Artificial Climbing Walls have been around for many decades. The birth
of the modern Artificial Climbing Wall is generally attributed to a wall
constructed on the campus of Leeds University in the UK by Don Robinson in
1964. Climbing walls have evolved quite a bit since the first wooden
structure was made, and nowadays, climbing walls and artificial holds can be
made of various materials ranging from wood to concrete sprayed on a wire mesh
for support.
Although the roots of Artificial Climbing Walls is firmly planted as a
training ground for traditional rock climbing on actual rock crags, the
popularity of this form of recreation has blossomed over the past 10-15
years. Nowadays, commercial Climbing Gyms can be found in just about every
major urban center, and is seen as an end in itself and not so much as a spring
board for traditional climbing.
For the purposes of this Category, there are generally two types of
Artificial Climbing Walls that will be considered. Indoor Walls, which are
generally found at commercial Climbing Gyms, and Outdoor Walls, which can be
found at various resorts or amusement parks. Please do not submit any
temporary walls, like what you might see mounted on a trailer and assembled for
a State or County Fair for a short period of time and then removed.
Examples of Indoor Artificial Climbing Walls would be the following:
Sanctuary Rock Gym
Rock Spot Cimbing
Vertical Limits Ltd
An example of an Outdoor Artificial Climbing Wall would be the following:
Mammoth Mountain
Adventure Center Climbing Wall
For the purposes of posting an Artificial Climbing Wall to this Category, the following criteria must be met:
- The climbing wall must be man made.
- The climbing wall must be a minimum of 20 feet high*.
- Coordinates for the location of the wall of course**.
Exceptions can be granted on a case by case basis, but is up to the discretion of the Category Officer.
*Although implied, in most cases, short climbing walls or climbing structures
on children's play equipment will not be accepted.
**For Indoor Climbing Gyms, coordinates for the front entrance will be sufficient.
Note: Artificial Climbing Walls aboard commercial Cruise Lines are not
acceptable since they have no fixed location.