Dry Tooling Wall

Are you ready to scare the pants off yourself?

Cliffhanger now also offers a quasi Dry Tooling Wall. Since 2004 there have been World Cups in Ice Climbing on dry tooling walls. This is very different to normal indoor climbing, and subject to scaring your pants off you as you hang on by the tip of an ice axe!

'Dry Tooling' is where you use your (in this case our) Ice Axes on rock (or in this case plastic) - it's sometimes necessary when Alpine Climbing if the snow and ice is thin or in mixed conditions.

We have imported a range of Dry Tooling specific climbing holds from several suppliers in Europe specifically for this purpose.

Climbers will need to wear a helmet with a Visor (supplied by us) and Axes with Leashes (also supplied by us) and will be able to give it a shot on top rope during pre-arrange times each day.

After some "dry runs" and "in house testing" we are now not using leashes, but instead using lanyards on the axes. This will allow you to 'shoulder' the axes and also easily do hand swaps, and any move you can come up with.

We are currently allowing the use of the Dry Tooling wall weeknights between 7:30pm and 8:30pm as a regular feature, but also at other times by request if we have staff available.

The reason we call it a "quasi" Dry Tooling Wall, is that you will be wearing climbing shoes, or plastic boots if you choose, but DEFINITELY NOT CRAMPONS OR SPIKES. Most of the dry tooling injuries seen in novices are when they spike themselves in their own leg with a crampon! ... and that really hurts and also makes a mess on our new floor!!!

The wall we have set these holds on is the area to the right of the large slab - wall number 29. This wall includes a small roof to work around, which should provide for some spectacular moves... and falls!

We have 3 routes currently set:

Light Blue holds
Orange holds
Blue/White Swirl holds

Both cracks on that wall are also climbable in conjunction with some of the holds.

You can tell the dry tooling holds, as they have NO texture like normal holds, and little cracks, pockets and slots that fit ice axes just nicely.

Until we can film our own in action, here's a You Tube video of dry tooling on an indoor wall.

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