Metolius holds 1986/1992

Metolius History - Climbing Holds:
In 1986, Chris Grover, a Metolius employee and early advocate of sport climbing, and Alan Watts, the major developer of sport climbing at Smith Rock, attended a trade show in Europe and saw Savigny’s plastic (resin) holds for the first time. They returned to Bend, Oregon, with two samples.

Upon their return, as Watts reminisces in an email, “[Grover] showed the holds to Doug Phillips [Metolius founder], and they started playing around with molds and resin,” beginning a process of experimentation. In the summer of 1987 Grover began to design hangboards and large sculpted tiles that you could puzzle together and screw onto plywood walls. Watts began working at the Metolius company as well.

This places Metolius as possibly the first United States manufacturer to create Hangboards.

Metolius - February 1988 advertisement

Metolius Chris Grover product information letter 2/17/1987
- Mentions "New product we're excited about is the Simulator."

Holds listed in the 3/15/1988 Metolius Price List
Simulator hangboard
Pure Force hangboard
Macrotiles
Modular Holds:
- 20 hand holds
- 10 foot holds

Holds listed in the 1988 Metolius catalog
Simulator hangboard
Pure Force hangboard
Macrotiles (50 different shapes)
Modular Holds:
- 30 different handhold shapes
- 6 different foot hold shapes

Holds listed in the August 1990 Metolius Price List
Rock Rings
Simulator hangboard
Pure Force hangboard
Modular Holds:
- 15 Bag 10 hand/5 foot
- 30 Bag 20 hand/10 foot

Holds listed in the 1991/1992 Metolius catalog
Rock Rings
Simulator hangboard
Pure Force hangboard
Macro Holds (10 different)
Micro Holds (16 different)
Modular Holds:
- Set A (15 different)
- Set B (15 different)
- Set C (15 different)