Natural Rock Advantage

Natural Rock – Aesthetic and Functional Design 

The simple existence of climbing as a sport comes directly from the inspiration we see in the rock itself.  The aesthetic beauty combined with the adrenaline-fueled desire to ascend, is what drove the first climbers to face the challenge, before even thinking about the movement of climbing over rock as the challenge itself.  The same awe of natural beauty is what inspired Edmund Hillary to tread endlessly to reach the top of Everest, and John Gill to work out the intense gymnastic movement and pure strength that modern-day boulderers aspire to… At Rockwerx, we recognize… sometimes it’s all about the look and feel of natural rock.

Creating a Focal Point

Our Seamless Natural Rock Walls are the ultimate attempt to bring the beauty and aesthetics of outdoor climbing inside.  Every Seamless wall is 100% custom designed and hand made to fit your facility.  The undulating curves, corners, and cracks of this style wall give the appearance of a true product of Mother Nature.  No panel lines or artificial edges yield a truly "seamless" appearance.  A Seamless Natural Rock wall is more than just a rock wall…it is a climbable work of art.

Natural Terrain with Modular Options

Many of our Natural Rock walls can be climbed by using built in features alone, but every wall is also designed with plenty of space and t-nut placements to attach a variety of holds.  We design every wall with function and form in mind, so that not only will the finished product stand out aesthetically, but the functional climbing terrain will be enjoyable for beginner and expert climbers alike.  If you are interested in a Natural Rock product but want the most functional climbing options overall, we can customize a solution with limited usable natural features and a plethora of modular hold placements, or specific sections that allow for greater flexibility in routesetting.

Strength in Sculpture

Indoors or Out, our special concrete is finished with an extremely durable UV resistant stain that really brings the wall to life. 

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.

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.

Our texture really sets us apart. The texture itself is a two-part application of blended polymers and cementitious products. This texture is specifically engineered for climbing gyms, and is designed to be quite flexible while appearing and feeling very rigid.

As with our Gym Rock attachment process, we use similar base methods with a focus on the sculpted finish.  We cover the plywood with a base layer of wire lathe, and then attach the cementitious mixture which bonds chemically, but is significantly stronger because it is also adhering directly to the wire/wood surface, rather than simply to the wood substrate.  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.

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!

Natural Rock Panels

Molded from hand sculpted real rock texture, Natural Rock panels provide the real life experience of climbing on rock, while offering wall owners increased affordability and versatility.  Each 4'x8' panel is cast from molds that mimic the same features you would find on outdoor rock such as granite, limestone, or sandstone. These panels are made from a concrete structural composite known for its extreme strength and durability, and while some competitors sell panels with a textured surface, Rockwerx Natural Rock Panels offer the best-priced, most realistic rock in the industry.  Each panel can have up to 6" of relief – which creates a sculpted real rock form on a base panel far superior to other manufacturers.  This relief is precisely the advantage that makes a paneled system still function, much like seamless climbing terrain, offering diverse foot and hand placements over a variable surface.

In addition, our panels are designed to accommodate beginner and intermediate configurations.  With a panel oriented for kids or beginner climbers, most of the rock's features are positive and easier to grab.  Turn the panel upside down and the relief is more difficult to climb. This extremely versatile technology allows wall owners to quickly and easily set the panels to meet any group's ability.  Our Natural Rock panels can mount vertically or horizontally to any block, brick, or concrete wall.

Interested in our Natural Rock climbing walls?  Please contact us – we'd love to learn about your project!