How to Choose a Hangboard in 2024
Buying a hangboard, a guide for climbers.
Choosing the right hangboard can significantly enhance your climbing training routine, whether you’re aiming to increase finger strength, recover from an injury, or warm up before a climb. With the many options available, it can be challenging to select the one that best suits your needs. At Nature Climbing, we pride ourselves on creating high-quality, sustainable hangboards that not only perform well but also look stunning in any setting. Here’s a comprehensive guide to help you choose the best hangboard in 2024, featuring our standout products: the Stone Hanger and the Stoak Board II.
Understanding the Purpose of Finger Training
Finger training is a crucial component of a climber’s regimen. Here are a few key reasons to incorporate finger training into your routine:
- Strength Building: Enhance your grip strength and endurance to tackle more challenging routes.
- Recovery: Use gentle, controlled exercises to rehabilitate finger injuries and prevent future ones.
- Warm-Up: Properly prepare your fingers and hands before a climb to reduce the risk of injury.
Not every hangboard will serve your purpose. If you'll use it mostly for warmups, you will probably look for a compact hangboard. For recovery, it is often advised to lift lower weights of the ground, therefore a compact hangboard is probably the best option. Strength building can be done on both, so let's move on to the next considerations.
Compact vs. Mounted Hangboards
When selecting a hangboard, consider the available space in your home and your specific training needs.
Compact Hangboards:
- Portability: Compact hangboards like our Stone Hanger are portable and easy to store. They can be used anywhere, making them ideal for climbers with limited space or those who travel frequently.
- Flexibility: These boards can be hung temporarily on a door frame, pullup bar or taken outdoors for training sessions, providing versatility in your training environment.
- Design: The Stone Hanger combines a granite edge with three wooden edges, offering a variety of grips in a sleek, compact design. It easily withstands over 100kg and fulfills almost every climber's needs, regardless of their level.
Mounted Hangboards:
- Stability: Mounted hangboards like our Stoak Board provide a stable and permanent setup, perfect for climbers who have a dedicated training space.
- Advanced Features: These boards typically offer more advanced training options, including various edge sizes and pocket depths. The Stoak Board features a granite edge, providing a realistic rock feel for serious training.
- Aesthetics: Mounted boards can be a stylish addition to your home gym, with a design that complements your interior decor.
Choosing Based on Skill Level
Your climbing experience level should influence your hangboard choice:
- Beginners: Look for hangboards with a larger holds and simple edges to build foundational strength. Avoid boards with too many small or mono pockets, which can be challenging and increase injury risk. Look into portable hangboards, which are cheaper, so you easily build a finger training habit.
- Intermediate Climbers: Select boards with a mix of edge sizes and pockets to target different grip types and progress your training.
- Advanced Climbers: Opt for hangboards that offer diverse and challenging grips, including smaller edges and pockets, to refine your finger strength and technique. Some advanced hangboards offer intricate, ergonomically shaped edges that offer marginal gains for the best climbers.
Space and Aesthetics
When considering a hangboard, think about where and how you will use it:
- Space Availability: Can you mount a board in your apartment or house? Do you have a dedicated training area, or do you need something portable? The Stone Hanger is perfect for small spaces and on-the-go training, while the Stoak Board is ideal for a permanent home gym setup.
- Design and Interior Fit: Our hangboards are not just training tools but also pieces of art. The beautiful craftsmanship Stoak Board ensures it will look great in any setting. We are convinced that our boards are the most beautiful hangboards on the market and actually add style to your interior.
Sustainability and Transparency
At Nature Climbing, we are committed to sustainability and ethical production. Here’s why you can trust our products:
- Eco-Friendly Materials: Our hangboards are made from FSC-certified oak, recycled granite, and Italian sandstone, ensuring minimal environmental impact.
- Ethical Production: Handmade in Aarhus, Denmark, our hangboards reflect the dedication and craftsmanship of our team. We prioritize transparency in our production process, so you know exactly where your hangboard comes from and who made it. Let's be honest, it is easy and cheap to design and produce a basic hangboard if you don't care about it's quality, origin and values - we are trying to change that by offering a meaningful product for people that love climbing.
- Longevity and Quality: Investing in a high-quality, sustainably made hangboard means you’re supporting a brand that values the environment and craftsmanship. Our hangboards are built to last, providing a durable training tool for years to come.
Conclusion
Choosing the right hangboard is essential for enhancing your climbing performance. Whether you’re just starting or looking to push your limits, Nature Climbing offers the perfect hangboard to meet your needs. The Stone Hanger and Stoak Board provide a blend of functionality, design, and sustainability that sets them apart from the competition. Elevate your training routine with a hangboard that not only performs well but also looks beautiful and is ethically produced.