Designing a Climbing Wall for Your Gym

Climbing walls; they’re pieces of art, feats of engineering, incredible craftsmanship, and above all, they can be beautiful. From first sketches to the final bolt, designing a climbing wall for your gym should make you excited about what you’re bringing to climbers. A climbing wall is more than slapped-together plywood filled with a smattering of holds; it’s a place to bring people together to challenge and enjoy themselves alike, which is likely what your aim as a gym owner is.

But what comes first? The wall or the design? Well, neither, it’s the idea. The idea is to provide exceptional climbing through the design of custom climbing walls. Are you interested in starting a climbing gym? Check out the process of how getting your walls typically goes!

The first step is always the idea. Some call it crazy, others call it revolutionary; climbers call it rad. Designers collaborate with you, the gym owner(s), architects, or other climbers to sketch the right structures to fit the space.

If you’re not a climber and you want to bring an experience to your city or town, it is in your best interest to employ a group of climbers to help you with this process, along with really listening to the designers. After all, they will have a better understanding of what climbers want to climb.

This process involves brainstorming and drafting, including the shapes and features your gym will boast. How many overhung walls will you have, and how steep will they be? Will you include crack climbing in your design, and how wide will they be? What about the slab and vertical walls? Where will they go?

An excellent climbing wall design will include something for every climber. If space isn’t an issue, then shoot for the stars and try to cater to every climber out there. Word will get around about how great your space is.

Okay, yes, there is plenty of plywood involved, but this isn’t some dingy backyard shed climbing wall made from scraps of wood. The foundation of a great climbing wall combines tons of plywood panels, steel framework, and fiberglass or resin textures. Plywood is an excellent option for its durability and versatility, and fiberglass adds a realistic rock-like texture to the boards.

The framework is the skeleton of your climbing wall and is typically constructed of steel. Engineers will calculate the load-bearing requirements for your structure so it can support itself —and, of course, many climbers.

The engineers work with the designers to decide all the walls' intricacies, such as the slabs, overhangs, dihedrals, and cracks. A miscalculation here can affect the integrity of the wall, which is why engineers play such an incredible role in helping you transform your climbing gym space.

After the framework is ready, the cutting and shaping process begins! Plywood sheets are cut and shaped to match the exact dimensions of your newly framed climbing wall. Then, you must drill every single hole where the climbing holds will go! While it might just look like a bunch of steel beams and rods… You wait. You’ll soon have a massive playground for climbers of all skill levels!

Specialized CNC machines are often used to create the angles you want in your walls. All the panels are then coated with a textured layer to mimic the feel of real rock. This often looks like gritty sandpaper. The designers achieve this by spraying a mixture of resin, sand, and a pigment onto the panels.

The texture, while mimicking many outdoor rock types, is meant for climbers to smear on (use the wall as a foothold). However, texture isn’t a necessary step for your walls! Many gyms offer sections of walls with no texture, making smearing much harder for the climber.

This is T-nut time. A T-nut is what will turn your walls into climbing walls. These small metal fittings are fixed into the pre-drilled holes of your panels and are what climbing holds screw into.

The builder carefully maps out a grip to maximize the number of T-nuts per panel, enabling greater route-setting flexibility and creativity. With the framework and panels ready, assembly time is upon us. This is what you’ve been waiting for. To see your vision come to life!

Panels are attached to the framework using heavy-duty screws or bolts to create the wall’s continuous climbing surface. This step requires meticulous craftsmanship to make sure your walls are sturdy and seamless. If a section of your new wall is extensive, it will likely be assembled on-site.

After the wall is assembled and before the climbers get to play, it must pass rigorous safety tests. Engineers and inspectors evaluate the stability, load capacity, and material quality of the entire wall. Safety certifications guarantee the wall meets industry standards and give climbers peace of mind when dangling high in the air. Regular inspections will follow these initial safety tests to make sure the wall is holding to the highest standard.

Next come the climbers! Route setters will craft artistically curated routes of varying difficulties to allow climbers to reach all aspects of the climbing gym. A good setter will create a fun and engaging climbing route for many to enjoy. They will use the contours of the walls to highlight the construction and help your design shine.

Once the setters have done their job, there is nothing left to do but climb! (Minus all the other aspects of opening a climbing gym, of course). Be the first to reap the benefits of what your vision and hop on that wall!

From ideation to reality, there are many steps to bringing a climbing wall to life. The design, construction, and safety tests are all part of crafting an experience that many will have for years to come.