[chillax]

Just out of curiosity, what was the board setup in the schoolroom? As in angles, sizes, hold types etc.... I know there was the moon board and the steep one (45 or 50?), but what were the other two?

Financial constraints have led me to drop out of my previous training spot in Dublin (living an hour and a half's drive away didn't help much!), so I'm going to cobble something together at home. With the levels of beastliness the school produced its the obvious place to start when looking for design info.

And I'm sure former acolytes would like a place to reminisce....

Cheers

[Paul B]

56'
28'
12'
and a Moon (hardly used)

I can't easily describe the holds, old school with a lot of wood thrown in. Some looked like a dog had been given a block to play with for half an hour before they were bolted on. The holds got worse the shallower the angle, the 12' hanging board had particularly small rounded holds.

Campus board; small, small sanded, big round flattys.

Take a look at Ned and Dan's setup in the beastmaker video. Thats the future!

[Jaspersharpe]

56'
28'
12'
and a Moon (hardly used)

I can't easily describe the holds. It's all still far too raw and to even think of her reduces me to tears.

I understand completely.

[chillax]

I thought enough time had passed to broach the topic. Maybe its still too painful for all involved....

Cheers Paul, good knowledge. One other question, why the hanging board rather than normal footboard?

[Paul B]

it will rise again, somewhat closer to the Sheaf which i can't work out whether it's a good thing or a bad thing!

The board referred to as the "cragX" board... is the same shape as cragX, it makes for some difficult starts and one foot problems, completely concentrating on hitting the small holds and pulling on them. Not that many people used it but I thought it was a really good board.

Jasper - Last night I was designing "Wardrobe board" to the sound of "No, No No.. No!"... Imagine a permanent board hinged at the top to reveal a large wardrobe. HELL YEAH!

[benpritch]

hi paul, i thought it was 56, 27, 17? or am i remembering wrong?

[Paul B]

you've got the notes pritch! or I f*ckin hope you do? 

[benpritch]

you've got the notes pritch! or I f*ckin hope you do? 

hmmm, thought you did. oops.

[Paul B]

Good job I have a slight blogging addiction:

Angles to remember:
50 = 56 (Thats why it was always so hard!)
30 = 28
15 = 17

it must be Dob or le Sausage who has them as I have no idea of any of the other measurements... or you're kidding just to wind me up.

[benpritch]

two out of three and only one degree out on the 30. not bad for an old man.

[Mark Lloyd]

Why was the Moon board (hardly used) ?
I'm thinking of building one in my garage but probably add other holds as well

[dobbin]

Oh I dont know really, I had a few good sessions on it whilst it was there. I think a lot of its impopularity was down to the other boards and their established problems. For the same reason that nothing anyone set that was new got as much attention as the old classics - it was all about doing the problems which Ben, Jerry and Malcolm did in the heyday. People wanted the kudos of doing something with a name like too fluffy to be hard, pinky perky, snot etc rather than problem 5, 7b+.

Someone else will no doubt be along shortly to assert that it was all because grips were really tweaky, and some of them were. There were lots of small incut edges on that board rather than big open pinches, but as a massive supporter of the crimp I quite liked it. I would say that I think incut ness was the problem.

[Monolith]

Somewhat intrigued about this matter, I quizzed Mr Adams about his verdict on the Moon board having erected a giant shed with one in it on his driveway. He seems to love it and the 'incutness' doesn't seem to be a problem for him. I'm keen to session it but having never seen a Moon hold in the flesh, I can't really pass comment. I quite like a mild incut but from experience know it can be asking for trouble if you go much steeper than 45.

[dave]

some of the moon holds were/are tweaky but others were ok. from my limited skrmishes in the shcool I always perceived the lack of traffic on the moon board to be like the dobwad says, due to the high esteem the other "classics" were held in. it wasn't a bad board though by any means.

[Paul B]

it wasn't a bad board though by any means.

It wasn't that wide and was tucked in against a wall.
Some of the problem setting was pretty questionable.
A FEW of the holds were really quite tweaky some of them were really good though. I got the impression that these holds would get you strong if you didn't hurt yourself first.

I only climbed on it a few times and I can remember coming off a problem and just waiting for the pain in the backs of my hands to pass. The other boards were just better, the hold selection on the 30 deg made you work so much harder being wooden and generally poo, the cragx board had an amazing selection of even worse wooden holds. The 50 was just the daddy of boards. Tonnes of holds, even more problems. It was the longest and the widest board in there...Which would you spend your time on?

I think he's releasing a new set of holds so maybe the last point won't be so much of an issue.