adidas Rockstars
Competition Wall Design
Picture: B. Willer
Competition Wall Design
The Adidas Rockstars 2019 was an elite bouldering competition held at the Porsche-Arena in Stuttgart, Germany. The event featured over 55 top climbers from more than 17 countries, including World Cup champions and future Olympians. I had the honour to design the whole climbing wall for this event in close exchange with the head routesetter Laurent Laporte. Overall, the 2019 wall design was celebrated for elevating the competition's excitement and setting a new standard for creativity in climbing events.
The Super boulder
The Super Boulder is one of the highlights for spectators because of the live-action, head-to-head format. The simultaneous performance allows for direct comparison between climbers and is often the point where the crowd's energy peaks.
The client requested a new concept for the Super Boulder, as the previous versions featured a fairly flat, two-dimensional wall design that lacked visual appeal.
Super Boulder till 2018
Super Boulder 2019 concept
The new Super Boulder design offers spectators a wider range of viewing angles. For instance, if you’re seated on the right side of the stands, you’ll see one finalist from behind and the other in profile—both tackling an identical boulder. As a bonus, the pointed center of the structure acts as a visual barrier, making it harder for the athletes to see each other during their climbs.
Picture: V.Zumr
Dual Texture
While dual-texture climbing holds have been around for a while, full-on dual-texture walls were pretty much unheard of. The adidas ROCKSTARS comp wall changed that—designed with slick and grippy zones to push athletes to their limits and add a whole new layer of challenge to every move.
Picture: P.Phol
Picture: V.Zumr
Timelaps: Planet Talk
Credits
Client: Adidas Rockstars / Planet Talk
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Competition Climbingwall Design