Gym Rock Advantage

Gym Rock Geodesic Design

At Rockwerx, our goal is to provide superior quality products to meet the specific needs of our clients. Our Gym Rock Geodesic wall system is the best in the climbing wall industry. If you want more flexible route setting options, unmatched durability and a great looking, superior climbing surface on your walls, Gym Rock is what you’re looking for. We like to say that if you can imagine it, we can build it with Gym Rock. Each project is custom designed in cooperation with each client. So what is Geodesic design?  Geodesic describes the geometry of curved surfaces, and what makes our walls different than most is that though we start with geometric shapes, our mesh seaming and texture process creates a more fluid, unified look and feel.  Once a design is finalized, geometrically shaped steel panels are fabricated and installed much like a 3D jigsaw puzzle. These sections are placed on a superstructure independently engineered for each project. Each section connects to unify the gym rock design. Simple triangles, rectangles, and trapezoidal shapes are transformed into dramatic arches, caves, arêtes, dihedrals, spires, cracks and stalactites.  And rather than create a more formulaic paneled look, our substantive concrete texture forms more rounded edges and an aesthetically more seamless design.

The Technical Advantages

At the base of all framed wall systems is a free-standing and self-supporting steel frame.  Constructed of custom designed square tube and angle steel, our unique steel framing system allows your wall to take on nearly any shape, at any angle, at any height. Not only is our framework custom designed for your installation, our walls have more steel framing than a lot of other contractors. We reinforce all of our geometric panels every two feet, compared to every four feet or not at all on some other manufacturer’s walls. This inter-bracing strengthens the overall structure, and adds to the rock-solid feel of the wall. Walls with less inter-bracing are more prone to flexing, which results in cracking or chipping of the surface texture and a ‘hollow’ feel to the walls.

Another material we use to increase strength and durability is our plywood. Unlike a lot of other manufacturers who use OSB or ‘particle board’ in their walls, we use high quality structural grade ¾ inch CDX plywood. This higher-end material is much less flexible than OSB, which also adds to the realistic feel of the wall.

One of the biggest complaints for climbing walls is the t-nuts (the connection for the climbing hold) striping out of the plywood when the hold is tightened.  This is a common occurrence which requires someone to climb the inside of the wall to replace.  We solved the problem by designing a custom t-nut.  Unlike other companies that hammer there’s into the wood… we hydraulically press ours stopping any chance of them stripping out.  The image on the left shows a standard t-nut and ours.  As you can see there is a huge difference.

Superior Texture Sets Us Apart

Our texture really sets us apart. The texture itself is a two-part application of blended polymers and cementious products. This texture is specifically engineered for climbing gyms, and is designed to be quite flexible while appearing and feeling very rigid. Despite our ‘beefed-up’ building practices, all walls experience some degree of settling or flex as strains and time take their toll. Our texture can actually move with the structure, eliminating cracking and chipping that is common as a result of flex.

We attach our texture both mechanically, by using wire lathe, and chemically, through bonding. Many companies rely on chemical attachment alone. Obviously, more attachment means less chipping and cracking. Some companies offer a surface ‘patch kit’ to do repairs as needed. We have never been called back to do a warranty repair on any Gym Rock texture ever.

The texture is stamped with micro-features molded from actual rock, and closely resembles flat granite. It is thicker than most surface textures, allowing us to round out edges for a more natural looking seamless construction. The surface looks great, and climbs even better. It is perfect for edging and smearing, can be molded into holds in tricky placement areas, like the outside edges of arêtes and the inside corners of dihedrals, and provides positive, realistic feeling for jamming in cracks. Tell your climbers to bring their chalk and tape!

More importantly, this texture has amazing feel for climbing. The granite-like material can be molded into holds in places where traditional holds cannot be set, like the outside edges of arêtes or the very inside of dihedrals, and provides excellent traction for smearing and edging techniques.  Our framed wall systems are the ultimate solution for any serious indoor climbing facility.  In terms of versatility, durability, and adaptability, framed wall climbing surfaces are absolutely second to none.