DIY Rock Climbing Wall
The idea came about because my kids climb on everything. My wife mentioned building a climbing wall, and we started doing some research. It seemed out of reach at first, but the more I looked into it, the more I considered that I may be able to manage it. I’ve taken on a few woodworking projects in recent years, and I do alright. I’m certainly not quitting my day job to become a carpenter, but I can put together some simple things.
I came across one build in particular that seemed well within my ability. The site gave some basic instructions on how to put together a narrow and long wall, something akin to a Ninja Warrior obstacle. However, the same steps should be able to scale up to a full size wall with minimal adaptation.
Getting excited to start on my new project. I drew up some specifications and started on a parts list. Our back deck sits over a hill, so the handrail to the ground is about 11 feet. I figured with standard plywood measuring 4’x8’ per sheet, I could toy around with some configurations to put the height at 12 feet. That would leave the top of the climbing wall even with the handrail when at a slight angle, which would probably make it more safe.
When I went to my wife with the tentative plans, she hated it. I wanted something attached to the deck, and large enough for even adults to use. She envisioned more of a kid-sized wall that could stand on its own, and collapse down for storage. With the direction I was going, those ideas were more or less completely incompatible. She hated my idea, and probably wouldn’t even be on board with making both. Back to the drawing board.
Fortunately, there were some builds that she approved of, and they included pretty comprehensive instructions. They were a lot more complicated than what I was hoping for, but probably not outside my ability. Plus, how do you get better if you don’t practice?
Several builds were more permanent in nature, and I’m not opposed to that idea. We’re eventually wanting to sell our current house and build a home, so I could realistically plan for that once we’re in a place we want to stay. The smaller, portable wall could serve as a sort of demo version to see how the kids take to it. If they really enjoy it and use it all the time, we might plan for a dedicated area to climb. If the use it on occasion, we might make a small corner for climbing. If the whole thing is a flop and they don’t even use it at all, lesson learned.
Personally, I’m hoping I can build an acceptable portable wall, and that they enjoy it. I really love climbing walls, even if I’m not very good at them, and I think a pretty easy wall in my own home would encourage me to use it more and get some much needed exercise. If I do manage to build that smaller wall, I’ll probably do a write-up here on my own methods, and how they differ from other builds I’ve seen. Maybe by this summer, we’ll actually have something the kids can make use of.
Averill, G. (2020, May 19). How to Build a Backyard Climbing Wall at Home. REI Uncommon Path. https://www.rei.com/blog/climb/how-i-built-backyard-climbing-wall-at-home.
Bergmann, B. (n.d.). How to build a kids climbing wall. Family Handyman. https://www.familyhandyman.com/project/how-to-build-a-kids-climbing-wall/.
Coop. (2019, January 14). DIY rock climbing wall for under $100. Garage Gym Reviews. https://www.garagegymreviews.com/diy-rock-climbing-wall-under-100.
Erin. (2020). One of the best backyard DIY projects: DIY Climbing rock wall. The DIY Nuts. https://thediynuts.com/diy-climbing-rock-wall-for-children-best-backyard-diy-projects/.
John, T. (2017, September 29). 24 best DIY IDEAS AT home for rock climbing wall for toddler. Homelilys Decor. https://homelilys.com/diy/24-diy-rock-climbing-wall-toddler/.
Metolius. (2017, February 21). How to build a home climbing wall. REI Uncommon Path. https://www.rei.com/blog/climb/build-home-climbing-wall.
Sarah. (2017). Do it yourself climbing wall. The Created Home. https://thecreatedhome.com/diy-climbing-wall/.
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