It all started a couple of months ago, as we were lamenting the (completely understandable) closing of climbing gyms due to COVID19, and looking for an alternative to continue exercising.

My kids: “Why don’t we build a climbing wall in the backyard?"
Me: “Well…”

It turned out to be easier than I thought, despite some trial and error. This post relates the journey and what we learned along the way.

Planning

Key decision #1 was the size of the wall. To keep things simple, we did away with the kickboard and just used standard plywood dimensions to guide the size of the wall, i.e. 3 panels of 4ft x 8ft for a total surface of 12ft x 8ft, tilted at a 25 degree angle.

Below is a rough model to show the geometry. Several details were modified as we built the wall, but it gives a general idea.

Key decision #2 was the layout of holes - we considered going with Kilter / Moon board layout, but then realized that the wall would be too difficult for our level of climbing (V3-V5). So we opted for a more custom layout of holes - holes on a given line are placed every 8 inches, and lines are offset by 4 inches. We wanted to make sure that the whole wall was usable.

Step #1 - Preparing the plywood panels

Painting is fun! We painted the plywood panels on both sides to ensure that they do not degrade too fast outside.

Then we marked the location of the holes, first with a pen, then with a punch.

Drilling… soooo many holes…

Last step: placing the T-nuts. They can be simply hammered in place. I recommend coating them in epoxy glue to ensure that they do not pop out of the hole. Gorilla glue came in handy here, since it only requires water to activate.

A lesson learned: we started with the professional way of inserting the T-nuts, i.e. pulling them from the opposite side by tightening a bolt with a very large washer. It provides the best alignment, but it was slow… very very slow… It would have taken 10+ hours to do the 3 panels, instead of about 2 hours total. And not worth it: in the end our alignment is almost perfect for all the holes.

Step #2 - Building the frame

Next, let’s build the frame. The backing for the pieces of plywood is made of 5 long 12ft beams tied to 8ft beams at the top and bottom. We used L-angle stainless steel connectors to minimize the risk of splitting the wood. The long beams are spaced 2 feet apart +/- 2 inches to ensure that they do not end up obstructing the T-nut holes.

The base is made of 4 pieces of 2x6 in a rectangle shape. The front side is flat so that we can position crash pads on top of it later on. Again we use metallic connectors to attach the beams.

Finally we attach the wall frame to 2 vertical 2x6 beams using the bolts and nuts, making full use of the 10 foot length. At this point the whole structure feels pretty flimsy, but it will get better as soon as we attach the plywood panels

Step #3 - Putting it all together

The first two panels are relatively easy to mount. Note the gap at the bottom to leave enough space to place a crash pad against the wall. The idea is for the top plank of plywood to stick out above the frame so we can grab it when reaching the top of a route. Again pay attention to the position of the T-nuts so the top of the frame does not obstruct them.

We used Simpson deck screws with high torque heads to tie the plywood to the frame, one screw every 4 inches.

So far so good. Finally we reach the hardest part – mounting the last piece of plywood. We struggled with that one. It is incredibly heavy and it has to be lifted 8+ feet and positioned precisely against the frame. After a bit of trial and error (mostly error), we found that we had to use a rope to ‘belay’ the plywood from the back of the wall, tying the rope to an eye bolt on the back side.

A tall ladder definitely helps! A standard 6-foot ladder is not enough.

Last step is to add a couple 2x6 on either side to reinforce the structure, using bolts to tie them to the existing structure.

Step #4 - Setting routes

Then … the fun part!

We purchased a couple of 60-hold packs from Metolius as a way to get a started with a good assortments of hand holds, jugs and footholds. Just replace the bolts that come in the pack with stainless steel bolts, regular bolts become rusty in less than month when left outside.

To make things more interesting we also ordered a few families of holds from the places that our local Touchstone gym procures from, for instance Kilter, or Rock Candy.

Et voila!

Inspiration

Giving credit where credit is due: this wall owes a huge amount to several videos we found on Youtube. In particular my favorite.

Supplies

Shopping list:

Lumber
3   4 x 8 x 3/4 Exterior-grade CDX Plywood
5   2 x 4 x 12	Pressure treated beam (plywood frame)
2   2 x 4 x 8	Pressure treated beam (plywwod frame)
9   2 x 6 x 10	Pressure treated beam (structure)

Hardware
350   3/8" x 16 Stainless steel T-nuts
200   18-8, #8 x 2" Stainless steel deck screws
25    1/2"-13 x 4-1/4" Bolts & nuts, hot dipped galvanized steel
120   #10 x 1" Stainless hex washer head self drilling screws
4     2 x 4 L-angle bracket (Simpson Strong Tie ML24Z)
10    A34-100 18-gauge framing angle (Simpson Strong Tie A34-100)

Other supplies
1   Gallon Wood Stain - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XG8Z6SJ
1   24ft x 10ft tarp, for the rainy season
    Holds (see above for links)
    Crash pads to cover a 10ft x 8ft surface on the floor

Everything can be ordered online, even lumber was delivered to our place by a local lumber company.

Last modified on 2020-07-15