How To Build An Outdoor Rock Climbing Wall

The cost of renting these depends on the number of assembly days. If the climbing wall is located in a confined space or the floor slab has limited load capacity, they can assemble the climbing wall using scaffolding. However, this is slower and tends to increase the installation costs.

The gyms in our area had a policy against this, so for us, the cheapest option was “factory seconds” or bulk/clearance holds. These are holds with minor defects that are sold at a huge discount. Screw-on holds are generally cheaper but shouldn’t be changed regularly since they require drilling through both the climbing hold and wall. However, one benefit of screw-ons is they require a little less pre-planning since they can be screwed onto the wall essentially anywhere. You’ll need to plan how holds will be added to your wall.

How To Build The Ultimate Home Climbing Wall Under $200

You should have NO surprises at any stage of the climbing wall design or construction process. This rock wall is 7 feet tall, 3.75 feet wide, and freestanding. The back of the wall in this tutorial is a cargo net, but you can easily build another climbing course instead. Do this by doubling the materials and following the same directions for both sides. This backyard climbing system is great for kids ready to climb higher and traverse longer!

Here you’ll learn everything you need to know about your favorite outdoor sports from rock climbing and scuba to skydiving and extreme sports. Remove a couple of feet of holds, ropes, and harnesses every time you finish your climbing session. It’s pretty dangerous to allow public access without correct supervision and equipment, especially children. For the face of the climbing wall, I’d recommend using Pine boards.

We’ll describe the construction method for a common scenario here, but most of the following information will apply to any home bouldering wall configuration. “We’re asking, what are my challenges; what keeps me away from climbing and what brings me towards it,” said Melissa. The intention is that, by focusing on content and a diverse user experience, they can move beyond the one note depiction of climbers as white, cisgender, able-bodied and male. Again, we are safe at home and trying to come up with ways to keep our sanity and have our children continue to be healthy and thriving.

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So given the “go ahead,” I quickly began working through a few designs. I had multiple platforms in mind with all sorts of wall space, but I decided to go with a simpler design that would grow with my daughter’s abilities. Once I had the design in mind, I sketched it out on paper. I know, paper is old school, but that’s how I learned to work through a project, plus it’s hard to take the laptop/tablet out in the field later if it is raining.

Note that without ropes and belay devices, you will need some mats to cushion your impact when you fall. Even with these only being short falls; you’ll be surprised how much it hurts on a cruddy mat. As we strive to provide site experiences for browsers that support new web standards and security practices.

Make your measurements from the same side of the frame at the top and the bottom. Measure from the outside of the outer stud to the center of the first inner stud, then center-to-center for the rest of the studs. If your wall is wider than a sheet of plywood, make sure that the sheet will end in the middle of a stud, so the next sheet will have room to attach to the same stud. If you use 16″ or 24″ spacing and measure correctly, this will happen automatically. When choosing your wall shape, consider that certain shapes and angles tend to produce similar moves and limit variety. Horizontal roofs and vertical walls are notorious for feeling the same no matter what kind of hold or move you try to put on them.

We chose these children’s rock wall holds because they could be shipped right away, were highly rated and were pretty inexpensive. We figured we could try them out and always return them if they did not work well. Not to mention, this kit came with a pretty sturdy rope that we attached to the playset. Make sure your boards are straight, flat and have four good edges.

You can get as creative as you wish – climbing walls can be installed at different angles in order to reach the rock climbing experience. Get a couple of good T-handle hex wrenches to make this task easier. The bottom panels of your wall should contain mostly footholds. If you’re using screw-on footholds, make sure you attach them far enough from existing T-nut holes that they won’t interfere with attaching bolt-on holds later. Fill the bottom panels with as many different footholds as possible, but save a few holes for starting jugs.

The whole construction took a full Saturday and Sunday but was 100% complete in one weekend. I followed up and planned to go pick them up that afternoon. I wouldn’t go down to ½” unless the wall is only completely vertical.

Allow the paint to dry for at least four hours, then brush or vacuum up the excess sand. Then roll a second coat of paint on top to lock in the texture and prevent the sand from rubbing off. Let this coat dry overnight so it has plenty of time to cure. Most manufacturers include the correct bolt with their holds, so there is no excuse for using incorrect hardware. Make sure you have enough area to assemble the pieces separately, fasten them together, and stand them up.

Get the guidance and support you need to manage your finances with confidence—so you can stop stressing about money. This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Hunter Rising. Hunter Rising is a wikiHow Staff Writer based in Los Angeles. He has more than three years of experience writing for and working with wikiHow. Hunter holds a BFA in Entertainment Design from the University of Wisconsin – Stout and a Minor in English Writing.

Constructing a free-standing wall will cost more than a fixed wall and will be more difficult to design. You must take on the additional responsibility of engineering a support structure. All the stiffness inherent in attaching the wall to a rigid structure will be lost. You must compensate by using wider framing materials and additional bracing.