Metolius Contact Board

I got this as a gift for a friend that was moving far from any outdoor climbing. They were able to keep up the finger strength during this period, which was 8 months. It has a solid variety of different size holds and pockets and it held up well to regular use.

Great product for anyone trying to build up strength for climbing.

Every summer, I have a huge list of climbing goals, but between work and dry land training for skiing, my goals usually remain at large. This winter, I thought if I had a climbing board, I would at least be in partial climbing shape by summer. While I think this board will get me there, it's definitely overwhelming at first. Like other reviewers have said, there are not a lot of easy holds and even just looking at it is a bit overwhelming. I would say the simpler Metolius board would be a better place to start. Though my brother comes over and uses the board and loves it (and he is on the higher end of intermediate).

I feel like I could get just as good a workout on a board with 1/2 the pockets. that would take up less space on your wall, and presumably drop the price. otherwise, great board!

The first board that I ordered felt tacky and damp as if the epoxy hadn't set properly. Backcountry were awesome though and just sent me out a new one. They even paid for the return shipping of the old one. I can't commend Backcountry more highly for that.



As to the board, the number of holds is great and it's one of the best training boards I've used. I have to say that it's NOT a beginners board. The holds range of medium to tiny with only 1 set of 'jugs'. If it's not an advanced board, it's definitely in upper end of intermediate.

Installing this training board is kind of a pain. You'll need 3/4" ply wood and some good size wood screws. Ply wood gets screwed to the studs behind the drywall, then the training board gets screwed to the ply wood. Once everything is up and secure, it is worth it. It has different holds to practice with (slots, slopers, pinch, and jugs). Very cool.

Good and versatile trainer. I wish the jugs were a bit bigger but what else is new.

So, I've got one of the first editions of the Project Board in my current house. The thing is sweet. Plenty of friction, great holds, and good design. I bought this thing thinking it would be comparable to my old one. I was definitely mistaken, and it seems as though Metolius has downgraded their manufacturing on their hangboards. The material was slippery, holds were not well thought out, and it just didn't give me what I was looking for.

I just mounted the contact board above the doorway to the living room. I live in Germany so I had to mount the backboard a little different. Can't use wood screws on concrete walls. The board is secured very well and has many options for training. I would suggest the board to anyone. It's a small edition for training that yields big results. All that's left to do is increase my climbing ability. I am very pleased with the products.

This board was an upgrade for me, since I started to use it more. At first I was a little overwhelmed by the choices--going from a pretty basic option to all the different pockets and grips that this board offers, and for the first few workouts I kind of wished there were less choices. After using it for several weeks, I like having so many small variations in the grips because I'm getting to know the board and I'm actually using them all as I progress in strength, and the pinch is really good. If I had less space and didn't plan to do such a specific hangboard workout, I would choose the Project Board.

This board has has plenty of holds to keep you in shape during your off months. That's all I ask of a hang board.