Without a doubt, there has been an explosion of portable hang boards over the past couple years. With almost every design possible on the market, it is difficult to choose which hangboard may best suit your needs at the crag. One company that has stood out from the rest is Digit Climbing. Based out of Montreal, Digit Climbing is a Canadian company with a focus on wooden hold and hangboard solutions that meet all your training goals. Their version of the portable hangboard is called the Yubiboard. The board is based on a rotary system and features a variety of grips for every climber from beginner to expert.
We had a chance to test the Yubiboard over a two month period and here is what we thought.
Yubiboard – A Portable Hangboard
The Yubiboard by Digit Climbing is a portable hangboard based on a rotary system that features a variety of grip sizes for all climbers, including 35mm, 28mm, 27mm, 22mm, 18mm, 14mm, 10mm and 8mm edges for two hand hangs and a 30mm, 24mm and 22mm edge for one handed hangs. Its portable round design, similar to the Flash Board by Tension climbing, allows for versatile travel and function.
Design and Function
The design of the Yubiboard is easy to use and features a variety of holds that can accommodate every climber. With no sharp edges, the board fits easily on the side of your pack when moving to and from the crag. Because the angle of the Yubiboard is adjustable, we found that it allowed us to set the board to our desired angle, allowing us to warm up with the holds set to uncut, flat and sloper-like. The Yubiboard features 35mm, 28mm, 27mm, 22mm, 18mm, 14mm, 10mm and 8mm edges for two hand hangs and a 30mm, 24mm and 22mm edge for one handed hangs.
If we had to pick one thing the Yubiboard is missing, it would be two finger pockets. Although two fingers can be used on the flat edge of the Yubiboard, we did find that when trying projects that required two finger pulling, we were unable to warm up our fingers efficiently using the flat edges of the Yubiboard and would have loved to have a finger pocket option.
Rotary System
We found the rotary system of the Yubiboard was very intuitive and easy to use. We liked that you could adjust the angle of a hold depending on how you wanted to train our warm up, and we liked how fast it was to adjust to any condition. At not time during the testing did we find that the rope system got tangled in our bag or needed adjustment to set up. We also enjoyed how much diversity the rope system gave you when setting the angle of the holds on the board. The ropes of the Yubiboard appeared strong and robust. After two months use, we found no wear or tear on the rope system.
Wood Quality
We really loved the texture and feel of the Yubiboard when warming up and training. Made of Birch, the wood of the Yubiboard seemed to hold up well over time and there was no deterioration of the grain over time. The quality of the wood felt more solid and compact than other hangboards on the market. It should be noted that the Yubiboard is not stained or finished in any way so it does get dirty if placed in the dirt and is not immune to mustard stains from your favourite crag sandwich.
Overall
Overall, we really enjoyed using the Yubiboard and it has become a staple in our climbing pack whether heading to the gym or warming up at the crag. With a variety of holds to choose from and a rotary system that allows for the adjustment of holds to any angle, the Yubiboard provides a lot of freedom to its user. Easy to transport, the cylinder design of the Yubiboard fits in almost any pack and is easy to set up in a multitude of conditions. With a price that is hard to beat, the Yubiboard is likely the best ‘bang for your buck’ on a market that has a lot of competition! We would highly recommend the Yubiboard to any climber looking to add a portable hangboard to their toolbox of most needed training tools.
MSRP: $99.99. The Yubibaord can be purchased online at Digit Climbing and at Climb On Equipment in Squamish, BC.
