Recreation Environments Require More Than Installation.
Nolterra supports the long-term performance of climbing walls, artificial terrain, and movement-driven environments through design intelligence, technical coordination, inspection, and operational understanding.
About Nolterra
WHY NOLTERRA EXISTS
We help complex recreation environments perform as well in year five as they did on opening day.
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Most climbing walls, artificial terrain systems, and recreation environments are delivered through fragmented disciplines. Architects, engineers, fabricators, installers, operators, and owners often work toward different priorities with limited coordination between long-term operational goals and the realities of construction.
As projects become more ambitious, the gaps between concept, execution, maintenance, and usability become more visible. Small coordination issues compound over time, often resulting in environments that are difficult to maintain, operationally inconsistent, or disconnected from their original design intent.
Nolterra exists to help bridge those gaps before they reach the field.
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Nolterra operates independently from fabrication and installation. This allows us to support projects objectively alongside owners, architects, engineers, fabricators, and installers without pressure toward a specific construction approach or product system.
Our role is to help clarify intent, improve interdisciplinary coordination, identify downstream conflicts early, and support environments that remain functional long after project turnover.
We believe independent oversight creates stronger alignment, clearer communication, and better long-term outcomes across complex recreation environments.
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Opening day is only one moment in the lifecycle of an environment.
The long-term success of climbing walls and artificial terrain systems depends on how they function over time, how they are maintained, operated, programmed, repaired, and experienced years after construction is complete.
Nolterra approaches design through the lens of long-term performance. We consider circulation, maintenance access, inspection requirements, operational realities, user behavior, durability, and future adaptability as part of the design process itself.
We believe environments perform best when operational thinking is integrated from the beginning.
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Nolterra’s perspective is shaped not only through design work, but through direct observation of how recreation environments perform in the field over time.
Our inspection and assessment work provides visibility into the operational realities of climbing walls, artificial terrain systems, and movement-based environments after turnover; including maintenance patterns, usability challenges, wear conditions, coordination failures, and long-term performance issues.
This field experience informs how we approach design, coordination, and project planning from the beginning.
We believe the environments that age best are the ones designed with long-term observation, operational understanding, and lifecycle thinking already built into the process.
Nolterra works between disciplines. Not in competition with them.
Nolterra collaborates alongside owners, architects, engineers, fabricators, installers, operators, and project teams to support coordination, constructability, and long-term environmental performance across artificial terrain and recreation environments.
Our role is not to replace existing disciplines, but to help strengthen alignment between them.
Because artificial terrain environments are shaped by far more than aesthetics or structure alone. Long-term success depends on how design intent, fabrication, installation, operations, maintenance, and human use remain connected over time.
Nolterra supports that connection throughout the project lifecycle
Independent By Design
Nolterra operates independently from fabrication and installation, allowing us to support projects objectively across disciplines.
LEADERSHIP
The field changes how you design.
Jason Thomas founded Nolterra after years working across climbing walls, artificial terrain, and complex recreation environments where design intent, operational realities, and construction execution often became disconnected over time.
His background spans design development, technical coordination, field observations, constructability review, and interdisciplinary collaboration across indoor climbing facilities, recreation environments, sculpted terrain systems, and specialty installations throughout North America.
That experience continues to shape how Nolterra approaches design, coordination, inspection, and long-term environmental performance today.
— Jason Thomas, Founder/Principal
“Environments perform best when they are designed with operational reality and long-term use in mind from the very beginning.”
TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT
Design becomes valuable when it can actually be built.
“Strong environments are rarely the result of a single idea. They emerge through coordination, iteration, and disciplined execution over time.”
Michael Stahl supports Nolterra’s technical development, design coordination, and project documentation efforts across climbing walls, artificial terrain, and recreation environments.
His work bridges conceptual design and construction execution through 3D modeling, detailing, interdisciplinary coordination, and technical refinement throughout the development process.
Mike’s ability to move between creative problem-solving and practical implementation helps projects remain aligned as they evolve through design, pricing, fabrication, and construction.
That balance between concept and constructability plays an important role in how Nolterra approaches collaboration, communication, and long-term project success.
— Michael Stahl, Design & Technical Development
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT & SALES
Strong partnerships begin long before construction.
Tyler Hierholzer supports Nolterra’s business development, client relationships, and industry outreach efforts across climbing, recreation, and artificial terrain environments.
His role focuses on building relationships with owners, operators, architects, recreation organizations, and industry partners while helping guide projects through early conversations, coordination, and long-term collaboration.
Ty helps connect clients with the right resources, conversations, and strategic direction early in the process — supporting clearer communication and stronger alignment as projects evolve.
That relationship-focused approach plays an important role in how Nolterra builds trust, develops partnerships, and supports projects over time.
— Tyler HIerholzer, Business Development & Sales
“The strongest projects are built on trust, communication, and long-term relationships long before construction begins.”
INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE
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Most environments do not fail because of engineering.
They fail when operational realities, maintenance requirements, usability, and long-term performance are treated as secondary considerations during design and construction.
Nolterra approaches artificial terrain as an operational system shaped by movement, coordination, maintenance, and time.
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Coordination is part of design.
As projects become more ambitious, the gaps between disciplines become more expensive. Architects, engineers, fabricators, operators, and installers often work toward different priorities without a clear system tying long-term performance together.
Strong environments emerge when those disciplines remain aligned from concept through long-term operation.
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Opening day is not the finish line.
Many environments perform well initially, then gradually lose consistency, usability, and operational clarity over time. Maintenance access, inspection requirements, circulation patterns, operational staffing, and long-term adaptability all shape how environments age.
Nolterra believes long-term performance is influenced as much by operational thinking as by design itself.
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Buildability matters.
Clear intent, coordinated documentation, and constructable systems reduce ambiguity during fabrication and installation. When coordination breaks down early, complexity increases downstream across construction, scheduling, operations, and maintenance.
Nolterra works to help teams translate ambitious concepts into environments that remain clear, buildable, and resilient throughout the project lifecycle.
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The field changes how you design.
Direct observation of how environments perform over time provides insight that drawings alone cannot. Inspection work, field coordination, maintenance review, and operational feedback all shape how Nolterra approaches design, constructability, and long-term environmental performance.
Experience in the field continues to inform how we think about movement, terrain, durability, and operational success across recreation environments today.
PODCAST WITH RISE ABOVE CONSULTING
You're Building Your Climbing Walls All Wrong
- A conversation with Jason Thomas, Founder of Nolterra (formerly Redpoint Studio)
1Climb Partnership
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a passion you want to share with the world. Kevin Jorgensen has a dream to introduce 100,000 kids to the rewards of climbing.
UIAA World Cup Ice Climbing Wall
To pull this off, we had to create an entirely new climbing wall system that could be installed in less than three days and removed in a single day. The result was astounding.
Over the two-day competition, more than 24,000 spectators attended, with 10,000 watching the lead finals. The vertical ice remained rock-solid, without a hint of movement, and the massive arch held firm, even as the winner of the men’s lead competition climbed out onto the iconic ‘rhino horn’ and leapt from the structure in his final dismount. This video captures the experience of the competitors and spectators alike.