Elevating Accessibility in Climbing: An Interview with Johanna from Playstone.

An image of Johanna setting with holds from the inclusive range.

Introduce yourself and your role with Playstone.

My name is Johanna, I am 42 years old and I live in Germany. I love people and I love climbing 😊. In my work, I use climbing to support people who struggle with physical, cognitive, and psychological impairments or who are neurodivergent. I am also a routesetter specialising in inclusive route setting.

I started cooperating with Playstone to develop and distribute climbing holds for people with special needs. With Playstone- Motion for everybody we want to offer suitable holds for children (FUN line), for people with disabilities (INCLUSION line) and for medical settings such as physiotherapy and rehabilitation (THERAPY line).

What’s your favourite thing about climbing?

For me, climbing teaches us a lot about life – and life often teaches me something I can take back onto the wall. It is my favourite way of being mindful and present in the moment. When I climb, my body, my thoughts and my emotions have to work together, and that combination makes climbing a very powerful tool for personal growth.

What made you realise an inclusive hold range was needed?

At my local gym, we were able to raise funds for an inclusive climbing project. When we started planning, I noticed how difficult and time‑consuming it was to find really suitable holds. I was almost shocked to discover that there was no specialized product range focusing on inclusion and accessibility.

That experience made it very clear to me that inclusion needs specialization – and that we needed holds designed from the very beginning focusing on climbers with disabilities.

Tell us about the types of holds you have and who they are catered towards.

We started with a range of holds with maximum accessibility. We focus on very ergonomic shapes, comfortable radiuses, smooth surfaces and footholds that do not get in the way, while still being spacious and secure to stand on. They enable climbers to even pull their leg or foot smoothly along the foothold without getting stuck.

We also include haptic features that help blind and visually impaired climbers with orientation on the wall. In addition, we consider cognitive impairments by creating holds that make very natural intuitive movement and route reading much easier.

How do you see the holds changing the experience of a disabled climber?

First of all, I think that specialized product range is an important statement that was long overdue. It shows that inclusion deserves its own specialization in routesetting and the climbing holds market.

On a practical level, we want to make it easy to buy suitable holds and to set routes that truly benefit climbers with impairments. This can mean less frustration, more safety, more independence on the wall and a stronger feeling of being seen and valued as a climber.

What advice would you give to gyms who are considering using your holds?

I would say: it is a clear step in the right direction. Inclusion is not only a trend, it is a very important topic for our sport and our society. Our experience shows that people with impairments really appreciate it when gyms ask about their needs and actively provide for them. It makes them feel welcome and supports their eagerness to practise this great sport.

At the same time, many other groups – such as children, beginners or people returning from injury – also love the comfortable shapes and accessible routes. Investing in inclusive holds will pay off in many ways, both socially and economically.

What are your hopes for the current inclusive hold range?

I really hope that our inclusive range raises awareness and supports as many climbers, gyms and routesetters as possible. With Playstone Inclusion, I also wish to encourage more exchange of experiences and expertise within the community.

My dream is that inclusive routes and specialised holds will become a normal and visible part of every gym, so that more people can discover climbing as their sport.

Do you have any future plans around improving access to climbing?

Yes. We want to provide example route layouts for inclusive setting and are currently developing a training course for inclusive routesetting. Many routesetters and gyms want to do more but don’t know where to start. Your work and that of other pioneers in accessible climbing are a big inspiration for us.

In the future, we also want to provide more information and practical guidance on accessible climbing gyms – so that finding inclusive offers becomes easier for climbers, therapists and organizations.

If you want to find more about what Playstone does, follow their Instagram account @Playstoneholds or check out their climbing hold range here Playstone | climb-holds.com