On the little island of Misje off the west coast of Norway a small wall manufacturing company is creating the future of climbing design. “We don’t build climbing walls, we do installations for climbers”, says Tore Tjelmeland of Tjelmeland Friksjon, also known in English as Friction Walls.

“The more you are trying to imitate real rock, the more you are limiting the possibilities.” This may sound to some traditional gym hard-liners like heresy. But the Tjelmeland crew has found great success throughout Norway and Europe designing walls for the true indoor climber.

To the route setter and anybody interested in advancing the relatively small profession of climbing wall design this sounds like a god send. With a philosophy such as that it’s not hard to imagine climbing walls as functional sculpture.

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