Page 43 - 1995 Mountaineering Club Bulletin

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A contoured-resin climbing wall at Leeds University, designed and built by DR Climbing Walls
Jerry Moffatt personalised
MASTERS RANGE of Bolt-on Holdz
Capturing the spirit of the mountains
Increasing demands from climbers are pushing climbing wall man­ ufacturers to keep breaking new ground in design flair and techni­ cal skill.
“Climbers are always on the look-out for new challenges, and this applies just as much to the artificial surface as it does to the real thing,” said Don Robinson, chairman of DR Climbing Walls, lead­ ing installers of climbing walls for the armed forces, and founding chairman of the newly-formed Climbing Wall Manufacturers’ Association.
“With hard rock, the pressure is on the climber to find the new challenge, whereas with man-made walls the pressure is on the designer to meet climbers’ demands and provide the new challenge for them,” he explained. “The climbing wall industry therefore is truly customer driven, and that is why it is so important that peo­ ple who design and build walls fully understand what climbers want.
“Fortunately the industry has moved on from the early days when some architects, who knew nothing about climbing, thought they could get away with fixing a few random blocks to a well-con­ structed wall. We have also moved on from some alarming instances of well-meaning climbers designing superb pitches with­ out recognising the importance of structural engineering!
“Climbing walls are becoming more and more innovative as designers strive, not just for technical climbing excellence, but also for aesthetic appeal. Modern techniques of contouring and sculp­ turing mean that the latest walls seek to capture the spirit of the mountains while providing exciting challenges for the novice and expert climber alike.
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Consultants, designers
fabricators and installers of
climbing walls and bolt-on holds
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