Like many climbers Luke Bertelsen and Dale Zinkowski wanted to make their own holds for their home woodie. But unlike many of the people who think they can create and distribute professional quality holds, Contact Climbing actually made it to market.

Luke, co-founder and shaper for Contact and a self described ‘climbing addict’ says, “We began with a ‘how hard could it be’ mentality, produced some fairly hilarious first holds, and went from there. We keep the first holds in our shop to remind us that we had a very humble beginning.”

Soon they were streamlining their operation and after their fist big sale to local gym, Rock & Ropes they were off. Contact is producing fine holds with a real rock aesthetic from their headquarters in Tucson, Arizona.

Routesetter.com was lucky enough to get a sampling of Contact grips to test out. We went straight to The Circuit bouldering gym in Portland, Oregon to set and climb on the new shapes.

Here’s how it went down.

It all comes down to texture.

The texture of the Contact holds was the number one thing climbers talked about after climbing the problems we set. We heard the spectrum of opinions regarding the texture. “I love it!” said one young climber, “It’s like I don’t have to hold on to the hold, it holds on to me.” But on the other side one experienced climber said, “It’s a smooth texture. But will rip your shit if you fall off.”

I personally didn’t mind the grit but wondered how long it would last after repeated sessions. So to simulate I took a chalk ball and smeared it onto one of the sloper rails and then took my sticky shoes off and rubbed some boot rubber on to the hold. The result was a grip no less holdable and much more friendly, but still sticky to the skin.

Shapes

You can get a pretty good idea of how a shape will climb just by looking at the pictures on the Contact website. But what you can’t tell is how awesome their crimps are. These things bite! We received three pieces from their “Carnivore” series, which is probably the closest thing on the market to real rock feel holds out there. One crimp in particular from this line is one of the best real crimps I’ve seen. We had set it on a vert wall but if you were to slam that little puppy on a 45 – 60 degree wall you would soon be a Hueco crimp crusher. I would like to see that one hold expanded in to a line all by it self with varying degrees of incut.

We also received the “Eye Candy” feature. On their website the boys claim, “this hold will be the star of the show on any boulder problem.” And indeed it does stand out as a signature piece. It had smooth clean lines with shallow ridges for unique sloping that caught the eye of setters and climbers alike.

However, a comp setter will find this hold and a few others a bit hard to set with. As they offer too many grip options for cheating the hold and move.

All the features are hollow backed which makes them super light. You’ll barely have to sweat when you haul their features up to the top of the wall.

The “Dimples” and “Guidelines” were very friendly one handed jugs with a rounded cobble like feel. They would be at home on super steep walls for an uber grade or on the vert for easy pullin. The only thing Contact is missing is the mega roof jug. Which has never been successfully shaped by any company dealing in urethane.

However, the other jugs we received were a couple from the “Phantoms” line. These blocky 1980’s Metolous look-a-like’s were not a favorite with the setters and were mostly looked at with indifference. There were also a few holds in the redesigned “Tryangles” line that were a bit painful especially to new or soft indoor climbers. And some that were so long and thin they looked as if they were designed to spin. These oddities will undoubtedly be left in the bottom of the hold bin and ignored like pork by the setters.

Their foot holds are chunky which is good for roof climbing and can be turned for more precise foot sequencing. But many of the testing setters wanted footholds that were more slopey than Contact currently offers.

Durability

Our tester of durability came in the shape of a two year old boy. Oliver (the son of Circuit owner Andy Coleman) picked up a few of the Contact holds and proceeded to smash them on the concrete floor of the hold closet. No! We yelled. But to our great surprise not a scratch, or chip to be found on the holds.

The holds are made from urethane which has become the standard in climbing hold production. You will feel safe knowing that the edges will be saved from chipping and cracking on featured walls. For an additional charge Contact will pour your holds with a softer urethane backing for non-slip pullin. Though I doubt you’ll need it but a typical one year warrenty will cover any defects.

Overall

I would recommend Contact holds to any setter looking to add some real rock sensibility to their wall. The sloppers stand up to the big brand names and their crimps stand a little taller than most. Their jugs are durable and will fit on featured paneled walls which makes them a good buy for many university and rec center walls.

The texture and a few sharp angles were a bit much for most climbers (though the holds were straight out of the box) making me think that Contact should rethink the confort level of indoor climbers. A few holds still need a bit more refining before they become a favorite of setters. Though most grips will undoubtedly be among the first pulled out of the wagon.

I’ll be watching Contact to see what kind of polish the boys will put on their line of holds. I would like to see the boys break the mold a bit more and create holds using all their artistic talent.

Shapers Interview

If Luke is the business side of Contact, Dale Zinkowski is the creative side. Zinkowski is an artist first and climber second. After graduating from the School of Visual Arts in NYC with a BFA, he “fled the madness for some quiet time in the desert. Planned on spending two years, got stuck, it’s now been 4 years.” Dale is one of the new breed of climbing designers that has a solid background in art and particularly in sculpture.

Luke moved to Tucson seven years ago and has been setting for four years at Rock & Ropes. He brings his gym experience to Zinkowski’s creations. “Luke is around shapes in the gym all of the time, so he really knows what works and does not.” Dale says.

RS.com: With so much competition out there what makes you guys think you can compete with the big names in indoor grips?

Luke: I am willing to put our holds in with any of the major brands. Attention to detail is huge for us. We try to be our own worst critic and keep quality at the highest level. We put 110% effort into each hold we shape so it gets pulled out of the back room of holds for setting first. We want to have the first holds up on the wall.

Dale: Our product is on par, or better than most of the larger companies out there. We did extensive research into resins, plastics, rubbers, etc. What will set companies apart in the future will be their innovation in shapes and ideas. We both have extensive customer service experience, and plan on bringing that to the public. There is nothing worse than not being able to reach a company via phone or email. There is a lot of thought that goes into our holds; shapes are constantly getting thrown away because they are not good enough by our standards. (sometimes even after spending hours shaping, the idea just misses the mark) We love every shape that we produce, or it won’t go out to the public.

RS.com: Where does the inspiration come from?

Luke: I think that in something as creative as shaping climbing holds it is important to be open to receiving inspiration from anything whether it be holds from a climb outdoors, seeing a cool texture in nature or in an everyday object, talking to someone who has been climbing for years, or even someone who just climbed for the first time. It all plays a role in the end product that gets put up on the wall.

Dale: Right now it’s a cross between an armadillo and a croissant.

RS.com: Does having an education and background in sculpture help in the shaping process?

Dale: Definitely helps think three dimensionally, but there are aspects that are not the same at all. Overall I would say it helps, but not in such a way that I would recommend it to anyone interesting in shaping.

RS.com: You seem to concentrate on the real rock aesthetic, is this true?
Dale: Only some of my sets have influence from real rock. In the end I think it is most important to be open to inspiration from anything around you. It might be real rock, but it might be something you never expected.

RS.com: Do you have an over arching philosophy regarding climbing design (shaping, setting, wall design)?

Luke: I truly believe well set routes and boulder problems should be one of the most important products of an indoor climbing facility. It’s a shame it’s not a more universal thought.

Dale: There are two cultures to indoor climbing, one that may never go outside. This group is exposed to climbing in one way. They may never feel real sandstone, iron rock, or granite, so you may want to bring the outdoor experience to them. ( real rock texture, shapes, etc. ) The other side of the spectrum is the group that climbs inside to get stronger or because there is unfriendly weather. This group is fun to shape for because they want holds that are going to help them crush their next project. Nasty crimps, slopers, etc.

It’s fun to see people react to the holds. Which brings me to my next point, FUN. This company was started on the idea of having fun, the day that we don’t have fun shaping holds, is the day we close our shop doors for good. After all, it’s plastic, and what’s not fun about plastic?

Luke: I would not say I have an all-encompassing philosophy regarding climbing design, but one idea I consider regularly is that indoor climbing is truly different than outdoor climbing. They share certain aspects, but there are also certain aspects that are never shared. I also believe that one of the great things about our sport of climbing is its lack of rules and restrictions. Keeping that in mind I think anything is possible for route setting, shaping, and wall design. I am just happy to be a part of it.

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