Climbing Options

Climbing is one of the most common play affordance provided by community playspaces and has become a core feature of most playspaces, including those designed to be more natural. Climbing can be provided through manufactured climbing structures, through climbing opportunities that arise on other manufactured components such as swings (not necessariyl desgined to be for climbing) and through additional climbing opportunities on sloped terrain, or in natural settings.
Issues:
- Climbing structure access: inaccessible surfacing (e.g. bark mulch) and the absence of pathways or the presence of steps leading to climbing structures.
- Climbing structure usability: not all users can access climbing structures, if they only accommodate users of certain heights and sizes. In addition, if they have limited ways of climbing onto and across the climbing structure this can be an additional problem if aiming for inclusion.
- In recent years, many playspaces only provide climbing structures which excludes so many children who cannot climb.
Successful design for inclusion:
Playspaces need to consider offering varied opportunities for climbing.
- Ensure the pathways to the climbing structure are accesible and level
- Provide diverse climbing structures for different users: consider smaller or larger climbing components such as log pyramids, climbing nets and climbing slopes on the small and large composite play components; overhead ropes reachable from a wheelchair provide a similar experience of pulling and moving along or up a slope. Playgrounds can offer climbing structures at different heights, to facilitate graduated challenge.
- Provide diverse ways for experiencing and engaging in climbing: for example provide climbing ladders or ropes, climbing walls and climbing bars or climbing chaisn
- Consider ladder widths: prividing a double width ladder on the large composite play component can accommodate caregiver assistance.
- Ensure variety in play value: avoid over reliance on climbing equipment which can be exclusionary for children with disabilities.
Figure 1: Climbing ladder and wall located on composite play component in Fitzgerald’s Park playground, Cork Ireland
Figure 2: Climbing bars and ropes located on composite play component in Tory Top Park, Cork, Ireland
Figure 3: low level climbing opportunities as you balance along the different levels of logs and ropes, Calgary, Canada
Figure 4: Early climbing can involve low hillocks and slopes too, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Europe.
Figure 5: examples of different ways of climbing
Figure 5a: diverse ways to climb to the highest point of the playspace- a pathway slope on the right that brings you to the top, but also steps, slope with a rope, climbing rocks, Calgary, Canada (note the inaccessibility of the ground surface due to use of gravel rather than a level surface for mobility aids)
Figure 5b: here the climbing component includes varied ways for climbing into it and accessing the slide and routes throguh it- transfer platforms, wide steps, ropes, ladders, climbing wall, Calgary Canada
Play value and Universal Design strategies
- Regular and accessible pathways should lead to all climbing components in the playgrounds.
- All users should be able to access the highest point in the playground. Consider accessible access routes and transfer stations.
- Include accessible climbers (for example, with spacious platforms, with wider stairs, with accesisble handgrip handles, located at ground level).
- Consider transfer systems, foot supports and accessible handgrip handles (for example, on climbing wall) that accommodate users of different sizes and abilities.
- Further attempts need to be made in grouping the climbing structures to facilitate intergenerational use and encourage social interaction.