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trguy
Dec 20, 2003, 4:45 AM
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Registered: Dec 17, 2003
Posts: 59
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We're looking at adding a boulder room to our local Co Op gym and are debating the pros and cons of the standard plywood climbing surface vs concrete. One of our members make large rock replications from concrete for zoos around the state and has volenteered his equipment and experience. Since we're doing the work ourselves we can build nearly anything and the final cost of either surface is nearly the same. The local Y has a small concrete wall that is over featured and countoured to the point most of the holds will not bolt flat to the wall. Besides that, the sutdle countors and micro features are fantastic for bouldering. Assuming can can avoid the mistakes make by the Y, any thoughts on which is better?
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smellyhippie
Dec 20, 2003, 5:24 AM
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Registered: Nov 11, 2003
Posts: 155
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This post is near and dear to my heart. Having worked in a couple different capacities for a commercial climbing wall company and managed a couple different climbing gyms, I humbly submit the following observations and opinions (also known as "my 2-cents" or "comments from the peanut gallery").
Zoo-rock style stuff is attractive and neato, with a realistic rock look and little features that you can jib off of or whatever. You mentioned that the local Y has a wall that is over-featured and therby limits route setting creativity and what types/sizes of modular handholds can be used...that's a major drawback. Another bummer is that the texture usually wears down...this depends on the type of concrete used, but generally most zoo-rock and Las Vegas-style faux rock surfaces get an irreversable greasy texture to them after mega-use by dirty climbers and their dirty paws. Also, zoo-rock is limited in how many t-nuts installed in the wall.
Woodie walls don't have these problems. They lack the visual bang but offer greater route setting potential with nearly unlimited t-nut installations and a flat surface for holds. You can put on the texture paint that Metolius sells or just add some sand to regular ole' exterior paint that adds a little visual oomph.
It might depend on who you'd like your wall to cater to...if your into getting non-climbers into the sport with the visual bang zoo-rock ain't a bad alternative. But for the highest degree of climbability and creativity, a woodie is probably the best choice, unless you want to hire a climbing wall company to come in and do a bang up job with some fancy (and expensive) petro-chemical marvel.
By the by, it might be wise to have some sort of structural engineer or other smarty pants fello/fella come in and say that the supporting wall ain't gonna fall down. Your zoo-rock buddy might have this sorta smarts.
Good luck with the proj.
Nate
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