Annandale is Moving to Tagged Climbs

More variety. More creativity. More climbing.

Over the coming weeks, Nomad Annandale will be transitioning from hold-colour grading to a tagged climb system.

You’ll still find climbs clearly graded and easy to follow, but the way we build them (and how many we can fit on the wall) is about to get a whole lot better.

Climbs will still be the same colour, however the difficulty will be indicated by the tag colour.

This system is used in many of the best gyms overseas, and we’re excited to bring the benefits to our community.

What is a tagged system?

Instead of every climb of one grade being built with a single hold colour, each climb will be identified by a colour tag at the start holds.

The holds themselves can be any colour, which gives us more freedom to give our climbers more unique offerings, and gives you better climbs.

Why we’re doing this 

More climbs on the wall

Without being locked into one colour per grade, we can fit more climbs into the same space. That means more choice, more sessions, more fun.

More interesting routes

Setters can now use the best hold for the move, not just the right colour. Expect:

• More creative movement
  
  
• Better flow
  
  
• More interesting problems at every grade
  
  

More hold variety

You’ll see a wider mix of shapes, textures, and styles, especially at the same grade. This makes climbing more engaging and helps you build broader skills.

Better climbing progression

Because we’re not restricted by colour circuits, we can:

• Set more subtle grade differences
  
  
• Offer multiple styles at the same grade
  
  
• Create climbs that teach, not just test
  
  

What stays the same

• Grades are still clear and visible
  
  
• Reset frequency stays consistent
  
  
• Our focus on quality, safety, and progression doesn’t change
  
  
• Staff are here to help if you’re unsure where to start
  
  

What we’ll need from you (just a little patience)

Any change takes a moment to settle. We’ll be guiding new climbers, answering questions, and helping everyone get familiar with the system. Give it a few sessions, most people end up loving the freedom and variety once they get used to it.

Why Annandale, and not Gladesville?

We’re trialling the tagged system at Annandale first so we can refine it, learn from it, and make sure it delivers the best possible experience. Once it’s bedded in, we’ll review how it’s working and decide whether it makes sense to roll it out more broadly, including at Gladesville.

For now, Gladesville will stay with colour circuits to keep things simple and familiar while we test and learn.

The short version

• More climbs
  
  
• Better movement
  
  
• More variety
  
  
• More creativity
  
  
• Same clarity, same community
  
  

This change is about making your climbing sessions richer, more playful, and more rewarding whether you’re here once a week or four times.

As always, thanks for trusting us to keep evolving, pushing and trying to bring new ideas to the walls.

<3 

Nomad

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