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DIY - Anchor practice board

Original Post
Alpine Savvy · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Mar 2023 · Points: 0

A simple training board like this lets you rig just about any anchor you can imagine: top rope, rappel transitions, multipitch, and more.

Do you have a homemade practice board like this? Post a photo of what you like to use.

  • Cost is about $5 in materials, and five minutes of your time with basic hand tools.
  • You can use it on a chain-link fence, strapped around a tree, on your car, inside over a door . . .
  • Check out the article below for complete instructions, step-by-step photos, and lots of different ways to set it up!

https://www.alpinesavvy.com/blog/diy-anchor-practice-board

✅ There are LOTS of different ways you can build this. (Yes, a 2x4 board works too.)

✅ Key move #1: drilling a hole slightly larger than the nut on the back of the board. This means no hardware sticks out the back, so you can hang it on things like a door or your car and nothing gets scratched. 

✅ Key move #2: Paracord. It's thin enough to usually pass between the top of a door and the frame, so you can use it inside, very convenient.

You can probably buy a couple of hangers from your local rock gym if you ask nicely. Or, support your local climb shop and get ‘em there.  

☠️ Disclaimer: a practice board like this is meant for on-the-ground training ONLY, never for bodyweight, never for actual rappelling!

Old lady H · · Boise, ID · Joined Aug 2015 · Points: 1,375

Since a friend was the one replacing anchor hardwear here, and he offered me the real deal, and it's my house to "decorate" as I see fit...

I can do anything I want on this, full bodyweight, hanging in space, if I choose. It usually has rock rings attached.

H.

Trevor Oman · · Unknown Hometown · Joined May 2014 · Points: 140
Old lady H wrote:

Since a friend was the one replacing anchor hardwear here, and he offered me the real deal, and it's my house to "decorate" as I see fit...

I can do anything I want on this, full bodyweight, hanging in space, if I choose. It usually has rock rings attached.

H.

What did you use to attach your bolt hangers to the plywood, if you don't mind me asking?

Big B · · Reno, NV · Joined Mar 2015 · Points: 1
Trevor Oman wrote:

What did you use to attach your bolt hangers to the plywood, if you don't mind me asking?

hopefully through bolts... if he's actually hanging from it

Old lady H · · Boise, ID · Joined Aug 2015 · Points: 1,375
Trevor Oman wrote:

What did you use to attach your bolt hangers to the plywood, if you don't mind me asking?

Honestly, don't remember, but, those are climbing holds on the sides, so I think it's tnuts and bolts for gym holds, with big washers added. This is a circa 1950 house, so there's cripple studs up there to screw into and the door trim its on is lumber, not plastic or whatever. It's probably over engineered, knowing him.

Edit to add a couple pics. It's been a long time since I did routesetting and I don't remember, tnuts snd bolts well, but it might be he drilled through or into studs, and let longer bolts go through tnuts and into holes he could hammer the whole rig into. Then wood screws to wood, on the panel.

Trevor Oman · · Unknown Hometown · Joined May 2014 · Points: 140

Awesome, thanks for the info! The only issue I wondered about with T-nuts was how the bolt would come out the other side, so I think something like what you're talking about should work for my case. 

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Beginning Climbers
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