Guess what!
It didn't work! I ran up the wall, clung on for dear life, and slid back down the wall. The boards did create a reasonably good amount of grip, but I suspect there probably isn't much of a middle ground with these. I'll either stay on the wall or slide back down, without much variation in speed. So I might not know whether they're half decent until I actually get them to work fully. Maybe. I don't know; it's just a theory.
Anyway, aside from the fact that they didn't work, I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is, several of the hooks came off. I even lost one set because I didn't realise until I got home. So I'll have to work on attaching them more firmly next time.
The good news is, several of the hooks came off. How is that also good news, you ask? Well, think about it. If they weren't creating a lot of grip, then they wouldn't be under much stress when they're fighting against my body weight (because they wouldn't be fighting against it much). And if they weren't under a lot of stress, then they wouldn't have come off. So the very fact that they are being torn away from the board, even though they were very firmly attached, means that they must have been creating a lot of grip.
Which is very good.
So, I'm going to add a third row to each of the boards, attach the hooks even more firmly, and then try again.
It didn't work! I ran up the wall, clung on for dear life, and slid back down the wall. The boards did create a reasonably good amount of grip, but I suspect there probably isn't much of a middle ground with these. I'll either stay on the wall or slide back down, without much variation in speed. So I might not know whether they're half decent until I actually get them to work fully. Maybe. I don't know; it's just a theory.
Anyway, aside from the fact that they didn't work, I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is, several of the hooks came off. I even lost one set because I didn't realise until I got home. So I'll have to work on attaching them more firmly next time.
The good news is, several of the hooks came off. How is that also good news, you ask? Well, think about it. If they weren't creating a lot of grip, then they wouldn't be under much stress when they're fighting against my body weight (because they wouldn't be fighting against it much). And if they weren't under a lot of stress, then they wouldn't have come off. So the very fact that they are being torn away from the board, even though they were very firmly attached, means that they must have been creating a lot of grip.
Which is very good.
So, I'm going to add a third row to each of the boards, attach the hooks even more firmly, and then try again.