Award-Winning Kilter Board

The Kilter Board is a modern take on the traditional training board. As climbing moves out of the margins and into the mainstream, so too should the training technology. The Kilter Board features unique and custom holds designed by Ian Powell that light up around their edge using an App and LED light system developed by Kilter and Aurora climbing. Each hold has been scrutinized for comfort and grip style, allowing one to train on open hand holds, in-cuts, pinches, crimps and slopers.

Multi-Time Award Winning!

Kilter Board Award-Winning Light Up Training Board Climbing

Universal App

Tired of setting for yourself? Want new challenges outside of your normal style? Our app is there for you, tapping you into a global network of professional athletes, setters, gyms, and other Kilter Board users. Using the Kilter Board App (free for iPhone, iPad, and Android) the user is able to set new routes or browse through thousands of existing boulder problems with ease. The app allows users to track their ascents and bookmark their projects.

Voted Favorite Board System by nearly 50% of respondants!

The Kilter Board was voted Favorite Board System in the 2021 and 2022 Climbing Business Journal Grip List Awards with nearly 50% of the vote. 

Kilter Board Award Winning Light Up Training Board

Kilter Board Best Climbing Board Light Up Climbing Business Journal

Voted Favorite Homewall Board System!

Kilter Best Homewall Climbing Board Light Up 2022

Unique, intuitive light system! Unlike other training boards that feature a single LED bellow the grip, the Kilter Board’s holds edges light up so they are easy to see from any angle. Start holds are green, feet only holds are yellow, hand and foot hold are blue, and finish holds are purple. The result is an aesthetic and intuitive feel that appeals to all users, from beginners to professionals.

Multiple Standardized Layouts! Kilter Board Original has been joined by the Kilter Board Homewall Layout. Multiple sizes of each layout available for different size spaces that still share problems. For more info see Kilter Board - Compare Options

Available worldwide! If you are in the US or Canada you can order by clicking here: Kilter Board Original or Kilter Board Homewall Layout or email us at holds@kiltergrips.com and we will get you in the production queue. If you are in any other country contact your distributor for pricing.

We offer discounts if you bundle a frame, holds and light kit, and mats. Our white glove service includes a full installation, meaning your Kilter Board will be turn-key when our technicians leave. 

SEE THE NEW KILTER BOARD LOCATOR MAP - CLICK HERE

Check out this video about the Kilter Board

See more Kilter Board videos here

Want a Kilter Board? Signup here to receive news, and to tell your gym you want one!

QUICK ANSWERS

What size? The largest and best is the 16'x12' adjustable Original Kilter Board (new in 2023). This is an expansion on the popular 12'x12' adjustable Original Kilter Board. For those with less space, the 8'x12' is also good and shares problems with the 16'x12' and 12'x12'. If you can't fit the 8'x12', we have a 7'x10' home size available in both the Original Layout and the new Homewall Layout. The Homewall Layout also comes in 10'x10', 8'x12' and 10'x12'.

Sizing is stated as width x height, so 8'x12' is 8' wide and 12' tall. All the 12' tall versions also have a kickboard.

Kilter Board Homewall Layout! Sized for a 7'x10' frame and featuring two overlapping layouts - get one for a lower price point entry or get both for a denser board! The 7' wide x 10' tall wall can be built at any angle from Vertical to 70º overhanging. It is designed to fit under lower ceilings - you can build one at 40º in an 8' room! EXPANSION PACKS available for 10'x10' size, 8'x12' size, and 10'x12' size. All the larger sizes include all 7'x10' layout problems + additional rows or columns. The 10'x12' includes all the problems from all the smaller sizes. 8'x12' and 10'x12' also have a kickboard.

Original Kilter Board Layout: The vast majority of Kilter Boards in gyms have the Original Layout. This layout with a fully adjustable frame means climbers of all abilities can climb on it. The lights make it intuitive for even non-climbers, and the most veteran climbers stay entertained at the mid-steep angles. Gyms reported the same - newer climbers, kids, and groups on the low angles and advanced climbers when it gets steeper. This means the Original Kilter Board can serve your entire customer base, from beginner to expert.

Wall texture? We don't have texture on our boards and don't suggest it but there are some textured Kilter Boards in the world and they still work out fine.

There is a lot that goes into planning the space for a Kilter Board, and we encourage you to email us at holds@kiltergrips.com. Kiel is available for emailing or calls (720-456-0543) and can talk to you about your space, make recommendations for size, frame type, and padding, and answer any other questions you have. 

Trying to set your board up? Kilter Board Set-up Information

FUN, INTUITIVE TRAINING

The Kilter Board raises the bar for climbing training. The entire perimeter of the base of each hold lights up, making them easy to see from any angle. It might seem like a simple innovation, but it's a total game-changer for training boards. 

Developing the Kilter Board

Our friend Peter Michaux at Aurora Climbing in Canada contacted us to work on a new training wall to go with an app he wanted to develop. Peter has been climbing for decades and training almost as long, he and Kilter have been friends for a long time, and with over 10 years as a professional software engineer he was the perfect partner.

With Peter's LEDs and test app and grips poured at our US manufacturer Aragon Elastomers we set to work. It was a bit more complicated than we expected, but the end result is exactly what we were looking for. The Kilter Board Holds are the same high-quality Aragon elastomeric urethane that has proven itself year after year at gyms and home walls around the world. They can be washed like regular holds (brush them or power wash).

The Kilter App is intuitive and easy to use, allowing users to easily set their own problems, or browse thousands of boulder problems from our constantly growing database. The App allows users to make their own problems lists and rate and grade existing boulders.

Adjustability in the frame is fundamental to the original design, so early on we partnered with Lemur Design, a firm founded by aeronautical engineers turned climbing wall designers and manufacturers. Their freestanding frame is truly something to behold. Using electronic actuators, it changes angle with the push of a button, has several features for user safety, and is whisper quiet.  

HIGH-DENSITY CLIMBING

Every climber wants to get the most mileage out of their training space, whether it's a garage or a gym mezzanine.

The Kilter Board provides you with thousands of potential problems in a relatively small space. Tired of setting for yourself? Want new challenges outside of your normal style? Our app is there for you with a global network of professional athletes, setters, gyms, and other Kilter Board users.

Kilter's whole team--owners, employees, reps, and athletes--is made up of professional route setters. We have two Kilter Boards at our studio, where we get regular visits from professional climbers, competitors, and setters who have helped us test holds and set climbs. Our whole team is committed to continuing to populate the Kilter Board with new and interesting problems.

Testimonial from a gym owner: When you consider the number of problems you quickly realize it is the cheapest climbing space per square foot in the gym.

FRIENDLY SHAPES

Ian made over 800 brand new handholds for us to test while deciding the Original Layout 12x12 and 8x12 sizes. We now have a 7x10 crop and 16'x12' expansion of that layout as well.  Every aspect of each of those shape has been carefully considered. Meticulous attention has been paid to details like finger position, wrist position, edge radius, and taper. These subtle elements can be taken for granted, but when they aren't right it's obvious. In testing for the Kilter Board Ian rejected many shapes didn't quite cut it. The resulting collection of grips are comfortable, interesting, and fun to climb on, with challenging options for every level of climber.

For the next additions to the Kilter Training Board System Ian and Peter Juhl are hard at work shaping and testing new light up board holds. We have over 2000 shapes now and are working on finalizing a Hard Board and an easier board to go with the Original and Homewall Layouts. 

Comment from a pro climber: I never board train because I always hurt my fingers on them, but I just climbed on this [Kilter Board] for 5 hours!

 

finger-friendly shapes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LAYOUTS

The Original Layout (aka Standard or Medium Launch Layout) is on Kilter Boards in gyms and homes around the world. This layout fits the 7x10, 8x12, 12x12, and 16x12 so the boards can share problems. The 7x10 is contained within the 8x12 which is contained within the 12x12 which is contained within the 16x12 layout. The difficulty of this layout is ideal for gyms and appropriate for most home walls as well. The holds are bolt on and screw-on.

The Homewall Layout was released in a 7x10 size in October of 2020 and expanded to a 10x10 size and 8x12 size in Feb 2021. 10x12 now available as well that includes all the other sizes within it.

The Homewall Layout was designed with Homewall owners in mind as it offers a range of difficulty and a couple of price point options. Like the Original Layout, the Homewall Layout is made up of completely brand-new, unique holds (no duplicates). The holds are all bolt-on. Each layout is nested within larger sizes to share options.

We will eventually add more layout options for the Kilter Board system but this Original Layout is our Foundation and we will continue to support it. It is the best option for most facilities because it can comfortably serve the needs of such a wide ability range. We will also continue to support the Homewall Layout regardless of future layouts we release. We are planning a gym-size Hard Board to compliment our Original Layout and if possible we recommend planning space for multiple Kilter Boards in your facility so you can have both gym boards in one place.

Kilter Board Layout

The Original Layout holds are very friendly and approachable, and with an adjustable frame we have kept everyone from brand new climbers to some of the strongest pros entertained. If you need a fixed angle wall we can help you pick a good angle for your ability range and goals.

We've had multiple pro climbers who climb V15 stay entertained on the Original Layout for hours, then come back to climb on it again in the same week.

Our friends who regularly climb V11/12 outside spent months helping test the Original Layout, and they enjoyed it as much as our friends who climb v4-8. Even our new climber friends were able to climb the easier lines at the lowest angles, and pull moves on steeper angles because there were were holds they could use. We had one brand new climber make it to the top at 40º!

The adjustable frame board even works for kids and groups - just make it vertical or low angle and have the new and young climbers follow the lights!

Text we got from a friend who spent all summer on the Kilter Board: I'm doing moves in Hueco that I've never been able to do before! Everyone is asking me how I've been training.

The Homewall Layout holds have a wide variety of difficulties so there is something for everyone. On the whole the holds will be smaller/harder than the Original Layout, though there are still warm-ups and some decent jugs. You can dial in the difficulty you want by building the board to be adjustable or picking a fixed angle appropriate to your needs.

THE BOARDS

Kilter Board offers a couple of size options and we recommend making the angle adjustable, which you can do yourself if you know what you're doing. We can provide the drilling grid upon request. Please seek professional help for construction to make sure whatever you do is structurally sound.

Kilter Board Lemur Frame

Lemur Design freestanding 12'x12' frame with Original Layout.

If you want an easy way to make sure your adjustable wall is secure email us for frame options.

The Kilter Board App supports adjustable or fixed angles walls from vertical to steep, so 0˚-70˚ at increments of 5˚.

We are focusing on three sizes of Kilter Boards. If you aren't sure which wall will fit in your space, email us or download our spec sheet here and use the wall angle/room height guide.

The recommended footprint varies depending on if you have an adjustable angle or fixed angle board. The footprints below include space for the entire frame (including the kickboard) and the ideal amount of padding to reduce edge danger. That said, you do not need 4' between the edge of the wall and a side wall. If you have limited space you can get away with close to flush, but we recommend at least 1' if possible, and of course up to 4' on each side is also fine. We definitely recommend 4'on each side for a freestanding board in the middle of a weight area. For the "out" dimension, that is from the back of the wall to the far edge of the padding. It can vary for fixed-angle boards based on how steep the board is. You can gain some space if you build a 1' kickboard instead of a 2' kickboard. Basically, if you have space limitations we're happy to help you figure out what size and angle board you can fit. Just email us!

7'x10' Original Layout and 7'x10' Homewall Layout

  • LAYOUTS:
  • 7'x10' Original: 165 unique hand holds + 60 screw jibs
  • OR
  •  7'x10' Home: 305 unique holds (165 Mainline and 140 Aux)
  • FRAME:
  •  No kick board for either layout at this size
  •  Compatible with the Lemur Cage Frame and Lemur Freestanding 7x10 Frame
  • Compatible with Brewer Fitness Boulder Board 
  • Compatible with Rockstar Freestanding Board


8'x12' Original Layout and 8'x12' Homewall Layout

  • The most popular training board size on the planet
  • 8' wide, 12' tall upper, 1-3' exposed kickboard (4 sheets of 4x8 plywood)
  • LAYOUTS:
  • 8'x12' Original: 209 bolt-on holds, 102 screw-on holds, 630 LEDs/kit
  • All 198 handholds are unique, no more than 2 of a foothold shape 
  • OR
  • 8'x12' Home: 400 unique holds (209 Mainline + 170 Aux + 21 Kickboard)
  • FRAME/PAD:
  • Recommended footprint w/adjustable board frame and max padding* 16'x 20'x 1'
  • Many frame options

10'x10' Homewall Layout

  • Expansion pack for 7'x10' Homewall Layout that gives you more climbing in shorter rooms
  • 391 unique bolt-on holds (Adds 3 columns on each edge of 7'x10' Homewall Layout so you'll have 195 Mainline + 196 Aux holds total).
  • FRAME/PAD:
  • We have many pad options
  • Lemur has a 10'x10' Freestanding Adjustable frame for easy self-install
  • Can provide drilling guide for building your own 10'x10' wall

10'x12' Homewall Layout

  • 10' wide, 12' tall upper, 12"-18" exposed kickboard (can go bigger or smaller if needed)
  • Available as Mainline or Fullride (Mainline + Aux)
  • 499 unique bolt-on holds (no duplicates - 247 Mainline and 252 Aux)
  • Dense layout for lots of climbing options
  • Includes all problems on 10'x10', 8'x12', and 7'x10' Homewall layouts
  • FRAME/PAD:
  • Many frame and pad options or can provide drilling guide for building your own
  • Recommended footprint w/adjustable board frame and max padding* 18'x 20'x 1'

12'x12' Original Layout

  • 12' wide, 12' tall upper, 2-3' exposed kickboard 
  • 323 unique bolt-on holds, 153 screw-on holds, 1060 LEDs/kit
  • All 306 handholds are unique, no more than 2 of a foothold shape
  • Recommended footprint w/adjustable board frame and max padding* 20' x 20'x 1'
  • Many frame options
  • We've tested this size extensively and think it is the best size for gyms but also amazing for home walls, outbuildings, garages, etc.. It is the same height as the 8' x 12' so it should fit in most garages just as well as the smaller board does. The extra width makes a huge difference!

16'x12' Original Layout

  • 16' wide, 12' tall upper, 2-3' exposed kickboard 
  • 437 unique bolt-on holds, 222 screw-on holds, 1300 LEDs/kit
  • All handholds are unique, no more than 3 of some foothold shapes (most are unique)
  • Recommended footprint w/adjustable board frame and max padding* 28' x 20'x 1'
  • Many frame options
  • 2023 Expansion Set to add an extra 2' (6 more hand and foot columns) our most popular board, the 12x12 Original Kilter Board. It is the same height as the 12'x12' and 8'x12' so it should fit in most garages/barns/gyms just as well as the smaller board does if you have the height, and for climbing the extra width makes a huge difference!

    *max padding is recommended size if you have pad edges people might fall off. If you have a side wall or other climbing wall next to this you don't need 4'-6' on each side of the board.

    INSTALL

    Choose any or all of these services. You may need to have 1-3 staff on hand to help the tech with install.

    Frame/Panel Install -  You can have your wall builder build and install your frame and panels, you can order a custom frame and/or panels have them installed or install yourself, or you can build your own frame.

    Lights/Holds Install - Some wall builders will also install the lights and holds for you or with the help of 1-3 of your staff. This will come at an extra cost as it will take two people several hours to do everything OR you can install the lights and holds yourself using the instructions we will send and the remote support we will provide. Some frame options come with cnc marks for hold number and angle at each t-nut.

    Pad Install - Mats can be installed by the mat company, by your wall company, by you, or by us. 

    WHITE GLOVE SERVICE

    US and Canada - Includes frame, boards, mat, holds, lights, and techs to come install everything. All you have to do is clear the space, have a regular power source for us to use and hook the wall to, and assure us there are no wires or pipes running under the slab where we are attaching the frame and mats. Email for pricing.

    UK - Our partners at Serious and Rock City can do full install. Contact Serious or email us and we'll put you in touch.

    Germany/Austria - Several frame, mat, and install options. Contact Kletterkultur or Benky or email us and we'll put you in touch.

    Kilter Board Set-up Information

    Search Kilter