Rock Climb at Home with an Inclined Bouldering Wall

finalshot — Photography by Gregard Pallotta

Any lover of the outdoors knows the disappointment of checking the weather forecast in the wintertime. Freezing temperatures, wet or windy conditions, and sparse daylight are the main culprits that keep us cooped up indoors.

Once snow started to fall in Norway, Oslo-based engineer and drone pilot/photographer Gregard Pallotta decided to take matters into his own hands and build an inclined bouldering wall in his basement. Here’s what he started with:

He first had to gut the ceiling, then reroute the electricity so that the climbing routes could be free from other fixtures. Next it was mostly a matter of simple woodworking and painting.

Instead of getting 25mm boards, Pallotta decided to be frugal and bought some cheap 12mm OSB wood and a nicer 12mm plywood and glued them together. However he regrets not investing in higher quality. “They certainly work, however, this installation feels permanent in many ways, and in hindsight I want it to last as long as possible. Using plywood only would be stronger.” Once the boards were glued, he painted, plastered, and sanded them. For the last coat of paint, Pallotta added a big scoop of sand to the mix for a grippier texture. Next came a fun step — using the chalk line tool:

Once the ceiling was done, he installed the far wall, then built the frame for the inclined wall and hoisted it up. All in all, the build took three weeks of Pallotta’s nights and weekends. He planned the renovation with Live Interior 3D Pro. Its integration with Google Warehouse allows you to search for just about anything and use a 3D model of it in your planning.

Throughout his walkthrough on Imgur, Pallotta stresses the importance of waiting for paint to dry, drilling straight holes, pre drilling holes before using screws, and measuring everything twice before cutting. While much of this is common sense, it’s a good reminder to pay attention to details if you want a quality build!