Jul 29 2011

Optimus Prime Climbing Volume

I posted a detailed view on my other website which you can read about here on what went into building the Optimus Prime:

http://andylibrande.com/news/2010/04/optimus-prime-owns-my-climbing-wall/

Optimus Prime Climbing Wall Volume

 

Jul 20 2011

T-Nut Shopping

Price comparison of T-Nuts on the Interwebz. All Prices as of July 2011.

What surprised me was that these were all the vendors I could find that sold the 4-Prong 3/8″ Zinc plated T-Nut. Other options include screw-in T-Nuts and stainless steel. 4 prong work pretty good and screws-in are seriously time-consuming and only recommended if you can’t get to the back of your wall easily.

Also note that REI carries the Metolius 25 pack of t-nuts at most stores (and local tax is probably cheaper then shipping). Therefore if you are in a middle of a project and just need a few t-nuts they work great and are of the highest t-nut quality that I have seen. Do not do your whole wall with them at those prices.

Quick Tips: 

  • Standard wall with T-Nuts spaced 8″ horizontally and vertically will require ~72 T-Nuts per Panel
  • Drill Bit required is ~7/16ths” inch to create T-Nut holes
  • T-Nut Dimensions: Accept 3/8″‘s bolt,  are about 1″sq inch in size on the back of the wall
  • 3 LB hammer is an awesome accessory to have to pound in T-Nuts

Jul 20 2011

Previous Climbing Walls

In college I was inspired to build a home woody when someone introduced me to a free-standing outdoor wall. We had a large backyard and since I was living with three other climbers we felt that it would be an awesome addition to our house. After dealing with some land-lord issues we moved it into the garage which worked out perfectly. Since 2005 I have built 4 different walls.

Climbing Wall #1: First experiment that turned out surprisingly well. Free standing structure that was 8 feet wide, ~16 ft of surface climbing, about 12-13 ft at tallest point, approx 30 degrees. Built a sweet arete on the rightside as well. The whole frame was 2×4’s with CDX plywood and the supports were two 2×6″ pressure treated beams.

Ben climbing on the wall. The garage was nice and large but very shitty. In the winter the wind would blow through the holes in the walls making it hard when it was real cold to climb. Otherwise the garage served as a great party room.

Side view of the wall. It was freestanding with the upper supports going towards the ground and pushing against the wall of the garage. We also built the arete on the RH side which offered a few extra fun moves. The 2×4 coming directly out of the wall above the arete was there to support that corner from flexing. It pushed-up against the garage wall as well.

Climbing Wall #2: (no pictures) Only wall that was not free-standing. Took advantage of a friends garage and put a wall directly into the roof in an garage attic. 8 ft wide x 12 ft long, about 8 ft at highest point, approx 45 degrees (maybe steeper).
Climbing Wall #3: Built in a relatively small garage out of climbing wall #1, this wall was also freestanding and had an angular cut at the top to fit into the garage. Added a roof feature directly into the garage roof-beams. 8 ft wide, ~12 ft of surface area, about 9-10 ft high, ~30 degrees; roof added another 2-3 moves near vertical. Awesome garage and could use it year around.

Here it shows the wall built with the roof feature. The wall was freestanding with a beam up high on the LH side down to the ground and then stopped by the garage wall. The RH side used a short beam to keep it upright. As a result there was flex in the middle which was fixed by attaching a thin metal framing attachment from the wall to the garage ceiling.  The Volume was also a key enhancement to the wall.

View from the other side of the wall. We learned to set problems to take advantage of the roof transition. The garage also had a wall down the middle of it which was one of our limiters when we built the wall.

READ ABOUT MY CURRENT WALL HERE

 

 

May 04 2011

Customer Service and Climbing Hold Companies

Below is only my personal experience with select climbing hold companies to demonstrate the difference that certain companies  take when approaching a home climbing wall consumer. Most of my encounters are on a very limited basis (one encounter) and therefore I assume that since these are all small companies the customer experience will vary significantly from customer to customer.

When it comes to customer service I prefer to order something online and have it show-up at my door; the less interaction and steps I have to take to get what I want is always a plus. Also I liked to be surprised when companies go above and beyond.

All the information below is throughly documented. I occasionally can be a little A.D.D. and have an excel spreadsheet that details all of the climbing holds that I  buy, the deals, the shipping, and my impressions.

The Best:

The best companies are here because they went above and beyond to impress me as a consumer. In most instances nothing negative has happened (ie payment not working, holds broken, etc) but instead took a proactive step to treat the customer right.


DRCC Climbing Holds Slot SetThe Detroit Rock Climbing Company: As a first time buyer of DRCC’s holds I went with the Slots and put in the customer comment box “crazier the better”. Not only did they make me custom holds for no added cost they literally blew my mind when I saw them. Additionally they included 6 foot chips and 1 climbing hold magnet plus stickers. All this for a first time customer.

Atomik Holds: Website was quoting me shipping that was nearly as much money as the holds. Sent them an email and they said the calculation was acting funny plus they gave me a 15% off coupon. I placed my order with the calculation supposedly corrected and they audited the order and found that there was another error (but much smaller) and to correct it they threw in a large roof jug.

Contact Climbing: The only purchase I have made with them was for a set of the Suds. They threw in two extra holds one being the rail from the Reactor set which is an awesome hold and a staple on my wall. Very nice.

Element: Order two sets that were on a 20% sale. Forgot to put in the discount code during check-out and sent them a message about trying to apply it to the order. They said they would throw in another set for free within a price range. I got another set which was a better deal then the 20% discount was; also the free set turned out to be my favorite set of holds.

Soill: Occasionally they have great sales on items, however a new feature hold recently came-out that I couldn’t resist but the budget was not working in my favor. Via some social network interaction they hooked me up with a discount on the hold and turned me into a paying customer. Also a long time ago when we ordered holds they threw in a nice foot-chip set as well.

Neutral:

These companies are listed on here because they delivered the holds exactly as expected (and in most cases their holds were great!) but they did not do what the above companies did and as a result I am slightly hesitant to order from them again.

ClimbIt: The only reason why ClimbIt is on this list is because of major shipping delays and minimal communication. I ordered my first set from them for the Font XL Jugs. The order was placed 5/2 and about a week later I sent an email to them asking if the order worked as I had not  received a email confirmation or a credit card charge. 20 days after I placed the order I finally got an email saying that they were delayed due to material issues and will be pouring holds very soon. No more communication until the set arrived on my doorstep 6/14. From order to delivery it took 44 days for the holds to arrive. I understand this happens and I am sure there are gym accounts with real $$ ahead of me, however my issue was that there was no customer resolution from them and the communication was completely lacking. Maybe throw in an extra hold into the box, or a provide a 10%+ discount on future purchases, or maybe waive the shipping costs… The holds are great and are my favorite roof jugs that I own.

Pusher: Ordered the new Boss (yes the infamous boss!!!) and it shipped immediately and was at my door in less then a week (counting a weekend). Maybe I thought owning a boss meant you got a special t-shirt or membership to some secret club or something. Well maybe even a sticker? Sick hold though.

Asana: Received the holds as I ordered.

Etch Holds: Received the holds as I ordered.

Project Holds: Received the holds as I ordered.

 

Note: I only included companies that I have recently dealt with and only included information on where the entire interaction happened directly with the company.

Apr 29 2011

Simple Route-Setting Tips

Trust me I am no expert at route-setting however it is the second most crucial element of your climbing wall besides your actual wall.

There are whole websites dedicated to the art of routesetting with the best being: http://www.routesetter.com/

Professional routesetting is definitely an art-form and one that a home-woody owner will need to appreciate in order to get the most out of your wall. The difference between a professional that is paid to set routes in a gym and your wall is that they get a lot more practice and real-time feedback then you do. They will set hundreds of routes and can instantly tell if it is too awkward, hard, or easy by just watching the hoards of people climbing their route.

Before beginning I also have another post that discusses “Holds for Your First Wall” and has a few points on basic routesetting here: http://andylibrande.com/homeclimbingwall/2010/08/holds-for-your-first-wall/

Practical Tips:

  • Have a defined start hold(s) and finishing Jug(s)
  • Don’t just put up a bunch of holds randomly. Instead build a sequence from start to finish.
  • Set a number of defined routes on your wall and build on variations. (ex: on a 8 ft wide wall we will set 3-4 solid problems and then build 3-4 variations off of those)
  • When setting cruxes have them be higher on your problems. (No one likes getting shut-down on the start)
  • Fore-run your routes and do not be afraid to change/tweak them
    • This is probably the biggest mistake new route-setters do. Set the problem then climb on it (and have others climb on it). Then adjust as necessary such as moving the holds further/closer, adding more feet, turning the hold, etc
    • Practice and fore-running make perfect

Philosophical Tips:

  • Keep it simple at first:
    • You have limited resources (ie holds/placements) therefore keep the movements simple and build into more complex movements.
  • Explore your Wall:
    • If your wall is brand-new to you then explore the different movements that maximize the number of moves on a wall
  • Set routes where the crux is high and several moves in
    • This gets all ability types multiple moves into the sequence and keeps motivation high
  • When the wall feels stale remove all holds and start again
    • Two people routesetting a home woody is always fun and a good way to build off of each other’s ideas

Tips to Set for Easier Routes (aka the secret of the singles:

  • One of the first things to open my eyes to routesetting was this article on Routesetter: “Secret of the Singles”  http://www.routesetter.com/2007/10/15/the-secret-of-the-singles/
    • In the article it talks about how the really great routes and the best routesetters can set really fun but challenging climbs below the 5.10 mark.
    • It all makes sense since this is the foundation for all climbing is the basic routes and if you can set to please the masses (aka your friends) then you will be able to build upon those principles and set really hard routes.
  • Here is how I set for Easier Routes:
    • On a 35 degree wall it is all about giving the climber large holds and plenty of feet
    • Start with two really good holds that anyone can pull down on (usually sit-start but ensure shorter climbers can still do the sit)
    • Ensure there are plenty of large feet at the bottom
    • Keep movements straight-forward and obvious
    • Add more feet if people are getting shut-down
    • Ensure that hold selection is of the friendlier holds (so they are not ripping their hangs-up)
    • Put in one surprise hold or move that they need to practice on (so it is not just a giant jug-ladder)
    • Have lots of people try it so that you get an understanding of what is possible and what needs to be changed.

Routesetting is an art and as with any art the more you practice and the more variety and tools you deploy will only improve your art. Enjoy!

Mar 24 2011

Hold Waste

Hold waste is something that unfortunately happens only in Home Climbing walls. Hold waste happens when you get a set of holds from a company and realize that a number of them are not very useful due to the limited number of angles, placements, etc on your home wall.

I am actually amazed at the number of holds sets that I have bought that have come with holds that I cannot or will not use on my wall. A lot of this is because as a home wall owner most likely you only have so many angles to put holds onto whereas a gym has significantly more possibilities. Lastly I feel some companies include extra holds that I consider “useless” so that the price per hold looks good when in actuality they are masking the price per hold.

Examples of Hold Waste:

Just a sample of a few holds that I own where hold waste is prevalent. Some of these sets are so good that the hold waste is worth getting the other holds. Other sets you may want to avoid all together. In reality I have no problems with the holds just with how they are being marketed.

  • Element Methods
    • Climbing Hold Review Link
    • Why: These are great holds, however only about 5 out of the 10 holds are good for hand holds. That leaves 4-5 feet that are not much different from any foot chip on the market.
    • Result: ~$45/set goes from ~$4.50 per hold to closer to $9+ per usable hold
  • Nicros K-Oss
    • This set doesn’t exist anymore, however it is a good example because so many of Nicros hold packages are built this way.
    • Why: Includes several large pinches that are really fun. However 4 of the 7 holds in the set are purely foot-holds.
  • So-ill Migrane:
    • Product Link
    • Why: These are awesome holds and properly advertised as “Hard”, however as with many sets vaguely labeled there is a range of difficultly in the holds. There are three very usable holds in the set including a jug, a positive crimp, and a harder but doable crimp/pinch. The other two holds would be useful on near vertical walls or as (expensive) footchips.
    • Result:  At ~$49/set puts the holds at ~$10/hold and $16/hold if you factor in the hold waste. These holds have been on my wall since 2005 however one of them has never even been set.

Identifying and Eliminating/Dealing with Hold Waste:

  • Hold Waste is most harmful to new walls and new hold purchasers. Now that I have my wall and a ton of holds having hold waste is not as big as a deal as I can usually find places for anything. However when starting you want your dollars to go as far as possible and hold waste means wasted $$.
  • When looking at sets try to maximize the value of the set. I have always been a proponent of buying quality over quantity and that means getting sets where each hold looks like it can be used on your wall per your skill-level.
    • Example of a Purchase I want to Make but Haven’t:
      • The So ill On Call Jugs: Since these things have come out I wanted the set because it is cool looking and a lot of fun. However I have not bought them because of Hold Waste.
      • Look at the set it includes 2 awesome jugs and 3 smaller holds for $70.
      • The phone handle jugs look amazing however the other 3 holds are not very inspiring and not something I want to spend money on.
      • Therefore to me the set is essentially $35/hold because I am prone to not use the other 3 holds.
  • A lot of Hold Waste Can be Turned into Expensive Foot-Holds. At least that’s my opinion; foot-jibs are cheap and a lot of companies have sent me free foot-chips with orders so I seem to have an abundant amount of foot holds why do I want to gummy up new nice looking, expensive (but kinda useless) holds with shoe rubber.
  • Volumes can help reduce hold waste. Like a climbing gym with a volume you have more options thus less chances of hold waste.
  • Skill Level can help reduce hold waste. Most holds that I have identified as hold waste are very small, crimpy holds that come with the hold set. Depending on your skill these can actually be useful for your wall. It is always good to have plenty of hard holds as you improve, however there is a fine line between hard and usable.
  • Easy ways to Identify Hold Waste when Shopping:
    • Skill level ratings on holds: If the holds have a difficulty associated to them which may be above your current skill, then realize you may get holds that are unusable
    • Foot-chips included in set: Easily identified because they are not much larger then the bolt holes. To save money and get a good cost per usable hold, avoid sets that appear to have several foot-chips
    • Small, Flat Holds: Any holds with a low-profile photo generally tend to be less versatile.
    • Use Peer-Reviewed websites: Climbing Hold Review has extensive videos and reviews on a lot of holds. Always check different sites before committing.

 

If you have encountered hold waste please sound off in the comments!!!