How to Build an In-Home Bouldering Wall

Rock climbing and bouldering is a new popular Trend among people of all ages looking for a different kind of exercise that isn’t just class at the gym, jogging down the sidewalk, or catching on to the latest video craze. while there are other ways to get fit at home, rock climbing offers people a unique way to get a full-body workout while having fun, all while in the comfort of their own home. 

Interested in learning how to build an in-home bouldering wall of your own? Keep reading to learn more. 

Image by Phillip Sanchez via Climbing

Designing your in-home bouldering wall

If you’re not an expert on rock climbing or bouldering, you’re going to want to visit as many climbing gyms and see as many home walls as you can before attempting to design your own wall. Consult people at climbing gyms, ask to take measurements, and really get a feel for the angles of the walls. Doing this kind of research will allow you to design and a dynamic, interesting, and practical in-home bouldering wall.

You’ll also want to assess the spaces in your home where you’re thinking about building your bouldering wall. For example, if you’re looking to put it in your garage, you’ll need to make sure you leave enough room to park your car. Other things you should consider include: 

• Having the area you’re considering inspected for stability
• Ensuring the area has adequate lighting and ventilation
• Weatherproofing your wall if you’re putting it outside
• Giving yourself enough room to comfortably fall without hitting anything

After deciding on the orientation and location of your climbing wall, sketch out or build a scale model so you have a better idea of what it’ll look like. It’ll give you a chance to build out more dimensions like curves and complex shapes. Your scale model should use equivalent dimensions and should include other design elements, including the height from the floor to the ceiling, the width of the anchoring structure, thickness of the wall studs, the thickness of the plywood sheathing, where lighting and ventilation systems are, and falling space.

From there, you’ll be able to make a materials list of what you need, including:

• Drill
• Jigsaw or handsaw
• Measuring tape
• Hammer
• Allen wrench
• Carpenter’s speed square
• Frame materials (plywood panels, studs, wood screws)
• Climbing holds
• T-nuts and bolts

You can find much of these materials at a home improvement store or on online marketplaces like Craigslist, but for some materials, like climbing holds and T-nuts, you’ll need to go to specialty stores or climbing gear outfitters. 

Building your in-home bouldering wall

When building your bouldering wall, your best bet is to attach a wall to an existing wall or structure in order to eliminate the need for support braces and framing materials. Bouldering walls are heavy, and the existing wall you’re attaching it to should be strong enough to support both the dead load and the climber, however much weight that will be. Calculating the amount of force and weight that your bouldering wall needs to account for is a difficult task, so consult someone who works in engineering, construction, or climbing.

As a guideline, it’s suggested that wall panels steeper than 20 degrees have a vertical kicker panel at the bottom for your feet and that secondary wall panels be used to fill the gap between climbing walls.

Climbing your wall

Before you get to climbing, make sure to dispose of all debris from the building process, nails or screws lying around the area, and any clutter that can get in the way of the protection of your bouldering mat. After you’ve finished building and cleaning, it’s time to climb! As with before you had your own wall at home, make sure you warm-up beforehand to avoid injury. Be sure to also perform regular inspections and maintenance on your wall and the surrounding area so you stay safe.

Image by king abid via HoMyGarden