[Oldmanmatt]

Well, the cat's out of the bag, anyway, so...


Untitled (2013-03-21 06:44:30) by oldmanmatt, on Flickr

In one of those odd  moments in life, we decided to build a bouldering wall and climbing gym in Torquay.

Today, we began marking out and removing some existing features of the building.

So it's real and we should be opening the doors in 2.5 -3 months!

You can follow the progress through our Facebook page and I'll be updating here too.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Boulder-Bunker-Coming-Soon/139693576202469?ref=hl

Hope to update the layout drawings and include room two (gym, traversing, campus boards, rings, wall bars etc), shortly.

[tomtom]

Nice one Matt. Good luck.

[Jaspersharpe]

Nice one Matt. Take it you got that problem sorted! Best of luck.

[Steamboat Stello]

Nice one. I'll call in for a session as soon as you open!

[Nibile]

Good luck Matt!!!

[Fiend]

Good luck, hope it works out great!!

Will there be replicas of small sections of Berry Head and Sanctuary Wall?? 

[Oldmanmatt]

I'll bear those suggestions in mind, guys...

Main designs just about done.

Aside from a campus board, finger boards, systems board and rings; what else would you suggest for the Gym room?

[crimp]

I'll bear those suggestions in mind, guys...

Main designs just about done.

Aside from a campus board, finger boards, systems board and rings; what else would you suggest for the Gym room?

Those rollyball things in different sizes?

A well stocked bar.

[shark]

I'll bear those suggestions in mind, guys...

Main designs just about done.

Aside from a campus board, finger boards, systems board and rings; what else would you suggest for the Gym room?

In order of desirability:
Aircon
Moon board
Free weights
Graded endurance circuits
Bachar ladder
Eva Lopez progression board

If you had all that I'd invoke primogeniture and move back to Devon

[TobyD]

In order of desirability:
Aircon
Moon board
Free weights
Graded endurance circuits
Bachar ladder
Eva Lopez progression board

aircon NO, far, far more important that it is warm enough in the winter
bachar ladder NO if i wanted to train specifically for ladders and wreck my shoulders i'd go into roofing 

campus board YES
finger boards - better one decent one than five crap ones, beastmaker, moon YES
decent matting essential

[Oldmanmatt]

Well, the building was a dance school. So it's fully insulated and has central heating.
We also have large, opening windows and ceiling fans for the summer.

We also have a Disco ball and strobe lights, but I'm not sure they'll help much...

Though, Polly has plans for "Headtorch" sessions, in the dark with lightning laid on!

[kelvin]

We have headtorch nights at The Pinnacle - seem pretty popular except with climbers who are colour blind. Just an excuse to show off who's got the brightest lights of course.

[crimp]

That's old hat.

Matt is bringing us the future with strobe light nights.

And hopefully roller skating climbing nights, just like Jonny.

[andy popp]

Good effort Matt!

[Oldmanmatt]

So room 1 (aka the Canyon) with the main bouldering and comp wall, also the reception and cafe.
Alongside, across the corridor, room 2 (aka the Gym/The Cave).

 
Untitled (2013-04-20 18:23:17) by oldmanmatt, on Flickr


Untitled (2013-04-20 18:24:41) by oldmanmatt, on Flickr

And room 2. Traversing wall down the left hand side (and across to window, out of view), Campus, finger boards and rings (and possible space for free weights).


Untitled (2013-04-20 18:26:29) by oldmanmatt, on Flickr

Then, behind the campus board, in the cave proper, Moon/systems board.


Untitled (2013-04-20 18:27:33) by oldmanmatt, on Flickr

Looking at the Traversing wall...


Untitled (2013-04-20 18:28:56) by oldmanmatt, on Flickr

Looking into the cave, at the Systems board...


Untitled (2013-04-20 18:30:08) by oldmanmatt, on Flickr

[Mike Tyson]

Loving the one handed campussing! You'll all be beasts if that's a true to life image! 

Looks very cool and intimate. Top job.

[Muenchener]

Traversing wall looks nicely vertical and old-skool, like the one at Rockover in Manchester. Never seen one like it at a wall on the continent: I suspect it's a Brit old farts thing, yearning for their brick edge crimping youth. You need something on it that simulates a proper brick edge crimps traverse to keep the older demographic happy.

[Oldmanmatt]

I've always found a vertical traversing wall a great Starting point.
For me, to warm up.
For Newbies and Kids, a simple, low, introduction wall.
It can be spiced up with volumes, slopey problems, crimpy problems and reaches.

For Fran, we'll make sure there are traverses on the steep parts of the main wall, too.

[ianv]

my 2p worth, trying to be helpful here.

1. I cant help feeling that you are giving up way too much space to the really hardcore training stuff. Truthfully, how many people will use it? Pretty much all the walls I have been to give up much less of their space to that sort of thing and even then it seems under utilised. Dont forget that your mass market is punters, you will likely end up 33% or so of your total space that gets used by a handful of wads and wannabes whilst your main market moans about the pokieness of the wall ,and hopefully, how crowded it is. If you really think that there is a market for that sort of thing in the SW then stick the campus on the wall behind the system board but the rest of the gym section would be better used as more bouldering.

2. Vertical walls are shit even with volumes. The local (non hardcore) wall started with a load of vertical sections, probably for the same reason as you. Within a few months they had to redo them as no one liked them. Much better would be to have overhanding sections with bigger holds and for kids, routes with shorter reaches.

3. Oh and the best wall I have been to recently (whats up? near Lille) had disco lights in the cafe.

[Oldmanmatt]

Fair points...

In truth, the budget doesn't run to extending the bouldering into the second room at this stage.

It's not the wall construction, it's the matting.
If we go beyond a simple, low, traversing wall; we'd need full matting below (300 mm deep).

We expect, if things go well, to redevelop the traversing wall in phase 2.

The matting already accounts for some 40% of the budget... Urgh!

[Nibile]

I'd love a simple overhanging board (45?) with lots of holds to set personal problems and projects, along with the usual color coded setting and the likes.
Good luck Matt.

[ianv]

Re the matting, one thing they did in Lille, that seemed really good, was leaving a gap between the wall and the overhanging Walls. This would save a bit of cash and extends problems by at least one move.

[SA Chris]

Why is everyone wearing white t shirts in the picture?

Agree with ian V regarding vertical bits. Even 10-15% will mean punters can still get on with it, but you can set harder stuff as well.

[Oldmanmatt]

Damn! I forgot how hard painting is!

Knocked down a wall and under coated about 200m^2, since 8 this morning.

And assembled the scaffolding.

Took delivery of our seriously macho Nail Gun today.

I shall mostly be giggling like a kid in a toy shop.

KERTHUNK!!!!!

Sn**ger.

KERTHUNK!!!

Giggle...

[shark]

Hard at work....