experimenting new moves, and requesting the help of stronger climbers. It is surprising how much one can do with just one door-sized board. I had a friend who spent more than one hour per day.

As your project progresses you can add more and more boards.

-- Quang-Tuan Luong (luong@ai.sri.com), January 26, 1998.