Editing Climbing wall (section)

==Indoor climbing==
'''Indoor climbing''' is an increasingly popular form of [[rock climbing]] performed on artificial structures that attempt to mimic the experience of outdoor rock. The first indoor climbing gym in [[North America]], Vertical World in [[Seattle]], was established in 1987.<ref name="state of climbing gyms"/> The first indoor climbing hall in the world was inaugurated in [[Brussels]], [[Belgium]] on  May 16, 1987, by Isabelle Dorsimond and Marc Bott.<ref name="Bel'Wall – Montana Books"/>
Terres Neuves integrated the concept of pre-drilled plywood walls fitted with T-nuts, as developed in 1986 by the Brussels-based firm Alpi'In. Pierre d'Haenens is the inventor of this system, which is now used worldwide by all climbing wall manufacturers. Terres Neuves still exists today in an almost unchanged form.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.montana-books.be/despeeltuinvandekoningen/|title=De speeltuin van de koningen – Montana Books|accessdate=20 September 2019}}</ref>

The first indoor walls tended to be made primarily of [[brick]], which limited the steepness of the wall and variety of the hand holds.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mcofs.org.uk/walls-history.asp |title=Scottish Climbing Wall History |date=2008 |publisher=Mountaineering Council of Scotland |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150506135954/http://www.mcofs.org.uk:80/walls-history.asp|archive-date=2015-05-06}}</ref> More recently, indoor climbing terrain is constructed of plywood over a metal frame, with bolted-on plastic hand and footholds, and sometimes spray-coated with texture to simulate a rock face.

Most{{quantify|date=June 2021}} [[climbing competitions]] are held in climbing gyms, making them a part of indoor climbing.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}}

===Compared to outdoor climbing===
Indoor and outdoor climbing can differ in techniques, style, and equipment. Climbing artificial walls, especially indoors, is much safer because anchor points and holds are able to be more firmly fixed, and environmental conditions can be controlled. During indoor climbing, holds are easily visible in contrast with natural walls where finding a good hold or foothold may be a challenge. Climbers on artificial walls are somewhat restricted to the holds prepared by the route setter, whereas on natural walls they can use every slope or crack in the surface of the wall. Some typical rock formations can be difficult to emulate on climbing walls.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abc-of-rockclimbing.com/info/indoor-climbing.asp |title=What is Indoor Climbing? |publisher=Abc-of-rockclimbing.com |date=2011-06-02 |access-date=2013-02-03}}</ref>