Indoor rock climbing wall/holds questions

[Jaxx]

1. Where can I get some cheap holds. I want to build my daughters a small wall in my garage and I don't want to go too expensive on it.

2. How many should I have? It is going to be about 4 feet wide and 12 feet tall.

3. what is the best way of securing them to the wall?

Thanks in advance

[jumar]

I haven't built one for myself, but my dad has made a couple. He finished a playhouse for my nephew this summer with a climbing wall. I'll have to ask him where he got the holds. I know some of them he got at the outdoor show for cheap. I think the rest he found on ebay. The hand holds come with what you need to hook the holds to the wall. You just need a drill. You can do about as many holds as you want, but you can see how many we did in this pic. We added more holds later for a route up the left side.

[accadacca]

That is a sweet play set!

[Jaxx]

Yeah that thing is a play castle! I remember seeing that thread when you guys finished it. Props to your dad. Seeing those holds does help me with the count. Thanks.

I was thinking about getting some holds I found on ebay. They were foot holds so I was thinking they would be big enough for the kids to hold, but I wanted the holds to be horns so they were easy to hold for them. the footholds were only $20 after shipping for 20 of them. So I will probably buy them and if nothing else they can be footholds, what an idea! I didn't see anywhere that they came with the bolts and that was what I worried about.

I have seen two different kinds of fasteners. Bolts and screws. The bolts had a piece that you nailed into the board that the bolts threaded into. I was thinking screws would hold their weight enough that I'm not too worried about it. Any thoughts on that?

[jumar]

All the ones I've used have that same threaded piece you put on the backside of the wall, then screw the hold on using an allen wrench. That's probably what comes with the holds you're buying.

[Jaxx]

I just bought these off ebay, $35 for 25 big holds for kids! I don't know if they come with bolts but I can get those seperately so no worries.

http://tinyurl.com/2sax9s

[Jaxx]

I finally got the pictures off my camera of the finished wall. I used the bolt on type of holds. So I drilled a bunch of holds about 8" apart and hammered the threaded hole things in. I put a little glue to help hold them. The holds I bought are awesome. the are big enough for the kiddies and they feel like real rock. After the girls have been climbing on it they say their hands hurt, so that is a con of the real rock feel I guess. I built the whole thing in about a day then let the glue dry before I put on the holds.
I took pictures while building for before and after shots but I can only find the after. If I come across the before I will post them.

Kid climbing wall

view with my short ascending/descending testing bolts

[jumar]

Awesome
I'll be doing my maiden voyage climb on mine tonight.

[DiscGo]

Nice job Jaxx. That looks great!