Frustrated with lack of performance from available auto belays, Clip n’ Climb asked us to develop a system specifically for the climbing industry. The outcome was the award-winning TruBlue® Auto Belay that has revolutionised the climbing industry.

Now licensed to Head Rush Technologies and used by climbing facilities around the globe, the TruBlue® uses our patented self-regulating eddy current braking system to take up slack as the climber ascends. When the climber reaches the top, or in the event of a fall, the brake automatically controls the descent at the same safe rate regardless of user weight (10-150kgs).

The result is freedom for the climber to climb without having to organise a belay partner and gives them the freedom to climb at their choice of destination, date and time. For the facility owner, the TruBlue® allows increased participation, lower maintenance and servicing costs; and the opportunity to market to the younger generation the thrill and excitement of climbing in a safe environment.

“Holmes Solutions possesses many unique attributes that lend towards success in a complex product development effort”
– John McGowan, President, Head Rush Technologies.

The design of the braking mechanism is truly revolutionary, harnessing the power of magnetic eddy currents it has no contacting surfaces or wearable parts. This significantly decreased the operational and maintenance cost of the system, making the TruBlue® the most affordable system on the market. The system’s performance is a true testament to our team’s design expertise, achieving 50 million successful descents and counting!

Awards

• IAAPA Brass Ring Product Innovation Award, 2010
• reddot Design Award, 2011
• The Designers Institute of New Zealand’s “Best Product Design” – Silver Award, 2011
• New Zealand Innovators Award – High Commended, 2015

Did you know?

• The maximum allowable descent speed from an auto-belay system is 2m/s. If you descended from the world’s tallest building using an auto-belay, the descent time would be over seven minutes.
• The Diga di Luzzone is both a working dam and one of the largest artificial climbing walls in the world. Built in the 1990s, this spot in Switzerland is home to one of the two largest man-made climbing routes in the world, a 540-foot, five-pitch monster that curves its way up the side of the Luzzone dam. As climbers go through the pitches, the concave wall changes character, starting off slabby, then straightening out to vertical.
• The world’s largest man-made outdoor rock climbing structure consists of over 60,000 square feet of rock climbing terrain, with walls ranging for 19’ to 36’ in height. Created by our friends at Eldorado Climbing walls, the Boy Scouts of America extreme sports village includes 37 TruBlue® Auto Belay units.

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TruBlue® is a registered trade mark of LLC (Headrush).