The word climbing wall is used interchangeably for both large and small climbing facilities. In the climbing world, a distinction is made between climbing on high walls and climbing on boulders.

Climbing on high walls, whether indoors in a climbing gym or outdoors on rock, requires safety equipment in the form of climbing harnesses, climbing ropes, belay devices and climbing shoes. And there are always two who climb together: one climbs, the other belays.

A boulder wall can be up to 14-15 feet high. When bouldering, you climb without ropes and harnesses, but with so-called crash pads to fall onto. For schools, institutions and public playgrounds boulders are typically max 3 metres tall and with an approved fall surface underneath (sand or other) in order to be establish as aclimbing facility. On the boulder you can be a larger group where everyone tries to solve the same problem / route.