Do you have an Ascent "Rock" Treadwall? (aka FitRock, FunRock)

I have an Ascent Fun Rock rotating climbing wall (pictured below), but the computer that controls it died, and I need to get the software. It was made in 2001 and the company went out of business since then. If you have one of these that works (or maybe climb at a gym that has one) please contact me. If you can help me out, I'll make it worth your while.

Alternatively, maybe you know someone who worked for Ascent that I could get in touch with? I believe they were based in Salt Lake City at one time and later Bozeman, MT...James Thompson or David Meyers may have been involved at some point. If you know either of them, please let me know. Thanks!

Call Northern Lights in Bozeman and ask for Brandon, I know he was being a lab rat for some study using one of those, maybe he can point you in the right direction.

Thanks Bud, does anyone else have any leads?

Howdy Mike,

Great job out in Lander on a "real" Treadwall!

I don't have any info from those guys and the product bounced around a few different companies once they shuttered. The last company that I know of to take them on was a small British startup. The only contact info I have for them is a phone number: +44 (0)116 288 7263.

Good luck!

Hey mike,
I just got a wall like the one you have. Did you ever have problems with it being consistently about 20 degrees off of what the computer thought?

Example the program thought it was at -15 (Overhung) but it was actually about +5 (slab)

Also did you have trouble manualy controling it. ie. not using programs but just setting it at 25 degrees and 30 ft per min.
Cant seem to sort that out.

Thanks for your help

Wow, old thread!

Welcome to the very tiny club of Ascent Rock owners.

I haven't had the problem you describe with the angle sensor. It uses mercury switches to set the rotation limits, then it interpolates the angles in between based on those. Therefore, it's possible one of your switches is out of alignment, which would screw up the angle reading. Open up the control panel and look for the switches to see if they are right. Does it start and stop at the right angles?

As far as manual control, I know of no such capability. If I want to climb at a set angle and speed, I create a "climb" profile that sticks to that. I don't know of any other way other than having a partner manually actuate the speed and rotation overide buttons inside the control panel.

Good luck, let me know how it goes.

I briefly worked with the Ascent folks, who were family friends. I also had one of the prototype systems (serial number 6) which we refurbished with new electronics and donated to a university in New Jersey where I later worked -- unfortunately I understand it was scrapped about two years ago though in good working order. I wish I'd known. I would have happily disassembled it and hauled it back up to ground level (it was in a 2nd-level subbasement) to keep it alive...sigh.

After Ascent folded I think the product line was sold to Entre Prises who made a few using Ascent's existing relationship with an overseas contract manufacturer. The controls on all but the very earliest units (most of which were retrofitted) were designed and built by an amusements company in Salt Lake City even after Ascent relocated to Bozeman. If you're still stuck I might be able to find their name, and from my recollection of the people there I bet they still have the code around.

A coworker who is a real embedded-systems whiz also ran into the Ascent Rock at one point and has fond memories. I wish I could find one in anything close to working order now to fix up for our company's gym. If you ever get tired of yours, let me know!

It is too bad that for some reason, they stubbornly resisted marketing them aggressively to climbing gyms. They could have had a unit in every gym in the country and two in the larger gyms. But they just kept trying to "expand the market" to other segments while never really tapping the obvious market that would have eaten the things up. I didn't get it back in 1998 and I guess I never will... this was the only climbing simulator that was ever worth the trouble of even stepping up to. Multiple high-level US and international climbing competitors trained on it in the few years it was available. It is a real shame it died, probably never to return.

Thor, thanks for chiming in. I have to say, as a Mechanical Engineer, the Ascent Rock is an engineering marvel, and a real work of art. I feel very fortunate to have found one, and I baby it. I find the video game style interface to be a bit of a pain, so I've fantasized about building a custom controller to be able to directly adjust speed and angle with knobs that the climber can reach.

Still having trouble with the angle. I have measured it and it is about 23 degrees off. It is consistent though so i have set my programs to take that into account. I am just not able to make it steeper than 70 degrees because of the -90 limit. I am getting used to the windows 98 computer. though the program is quite clunky i have set it up to simulate the MOTHERLOAD as well as having various speeds and set angles. just wish it were a bit more streamlined. Where was Steve Jobs when we needed him.

If anybody figures out how to recalibrate the wall let be know. I contacted a fellow named Cody he gave me an outline i haven't gotten it to work though.

Cheers and happy rollin. I have been pumped three weeks straight.

I'm in the process of taking one of these apart and cleaning it and putting it back together. When I got it apart, I found that a lof of the plastic sleeves that go between the panels are ripped apart and broken. Does anyone know where I could get replacement sleeves?

The gym I work for has one that was taken apart when the new owners took over as to save space and are looking to sell it.

also, people who have inquired about the Rock have asked if there is a way to get a pdf copy of the manual anywhere or a physical copy. Would love to see someone use the machine rather than see it scrapped. Thanks

A friend of mine and I have been given a non-working Ascent Products, Inc. climbing wall called 'The Rock', model TR FT01, serial nu. 1200. We are about to take it apart to move it, so any manual or information about it that you could share with me would be very appreciated.

Unfortunately The Rock no longer has a manufacturer building new machines. When Ascent stopped producing them they were then manufactured by a company called Spectrum Sports based in Utah. Innovative Leisure used to distribute and support the product in the UK and Europe as part of their distribution agreement with Spectrum Sports.

Unfortunately Spectrum Sports also stopped manufacturing the product a number of years ago and since then no one else has taken it on. The majority of the spare parts Spectrum had remaining were shipped to Innovative Leisure who continue to support the product in the UK and Europe but are not able to supply parts, manuals or service outside of this territory due to insurance issues. They are in a position where they can only support the machines they have supplied.

Sadly with no new manufacturer on the horizon, very limited spares available and no support outside of Europe it appears to be only a matter of time before the product is no more.

What a fuckin shame.

Hey. This is a Great Idea. I just climbed one at a lazer tag place. Don't scrap it!!!! I would be willing to pick it up from you. More than willing! I can ask the owner of the lazer tag place if he has the manuel and scan it and then come take it apart for you and reassemble it at my shop. I'd love it. I'm located in Fort Wayne Indiana but willing to come it from ya andy rowan! Email me at jeffdgilbert@hotmail.com

Also... There is a huge market for this!!! Amusement parks and the obvious rock climbing gyms. I'm amazed that this outdated machine is 1 so amazing and 2 not yet updated. Does anyone know about getting the patent rights or is an engineer that would want to make a new updated design for this and we rock (pun intended) the climbing scene. Hit me up Mike Anderson or anyone else :)

I say hook it up to the chain drive off an equally old BSA 650 and rev it up...practice speed climbing then.

If anyone is interested I have a working Ascent Rock wall that my company is selling. I also have all the Installation Instructions, Trouble Shooting Guide and Instruction manuals in file format for it.

It has been dis-assembled and is now sitting in a storage unit at the moment.

We have no more use for it and need to make reclaim the space it is taking up.

Seems these are becoming pretty hard to find, especially ones in good condition that actually work.

Hello,

There is a treadwall very similar to the one pictured in the initial post at my local climbing gym. I'd like to write my own controller for it in order to replace the PC (currently displaying the controls and programs) with a Raspberry Pi/Beaglebone. (Preferably open sourced)

I'm happy if you could provide me with any details on the Serial interface and communication protocol, so I don't have to reverse engineering everything myself.

jbrown2, it looks like you did some experimenting with that. Do you know which baudrate, parity settings etc. is used?

I did not find any information on the internet at all, so I'd really appreciate your help! Thank you!

If you figure advert of that out, please post it!!

I'd love to write my own code so I could run it off a simple micro controller rather than the bulky PC.

Hello how are you, I am interested in purchasing or see schemes that wall climbing, I I have a company of FX and make mobile robotic systems and easy software. I would like to create a new or update that with our systems and then commercialize the system. Someone could give me information or photos of your mechanics?

Hola como estáis, estoy interesado en comprar o ver esquemas de esa pared de escalada, yo tengo una empresa de FX y hacemos sistemas móviles y robotizados con software fácil. me gustaría poder crear una nueva o actualizar esa con nuestros sistemas y después comercializar el sistema. Alguien pude darme información o fotos de su mecánica?