Measuring finger force since 2013.
We built the first commercial instrumented hangboard because nothing on the market could tell us how hard we were actually pulling. Ten years later, an independent team measured our force plate against a laboratory force platform and published what they found.
Mean relative error measured against a Pasco laboratory force platform, with an intraclass correlation of 0.991.
How we got here
- 2013
A problem we had
We wanted to know how much load our fingers were taking on a hangboard. Nothing on the market measured it. So we built the first commercial instrumented hangboard.
- 2014
Two international congresses
We presented the force platform at the International Rock Climbing Research Association Congress in Pontresina, then at the International Mountain and Outdoor Sports Conference in Prague.
See the presentation → - 2015–2017
Into labs, gyms and coaching
Researchers, gyms and coaches started testing on it, Allez Up in Montreal among them. Eric Hörst and Patrick Matros were among the users whose feedback shaped every revision that followed.
“Being able to accurately measure finger flexor muscle force in a climbing-specific way has been a kind of holy grail sought by climbing coaches and researchers like myself.”
Eric Hörst, 2017 - 2018–2019
From prototype to production
We funded the prototype on Ulule, rebuilt the sensor electronics for precision and reliability, then took the production run to Kickstarter and shipped to backers.
See the campaign → - 2020–2022
Built on the plate
The web app arrived in 2020. By 2022, developers outside the company were building their own tools on the device.
- 2023
Validated against laboratory equipment
An independent team measured the Entralpi against a Pasco laboratory force platform, across static and dynamic protocols. Sports Biomechanics and the International Journal of Exercise Science published the results.
Read the study → - Since 2024
The plate and the app
The force plate pairs over Bluetooth with the Entralpi app on iOS and Android: guided protocols, load in real time, and a record of every session. The app is free.
In the literature
Studies that have used or evaluated the Entralpi force plate.
- Sports BiomechanicsValidity of the Entralpi force plate in the assessment of finger flexor performance metrics, 2023.
- International Journal of Exercise ScienceTest-retest reliability of a 4-minute all-out critical force test in rock climbers, 2023.
- Seattle Pacific UniversityIndividual finger flexor force production and performance limiting factors, 2019.
- Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-NürnbergMaximum finger strength against climbed bouldering difficulty, 2015.
The hardware
Units shipped to backers in 2019 still run on the current app.
