FAQ
I AM A BEGINNER, HOW DO I KNOW WHAT HOLDS TO PURCHASE?
When you look through the website or catalog, you will notice that the handholds are pictured with a carabiner to give you a size reference. Sizes that are described as Micros (Micros Small, Micros Medium, Micros Large) refer to holds that are micros – meaning very small and are sized generally as footholds or more advanced handholds. The holds that are described as S, M, L, X-L, XX-L, etc. refer to holds that we classify into general small, medium, large, x-large, etc. categories. Keep in mind that larger holds will generally protrude away from the wall further, and thus may cause a problem with falling climbers on slab or vertical walls. As always use your good judgment in hold selection as well as hold placement. If you have any questions on what the best holds would be for your wall, please give us a call and we can certainly help you out.
WHERE DO YOU PUT THE HOLDS ON THE WALL?
Generally, there is no specific “spot” to put the holds. The wall is your canvas, and the holds your paint. On a traverse wall, you often see smaller holds across the bottom of the wall and the larger jugs across the top. This offers a good place to put feet while still having enough hold to hang onto as you learn to traverse the wall. On a full height wall, routes can be set at different difficulty levels. One needs to think about how close the holds need to be to each other to accommodate the heights of the climbers on their particular wall. There is no “exact way” to set the holds on the wall because a good climbing wall offers challenges to the climbers in that the routes are constantly changing. When climbers start to get bored with the routes on the wall, it is good to reposition the holds to focus on different climbing techniques and to offer new challenges. If you are setting lead routes, make sure your route is well thought out and planned so you don’t “climb” your participants into hazards and make sure you give them good holds to clip from at the different anchor points.
HOW MANY HOLDS SHOULD I BUY?
This depends on the size of your wall and what you are using for but it also varies with the size of the climbers. If you are building a basic wall, you can generally put a hold every 3 square feet. If you are building something for small children where height is an issue, you may want to go closer to 2 holds for every 3 square feet. If you are building a hardcore bouldering wall, it is likely that you’d fully plaster the wall with holds everywhere you can. Keep in mind that after your first order, you’ll have a better idea of what styles of holds you need and you can always place a second or third order.
HOW TIGHT SHOULD I TIGHTEN THE HOLDS?
You should never hear the handhold make a popping or cracking noise as you tighten it down to the wall. At the same time, you do not want the hold to whip in a circle (aka “spinner”) when somebody stands on it because that creates an unsafe situation. There is a fine line between “too tight” and “not tight enough.” For Nicros’ resin products, it is generally best to go about one quarter turn with an Allen wrench past the point of resistance by the handhold. Extreme Hold Technology™ handholds WILL flex. You don’t want to over-tighten this hold because the hold essentially suctions to the wall. Each E.H.T.™ has a very thin and small amount of surface area that is in contact with the wall and by pressing in on the center, it causes the hold to sort of suction against the wall.
CAN I PURCHASE INDIVIDUAL HOLDS?
Yes!
Nicros sells individual handholds and grab bags of multiple sizes. Also, any hold in any set may be purchased as a separate item. Have further questions? Call us at 651.778.1975 and a sales representative will help you identify the hold you are looking for!
DO I NEED THE SAME NUMBER OF T-NUTS AS HOLDS?
Not necessarily. The general feeling with indoor climbing walls is that you want to be able to move your holds around. If you only put the same number of T-nuts as you have holds and you want to later be able to move them, you have a major project in the works to take down the plywood and add more t-nuts. It is easier, and better for your sanity to add them early in the project. We recommend 50-60 t-nuts per sheet of plywood or 32 square feet.
There may be projects that you don’t want the ability to move holds around (i.e. playground entrance walls). In which case the answer is yes, unless, the holds are not mounted in a typical manner.
HOW MUCH IS SHIPPING?
Shipping costs are figured directly from the weight of the order and the location of the “ship to” address. For an accurate shipping quote, please contact a sales representative with the order you want to purchase. All orders are figured using FedEx shipping (standard ground). If you choose to use an expedited service (FedEx Priority Overnight, FedEx Standard Overnight, FedEx First Overnight, FedEx 2Day, FedEx Express Saver) additional charges will apply. Large orders (usually over 300lbs) can ship using common carriers (Bax Global, FedEx Freight, YRC, etc.) on a pallet, which offers a savings in shipping. Please check with a sales representative for shipping quotes.