Indoor climbing

Indoor climbing

Indoor climbing is an increasingly popular form of rock climbing performed on artificial structures that attempt to mimic the experience of outdoor rock. The first indoor climbing gym in North America, Vertical World in Seattle, was established in 1987. The first indoor climbing hall in the world was inaugurated in Brussels, Belgium on May 16, 1987, by Isabelle Dorsimond and Marc Bott. Terres Neuves integrated the concept of pre-drilled plywood walls fitted with T-nuts, as developed in 1986 by the Brussels-based firm Alpi'In. Pierre d'Haenens is the inventor of this system, which is now used worldwide by all climbing wall manufacturers. Terres Neuves still exists today in an almost unchanged form.