Climbing Wall

Project Scope

In the summer of 2020 during lockdown for COVID, I decided to build a climbing wall. This project felt both very exciting and challenging. I benchmarked my design based off famous training walls such as the Moon Board but adapted the design to fit my needs. One of my favorite modulations is the pulley system I developed to change the angle of the board to add more functionality. The wall consists of six panels, fastened to a frame with a pulley system consisting of Dyneema fiber and friction rings positioned for greater mechanical advantage.

Build Process

1) Sketching out the Design

Unfortunately I didn’t take that many pictures of the build process but as with many personal projects, it started out with a sketch.

2) Drilling Back Supports

After cutting out panels, drilling out holes and painting, we jump a few steps ahead to screwing in some additional back supports to make the assembled frame sturdier.

3) Pulley System

Here I am setting up the Dyneema pulley system that I threaded through friction rings attached to the joists of my grandparents’ house.

4) Diagonal Beam and Heart

After several layers of paint, hardware and assembly, the wall was difficult to change angles due to its weight. I ended up attaching a block & tackle to move the bulk of the weight and thus the dyneema rope became a secondary secure system to lock the wall in place.

5) First Climb Test!

After every thing was assembled, the last thing to do was to put up some holds on the wall and climb on it!

Final Wall

I love this wall. As someone who loves working with their hands, this project was a joy to design, construct and paint. Not only did it put my theoretical engineering knowledge to practical use but also offered a way for my family members and friends to climb right at home. Now, whenever visiting my family, I have the pleasure and opportunity to climb!