Training indoors is, nowadays, an integral part of many, if not most, climbers' routines. From simply climbing routes in an attempt to replicate the outdoor experience through to the ferocious bouldering/Campusing/fingerboarding exploits of the totally obsessed the use of artificial walls is as much a part of the climbing scene as Stanage, Cloggy or Malham. Of course, it was not always so and the birth of the board took a little time though, once the idea was established, it blossomed very quickly both in height (lead walls) and steepness/horizontal extent (bouldering walls). My main interest is in the pure board world that has evolved out of the "cellar dwellers" of Sheffield and a solitary university in southern Germany; to me that world represents the devotion to the move which defines the Peak district in particular and Britain more generally for, in all my travels, I have never (outside Fontainebleau and the Frankenjura) found other places so historically obsessed with difficulty for its own sake.

The Moon Board

A fixed angle board (which you can build yourself) using a standard set of holds to build problems designed for the user by climbers all over the world. All the holds have a separate number and use a compass point system to allow the climber to select the correct hold and then orientate it in the right direction. The Moon board is interesting for several reasons, climbers around the world can now compare notes on grades, discuss the problems, exchange ideas on training etc. Furthermore, any climber with access to a Moon Board can compare himself to any other anywhere in the world whenever they like; the prospect of online competitions either by recording or in real-time becomes possible. Moon Board offers the opportunity for anyone to compete with their heroes.

More about the Moonboard

Order the Moonboard holds

In order to win a set of Moonboard holds please answer the question below.