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Post by erick on May 28, 2017 12:35:15 GMT -7
Have any of you actually seen one of these setup? There is not a lot of info on their site cause I think they are still getting everything finalized. www.tensionclimbing.com/systemsboards/tension-boardI think the idea is basically to have a system wall that is set in a way the you can actually climb real problems. I think they are putting together an app with a database of problems, like the moon board, but the big difference is that each problem will have a mirrored version. So you can work both sides equally. It seems like a real step up from a standard system wall and looks like they are squarely aiming for some of the moon board market. Still pretty pricey at $2700 for the full hold set. I have a few of their holds and I have to say they are all very beautiful and kind on your fingers. Lets take cost out of the picture, which would you prefer this or the standard moon board? I like this idea just because I tend to always want to go against the trendy things and I love wood holds.
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Post by climbnkev on May 28, 2017 22:08:46 GMT -7
The full hold set is over $3,000, currently on sale for $2,766. Tension holds are by far better holds but you are not just purchasing holds when you buy into the Moonboard system. You are purchasing the ability to climb 7,000 problems and counting with other boulderers from around the world. Unfortunately the cost of the Tension board will limit the number of participants and thus possible problems. While the Tension board has 3x the number of holds this is potentially a downfall in that mapping out problems will be much more difficult. With all that said I hope that they can make it work and hope to climb on a Tension board in the near future. If I had the cash I would love to pick up some of their holds. As their grid is a close mimic to the Moonboard it would be possible to have a Moon/Tension wall with all of the bolt on holds in both sets on a single 8x12 wall. That would be pretty cool.....
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Post by climber511 on May 29, 2017 6:25:06 GMT -7
Those holds are works of art - beautifully done - at least in the pictures. I've made some wooden holds but mine have been very simple rounded edge things - I don't have the equipment to make all the one's sold here - but I wish I did! Wood is very skin friendly.
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Post by Cristiano Pereira on Aug 7, 2017 9:37:50 GMT -7
The tension holds are awesome indeed. I also think the price target will limit it to commercial climbing gyms only, unless you make your own holds (which require the right tools). A full set of moon board holds sells for much less.
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Post by willblack on Aug 7, 2017 12:15:20 GMT -7
I'd put money on this being a better designed tool than the moonboard, but the cost is prohibitive.
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Post by climbnkev on Aug 7, 2017 12:26:57 GMT -7
Just an update, Tension has released separate hold sets and also has an App and a LED package in the works. I think once released it's going to be an awesome system as the Tension holds are just so much better than moon holds. Definitely expensive though.
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Post by cozisco on Oct 10, 2017 13:04:59 GMT -7
This is a late reply, I know, but I wanted to get some significant training under my belt before offering a full review. A while back, I switched from a gym with a Moonboard to one with a Tension Board. If I was buying one for my home setup, I would go with a tension board for sure.
I personally haven't found the symmetry to be a huge game-changer but I know others have. I really just love the new sense of body tension I've developed after learning to climb on slopey wooden footholds.
My one disappointment is that there are no irregularly shaped holds; everything is rotated in intervals of 45* and every hold is a uniform depth, width etc. My feeling is that that requires less accuracy, precision and variety when developing limit boulder problems.
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Post by climbnkev on Oct 17, 2017 20:55:06 GMT -7
I was fortunate enough to build a fixed angle Moon Board and Tension Board for Avaserfi and finally get a chance to climb on a Tension Board and Moon Board side by side. I immediately gravitated towards the Tension Board, as not only were the holds amazing to climb on, the ability to do mirrored moves was a breakthrough. It is really what separates the Moon Board(a standardized bouldering wall), from the Tension Board(a systematic training tool). I immediately went home and purchased the small hold set and foot set to install on my hybrid Moon Board. I feel that the symmetrical nature of the Tension Board is most useful for discovering inherent weakness in your climbing form. Consider how often the difference between doing a limit move or not is less about gaining strength then about learning ideal body position. What if you could train the mirrored move for every limit move you perfect. Once you start this process you begin to realize what a powerful tool the Tension Board is. Why is this move so much harder with my left hand? Why can't I keep my right foot on? It is the answer to these questions that leads to technical improvement. The Tension app allows for fine tuning the difficulty of a problem as easy as adjusting the wall angle. With 5 wall angles programmed in the app and with mirrored problems, a single Tension problem has 10 possible variations and the ability to log your progress at each angle and mirrored problem. I have been climbing on a hybrid Moon/Tension board for the last month now and am finding myself spending the majority of my limit bouldering time working on the Tension holds. I am limited to the small hold set because of the current layout which also means I am training primarily at 20-30 degree wall angles. When possible I think I will phase out the Moon holds and replace with the additional Tension sets.
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Post by solwertkin on Oct 20, 2017 10:10:02 GMT -7
I got the chance to climb on Eric's Tension Board very briefly and on a day where I was feeling super beat down, so my verdict is not completely set in stone. But, with his fixed at 40 degrees I found it quite challenging, and I immediately was more psyched on my Moonboard at that angle. It felt like a tool for double digit boulderer's at that steepness and go figure, that's who created it. Don't get me wrong it is amazing! The symmetry is super cool, the holds are works of art, and no doubt it will get you STRONG! At 40 degrees with wooden holds and bouldering in the V6-V8 range it felt quite injurious with the slippery foot and handholds. Furthermore, at that angle it would be challenging to do circuit work at the right intensity for me. I do want a system board eventually in my home gym and if I can afford it will proabaly go with a Tension board but will either make it adjustable angle or fix it at 20 degrees. Worth noting that I have no real goals as a bouldererer. My goals are on ropes and I use bouldering as a tool to get me there. If my goals were on the boulders, this would be a perfect tool for that. I will update this thread as I session on it more but for now my 2cents. Still way psyched on my Moonboard for Warm-up Bouldering Ladders, Limit Bouldering, 4x4's, and Anaerobic Capacity Circuits. Now climbnkev looks to have the best of both worlds there!
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Post by tetrault on Nov 20, 2017 14:29:14 GMT -7
Are there any longevity concerns with wooden holds in an unconditioned (or intermittently conditioned) shed? What about shoe rubber on wooden footholds? A complaint I seem to see often on the moonboard is skin problems related to the holds. I would assume this is no different from any home wall with "realistic"/sharp holds and powerful moves. Anyone able to comment on this? As cozisco pointed out, there are thousands of moonboard problems vs a couple hundred tension board problems is a clear pro/con, but may simply be because the tension board is so new and the number will skyrocket in the near future? Pretty interesting moonboard discussion here; seems that some of the cons brought up are a stretch: www.powercompanyclimbing.com/blog/2017/3/11/episode-31-devils-advocate-the-moon-board-featuring-ben-moon
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Post by erick on Nov 20, 2017 15:42:21 GMT -7
I heard a podcast where Will and Ben (tension guys) talk about the longevity issue. From there perspective wood will last much longer since whenever the hold seems overly covered in rubber you can just hit it with some 100g sandpaper to refresh it.
The current problem count is 411, and you can double that number since each problem has a mirror version. I don’t feel like I’m lacking problems on my board. That number will begin growing much faster now since there are still only a handful of tension boards out there.
I’m right in the middle of a training cycle and once it’s done I am going to report back with a full review of my board. Send me a PM if you have specific questions about it.
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Post by jonfrisby on Nov 20, 2017 19:12:09 GMT -7
tetrault, the moonboard holds, especially when new, are extremely rough. Tangentially, I also don't love the big crossovers on many of the climbs. Watching tension, will, fultz, etc on Instagram, the problems seem more realistic than the moonboard problems. For examples of moon board problems check out 40 degrees on instagram. Really highlights how awkward the moon board style is.
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Post by Charlie S on Nov 20, 2017 19:24:45 GMT -7
tetrault , the moonboard holds, especially when new, are extremely rough. Tangentially, I also don't love the big crossovers on many of the climbs. Watching tension, will, fultz, etc on Instagram, the problems seem more realistic than the moonboard problems. For examples of moon board problems check out 40 degrees on instagram. Really highlights how awkward the moon board style is. I think you could partially blame the setters for that one. There is no shortage of variety. It's just hard to remember all the holds on those routes which are more straightforward.
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Post by jonfrisby on Nov 21, 2017 8:26:42 GMT -7
@charlie S True. Got any recommendations on nice 7s and 8s that don't do that?
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Post by tetrault on Nov 21, 2017 12:08:29 GMT -7
Thanks for the responses. Interested to hear the review, erik
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