This concerns certified climbing holds designed for placing friends on indoor climbing walls, enabling training and instruction in self-protection techniques. The system will be presented on April 25 at the Yurok climbing gym in Madrid, accompanied by a lecture-discussion with Genís Hernández — one of the project’s initiators.
“We saw there was a clear need: people go to natural rock without having the opportunity to first learn trad climbing and self-protection techniques. So we started exploring solutions to meet that demand,” explains climber Genís Hernández, one of the developers of the new certified systems for placing removable protection on indoor walls.
The project also involved Paco Rodríguez and David Tarragó — representative of the company Tarragó, a pioneer in the manufacturing of climbing gyms and holds, which ultimately brought the idea to life.
They named their invention TAP (Catalan for “plug”), reflecting how it works: the holds incorporate a special interchangeable element with a crack — a kind of “insert” that can be swapped for others with different crack widths. This allows route setters to change not the entire hold, but only these inserts, enabling quick and easy reconfiguration.
As the developers emphasize, an important aspect is that the placements are certified for falls and comply with UIAA standards. Testing was carried out at the Polytechnic University of Valencia and was the result of many months of trial and error to achieve the desired solution.
“The idea is that TAP allows courses to be held in climbing gyms, teaching and practicing self-protection techniques, thereby increasing safety when transitioning to natural rock,” notes Genís.
These are the first specialized holds that make it possible to safely practice placing friends (passive protection) and self-protection skills in an indoor environment. You can now train placing a friend or camalot on artificial terrain and then transfer those refined skills to real rock routes.
Realism
TAP replicates natural pockets and cracks, ensuring secure placements for protection.
Safety
The ability to repeatedly practice placements and falls without the risks inherent to natural rock.
The Tarragó TAP system has already been presented at several climbing gyms in Catalonia and will soon be showcased in Madrid: on Saturday, April 25 at 19:00 at the Yurok climbing gym (C/Aeronáutica, 31, Alcorcón), during an open event.
The event will feature strong Madrid-based climber Mariam Barrado, who will demonstrate the TAP system live while climbing and building anchors.
In addition, the program includes a screening and discussion with Genís Hernández about the ascent of the route Selecció Natural A6/7a, which he completed in 2020 in the Roques de Benet massif.
Source: alp.org.ua