How to make a campus board

The coronavirus was very unpleasant for all athletes. Many climbers have lost the opportunity to train and engage in our favorite sport, thus losing relatively much strength in their fingers and falling several positions to the maximum rotpunkt. Although it looks a little better now, nothing is guaranteed and it would be nice if we could practice at home. That's why at VARP we asked ourselves the question "how to make a campus board".

DIY campus board je záležitost, která se bude lišit kus od kusu, podle našich možností. Hlavní problém s kampusákem je ten, že na rozdíl od hangboardu, se nedá jen tak pověsit na kus provazu. Je potřeba ho mít v pevné pozici, abychom na něm mohli cvičit. Pokud teda nemáte možnost, jak campus pevně přidělat / postavit, bylo by lepší se podívat spíš hlouběji do tréninku na hangboardech.

What is a campus board?

But what is a campus board and why do I need it, you ask? Simply put: it's a complicated hangboard and you don't need one. It can be replaced with other exercises and if you do not plan to climb above 6b (VII) it's not something you have to train for.

It is a series of "slats" that are placed on an inclined wall. Like hangboards, campus lats come in different widths, depending on how strong your fingers are. The campus has an incline of about fifteen degrees and the climber tries to get to the top on it. It is a very simple activity (in theory).

How to build a campus board?

Step 1: Where?

The first question that every future owner of this property should ask is: where do I put it and where do I build it? If you have a garden with a free square meter or two, this is ideal. If not, a hard wall that you don't mind drilling into is also fine, and a trapeze will also work well. You should have a space in which you can fall comfortably without fear of injury and which allows you to move dynamically in a slight overhang. Is it easy to say? We know.

Step 2: How to fix it?

Druhá věc, nijak méně důležitá je, jak campus upevníme, abychom ne něm mohli cvičit. Jsou prakticky tři možnosti, jak toho dosáhnout. Tou první je udělat si samostatně stojící konstrukci, což je jednodušší, než se zdá. Adam Ondra si je postavil ve Španělsku i v Norsku, když lezl Perfecto Mundo (9b+) a Silence (9c).

Another way to add a campus is to screw it up. This is the dominantly popular option because it takes up the least space in the final and is the most stable. This can be achieved in several ways, but the main thing is to have the campus fixed on four support points so that it is as stable as possible.

Poslední oblíbená varianta je mít campus zavěšený na hrazdě. K tomu potřebujete fixní hrazdu (vrtanou nebo samostatně stojící) na kterou campus pomocí háků zavěsíte. Pak už je to jen otázka fixace, která se dá udělat buďto o hrazdu samotnou (v případě stojící hrazdy) nebo např. o rám dveří z druhé strany.

Step 3: Material

The third step is the material that is needed for the campus itself. The board should be wooden. It is very cheap to go to a store like Baumax or Obi and buy a board. If you have an old wooden table or cabinet lying around your house that is bulky, consider whether it would be suitable. Next, you need what will strengthen the campus. You are planning to fasten the attempt to a crossbar, so the bike hooks are perfect. Otherwise, wooden blocks, metal pipes and boards work great. The last thing you need is campus "rungs". You can use, for example, wood for a door threshold, or old sanded pieces of planks. But remember that width is important. You don't want to build something you can't hold onto. If you don't have surplus wood available or you simply want to have a precise campus, you can buy slats. It will cost you a bit more, but you will be assured of quality. Stores like Holdsmarket they are perfect for this variant.

Step 4: Construction

To nejtěžší naposled. V teorii je to vše lehké, praxe se ale může dost lišit. Sestavit campus board není lehká záležitost. Bohužel vám s konstrukcí nedokážeme pořádně poradit, jelikož je to velice variabilní činnost. Můžeme vám ale dát rady, které jsou skoro nad zlato. 1. Nezapomeňte campus postavit v náklonu, 2. Držte lišty zhruba 10 – 20 cm od sebe, 3. Nedovolte aby se vám kýval, 4. Nezapomeňte si uklidit dopadiště.

Exercises

Now that you have a campus board, you can start practicing. You have two options. The first is to use the campus as a hangboard and thus strengthen the fingers statically. But that alone would be a waste of energy and space, so we recommend doing campus training as well. It is better to be guided by professionals in this regard. For example, an application Crimped  from Lattice has excellent climbing training.

In addition, we recommend watching a video on YouTube from people who really understand it. For example, this video from Adam Ondra and Epic TV