All Apologies

i know your all super eager for me to post more ...sorry but my computer has been a dildo lately.... hopefully i will get something up later tonight and more in the future. the wall is cool and ive done a little with it. posts to come:

~Setting it up/Assembly
~Routes
~Pros/Cons
~a one month training program & assessment (ah crap that start tomorrow!!)

giving birth standing up

well, i gotta say my shed hasnt worked out as well as i have wanted. there are several things i woulda/coulda done better! i could have put a couple of double doors on the end. or i coulda just made the shed 12x10ft instead of 10x8ft.... and i would have if i knew then what i know now. i dont really blame Brewer's ledge, but when i next talk to the guys i think ill mention they make some changes to there space requirements. basically you want more space then they say.

...arg wish i had made a bigger boat! ill add a photo demonstrating how youre supposed to assemble it lying down a little later. for now...im back to building a treadwall!

UPDATE!
so the answer is YES the treadwall can be assembled in a standing position! but heres how i screwed up. i had no idea about how the wall is actually assembled when i built my shed. but i should have been able to figure this one out...me dumb. so we all know the climbing surface is around 10ft. and ive seen pictures of the wall so i should have know that the two side panels are about that same height. next...i knew from talking to others that you assembled the wall and then raised it up with the help of a friend or two. so why i didnt figure out that i needed more depth 9ft 5in inside is kinda comical.

it was a close one getting this machine built. as you can see by the pictures above you essentially assemble the entire structure of the wall then raise it up and put in the bolts on the lift legs. couldnt do it. for a while it thought i might put together a lot of the wall then walk it in. but this thing weighs a lot!.... a hell of a lot. in fact if anyone tells you it doesnt....tell them it weighs between 800 and 1000lbs fully assembled....so carrying any portion of it partly assembled is a recipe for back injuries. thats not worth it when all im trying to do is get this thing built so i can train

so two plans later and much head scratching... (i know i could've call brewer's ledge, but im a figure it out myself kinda guy) ...plan three! assemble mt treadwall completely out of order. i decided to build the 2x2 steel frame and then put all channels and cover on after. look at the pictures below and youll see the yellow highlighted frame is what went up first, the red stuff got added once i had a free-standing frame. turns out my plan worked...also i think a guy could almost build a treadwall alone by this method, although help is nice. after that its pretty cruiser... the lower shaft had some issues going in and the upper shaft and shroud are heavy on a ladder, but it was the only way.
**Brewers Ledge, kindly asked me to change the images...happy to do so. i guess theres no need to help the copyright theives... given that i figure these new images still make the point and dont tell you anything thats not in any other photos on the net.
more details and pictures to come...soon? oh!.. thanks to my pops, victoria, and especially "blake stipple" for helping me today. the wall currently is partially assembled with 12 slats... ill be staining boards the next couple days and trying to be ready to finish it up on my next weekend off!

also i noticed the ready traffic was up the last few days... if you guys have questions or just want to yack i do encourage comments!

the companies you keep.

...so, i know you would have expected more info on putting the treadwall together... but i have had a cold and i also need a little help. see i mistakenly only made my shed big enough to put the treadwall in, not assemble. therefore ill need to put it together some and then move it inside....ill tell you more about that when i get to it.
given that ive been a little bored sitting on my couch and i notice some people have commented on my readers poll. you say you want some more gear reviews... so i thought i might ramble a little about the hold companies ive come to like over the years. might be interesting....probably not. i figure ill yack a little about their holds and recommend a good set...that i like anyway.

http://www.voodooholds.com/index.html

so this is one of the older makers of fine holds, and i remember them from as long as i have been setting. i started climbing sometime after 19994 they got started in 1993, so i guess they win. they use a semi elastic polyurethane mix with a softer base material for the last 1/8th inch... thats always been the fastest easiest way to spot their holds. they say, and i tend to agree, this allows for less slipping and less likely to chip at the edges. but it also has a down side, the smaller holds tend to warp and deform when theyre over tightened... sucks! their texture is nice and comfy starting out but over time with use they loose texture like any other, which seems to shorten the lifespan. which if your getting them for home use probably isnt an issue. the set i chose is the "Black Mountain; set 4" and retails for $69.00


http://www.teknikhandholds.com/

i first saw teknik when they mail my gym some free holds... or maybe the owner just got a real small order? but i got only two holds. a little crimper that was badass and a slopper, unfortunately some kids dont take care of their holds as well as i do because theyre not around anymore. anyway teknik started in 1999 by by two folks seth and Zoe, these two run their company pretty much start to finish up in that beautiful land known as canada. different people want different things out of their hold shapes. generally this companies holds arent the most realistic not super fancy. their basic shapes are a backbone in any collect and excellent for hours of pulling! the set i pick for these guys are the "Deblocs" costing $95.00 USD. these big head sized block are bouldering excellence.

http://www.soillholds.com/

i first heard of these guys in....oh i think it was around five or six years ago... most holds were still being made with resin and not urethane. so they just looked cool out of the gate. but i think over the years they just got weirder and weirder. which is no surprise consider were talking about shapes coming from the minds of the Chandler brothers and Jason Kehl ....the tim burton of rock climbing. unfortunately, i think their ideas have gotten just too far out there.... personally i dont enjoy rock climbing on a wall that looks like it was designed by english author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. some of there stuff is pretty cool none the less. for example i love the matchable edges in this set, the "GAS" for $62.00.

http://www.pushergear.com/

If you dont know this company....well do your research! seriously! go on line and find out what you have been missing. these guys went AWOL a while back with all kinds of drama known all to well with small companies but now their back! every hold youve ever touched owes something to this company so check'em out. great classic shapes and if i were rich i would have at least one of everything in their catalog. some of my all time favorites are these "Font" sloper

they are maybe a touch pricey at $89.00 but come on kids....theyre getting back on their feet and theyre using urethane now! ...i think... dont quote me **smile**

http://www.projectholds.com/

AH! the new kings of the macro hold!! awesome huge grabby goodness! these guys have a better than average catalog of shapes, but where they really shine is their monster sized holds. so if your looking for a hold to really mega size your home wall...heres your guys. they use about the same material if not exactly the same as soill. so, you know it should be healthy with a long life. my pick is the "Olympus", it retails for $249.00....the crazy part is this isnt even the biggest one. but i had a chance to climb on some of these in the last couple of years at gyms with a healthy hold budget and i have been jealous ever since.

http://www.nicros.com/

nicros is another one of those companies that has a huge catalog where its hard to go wrong...they have a few shitty shapes but generally i like what theyre puttin out. they go for the realistic which is what i like. plus they are the most eco friendly with their corn/soy-based resin. im a big fan of the granite like "Dunes" for $56.95. nicros are pretty affordable when you get right down to it. they also have those "extreme hold technology" models, essentially it is a hollow back fiberglass shell with texture applied to the surface.... how i have no idea! its nice cause theyre lighter, but sometimes the texture chips off. really i wouldnt worry about weight unless your setting at full gym height.

http://www.etchholds.com/

the thing that struck me the most when i was first introduced to this company was the material. these guy are the most "plastic" feeling of all the holds i have ever climbed on. they do seem to wear out faster than other companies, but they do start out with great texture. and their shape are all pretty good. plus generally they are cheap! back in the day when i had very little budget and want to get the most for it...i pulled out the etch catalog! plus they make some pretty sick macro holds... nowhere near the scope of project holds, but awesome just the same... and like i said before excellent price. buy their macro if nothing else...i wouldnt lie. i also like the sandstone and hybrid sandstone sets this one goes for $44.oo.

http://www.e-grips.com/

love these guys catalog as well...there are very few of their holds that i would throw in the dumpster...and yes i am a hold snob! these guys started back in 1996 and have a good history of making quality shapes. they had a rock start but once they got with their parent company Trango its been the best product that company distributes....in my opinion. i really love these holds the "dakota pinches" for $ 58.00. decently priced, great material, awesome texture that lasts, and shapes so quality that metolius is trying to rip them off. **check out their tufas pinch and the new metolius ribbed pinches if you dont believe me**

http://www.climbit.com/

unfortunately, i never got a chance to order these holds for my gym. for the longest time they didnt carry product liability insurance and my owner was a stickler for that...but...who cares! their product is awesome! this is what i hoped soill would be! by their own admission these guys are trying to recreate the most realistic shapes on the market. YES!! whats with shapers who dont try to make real rock shapes....oh well i guys the folk that climb that play land shit will never like the outdoors and stay out of my playground. this "Patina XL" set retails for $81.00, but they are worth it for the overall quality your getting.

http://www.revolutionclimbing.com/

these guys were making pusher shapes for a while...but pusher is back!! but i guess they do still have some pretty good shapes. i have had a little bit of issue with their holds cracking, but overall its not too bad that i would not buy them. a lot of their shapes also scream pusher which is good and bad. this set of crimps are my absolute favorites... their great for making that hard crux edge move! the "joe's medium set 1" for $36.00 is worth my money. by the way,read their whole company ethic thing and someone please explain to me how the proletariat boulderer was kept down by the bourgeoisie wall climbers?

this is my honorable mention!!! stone age was and is an awesome collection of shapes. they were one of the original makers of awesome roof holds and macros! i wish these guys were still making holds and i constantly wait for the comeback....pusher pulled it off! anyway thanks guys!

...umm i guess thats all i got. probably not that helpful other than i gave you links to all the sites so...if you bookmark me you dont need to google as much right?!

one big ass truck later

so again...R&L sucks! they were late again, but at least i got my treadwall. check out the big ass truck! my neighbors didnt know what to think. it was kinda funny.

also, the guy had it loaded behind a bunch of other

shit and he couldnt get it off the truck on the pallet. so, i actually backed my truck up to the carrier and load it piece by piece... fun. but i got it!

after that, i drove it down and stacked it into my driveway to kinda see what i had... its a little daunting at first. there are a lot of pieces, but the instruction look user friendly. everything seems heavy duty and well built.

then i noticed one of the bearings was crooked. actually kelly saw it, he dropped by for a sec. so, Conant had given me his number to check in, i called him to get his thought before i start whacking on it with a rubber mallet. sure enough Conant says that it isnt uncommon for that to happen in transit. he said it should self realign when i start putting it together...or tap it with the mallet and call him back if i have any trouble...thanks boss.

so i read my instruction and got all excited to put things together walked it around the shed...laid things out...tried to lay thing out...Crap! watch the video...

todays the day....again!

hey, R&L truck driver!...

find your ass in my driveway today!

...i dont care how! GOOD LUCK...

btw... the dispatcher had the nerve to actually call me yesterday saying they werent gonna come...they wanted to come tuesday, even though we talked and agreed to wed. god why are they testing my wrath...your right my wrath is little more than an angry girl scout shaking her fists... but i will shake them with a mighty fury!

ARGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i dont usual hate blast someone! but R&L Carriers suck ass! on the 21st i got an email from Conant to let me know the treadwall had been shipped out. the company gave a delivery date of the 27th. i was given some contact info and a tracking number.... all good so far. i also was told i need to call a little before the delivery date, to set up a time with the local terminal. so the 26th comes and i do this. then i call, they tell me it got held up in chicago and the didnt know when it would get there. they say..."well call you when it gets to the terminal"... okay no problem, i can be patient. but the number they had for me was wrong...i gave them the right number. 28th comes

...nothing

...so i call them again. they say its not there yet, theyll call tomorrow. 29th, no call i call at 4:30. they say they left me a message, but i never got the call. sure enough no one corrected my number. i tell them the right number again. we schedule for friday the 30th. i tell them that i have a work meeting at 2:00pm and i need to see the truck no later than 1:30. the guy says...no problem, have a good day, blah blah blah. friday all day! i am excited... and i wait. nothing. 1 o'clock i call to check the truck status. the guy say the truck was stuck in fort lewis, and it would be here today but not on time....no later than 4:oopm. F! there goes my meeting at work, oh well, they really wont miss me other than taking roll. 4:oo comes...no truck! i call, the guy has the nerve to say the driver rang my door bell twice and left.

LIAR!

... but i say no sir, no truck came and i havent left ...and i was building a work bench in my driveway the WHOLE time! the guy puts me on hold and then comes back to say he turned the truck around. he gives me a number to call if i dont see the truck in one hour. he says the guy is 30min away. fine....whatever. 55min later...NOTHING! #$@$%#$%!!!!!!! i call in, some lady who has no idea whats going on. she says the dispatcher i talk to turned the driver around again because it was illegal for him to keep driving. she say they called and left a message. guess what...they keep calling the same wrong number.

ALEX HAS AN ANGER STROKE!!!

really, do you guys suck this bad. the gal promises to fix the number. god knows if she was successful, i have my doubts. she also sets it up for the next available delivery....she tells me they only drive to silverdale on Tuesday and Friday. well thats too bad i tell her, because i work on Tuesday,

.....AND I WANT MY PROPERTY!

but i am very respectful but forceful when i tell her this. she makes a call, and calls me back...but i still dont trust the number correcting because she could have written it on a napkin she wiped her ass with in the can 5min later. sooo, supposedly on Wednesday the 4th my wall is "gonna be delivered". im not holding my breath...these guys are a bunch of ball bags!

Chalk it up to economics

i love giving you guys a heads up on the good stuff! i dont know why i do it? ...but since im gonna you might as well keep checkin in with me. .....OH! and if you find something you wanna spread, let me know and ill help ya out!

so what are we talking about today? really? umm, chalk? duh! yeah this is that stuff that climbers consume like crack! and at the gym its expensive as shit! one day many years ago i was gym ratting and a buddy came in with a five gallon paint bucket full of chalk. what?! yup and he explained how he bulk buys his chalk and keeps it in his truck in this way. very quickly this made sense to me....im a cosco shopper!



so lets talk average prices... generally i have seen a 2oz brick for $2, a 3oz chalk ball is $3 a 5oz bag of loose chalk can be $5 or more. if you hunt for a little bit you can find that metolius 5lb bag for about $50 plus shipping cost (which is usually where they hide a little extra profit). i found a better deal.

how about 10lbs for $67 with shipping! heres where:
http://gymmall.com/search.php?search_query=chalk

now im gonna try and sell you on it! assuming i dont get the stuff in 4 days and decide its crap(which will make me delete this post). so five pounds, last time i bought bulk lasted me about 2 years. now if you dont want to buy that big....invest with a couple buddies! now if you buy that same amount over time ...which you will if your a climber its gonna cost a lot! lets consider the 2oz brick for $2. 10lbs x 16oz(per pound) = 160oz x $2 (per brick) = $320.

$320 or $67? ....are you one of the special kids or have i gone far enough?



following that i thought i might just make a suggestion. now im not one of those guys who cares about loose chalk. i think its kinda dumb to spill massive amounts all over the area, but thats no reason not to use loose chalk. so i suggest using a mix of loose chalk and a ball. i put loose chalk in the bottom of my bag and then put a half full chalk ball on top. the ball helps keeps spills from happening and the loose chalk make it easier to chalk up.... for me, it works.

given that if you do use a ball... get a refillable one! get yourself a detergent or simple green bottle (gatorade also works great but it has no handle), then cut it off like in the photo and it makes reloading you chalk ball a snap!



oh replace that metal handle on your bucket for a stylish piece of tube web! take the drill bit you use for the T-nut holes and bore through the bucket where the handle was. this spot is reinforced and wont crack out. thread the web in and tie an overhand knot ....and its stylish!

thanks for all the new readers lately, i should get my treadwall kore tomorrow morning, but i wont start putting it together just yet....stupid work, stupid making a living! but ill post all that stuff as it happens... thanks!

Update!!!!
the chalk i got is awesome, no negatives what so ever. i know in the comments mr "Horsey Checks" (ask him... hell know the reference) thought it would be better to get the "drying agent" but i cant tell a difference. i may try to find out what this "agent" is ....i may not? well see!
but... the chalk is good... BUY IT!

Organic review

http://www.organicclimbing.com/



This is Josh Helke (unless i have a photo of someone else), and these are some of his creations. Josh's company is fast, friendly, and in my opinion now the best at what they do! ...and i dont say that lightly. in a previous post i even said how i was apprehensive cause i hate going with whats "cool"(http://treadwallproject.blogspot.com/2010/07/falling-in-good-style.html). but credit where its due!

so i decide the emails we had tell so much im gonna just post them here, to help tell the story of why i suggest you consider them. read them or skip ahead to the end result!

(EMAIL TRANSCRIPTS)
~~~~~~~
Hey Organic,
i am interested in a a 5" big pad and a half pad. i came up with a color pattern in the two attachments. i would like to have the big pad to have the large blue arrows and red for the small ones. then other pattern is opposite for the half pad. does the half pad carry well in the full pad? do you accept paypal?
alex

~~~~~~~
Hi Alex,
Thanks a million for your email and support! No problem on that order those colors will be awesome!
Your total will be:
$315 for the big pad
$45 for ground shipping
$65 for the half pad and
$20 for ground shipping
Grand total $445
The half pad and briefcase pad are both designed to carry with the full pad under the flap it is a super nice slick set up I love it!Let me know what ya think and we can get rolling on this for ya!

Thanks so much for your support!
Josh Helke
Organic Climbing LLC
Cell 651.245.xxxx
~~~~~~~
Hey, thanks for the fast reply! the price sounds great! how do i pay and get the stitches goin.
alex
~~~~~~~
Awesome! I will email over a secure paypal invoice right away for ya, once the payment comes through I will get cutting and sewing this right away for you!
Thanks so much for your support!Have an awesome day!
Josh
~~~~~~~
Hey josh,
i just sent you some money via paypal. sorry i didnt get to it sooner i work graveyard shift. um, so how long should i expect?
thanks so much
alex!
~~~~~~~
Awesome thanks so much : ) I will get this sewing in the next couple of days for you and have it shipping out for ya on monday. Thanks soooo much for your support hope you have a great rest of your week!
Josh
~~~~~~~

and yesterday here is what i got!!! the emails show how easy going friendly and personal dealing with this company is. the pads are awesome. its like "doctor evil and mini-me"! one funny thing is... im not sure if it was intentional but i got a slight upgrade, josh made my small pad a briefcase instead of the straight half pad i had asked for! either way im okay with it. josh also sent me a bunch of stickers which isnt a big deal.... but cool! i am completely satisfied with my dealings!
Josh thanks man i plan to enjoy your hard work!



sorry old school CORDLESS pad, i love you, you were awesome and ahead of your time, but.... theres a reason why we now call ya "tha three inch pad of death"

unrelated gear

i dont plan to ever post much material that isnt in some way related to treadwalls, but.... here are two things i have been excited about for some time, ...and they are finally here!

first off is the new grigri for smaller diameter sport climbing ropes...

next is the highlight in my mind the TOTEM CAM! this thing is awesome and there is way too much for me to tell you. so go to the website and order us both a set! take note particularly in how they working outwardly flaring placements, using only two cams out of four, and the unique cable design

http://www.totemcams.com/